In 1845 Texas left the republic behind and joined the Union as the Lone Star State, and Austin stayed its capital. The Texas State Capitol that crowns Congress Avenue was completed in 1888, built of "sunset red" Texas granite and rising taller than the United States Capitol in Washington — the signature landmark of the capital city. Around it the original 1839 town has grown into a metropolis, but the river, the springs, and the Hill Country still set the city's rhythm.
Our Austin logo carries the Texas longhorn and the Lone Star over "Texas Republic · Est. 1845" — 1845 the year Texas joined the Union as the Lone Star State. The longhorn's sweeping horns stand for Texas frontier grit, and the single star for the independence that gave the Lone Star State its name. Printed in a distressed black-and-white that reads like old stockyard and state-fair signage, it's the Lone Star in shorthand. What makes this one Austin is the country behind it — the capital on the Colorado, the Hill Country springs, and the city of the violet crown.
Why People Visit Austin
Austin balances Texas-capital history with easygoing Hill Country life — spring-fed swimming, river trails, big landmarks, and a deep live-music heritage. It's a relaxed, walkable base for Central Texas and the Hill Country.
