AUSTIN, the capital of Texas, U.S.A., and the county-seat of Travis county, on the north bank of the Colorado river, 200 miles south by west of Dallas and Fort Worth. It is on Federal highway 81, is connected by state roads with several other trans continental highways ; and is served by the Missouri-Kansas Texas, the Missouri Pacific, and the Southern Pacific railways. The area of the city is s6sq.m. The population was 34,876 in 1920, of whom 6,921 were negroes and 9o3 Mexicans; and was 53,120 in 1930.
The site of Austin was selected by a commission appointed in 1836 by the Republic of Texas to find the most attractive spot within its boundaries for the seat of government. It lies at the point where the Colorado issues from a canyon, and is built on bluffs 40-2 20f t. above the river. To the east stretch gently rolling plains. The state capitol, a vast building of red Texas granite, roofed with copper plates, stands in a square in the centre of the city. It was built (188i-88) by Chicago capitalists in return for 3,000,00o acres of land. The state library (65,000 volumes) is rich in material on the history of the south-west. The gover nor's mansion, on a hill overlooking the Capitol, is a fine example of southern colonial architecture, built before the Civil War. The home built by France for her ambassador to the Republic of Texas is still standing; and the city cherishes a live-oak tree with a spread of 1 2 5 f t., under which the Indians and the white men made their treaties. On high ground half a mile north of the capitol is the main campus (4o acres) of the University of Texas, set aside for this purpose in 1839 by the Congress of the Republic. Other large tracts within the city are occupied by the athletic field, the "new" campus, and the "little" campus, and the univer sity owns 400 acres along the river, between the city and the dam. The university was established and endowed by acts of the state legislature in 1858, 1876, and 1881, and was opened to students in 1883. The total enrolment in all departments, except the extension division and the summer school, was 5,594 in 1926-27 (3,574 men and 2,020 women). The endowment of the university amounts to over $11,000,000. Its library contains over 300,00o volumes, including the Bexar archives (original manu scripts connected with local history (173o-1836) and a fine col lection of 16th, 17th, and 18th century authors, made by John H. Wrenn of Chicago, and valued at $225,000. The medical branch of the university is at Galveston; the College of Mines and Metal lurgy is at El Paso. St. Edward's University, a Roman Catholic institution (founded 1881) is 2m. south of the city. The Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary was opened in 1902 ; Missouri Synod Lutheran college, in 1926. There are several privately sup ported schools for negroes. Other institutions include state schools for the deaf, the blind, and the mentally defective ; a state hos pital for the insane ; the State Senile institute ; the State Pasteur institute; the Confederate Home (for old soldiers) and the Con federate Woman's Home of Texas. The assessed valuation of property in 1926 was $40,045,556. Bank clearings amounted to $85,870,979. The output of the 76 manufacturing establishments within the city limits in 1927 was valued at $6,335,563. Among the leading industries are printing, coffee-roasting, and the manu facture of flour, brick, furniture, mattresses, poultry remedies, monuments, saddles, trunks, soap, and optical lenses. Large quantities of cotton, corn, cattle, wool, hay, cedar, spinach, and dressed turkeys and chickens are shipped.
Austin was first settled in 1838 under the name of Waterloo. Its name was changed the next year in honour of Stephen F. Austin, when it was selected as the capital of the Republic of Texas. It was incorporated in 1839, and has been the seat of government ever since, except for a time in 1842-45, when, under the influence of General Sam Houston, the city of Houston was used as the capital. In 1909 a commission form of government was adopted, and in 1926 a city manager was installed.