the Americas (COTA) track and racing
facility, located in southeast Austin near
Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
Austin is the new home for multiple racing
events, including an agreement to host
the prestigious Formula 1 United States
Grand Prix through 2021, as well as the
MotoGP and V8 Supercars series.
Of course, there’s no question that the
University of Texas Longhorns are high
on the list of most popular sports events
here, and there’s also a host of top NCAA
college athletic events throughout the
school year, including UT’s football team,
baseball team, basketball team, and men’s
and women’s soccer and volleyball teams.
FINE FOOD AND
ECLECTIC SHOPPING
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 bounty 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 cafés and sumptuous
steakhouses. Try Guero’s Taco Bar on South
Congress or Chuy’s Tex-Mex (multiple locations) for casual, Mexican fare; The Salt
Lick or County Line for barbeque (see our
barbeque article in this issue for additional
mouth-watering choices); or Hudson’s on the
Bend, Uchi, or Fonda San Miguel for the best
in fine dining.
Once you’ve satisfied your appetite, it’s off to
do some shopping. The Domain, located in
northwest Austin, includes Neiman-Marcus
and other luxury shops and boutiques such
as Barney’s CO-OP, Tiffany & Co., David
Yurman, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Tumi,
and the Apple store.
Then there’s the Hill Country Galleria – 152
acres of expansive natural beauty in Bee Cave
with eclectic shopping, dining and entertainment, as well as office and residential
space. Surrounded by a lush nature preserve,
wildflowers, native trees and rocky streams,
the Hill Country Galleria is an ideal way to
spend an afternoon.
Major malls in the Austin area include Lakeline Mall in Cedar Park (Macy’s, Dillard’s,
Sears and J.C. Penney) and Barton Creek
Square in west Austin (Macy’s, Dillard’s,
Sears, J.C. Penney, and Nordstrom). There’s
also the Arboretum, which is home to national
chains such as The Gap, Pottery Barn, and
Barnes & Noble, plus local boutiques and spas.
Don’t miss the charming boutiques and shops
on South First, in the Second Street District,
or the vintage and antique shops on South
Congress, South Lamar, North Loop, Burnet
Road, and Guadalupe Street (also known as
“The Drag” on the UT campus).
For outlet shopping, this area can’t be
beat, whether you head to the Round Rock
Outlets just north of town, or the Premier
and Tanger Outlet Malls in San Marcos
– just 30 minutes south of downtown on
Interstate 35. Austin is also home to a
250,000-square foot IKEA store in Round
Rock, which is the place to go for hip, inex-
pensive European choices in home décor
for every room in the house.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
There’s no doubt that Austin’s a great
city – the “hippest in the Southwest,”
according to travel reviews in The New
York Times and other national publications, but what ultimately makes any
city feel like home is its many and varied
neighborhoods.
Choose from charming inner city history
to minimalist downtown loft living to lush
gated communities around the city or
quiet suburban neighborhoods – there’s no
shortage of diverse housing in Austin.
It’s relatively inexpensive to live here.
When many cities were still recovering
from the after effects of the recession and
a sluggish housing market, the Austin
market remained steady and stable – with
the city experiencing price gains. Now,
even with the market heating up again,
there is still affordable housing to be found
across the city. The median price for a
single-family home was $274,000 in April
2015, up fourteen percent from the same
month in 2014.
Offerings range from classy downtown
condos, elegant old homes and modern
showplaces, to friendly suburban neighborhoods, to countryside ranches and
farmhouses on the outskirts of town.
Wherever you choose to live in Austin,
Texas you will always find the friendly and
neighborly atmosphere that pervades the
entire community.
Welcome to a city that residents and visitors
adore – and that you will, too! As you explore
the Austin Relocation Guide and the city that
it represents, it’s easy to see that there’s a lot
to love about Austin. It’s a great place to live,
find success, and enjoy the good life.
Photo by Robert H. McGee
