Austin Information - lifestyles and demographics for urban and downtown living

Austin is live music, high tech, politics, the University of Texas, and a whole lot more.

Say the word "Austin" and a myriad of images come to mind. The capital of Texas. Heart of the technology industry's Silicon Hills. Live Music Capital of the World. Longhorn football. Rolling landscapes and sparkling lakes. Hip, cool, trendy.

The essence of Austin emanates from its self-contradictions. Along with its chic sophistication, Austin possesses a laid-back attitude. At the most elegant restaurants in town, diners show up in everything from haute couture to t-shirts and shorts. A mecca for the cultural arts, the city also protects its outdoor treasures such as Barton Springs Pool. In downtown, ultra-modern office towers rise high above century-old historic landmarks. It's still a small town at heart that has grown into a big city over the past two decades.

Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association
The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association is the voice Austin’s downtown residential community. Through our activities and advocacy, DANA contibutes to the appeal and excitement of downtown living. DANA improves downtown living by organizing social events, encouraging public order, promoting downtown housing, protecting downtown’s public spaces and historical assets, and supporting mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development.
Events such as our monthly happy hours, and annual Block Party, Livability Awards, and Loft Tour serve to focus the city’s attention on the social, cultural, and economic benefits of a vibrant, densely-populated downtown.

DOWNTOWN: As Austin as it Gets
Austin’s Emmy? Award-winning series produced by the Downtown Austin Alliance. Tune in Thursdays, at 7:30 p.m. on KLRU, Austin's PBS station to catch the stories of the special people and places that make DOWNTOWN: As Austin As it Gets.™

Austin City Connection
The official website of the city of Austin, this site is full of terrific information about living and working in Austin! Art & events calendars, bike & park maps, top 40 employment & much more!

Move To Austin Guide - from the Chamber of Commerce, this terrific online guide takes you through the complete process of moving to Austin. Click on over and discover how simple it can be to get ready for your move to this Texas-friendly city.

Living It Up Downtown - A feature of Austin Home & Living
From a hotel supposedly won through a poker game to office buildings transformed into snazzy lofts, downtown Austin is full of history and change. Fortunately for history and architecture buffs— or maybe those just tired of the "burbs"—the Heritage Society of Austin wowed visitors with detailed tours of some of the newest projects in the Central Business District. With ten sites on the tour, participants were able to get a taste of what life in downtown Austin use to be, and what it is becoming today.

Austin Independent School District - The Austin Independent School District educates every student every day. The Austin Independent School District will be recognized for providing every student with an excellent education.

The following are links to sites I have found that have very useful or entertaining information about the Austin area:

Featured Austin artist: Lou Ann Bardash
"With my own personal self, the art is my reality. Whether it's visual art or music. When that paint is on my brush or my hands are on the piano - that's real and I know I am alive." http://nsr.home.texas.net/louann.htm

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Visit Melissa's website: Rollergirl The Book to read about author appearances, terrific and hilarious blog entries by Melicious, and more information about the Rollergirls!

Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track

Hot off the presses, by Austin's very own Melissa Joulwan - a.k.a. Melicious of the Hot Rod Honeys!

The 1950s phenomenon of Roller Derby is back in full force, and it's definitely not your grandma's game anymore. With leagues in more than 100 cities across the country, a national tournament, and major sponsors, the new wave of the sport has gone mainstream. No one is better qualified to tell the story of Flat Track Derby's astronomic rise than Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan. A founding member of the Texas Rollergirls, she's helped redefine what it means to be stylish, sporty, and sexy.

From the minute she first laced up her skates and wrapped herself in her alter ego, Roller Derby has given Melicious a confidence boost, and she shares the positive impact the sport has also had on girls -- young and not-so-young -- who tack posters of her to their bedroom walls and lace up their own skates.

Complete with photos, profiles of Rollergirls across the country, and suggestions on how to develop a Rollergirl name and persona, this unprecedented tell-all comes from the woman who's watched the sport evolve from an underground Friday night event to a bona fide national phenomenon.

Austin 2nd Street District
Austin is a fusion of culture and style all its own. People here are looking for something beyond a cookie-cutter mall experience transplanted from another city. They’re ready for something that speaks to them in their own language. Which is why 2nd Street District will look, feel, taste and sound like one place, and one place only. Austin. With 225,000 square feet of well-integrated retail, restaurants and entertainment, 2nd Street District is the most significant retail development in downtown Austin and a promising venue to launch a concept or put a fresh spin on a current one.

Sky's the new limit for urban living in Texas, and beyond - This is the largest state in the contiguous USA, stretching more than 700 miles from east to west and north to south, and space often seems infinite. Here, living large — and spread out — hasn't been just a choice but almost a birthright. What changed? Gas prices soared. Traffic congestion choked highways. Air quality worsened and so did pressure from environmental regulators. Light-rail lines came online. And demographics shifted: As baby boomers became empty nesters, their desire for convenience and fun suddenly merged with those of young professionals. Both groups are flocking to urban settings.

Pure Austin Fitness - Article on the fitness club by Austin freelance writer Shelley Seale.

Austin's Coffee House Scene - Article about cool local coffee houses by Austin freelance writer Shelley Seale.

Lucky Mutts - Good Used Dogs for Lucky People. Lucky Mutts is a non profit volunteer corporation dedicated to educating the public on responsible pet ownership to help prevent the needless killing of dogs at shelters. We are also a foster network that adopts out mutts to lucky people.

Panache Interiors - Austin interior design firm. Livable Luxury incorporates clarity of form and quality of materials for a sense of comfort, ease and elegance in everyday life.

Austin City Limits Music Festival - Held every September, this 3-day festival has quickly become one of the country's best music events.

Austin SXSW Festival - In its 20th year, this weeklong event showcases music and film.

Urban Living Austin Hotel Search - Offers a search of availability and rates for all Austin area hotels, with discounts of up to 70%!