Above and beyond, being the state capital of Texas, Austin is the focal point for the creative civilization in the state. Its home to the University of Texas at Austin, and it's as renowned for the live music as it is for Tex-Mex cuisine. South by Southwest (also known as SXSW) and Austin City Limits (ACL) music festivals take over the city each spring and fall. They each make available the exclusive options to experience some of the most excellent touring musical acts in the world, whilst also bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors into the city, making daily life more demanding for residents. Austin's key culinary exports are Tex-Mex items like queso dip and breakfast tacos, as well as Texas-style char-grill and nearby brewed beer. But like any hip city, there is a vast variety of cuisines and price points, so you'll be capable to find restaurants that suit your taste, whether from an ingenious food truck or a high-end sushi restaurant.
Besides food and music, Austin has bounty of parks and outdoor space to enjoy. Known as the city’s crown jewel, the Barton Springs Pool is a must-visit outside swimming pool fed by natural springs and is three acres in size. Austin has long been a software and technology industry hotbed, having been dubbed "Silicon Hills" in the 1990s. Top employers comprise Dell and Apple, amid other big-name tech companies. High-tech manufacturing is also widespread, as are video game manufacture and space technology. Wages in Austin are comparatively high, with a median household income of $99,227. The city also has a low redundancy rate of 3.2%, which beats out Texas overall (5.2%) and the United States as a whole (4.2%), suggesting Austin is a better place to find a job, particularly if you work in a high-tech industry.