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Austin TexasINTRODUCTION Austin is an unexpected oasis in the dry Texas landscape. The city is home to the Texas state capital and a plethora of people who aren't the Texas norm and embrace their cities unofficial motto of, "Keep Austin Weird." Austin more officially is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World" because it is host to the very popular South by Southwest Music Festival and the longest-running music concert television show, Austin City Limits. Austin has a fabulous downtown core and an amazing nightlife, especially on 6th Street, which is filled with restaurants, dance clubs, comedy clubs, convenience stores, tattoo parlors, hotels, and heaps of live music venues. A popular past time is to visit the Congress Street Bridge around sunset. This is when up to a million or more bats fly from their shelters under the bridge, creating quite a spooky sight. The bats are Mexican free-tailed bats and they usually appear in the spring for a few months. They are sort of a mascot for the city and the city's hockey team, the Austin Ice Bats? actually use them as their mascot. HISTORY Austin was originally settled in 1835 and named Waterloo, but its name was changed to Austin four years later in honor of one of the original founders of the Republic of Texas, Stephen F. Austin. In 1846 the city became the capital of the republic, and remained the capital when Texas was annexed by the United States. In 1881 Austin won the right to be the site of the University of Texas making the city an important center for education in not only the state of Texas, but in the entire nation. In 1974 the pilot episode of Austin City Limits was shot with musical guest Willie Nelson. Because of its educational institutions Austin became an important center for technology in the United States and in 1984 the Dell computer company was started in the city. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO The low lying areas within the hilly areas of Austin are known to flood during times of heavy rains. This causes a serious and often deadly hazard for those who try to walk or drive through them, rather than go around them. ATTRACTIONS Texas State Capital? RESTAURANTS LODGING 
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