Austin Round Rock/ San Marcos

Austin

Austin is the state capital of Texas, an inland city bordering the Hill Country region. Home to the University of Texas flagship campus, Austin is known for its eclectic live-music scene centered around country, blues, and rock. Its many parks and lakes are popular for hiking, biking, swimming, and boating. South of the city, Formula One’s Circuit of the Americas raceway has hosted the United States Grand Prix. The Austin metro population is approximately 2.2 million and growing on average by 65,000 per year. The Texas economy today relies largely on information technology, oil and natural gas, aerospace, defense, biomedical research, fuel processing, electric power, agriculture, and manufacturing. The ability to find good-paying jobs is one of the biggest reasons people flock to Austin. The city is a thriving hub of tech startups and big-name tech companies, so much so that it has earned the nickname “Silicon Hills.” Consider the following tech facts about the city: SXSW tech festival and conference.