austin: Dove Springs-A Quaint, Family-Oriented Community - 08/18/10 11:59 PM
A quaint, tree-lined rural community exists in Southeast Austin called Dove Springs, and it has a unique charm and many opportunities for recreation, housing, entertainment and access to the central city area. Dove Springs can be found by exiting I.H. 35 and traveling east on Stassney, among other routes, and the neighborhood's proximity to the freeway is another advantage to residents.

Most of the street names include the word Dove, such as Dove Meadow, Dove Hill, Dove Wood and others. These streets are tree-lined, quiet, meandering, residential streets, with inexpensive to moderately priced homes and duplexes, as well as numerous … (0 comments)

austin: Mortgage Rates Hold At All Time Historic Low - 08/06/10 11:51 PM
Last week the 30 year rate fell to an all time low of 4.57. This week mortgage rates held at 4.57 so we are still sitting on all time historic lows. This is also the 4th week in a row where mortgage rates have either held steady or fallen. The expectation has been that rates were going to rise. Since the economic recovery has kind of sputtered their has been some downward pressure on mortgage rates. If the economy starts to recover we could expect rates to increase. In the meantime I would expect rates to hold steady or fall a … (1 comments)

austin: Neighborhood Amenities - 07/06/10 02:08 AM
When searching for a new home, there are the usual considerations of location, price, and layout. Often, hopeful homeowners are so focused on the number of bedrooms or the quality of the schools that considerations like neighborhood amenities are pushed aside. But these seemingly inconsequential neighborhood perks can have a significant impact on quality of life.

If there is one thing Austin offers in plentitude, it is places to enjoy the outdoors. There are the well known venues, like Lady Bird Lake, Barton Springs and Zilker Park, but many of the outlying and city neighborhoods have gems of their own.
… (0 comments)

austin: 5 Things to Do in Austin - 04/12/10 01:49 AM
New to Austin? It's a lucky person who gets to discover the Texas capitol for the first time. Along with visiting the actual Capital building and grounds, here are some suggestions on five things to do for a new resident of Austin:

Eat Barbeque
It seems like a person can hardly walk ten steps in this town without tripping over a barbeque restaurant, however, not all barbecue is created equally. If looking for something while exploring the Sixth and Fourth Street districts, Iron Works BBQ on Red River off Sixth Street is quirky with delicious food. For a little more … (1 comments)

austin: Austin Texas Originals - 03/29/10 03:36 AM
It's the joke around Austin that no one is actually born and raised here; it's just a great place to end up. But when it comes to the restaurant business, there are some unmistakable Austin originals. Here is a sampling of just a few of the restaurants that keep Austin weird and well fed.

Hut's Hamburgers
This West Sixth Street restaurant's art deco architecture dates back to 1939. Homer Hut Hutson opened Hut's Hamburgers in 1969 and it's been going strong ever since. Hut's does hamburgers like Austin does live music: plenty of them with unusual twists to the terrific … (1 comments)

austin: Austin Museums - 03/17/10 02:12 AM
Austin is known for its live music, but the city also has a rich culture of museums and art galleries. The Austin Museum Partnership is a good place to find information and resources about Austin's diverse museum offerings. The following is a mere glimpse of the Austin museum scene.

Only in Texas
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin gives visitors a larger than life Texas experience. From the Imax theater to the special effects in the Texas Spirit Theater, this museum educates visitors with three floors-worth of fun, interactive exhibits.

Before becoming part of the United … (0 comments)

austin: Austin is Festival Central - 11/02/09 01:04 AM
Austin is well known for the South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival each spring and the Austin City Limits Music Festival each fall. But music isn't the only thing putting Austin on the map. Austin also hosts the Texas Book Festival and the Austin Film Festival and Conference every year.

Started in 1994, the Austin Film Festival is all about the creative process of screenwriting and film making. The annual film festival and conference held in October highlights local organizations and businesses that work in all elements of the film industry.

This year's festival features … (0 comments)

austin: The Pleasures of the South First Street Area in Austin Texas - 09/14/09 11:39 PM
The South First Street area has become a vibrant community lately, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists, since it is so densely packed with new establishments and businesses. The area is very unique and quirky; many of the businesses cater to the music industry and other artistic types.

There are a number of interesting clubs and restaurants as well, most of which offer live music on a regular basis. Two such venues are Jovita's and Freddie's Place, both delightful locations with shady trees with well known as well as new musical acts which usually perform early in the evening, to the … (2 comments)

austin: The Austin Convention Center in Historic Downtown Austin - 09/07/09 03:20 AM
The Austin Convention Center is a huge, sprawling convention complex in the heart of downtown Austin, and the facility can host just about any gathering, from sports events to conventions, garden shows, car shows, sales of every imaginable kind, and political gatherings, among others. The Center is located between Cesar Chavez to the South, 4th Street to the north, and Red River on one side and Trinity on the other. It covers numerous city blocks, and is practically a city inside a city.

The Convention Center contains more than 800,000 square feet, numerous ballrooms, including the largest ballroom in Texas, … (3 comments)

austin: Austin's Famous Hidden Pond: Cambell's Hole - 09/07/09 03:06 AM
There are many greenbelts in and around the creeks in Austin, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt is one of the most well-known. The greenbelt begins at the south shore of Lady Bird Lake and continues all the way to Loop 360, with starts and stops along the way. Most of the greenbelt is adjacent to the creek itself and Barton Springs while it meanders through the Zilker Park area, and one of the best places to swim under the trees and among the rocks and trails is called Campbell's Hole.

Campbell's hole is actually just an area where the … (3 comments)

austin: The Small Town of Del Valle - 08/29/09 11:41 PM
During the Texas Revolution, around the year 1812, Santiago Del Valle made his way to central Texas and settled with his family on a large piece of land granted to him by the Mexican government in the area now known as Del Valle. Del Valle is 7 miles southeast of Austin and the community is currently unincorporated.

The community is near the Austin Bergstrom International Airport, and is situated near the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Highway 71, on which Del Valle is actually located. Del Valle is also very near the communities of Lockhart to the south and … (0 comments)

austin: The Clarksville Dog Park in Austin Texas - 08/10/09 11:27 PM
Clarksville, which is a historic neighborhood in central-west Austin, has a hidden jewel few people know about: the "Dog Park", as it has been known for years. Clarksville is a very eclectic community in the central Austin real estate market, in fact some would say eccentric, but very unique, and the residents love their pets.

Between 9th Street and 10th Street, and a few blocks east of West Lynn, there is a beautiful, green park, shaded by huge, old trees with green leafy canopies covering most of the park, and many of the locals regularly bring their children and dogs … (0 comments)

austin: The Small Community of Hutto, Texas - 08/10/09 11:20 PM
Hutto, Texas is a small community located seven miles east of Round Rock and northeast of Austin, Texas. The current population of Hutto is estimated at around 17k residents, and Hutto has been a very fast-growing city since the construction of State Highway 130, also called the Trans-Texas Corridor.

In the census of 2000, the population of Hutto was just over thousand people, but the recently built toll road has dramatically increased the population and the city is expected to continue expanding in the next few decades, as the highway nears completion.

Hutto was founded in the year 1876 … (1 comments)

austin: Star of Texas Rodeo in Austin - 07/25/09 04:49 AM
This is the time of year when Austin's residents head down to Auditorium Shores for a full, Texan Cowboy Breakfast with all the fixings, the prelude to the Star of Texas Rodeo. Every spring, during the first weekend of March, many Austinites head to the shores of Lady Bird Lake to get a belly full of biscuits and gravy, bacon and sausage, eggs, and various other kinds of grub, including grits and hash browns, and with a full stomach, make plans to attend the rodeo.

This weekend, this extremely exciting event will begin at the fairgrounds: the 72nd Annual … (0 comments)

austin: Texas State Parks - 07/25/09 04:42 AM
It's not the Bahamas, but Texas State Parks can offer surprisingly enjoyable getaways for a fantastic price. The Hill Country offers a bevy of beautiful state parks within a two hour drive. Whether it's a day of picnicking and fishing or a full-fledged camping trip, there are over a dozen state parks in the Hill Country region alone.

Less money in the vacation budget this year doesn't necessarily mean everyone is destined to spend the summer hanging out in the backyard. Even if camping, hiking or fishing have never been activities someone has tried before, a day spent at a … (1 comments)

austin: Top Things To Do When Visiting Austin Texas - 07/18/09 04:27 AM
Austin, Texas, is widely known as the "Live Music Capitol of the World", and proudly so. But excellent live music isn't the only thing Austin has to offer. Here are just five of the many reasons to visit the coolest city in Texas.

1. Live Music
From dive bars and clubs to honky-tonks and Austin City Limits and South by Southwest (SXSW, to those in the know), this town has it all when it comes to music. Country, jazz, hip hop, rock, punk, emo, pop and everything else under the sun can be found here, and talented, up-and-coming bands are … (1 comments)

austin: Second Half of Year Should be Better - 07/11/09 05:30 AM
As the worst recession since World War II closes in on the two year mark, less people are losing their jobs, but unemployment is still rising. People who do have jobs are working fewer hours for less pay. According to the Associated Press, the national unemployment rate is 9.5 percent, the highest it's been in 26 years. It's predicted to hit 10 percent before the end of the year--a number President Obama hoped to avoid with his administration's efforts to turn the economy around.

Layoffs have slowed down a bit across the country, but hiring has not picked up. While … (1 comments)

austin: More Trails to Treasure - 07/11/09 05:26 AM
Under the canopy of trees seen from the highways and just out of sight along the busy streets are some of Austin's hidden treasures, and the city is about to add another one. This fall ground will be broken for phase 1 of a new hike and bike trail to be called the Walk for a Day trail. This approximately 35-mile trail will wind its way through parks and neighborhoods from Zilker Park to Kyle.

Completion of the whole project is still a good five years away, maybe even ten years if funding bogs down. But work on phase 1, … (0 comments)

austin: The Hancock Neighborhood of North-Central Austin - 07/04/09 04:04 AM
The Hancock Neighborhood of North Central Austin is a historic area just north of the University of Texas Campus and downtown Austin. The Hancock Neighborhood is very close to historic Hyde Park, and some of the streets and borders of the two neighborhoods overlap or are adjacent to each other. The boundaries of the Hancock area include I.H. 35 the east, Duval to the west, 29th street to the south, and 41st street on the northern edge.

One of the earliest settlers of the Hancock area was Susanna Dickinson, who was a survivor of the Battle of the Alamo, and … (1 comments)

austin: Mount Bonnell : Austin History, Legends and Views in one Spot - 07/04/09 03:57 AM
It may seem a little crazy to go hiking in the hot Texas summer, but if you can stand the heat the summer months can be a perfect time to visit an iconic Austin spot without any crowds. Even though it is 780 feet above sea level, the climb up to the top of Mount Bonnell is not a serious hike, especially with the stone steps along the way.

Mount Bonnell, like so many favorite Austin spots, is full of history as well as legends. The peak is named in honor of George W. Bonnell, a Texas publisher and Commissioner … (1 comments)

 

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