Experience Austin

Despite its status as the capital of Texas, Austin is far from the state's largest city. Still, many Texans consider it the best place to live in the Lone Star State. This opinion is shared by many Americans outside Texas, and Austin ranks high on many national lists of the best places to live. If it's sometimes hard for Austin to live up to its reputation, it remains a place where creativity and maverick thinking are valued.

Billing itself as the "live music capital of the world," Austin has been on the national music map since 1984 when Austin City Limits, a showcase for bands taped at the University of Texas campus, began airing nationwide on PBS. The city cemented its music reputation by hosting the annual South by Southwest Conferences and Festivals (widely known as SXSW), which draw bands and record company executives from throughout the world every March.

Today, Austin is in the midst of reinventing itself yet again. High-tech industries and freelance Web pros have migrated to the area, making it Texas's answer to Silicon Valley. For the moment, Austin retains its small-town atmosphere -- but a quick scan of the downtown skyline, dotted with cranes and the skeletons of future hotels, high-rise condos, and cultural centers, will tell you that its days as a sleepy college town are long gone.