Find your hotel in Austin Texas
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Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. Situated in Central Texas and part of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 16th-largest in the United States of America, as well as the 3rd fastest growing large city in the nation from 2000 to 2006. As of the 2006 U.S. Census estimate, Austin has a population of 709,893. The city is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area with a population of more than 1.5 million people. As of January of 2008 the estimated Greater Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area Population is 1,593,819 and the Greater San Antionio Metropolitan Statistical Area Population is 2,003,819. The Greater Austin-San Antonio Combined Statistical Area includes Austin, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Bastrop, Kyle, Wimberley, San Marcos, Lockhart, San Antonio, Boerne, New Braunfels, Seguin, Castroville & Floresville. The Greater Austin-San Antonio Urban Area's population estimated to be 3,905,638. This would make the Austin-San Antonio Region the 15th largest Metropolitan area in the United States. Austin was selected as the No. 2 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine in 2006, and the "Greenest City in America" by MSN ("Greenest" referring to a commitment to sustainable living). Residents of Austin are known as "Austinites," and include a mix of university professors, students, politicians, lobbyists, musicians, state employees, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers, and white-collar workers. The main campus of the University of Texas is located in Austin. The city is home to enough large sites of major technology corporations to have earned it the nickname "Silicon Hills." Austin's official slogan promotes the city as "The Live Music Capital of the World", a reference to its status as home to many musicians and music venues. In recent years, many Austinites have also adopted the unofficial slogan "Keep Austin Weird"; this refers partly to the eclectic and progressive lifestyle of many Austin residents, but is also the slogan for a campaign to preserve smaller local businesses and resist excessive commercialization.