The 1850s saw the first construction boom with the construction of the first Capitol building in 1853. A second construction boom occurred in the 1870s with the arrival of the railroad. In 1883, Austin became a university city with the founding of the University of Texas at Austin. Today, Austin is known both for its cultural life and high-tech innovations and for the senators and teachers who shaped its beginnings. The same success that has given the city a national reputation has brought with it many difficult decisions, as the city expands on a scale that might surprise Waterloo's first residents.
Austin is known for its music scene with monthly music festivals, as well as Rodeo Austin, among other festivals. This city has a vibrant art scene with many museums such as the Museum of Mexican Art and the Museum of the Strange. Austin is also known for its food trucks, cookies, fried chicken, barbecues and beers. For more information on Austin, Texas and what to do in the city, Amazon's Lonely Planet Pocket Austin guide contains the latest information on everything Austin is known for.
Austin is known as the father of Texas, but many people, including Sam Houston, were not satisfied with the location of the capital. When the Mexican invasion threatened Texas in 1842, the government moved to Houston, but the city's citizens, determined to keep Austin as their capital, organized the so-called War of the Archives, forcibly keeping government records. After the annexation of Texas to the United States in 1845, it took two state elections to maintain Austin as the capital. Austin suffered the plague of segregation in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, but race relations improved during the civil rights era and the University of Texas admitted black students in 1956, the first university in the South to do so.
If you're eager to see what all this hype is about or are ready to live the Austin life day to day, moving to Austin could be for you. Austin's largest art museum is the Blanton Museum of Art, located at the University of Texas at Austin.
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