Austin, Texas: Heaven on Earth

Austin, Texas is famous for its casual and playful quality of life. Whether you have chosen to reside or visit Austin, it takes a short period of time to fall in love with the playground of Texas. Situated at the center of the Lone Star State, it stands as the gateway to the Texas Hill Country and the Highland Lakes. As the state capital and home to the University of Texas, the city supports a politically charged and culturally rich environment. It's hip, trendy, highly educated and high-tech. A large creative population-primarily musicians and artists-enhance its eclectic nature.

Austin is often cited as the top mid-sized city for the highest concentration of high-growth businesses. The key to Austin’s vibrant business economy is its diversity. We all know that the high tech community made Austin the “Silicon Hills”, but we must credit the home-grown family businesses that give Austin its famous charm. Austin is a player in the global economy, but manages to stay true to its saying, “Keep Austin Weird” by respecting choice and diversity.

Nature Abounds

Fortunate Austinites, with a temperate year-round climate and 300 days of sunshine a year and an average annual temperature of 70 degrees, Austin residents live virtually outdoors. Nature trails, parks and wilderness preserves create an oasis in the heart of the city. Town Lake bisects the center of downtown and is bordered by 10 miles of hike-and-bike trails where devoted joggers, walkers and cyclists flock every hour of the day.

From April through October, 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats live under the Congress Avenue Bridge that spans Town Lake. Onlookers flock to the shores nightly to watch the nocturnal creatures emerging from beneath the bridge.

The History Channel

Originally a buffalo hunting ground favored by Tonkawa Indians, Austin was permanently settled in 1838 as a trading post. Now, more than a million people live in the city named for Stephen F. Austin, who colonized Texas.

The Texas State Capitol, an imposing pink granite structure, commands a stately presence in downtown. Actually 14 feet taller than the nation's capitol, the Texas Statehouse is the largest domed statehouse in the country.

Texas' larger-than-life history comes together under one roof at the new Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which features intriguing artifacts, interactive exhibits, multi-media shows, and an IMAX Theatre.

Musical Talent

In the city where the music never sleeps, live music plays at more than 100 venues on any given evening. Blues, Country, Rock and Roll, Jazz and anything in-between piece together a musical quilt that offers variety for one and all. The largest concentration of music venues is found downtown in the Warehouse District and along Sixth Street, a six-block stretch of bars and restaurants. So much to do and so little time; how does anyone manage to graduate from the University of Texas?

Austin City Limits is a popular destination for fans from all over the world. KLRU’s innovative music venture has developed into an international “reality show” for live performance video through quality public television programming. Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan are perhaps most universally loved ambassadors.

The Culture Club

Austin is one of only a few U.S. cities with professional ballet, orchestra, symphony, opera, and theater companies. Austin dons 20 museums, dozens of galleries, and as many as 35 theater companies. Austin has a tremendous amount of culture for a city its size. In Austin, artistic expression is well respected woven into the city’s psyche.

Many of the city's cultural resources are found on the campus of the University of Texas. A cultural jewel will unfold with the opening of a new arts facility, the Blanton Museum of Art, in 2005.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum, also located on campus, remains the most visited of the nation's presidential libraries. A scale replica of the Oval Office, artifacts from Air Force One, and volumes of official papers chronicle the rise of George W. Bush.

Westlake Hills: The Cream of the Crop

Dr. Robert Caridi founded Westlake Plastic Surgery after relocating his Chicago based plastic surgery practice in May of 2000. He chose Westlake for its quaint location, striking beauty, close proximity to downtown Austin, community atmosphere, and national blue ribbon award-winning Eanes Independent School District. The city of Westlake Hills was founded and incorporated as a village on September 9, 1953. Today West Lake Hills consists of approximately the same area and boundaries. The village slowly grew in population and on December 3, 1957, became a city with broader powers. From 1969-1970, litigation with the city of Austin over boundary disputes put its legal status in limbo, but in 1970, the courts established the current boundaries and the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of West Lake Hills.

The city of Westlake Hills today is comprised of 2,560 acres (four square miles) with approximately 40 miles of public streets. The population is 3,116 (2000 Census) with approximately 1,000 homes and 200 businesses and growing. West Lake Hills is unique in many ways. Westlake is the most affluent community in Austin, in part, because its citizens, along with their elected and appointed officials, are dedicated to preserving the rural environment and maintaining the natural beauty of the area.