
12.9.24 – The holiday spirit is in full swing, filling the air with festive activities, delicious treats, and…
12.9.24 – The holiday spirit is in full swing, filling the air with festive activities, delicious treats, and…
11.29.18 – There is no shortage of ways for Austinites to give back this holiday season. It doesn’t take a lot of…
These small changes around your home can save thousands of dollars a year while also being more environmentally conscious. From small changes like which light bulbs to use, to revolutionary investments like solar shingles, these changes will make a significant impact on your wallet without impacting the earth:
With school back in session, the quiet days of summer are over in Austin and schedules are packed with new activities and meetings. While Austinites have figured out how to get around the city without Uber or Lyft, there are a host of other apps to save you time and take care of even the most mundane tasks. From personal shopping to grocery delivery services to dry cleaning, these apps are reinventing how we live.
– FOOD + SHOPPING –
– HEALTH + FITNESS –
– PRODUCTIVITY –
– HOME + LIFESTYLE –
With Uber and Lyft no longer operating within the Austin city limits, getting around Austin last month proved to be a challenge. However, new rideshare companies that comply with city regulations are in full operational swing. Whether you’re a local or visiting from out of town, below are Austin’s newest transportation options:
The heat may cause many to travel during the summer, but there’s something especially charming about having a great night out just a few minutes from home. Long days and warm nights put a special emphasis on community and bring locals together for outdoor theater, drive-in movies, food festivals, and lots of music. Whether experiencing something for the first time or continuing traditions with friends, this summer in Austin is sure to be one to remember. Here is a look at just some of this summer’s events:
July 3: South Congress Hotel presents Ice Cream Socials
July 4: H-E-B Austin Symphony July 4th Concert & Fireworks
July 4: Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Celebration
July 6: Sound & Cinema
July 7: First Thursday on South Congress
July 7: Unplugged at The Grove : Shane Smith & The Saints
July 9: Second Saturdays at Laguna Gloria
July 8- August 13: Zilker Hillside Musical : Shrek the Musical
July 13: 101X Summer Cinema Series : Napoleon Dynamite
July 13: KGSR’s Blues on the Green : Hayes Carll & Carson McHone
July 14: Unplugged at the Grove : The Reverend Horton Heat & Dale Watson
July 17: South Congress Hotel presents Ice Cream Socials
July 19: Trailer Food Tuesdays
July 20: Sound & Cinema
July 21: Unplugged at The Grove : Griffin House
July 21: Blanton’s Third Thursday
July 24: South Congress Hotel presents Ice Cream Socials
July 27: 101X Summer Cinema Series : The Goonies
July 28: Unplugged at The Grove : Uncle Lucius
August 3: KGSR’s Blues on the Green : Sweet Spirit & The Suffers
August 4: Unplugged at The Grove : The Damn Quails
August 7: South Congress Hotel presents Ice Cream Socials
August 10: Sound & Cinema
August 10: 101X Summer Cinema Series : School of Rock
August 11: Unplugged at the Grove : Bob Schneider
August 13: Austin Ice Cream Festival
August 13: Second Saturdays at Laguna Gloria
August 14: South Congress Hotel presents Ice Cream Socials
August 16: Trailer Food Tuesdays
August 17: Sound & Cinema
August 18: Unplugged at The Grove : The Rocketboys
August 25: Unplugged at The Grove : Jackie Venson
August 26-28: 21st Annual Austin Fall Home & Garden Show
The national news is full of economic stories that include sharp drops in oil and energy prices, volatility in overseas economies and uncertainty in the US job market. However, the local economy in Austin does not seem to be affected by these events, remaining strong and continuing to receive positive economic forecasts. What makes Austin different?
Austin is the only city in the United States with 400,000 university students within a 100 mile radius. College graduates make up more than 41% of the adult population in Austin, and nearly half of the city’s population is between 18 and 44 years old. This provides a highly desireable “Human Capital” component to the economy – meaning there is a large base of well educated people. In turn, this attracts companies looking for a solid work force.
The Human Capital component will continue to grow with the creation of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas. Not only does it increase the number of students in the area, it is creating an entire new sector in the economy, the biomedical field. Mike Rollins of Opportunity Austin, says, “The new Medical School will provide endless business investment opportunities in Austin as it attracts the medical field’s top talent such as medical technology companies, medical studies and their teams, research labs, and more. It will be the leading medical center in the nation.”
One of the strongest factors to Austin’s growth is that Austin is not a single sector economy. The city’s economic development strategy combines traditional economic development with redevelopment, global business recruitment, small business development, music and cultural arts. Austin has made diversification a key component of the city’s economic development plan.
The goal, which has proven successful to date, is to ensure that if one economic sector sees a downturn, the city as a whole will feel less of an impact as it does not rely solely on that sector. The city of Austin focuses on six target industries for successful growth: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy and Power Technologies, Corporate Headquarters, Data Management, Life Sciences, and Creative & Digital Media.
The arts have played a major role in the diversification of Austin’s economy, growing by 25% over the last 10 years. Austin plays host to a breadth of talent-rich companies in the fields of production, animation, and visual effects for film and television, music and technology, video game development and interactive software creation. Further, the city of Austin continues to welcome 50,000 visitors from 82 countries to participate in the technology and music festival South by Southwest every year. Rollins attributes SXSW as, “The greatest contributing factor to opening Austin to international business.”
Austin has made a name for itself socially as a city that “keeps it weird”. However, in an economic context, Austin has kept itself open and engaged as well. Austin is a young, smart and successful city with boundless energy and creative ideas. “In other cities, people give negative reactions to new ideas. In Austin, there is a positive response, typically comprised of a collaborative idea or a networking opportunity,” says Kevin Johns, the Economic Development Director for the City of Austin. Mr. Johns credits this as Austin’s #1 selling point. This fostering of innovation adds to the draw of not only potential employers but additional human capital, further fueling the appeal to employers. “Austin attracts the creative class without prejudice. We bring smart people and let them do their thing,” adds Johns.
This positivity and optimistic outlook spread to other facets of life in Austin as well. Angelos Angelou of AngelouEconomics states, “The biggest achievement of Austin is empowering young people as a city.” This has led to a citizenship that is truly engaged in the city and committed to keeping it great, while raising it to the next level. Austin’s open mindedness and encouraging community have lead to its economic strength – adding 34,900 jobs in 2015.
Early this year, Mayor Adler announced that 2016 is the “Year of Mobility”, and the city of Austin is striving to ease congestion, make traffic safer and plan for the future. “Great cities do big things, and there is nothing bigger facing Austin than our mobility crisis. We need to have a serious conversation about how we move from the drafting board to fixing I-35 and investing in transportation projects on other major corridors such as Lamar, Burnet Road, and East MLK,” said Adler.
To kick this off, City Council unveiled a plan for 109 mobility projects city wide – in addition to the standard mobility projects such as filling potholes and landscape maintenance. Some of the highlights from the list include:
By connecting Downtown to the East Side through a walkable, pedestrian destination, traffic in Austin’s downtown grid would be greatly improved with additional highway crossing points while maintaining the current number of I-35 access points. But resolving the I-35 traffic issue isn’t the only big ticket item on the agenda for the Year of Mobility. City Council will continue to work with TxDOT on improving traffic flow on Loop 360, FM 620, and Parmer Lane. Additionally, a partnership between Capital Metro and the City of Austin is working on the Central Corridor Study as they search for a potential high-capacity transit solution.
Residents are invited to weigh in on the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan in 2016 as the city works to put long term plans into action. While a long list of agenda items have already been put in place, 2016 is looking to be the year that great concepts are turned into great solutions.
2016 has begun to be a strong culinary year in Austin, with three new restaurants having opened in January. Here is the list of what is brand new and what to expect this spring:
January can mark the baseline for how people live the rest of the year, with many new diets, workouts and resolutions. Austin is built for success as one of the fittest cities in the U.S. and the most fit city in Texas.Over 350 miles of public trails, three stunning lakes and an average of 230 sunny days a year make it simple to stay fit within city limits. Austinites can take it a step further and stay true to their roots, eating consciously, locally and organically thanks to seven weekly farmers markets and homegrown grocers.
Or to mix it up, here are unusual new workouts in Austin:
Finding a workout routine that fits a busy lifestyle can be a challenge. Our agents have varying schedules and a demanding, 24/7 workload. Here are some samples of what works for them: