On December 27th, 1839, Austin was established by Stephen F. Austin. The beginning population was only a measly 533 people. Now, over 170 years later, Austin has a bustling population of more than 900,000 people, according to the US Census Bureau and the City of Austin. Since 2010, the population has gone up by almost 16 percent. It’s the eighth fastest growing city in Texas and the nation’s fastest-growing city. So what makes Austin so great, and why are so many people moving here?

According to CNN Money, Texas is a “hotbed for tech, education, and healthcare jobs.” Texas also has lots of affordable real estate, which makes it a very attractive place for home buyers and families looking for a place to live. Austin’s weather is also very reasonable in the summer, with about 94 degrees on average, while in winter there is an average of about 60 degrees.

Austin is also a great place for education. Canyon Vista, a public school in Austin, has about 1,400 students enrolled and has 4/4 Performance Index, including student achievement and progress. A new student to Canyon Vista, eighth grader Salem Liles, said, “My parents chose to put me in Canyon Vista because it has a better IQ than any other school in the district.” Round Rock Independent School District, (RRISD) a large school district in Austin, has a 7/10 rating. Overall, Austin is a great place for education.

Not only is Austin growing in size and population, but there’s also a growth in the music scene. Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” The slogan became official in 1991, after it was discovered that Austin had more live music venues than anywhere else in the nation. Austin is also home to some of the largest music events and festivals in the world, including South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin City Limits (ACL), and more. So with all these great options for living, jobs, education, and recreation, it’s no surprise that Austin’s population and size has increased so much. But is Austin really big enough? By 2020, the projected population of Austin is more than two million people.

With such a big population and lots of construction on popular roads including Mopac, traffic is at an all time high. According to Inrix.com, “Austinites experienced a 22 percent increase in overall travel time due to poor traffic conditions.” According to npr.org, in 2035, the estimated travel time to Round Rock will go up by an hour and 45 minutes. Texas is trying to help traffic in Austin by building toll roads to make travel more efficient. Texas has even raised the toll road speed limit to 85 mph, which is the fastest in the nation.

Austin started out with a small 500 people. Now, we are the fastest growing city in the nation. Overall, Austin is a great place to be, and I know I can’t wait to see what happens in the future.