Austin Real Estate Blog

Austin is the proud home of the Lake Austin Spa Resort, which was recently ranked as the number one destination spa in all of North America.  The special designation was awarded to the spa based on the results of a reader’s poll in the Conde Nast Traveler.  Of course, the fact that the people chose the resort as the number one destination spa makes the recognition even more special.

Conde Nast readers aren’t the only ones that adore the spa resort.  In fact, it also received recognition as one of the best vacation spas in Allure last month. 

The resort has earned this recognition for many reasons.  In part, it is due to the simple charm and elegance of the buildings as well as the antique fixtures and décor found throughout the resort.  The spa also

…

This past Saturday, the Austin Police Department held a special Police Fair in North Central Austin.  The point of the fair was to give officers the opportunity to reach out to residents and to let them know they are there to help.  The fair was also organized as a way to help residents better understand the services that are available through the police department as well as other related agencies.  The primary goal of the fair, however, was simply to create an open line of communication between the police department and its residents.

"They're a wealth of information. If we can break through the barrier that there's really a lot of communication that can take place and we can help each other. They can help us with things that are going on in their

…

As part of its effort to make Austin more eco-friendly, the City of Austin is working toward making all of its vehicles “carbon neutral.”  In fact, the city plans to have all 4,400 of its vehicles “green” by the year 2020.

By utilizing vehicles that are carbon neutral, the city hopes to dramatically reduce its carbon emissions.  Of course, going green with their vehicles is only one component of this eco-friendly plan, as the city also intends to plant trees in order to help absorb the carbon that is in the air.

"We need to be serious about this issue and take action," Jake Stewart, who is the manager of Austin’s Climate Protection Plan, told Statesman.com. "We want to set an example that this is not something we should sit on our hands about.

…

The City of Austin will soon be receiving a special recognition that hits home to many of its residents and comes just in time for one of the countries most important holidays.  According to the Austin Business Journal, the city will be receiving the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

This special award goes out to those cities and employers that demonstrate a great deal of support for U.S. troops.  Of the 2,200 nominations the Secretary of Defense received this year, the City of Austin is the only municipality to receive the award and is one of only 15 employers in the United States to be honored for its dedication to its troops.

“We greatly value the men and women who both work for the city and for our country, ensuring that we can

…

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and, if you live in Austin or if you are planning to visit the area during the holiday, you certainly want to know about the many different fireworks displays and other forms of celebration that are taking place in the area. 

Every year, the city of Austin used to put on a fantastic fireworks display over Lady Bird Lake (Which used to be called Town Lake), but the annual celebration now takes place at Zilker Park.  Not only can you enjoy some amazing pyrotechnics at the celebration, the Austin Symphony Orchestra is also planning to perform at the event.

More than 100,000 people usually attend this event each year, which officially begins at 8:30 pm.  If you are planning to join in the celebration, you

…

According to bizjournals.com, Austin has the third highest high-tech salaries of all cities in the United States.  In fact, the average person employed in the high-tech field in Austin earned a very attractive salary of $100,500 in 2006.  This rate is equivalent to 113% of what those working in the private sector are earning within the metro area.  In all, those working within the tech field earned a total of $6.9 billion in 2006.

The report, which was published by the American Electronics Association, used a number of factors to rank the top 60 cities in the country.  Among the criteria considered included wages, employment concentration, payroll, and wage differential among the largest cities in the country.  When it came to employment concentration

…

If you are looking for a place to cool down in Austin, you will be happy to know that there are plenty of public swimming pools available for your enjoyment.  Here is a look at just a few:

• Barton Springs Pool – located near Barton Hills, this pool can be found on 3 acres of hillside land.  It features a shallow end for children as well as a deep end where floats are permitted to be used.  The average temperature of this pool, which is fed by a natural spring, is 68 degrees throughout the year.
• Clarksville Wading Pool – a small wading pool located in Clarksville.
• Deep Eddy Pool – part of the Deep Eddy Bathing Beach, this pool is large enough to swim laps or to simply relax in the wading

…

Back in 2005, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. drew some negative attention when it announced that it would be opening a new campus over the Edwards Aquifer.  At the time, environmental organizations were quite upset at the thought of creating the $270 million campus, primarily because of the environmental sensitivity of the area.

The Sunnyvale, California-based company managed to silence nay-sayers, however, by implementing a few initiatives.  First, the company used environmentally-friendly materials in order to build the campus.  In addition, they built the facility utilizing what is known as a sustainable design.  The company has also developed plans to limit its impact on the quality of water and is working toward receiving Gold certification from the

…

The Community Impact Newspaper reports that ground was recently broken on the new Cedar Park Events Center to be located on New Hope Drive. The new facility will cost an estimated $55 million to complete, with the city providing $43 million of the necessary funding.

The new facility, which will be the new home for the Texas Stars Hockey Club will encompass a total of 181,000 square feet of space.  The 16 acre development will include 91,000 square feet of commercial development as well as 91,000 square feet of retail space.  In all, the facility will offer 6,800 seats and will be utilized for a number of different events in addition to hockey.  Some of these include tennis, basketball, ice shows, boxing, and even community events such as meetings and

…

If you are someone that is interested in pursuing a career in art, you will be happy to hear that the Art Institute of Austin has officially opened its doors.  Located near Toll 45 and IH 35, the institute opened on March 31 and has over 100 students enrolled in its programs.

The 38,000 square foot Art Institute of Austin used to house office space, but now contains an audio production booth, a computer lab, and several classrooms for burgeoning artists to learn more about their craft.  In fact, the new facility offers bachelor’s degrees in a number of different areas within the art field, including:

• Animation
• Audio Production
• Fashion Retail Management
• Graphic Design
• Interactive Media
• Interior

…