SEATTLE - Since serving as the capital of the Republic of Texas in the 19th century, the city of Austin has been an epicenter of Latino culture in the southwest of the United States for quite some time. This summer, Austin will join the celebrations of Copa América 2024 by hosting two games.
An ever-growing Latino population due to its proximity to the border, 32.5% of Austin's residents identify as Latino or Hispanic according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Austin has also been a hotbed for tech companies. Since the 1990's, the city has been colloquially known as "Silicon Hills" due to its rapid influx of technology and development companies. Currently, companies such as Facebook (Meta), Dell, IBM, Apple and Amazon have established major operation centers in the city.
Another famous staple of the city of Austin is its culinary catalogue. The undeniable staple dishes in Austin come fromTex-Mex and Mexican food. In 2023, Yelp's guide released a list of the nation's top 15 taco towns with Austin taking first-place.
Besides its world-famous Tex-Mex food, the city of Austin is also famous for its sports. The city is home to the Texas Longhorns from the University of Texas, Austin. The Longhorns, one of the most recognizable and iconic brands in the college football landscape, has won four national championships.
The first professional team in the history of the city arrived in 2018 when Austin FC was founded. 'Los Verdes' made their MLS debut in 2021 making them the third MLS team in the state of Texas (Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas).
Austin FC plays its home games at the Q2 Stadium, a very environmentally friendly structure that can hold more than 20,000 people.
Q2 Stadium Quick Facts
- Possesses one of the largest canopies in the world. It spans well outside the auditorium and beyond the front row as well. This way fans get as much shade as possible
- 6,000 seats in the stadium are made of soft mesh rather than solid plastic to reduce their temperature during those hot Texas days.
- The soccer-specific stadium was inaugurated with an international women's friendly game between the U.S. and Nigeria; Christen Press scored the first ever goal in the venue.
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the costs to build the stadium rose from a reported $241 million to $260 million.
- It will host two Copa América 2024 games: Jamaica vs Venezuela on June 30 and Costa Rica vs Paraguay on July 2
Demographics
According to the latest census in 2020, the city of Austin had a population of 961,855 inhabitants. An estimate from 2023 says that 32.5% of the people that live in Austin identify as Hispanic or Latino.
In the last few years, Austin has also been a hotbed for young professionals due to its prominent tech hub. In 2022, Texas reported a net gain of 171,000 people in terms of interstate migration. Just over 10,000 of those were "Generation Zers", people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s.
Other attractions
The city is home to two of the biggest music festivals in the United States. The Austin City Limits and the SXSW have been held in Austin for decades. Most recently, the Besame Mucho festival, which highlights Latino artists, has increased in popularity in recent years.
One of the most iconic circuits in motor racing sports is also located in Austin. The Circuit of the Americas, built in 2012, was the first in the United States to be purpose-built for Formula One and has held the United States Grand Prix since then. In 12 years of history, no driver has won the race more times than the British Lewis Hamilton, winning five out of the 11 races held in Austin.
The city is also known for its great population of Mexican free-tailed bats. Starting in late March and continuing through early fall, Austin is home to the largest population of bats in North America. At the end of the season, roughly 1.5 million bats can be seen around the skies of Austin.
A 1980 renovation transformed the Congress Avenue Bridge into an ideal bat cave and the best time to witness the show is as the sun is setting down. It can take up to 45 minutes for all of the bats to exit the bridge for the night.
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