Austin

Austin is home to the University of Texas at Austin (1883), the largest branch of the University of Texas. Other educational institutions include Huston-Tillotson University (1875), Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (1902), St. Edward’s University (1885), and Concordia University at Austin (1926). Austin’s cultural institutions include the Elisabet Ney Museum, once the home and workshop of the noted German-American sculptor; the home of O. Henry, which is now a museum housing many of the author’s possessions; the Texas Memorial Museum; the Laguna Gloria Art Museum; the Paramount Theatre for Performing Arts; and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, housing papers and memorabilia of the 36th president of the United States (see Johnson, Lyndon Baines).

In 1730 Franciscan missionaries established three temporary missions in the area, at sites which for centuries had been occupied periodically by groups of Native Americans. The site of the present city was settled in 1838 on the north bank of the Colorado River by five families, who named the community Waterloo. In 1839 Waterloo was chosen as the site of the permanent capital of the Republic of Texas. A one-story frame building was erected to house government offices, town lots were sold, and a newspaper began publication. In December 1839 the city was incorporated and its name was changed to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, who is considered the father of Texas.

In spite of protests from the citizens of Austin, the capital was moved to Houston in 1842 because of a threatened Mexican invasion. After being located in Houston and in Washington-on-the-Brazos, the capital was returned to Austin in 1845, the year Texas became a state. Austin became the permanent capital in a state election in 1850. Despite the fact that its county voted against secession, Austin was the site of several Confederate army facilities during the American Civil War (1861-1865), and volunteers from the city organized a company of light infantry.

The Houston and Texas Central Railroad reached Austin in 1871, and other railroads soon followed. The construction of a dam and power plant on the Colorado River prompted a period of industrialization between 1880 and 1900. The dam was destroyed in a flood in 1900 and was rebuilt in 1912. After major flooding in the 1930s, the Colorado River Authority constructed a series of dams and reservoirs on the river. This chain of reservoirs, known locally as the Highland Lakes, stretches for 153 km (95 mi) inland from Austin and is a major recreation and tourist attraction for central Texas.

During World War II (1939-1945) population growth was enhanced by the establishment of several military bases in and near the city. During the decades since the war Austin has experienced unprecedented growth as the result of its economic diversification, its climate, its numerous recreational and cultural opportunities, its significance as an international city, and its allure as a haven for retired people.