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If you haven't heard a thing or two about Austin in recent years, crawl out from under your rock. In the early 1990s, Austin usurped Seattle's reign as Hip Town, USA. As the 'Live Music Capital of the World,' Austin has hog-tied its competition by hosting the annual South by Southwest music industry love-in - as well as umpteen lesser known music fests - and become the de facto cultural center of Texas, if not of the entire Southwest.

Austin has fewer developed tourist attractions than you'd expect from so vibrant a city, and that's its real charm. Although the Texas State Capitol is impressive and the city's museums shine, they're outclassed by Austin's natural attractions: the natural pool at Barton Springs, the rolling green of Zilker Park and the nightly flight of over a million bats from beneath Congress Ave Bridge. Austin is a city for getting outside, getting busy and, when the day's done, getting down with one of the 100 or so bands that jam here nightly. After a bellyful of that famous mesquite BBQ, a few rounds of Celis beer and a couple days living the Austin lifestyle, you'll be hard pressed to hold the locals' civic pride against them.

History

Austin began life as the village of Waterloo along Texas' Colorado River (not the one of Grand Canyon fame). Legend has it that Republic of Texas vice president Mirabeau B Lamar came to the region on a hunting trip in 1838 and fell in love with what he saw. In 1839, the president of the republic, Sam Houston, commissioned the layout of the republic's new capital at Waterloo, which was renamed in honor of Stephen F Austin, the secretary of state under President Houston and so-called 'Father of Texas.' The capital was moved to Houston in 1842 after repeated attacks by Indians and Mexicans but returned in 1845; construction on the first state capitol building began in 1853.

The city began to boom after the arrival of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad in 1871, and Congress Ave was paved, its drainage ditches replaced by sewers. By the turn of the century, the city was as cosmopolitan as many in the east, with electricity, telephones, theaters, opera houses and, from 1895, the Moonlight Towers - 165ft (50m) streetlamps to light the city by night. The 1880s saw the construction of the current capitol building (the original burned in 1881) and the establishment of the University of Texas at Austin.

In 1933, Kenneth Threadgill opened a gas station and beer joint he called, originally enough, Threadgill's (where you can still drop in and see 'Travis County Beer License No 01'). By the early 1960's, his Wednesday night 'Hootenannies' - informal jam sessions - were attracting musicians from around Texas. Janis Joplin was a regular on the bill. In the years to follow, other music venues around town began seeing their share of live acts as well.

The next big thing on the Austin music scene was the opening of Armadillo World Headquarters in 1970. During that decade, the Armadillo was ground-zero for musicians like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kinky Friedman and Asleep at the Wheel. And the 'Dillo didn't stop at folk and country: it played host to seminal rockers such as the Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Zappa and Van Morrison. For those who couldn't catch the happenings live, public television's Austin City Limits soon brought the experience home.

Today, Austin's liberal populace is one of the brainiest in the USA, with the country's highest per capita rate of (among other things) computer literacy, college degrees and book purchasing. No wonder the area's become Texas' high-tech hotbed, attracting heaps of multinational and local computer hardware and software outfits.

Austin was hit hard in 1998 by climatological chaos of biblical proportion: first with weeks of record-high temperatures - in the 90°F (33°C) range - followed by tornadoes and severe flooding when the drought finally broke in October. Damage across the state was extensive.

Events

Austin hosts a helluva lot of hoedowns every year, most of them centered around one thing: music. Kicking off the season is South by Southwest (SXSW), an internationally renowned music, film and multimedia conference that packs the city every March. Many shows and events are free, but you'd better book early if you want to see the big ones. Also in March is local good ol' boy Jerry Jeff Walker's Birthday Celebration, featuring three days of dancing and rodeos and a Saturday night serenade by JJ himself. Soon after, the Old Settlers Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival and the Downtown Conjunto Festival get the city's toes tapping again to more traditional beats. Two celebrations in June - the Green Mesquite Rhythm & Blues Festival and the Clarksville/West End Jazz & Arts Festival - honor the talent of local musicians.

Apart from the mostly-music festivals, Austin celebrates itself and its culture with several major events both whimsical and sincere. Spamarama in late March honors the oft-maligned tinned meat, while the real stuff takes the spotlight in the Austin-Travis County Livestock Show & Rodeo - the BBQ competition is not to be missed. In mid-May, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated con mucho gusto at Fiesta Gardens, while Fiesta Laguna Gloria entwines arts and crafts displays with the trimmings of a Mexican fiesta - look for mariachi musicians and folk dancers at the Laguna Gloria Art Museum toward the end of the month. The 4th of July is celebrated as the Freedom Festival in Austin, with live music, lots of food and a rocking fireworks display in Zilker Park.

Probably the biggest event of the year - aside from SXSW - is Aquafest, held on weekends in late July and early August. Events include water sports exhibitions and tournaments, music and dance festivals, and a parade-by-night at Town Lake's Auditorium Shores. Halloween ushers in a mad block party along 6th St, though the next day's Día de los Muertos celebrations are a whole lot spookier. There's a big-deal Thanksgiving Day football game between UT and Texas A&M, as well as the standard slew of Christmas-season revelries.

When to Go

The storms of 1998 notwithstanding, Austin has a semitropical climate that's often downright pleasant. May through September is the rainiest, most humid period, but even August's heat spells are less severe than elsewhere in the state. As far as weather's concerned, fall and spring are the best times to visit. Winter (December to February) temperatures usually drop no lower than a brisk 38°F (4°C), while the most sweltering summer days top out at about 98°F (37°C).

Things can get crowded during the big music festivals, especially during South by Southwest in March. Otherwise, Austin doesn't have a definite tourist season. The bats come to roost between March and early November, if that counts.

Getting There and Away

While Austin builds a new airport at the former Bergstrom Air Force Base, travelers use Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, about 20 minutes' drive northeast of the city. Houston and Dallas are Texas' major hubs for domestic and international carriers; Mueller sees mostly intrastate traffic.

The main Greyhound depot and the Kerrville Bus Company station are on E Koenig Lane at the northern end of the city - convenient to nothing but themselves, a few hotels and the Highland Mall. From the Greyhound station, take bus No 7/Duval to downtown. Travel to Dallas takes from 3.5 to 5 hours by bus, to Houston around 3 hours, to San Antonio about 90 minutes. Note that service to most Hill Country destinations is limited to one bus a day.

The Amtrak station is on N Lamar Blvd, less than a mile west of downtown. Austin is served by both the Texas Eagle, between San Antonio and Chicago, and the Sunset Limited, between Miami and Los Angeles.

Austin is at the crossroads of several interstate highways, so finding your way there shouldn't prove difficult. To get to Dallas/Fort Worth and Waco, take I-35 N; to San Antonio, take I-35 S. I-10 heads east to Houston and west to El Paso. Driving is on the right.