|
 Forklift Attachments Austin - The seat of Travis County and the capital of the US state of Texas, the city of Austin is situated in Central Texas on the eastern portion of the American Southwest. It has a population of around 800,000, and is the fourth biggest city in the nation (2000-2006). In the year 2006, Austin was chosen as the second Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine and third during the year 2009. MSN even dubbed it the "Greenest City in America." It ranks second on the list of cities with the best individuals, based on CNN Headline News and Travel & Leisure magazine. In the year 2009, the city of Austin was selected as the least stressful large metro area by Forbes magazine.
Austinites are proud of their eccentricities and individuality in lifestyle, beliefs and character; never taking themselves very seriously. This particular city is the only one in the state of Texas that allows women to appear in public topless. Amongst its local motto is "Keep Austin Weird," and this particular statement not only promotes diversity but is likewise meant to enhance and support local and independent companies. SoCo, a shopping district that stretches down South Congress Avenue from Downtown, is filled with many coffee shops, restaurants, as well as cultural events. Among the yearly events consist of the O. Henry House Museum, which hosts the annual O. Henry Pun Off - a pun contest where contestants show amazing wit. Various events comprise Carnaval Brasileiro during the month of February, Austin Reggae Festival and Art City Austin during April, Eeyore's Birthday Party and Spamarama. Austin City, which is referred to as The Live Music Capital of the World, has a dynamic music scene that revolves around the many nightclubs on 6th Street and yearly film/music/interactive festivals called South by Southwest (SXSW). Zilker Park is also the home of the three-day Austin City Limits Music Festival (the longest-running concert music program on American television,) every year. The television show and festival both draw musical artists from around the world.
The city is home to over 50 public swimming pools, and many of them are spread all over the city. Among the most popular ones comprise the Deep Eddy Pool, oldest man-made swimming pool in Texas, and Barton Springs Pool, the nation's biggest natural swimming pool within an urban area. In 2004, The Austin Parks and Recreation Department was given Excellence in Aquatics award in the year 1999 and the Gold Medal Awards in the year 2004 from the National Recreation and Park Association. For parks, the Hippie Hollow Park is the only officially sanctioned clothing-optional public park in the state of Texas. It could likewise be a good place for everyone to go rockclimbing, kayaking, swimming, hiking and exploring along the greenbelt. Zilker Park forms part of the greenbelt along the Colorado River.
Austin's biggest companies comprise the United States Federal Government, Freescale Semiconductor (spun off from Motorola in 2004), IBM, St. David's Healthcare Partnership, the State of Texas, Seton Healthcare Network, the City of Austin, the Austin Independent School District, Texas State University-San Marcos, Dell, and the University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas. High technology is the center of the city's economy. Every year, there are thousands of graduates from the computer science and engineering programs at the University of Texas at Austin. These graduates normally work at defense and technology industry sectors. Amongst the high-tech companies that absorb them consist of: Hewlett-Packard, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, National Instruments, Samsung Group, Cirrus Logic, Applied Materials, AMD, 3M, Apple Inc., eBay/PayPal, Silicon Laboratories, Hoover's, United Devices and Sun Microsystems.
| |
