Austin Real Estate
By Gary Ng
The capital of one of the largest states in the USA, Austin, Texas, has a rich history, beautiful landscapes, and one of the most active markets in the country. This city of more than 740,000 is the economic and cultural center of a much larger metropolitan area to more than 1.5 million residents, that continues to grow with continued investment in the Austin market. The first inhabitants of the area now known as Austin, were Native Americans, primarily the Comanche and Apache tribes. Later in the 1830's the area was settled by white Americans and named Waterloo. In the mid-1800's the Texas congress designated this piece of Austin as the State capitol. Waterloo was renamed Austin after the "Father of Texas", Stephen F Austin who successfully colonized the area with settlers from the United States. Historically, Stephen Austin was actually the first Austin agent. He was entrusted with a land grant from the Mexican government to colonize Texas. Austin brought settlers from other parts of the USA to settle in this new territory. He advertised this opportunity, stating that the land was available along the Brazos and Colorado rivers. Austin was sold for about 12 cents an acre to families, farmers, and ranchers. Located

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on the Colorado River and bordered on the west by rolling hills, this picturesque city has quite a few breathtaking views. The street view from just outside downtown Austin allows one to virtually see for miles with the flat lay of the land and majestic building complexes reaching skyward. Flaunting its gorgeous riverfront locations and exciting lights of the nightlife in downtown to the magnificent historical sites, the scenery of many areas in the Austin market are a splendid eye-pleasing experience. The Austin market has again opened up wide, this time for 'settlers' of the 21st century. Just like nearly 200 years ago, the area is enjoying an upbeat and brisk market. While most of the USA is experiencing a downturn, the Austin market is booming and has even captured the attention of many foreign investors. The Austin market has seen phenomenal growth, from the 1800s and into the 21st century. The average population has expanded more than 30% every decade since the 1950's, while the per capita and median housing costs have stayed relatively in line with the rest of the nation. The growth factor without the inflationary factor makes the economy of the Austin market a wise investment.
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