Austin has its own professional symphony, ballet and opera companies; dozens of theaters prepared to wow you with old favorites or ground-breaking new drama; dance companies, vocal ensembles, and orchestras producing events year-round. Art museums, galleries and beautiful gardens ease and please the eye with so many enticing shapes and colors.

Austin, hailed as the "Live Music Capital of the World," has hundreds of venues offering music of all genres and tempos. When spring rolls around, Austin is awash in arts festivals incorporating music, food, the great outdoors or the great club scene, and all facets of the arts.

With seven area universities and colleges including the University of Texas, award-winning public and private schools and a penchant for churning out some of the smartest people on the planet, Austin might seem a little daunting when it comes to figuring out where you or your family are going to fit into this buzzing hive of learning.

There is no excuse for being bored in Austin. Opportunities for recreation abound. Cool, spring-fed swimming holes, Ben Crenshaw-designed golf courses, area team sports or a walk in the beauty of Austin's natural settings -something will get you on your feet and out of doors     

Beginning in downtown Austin and stretching 150 miles west and north into the Hill Country of Central Texas lie the Highland Lakes, a chain of lakes created by seven dams along the Colorado River. Within a short drive of the city - or a full day-trip excursion - Austinites have access to boating, waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing, rowing, canoeing, fishing and swimming in some of Texas´ most beautiful surroundings. 

The City of Austin alone boasts 14,300 acres of parks. The hills west of the city include more than 7,566 public acres. Here, you can also enjoy hiking, mountain biking and other land-based activities. 

When you're out and about in Austin, you're bound to get hungry after all that activity. That's good, because dining in Austin is a delight. A cornucopia of restaurants offer such delicious local
fare as Mexican food, barbecue and Southern-style cooking, as well as everything from sushi bars to Italian bistros to fine French cafes to sumptuous steakhouses. After you've satisfied your appetite, it's off again to do some shopping. Whether you prefer major malls, national retail outlets, charming boutiques and shops, or vintage and antique shops located on South Congress, South Lamar, North Loop and Burnet Road, it's all yours in Austin.

Many have been attracted to this part of Texas by Austin´s mild and sunny weather.  The skies are almost always blue and the sun beams prettily from on high. Summer nights usually offer pleasant relief from the hot days. Winters are generally mild, with below-freezing temperatures occurring on an average of less than 25 days each year. Cold spells are usually of short duration, rarely lasting more than two days.

Austin's a great city, no doubt, but what ultimately makes the city feel like home is its many and varied neighborhoods. From charming inner city to lush developments ringing the metropolitan area the real estate choices are many and varied. The median home price was $151,700 as of the fourth quarter of 2001, and the offerings range from classy downtown condos costing in excess of a million dollars to elegant old homes to modern showplaces to countryside ranches and farmhouses on the outskirts of town. Wherever you choose to live in Austin, you will always find the friendly and neighborly atmosphere that pervades the entire community.

To choose one of these housing options for yourself, you have to find it first. Single family homes are the most readily available in Austin. Town homes were popular in the early eighties, and are regaining their edge on the housing market. Garden homes, zero lot line homes and condominiums are usually found in heavily populated area like Wells Branch, Cedar Park, and downtown and South Austin. Duplexes may be found sporadically throughout the city and in almost every major neighborhood, usually in the back of a development and in the more lived-in areas.The inner city loft and condo developments have become more popular as the warehouse district has rejuvenated downtown, especially for those relocated from larger cities like Chicago and New York, where they live in the same building they office out of, or don´t care about a yard or living in an isolated format.

Median Sales Price, Existing Single-Family Homes

2001 2002 2003 Annual percent change 2001-2002 2002-2003 Austin MSA $152,000 $156,500 $156,700 3.0% 0.1% United States 147,800 158,100 170,000 7.0% 7.5%

Source: National Association of Realtors.