University of Texas - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

You really couldn’t ask for a much better college town than Austin, Texas, the Live Music Capital of the World. There is so much to do in Austin and definitely something for everyone—bars, museums, parks, lakes, running trails, kayaking, shopping, coffee houses, outdoor music venues, smoky blues clubs, naked swimming at Hippie Hollow. There is even a little beach in central Texas—Volente Waterpark Beach.

Austin is a city with a small-town feel, and that is what most people love about it. When you live near UT, you are two minutes from downtown. People around here are walking everywhere, there is a lot of biking, and the people couldn’t be friendlier. Everyone loves the laid-back atmosphere of Austin, and the fact that anything goes. On any day of the week, you can sit around outside people watching for hours and keep yourself entertained. The fun thing about Austin is that if you want to just be lazy and relax by the lake or at the park, you can do that. But if you want to be active, there are tons of places to run, bike, swim, hike, kayak, climb, or pretty much anything you can imagine. The 50,000 students of the University of Texas include so many different kinds of people with so many different kinds of interests that they blend right in to the laid-back, but always fun town that is Austin.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Austin is a really laid-black town... Austin is a really laid-black town with stuff for everyone. There’s always something going on every night of the week if you want it. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Austin is a laid-back place with... Austin is a laid-back place with lots of different things to do. There are other schools here, but they don’t matter. There are a million things to visit in and around Austin. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Austin is an amazing and liberal... Austin is an amazing and liberal city. I grew up in Denver, Colorado, a very liberal environment in itself, but never before did I imagine a place where any type of person can fit in. Although the city itself is growing rapidly, I still feel it maintains its small-town feel. There is nothing that I would stay away from, and I advise visiting as many local and unique places as possible. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Stay away from The Boys’ Cellar,... Stay away from The Boys’ Cellar, and pretty much any bar on 4th street. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

The atmosphere changes with the... The atmosphere changes with the seasons, I suppose. The summer is as laid-back as can be, and the fall seems to be full of stress for most. The spring is a little more laid-back. I assume it is because people become settled and have less on their minds. There are other universities around, the most noticeable being the community college. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

5 Fun Facts about Austin:
• Janis Joplin was voted the Ugliest Man on Campus.
• Matthew McConaughey was arrested for playing the bongos naked in his house in Tarrytown just west of the University.
• The best snow cone stand in Austin is located on Lamar Boulevard, right before Barton Springs when you are driving south. It is called Sno Beach. You have to try their snow cones with cream; they are delicious!
• Every spring, Austin celebrates Eeyore’s Birthday Party. It was started in 1963 by a group of UT frat guys and was invitation-only. It has grown larger every year, and it’s now a fundraiser benefiting local charities. You will definitely find all kinds of people at Eeyore’s Birthday, from students, to hippies, to ex-students bringing their kids to experience what they experienced 40 years ago.
• We have our own local celebrity: Leslie. He does have a last name, it is Cochran, but he is known to everyone simply as Leslie. He is a transient transvestite who walks around Austin generally wearing a thong and tutu and tank top. He has recently gotten breast implants. He has a bike with a cardboard box house built up around it with various sentiments written on it, many blasting the Austin police force.

The films The Rookie, The Faculty, The Life of David Gale, Spy Kids, The New Guy, The Alamo, Cheer Up, Dazed and Confused, Slacker, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The New Generation, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Varsity Blues, Miss Congeniality, Lone Star State of Mind, and The Newton Boys are just some of the recent films that have been made in Austin.

In 2003, Austin was ranked 4th on Travel and Leisure’s poll of Best Loved Cities, 1st on the Forbes list of Best Cities for Singles, and 3rd on Hispanic Magazine’s Best Cities for Hispanics.

In 2002, Money magazine rated Austin one of the Top 10 Best Places to Live, and USA Today said that Austin was 4th in Best Cultural Attractions, 5th in Best Nightlife, 5th Friendliest City in the Country, 3rd Best City in the Spring, and 3rd overall in Best-Looking People.

Famous People From Austin:
Lance Armstrong (cyclist)
Asleep at the Wheel (band)
Stone Cold Steve Austin (wrestler)
Marcia Ball (musician)
Ray Bensen (musician)
Sandra Bullock (actress)
Michael Dell (computers)
The Fabulous Thunderbirds (band)
Fastball (band)
Pat Green (musician)
O. Henry (writer)
Tobe Hooper (director)
Janis Joplin (musician)
Richard Linklater (director)
Matthew McConaughey (actor)
Benjamin McKenzie (actor)
Willie Nelson (musician)
Robert Rodriguez (director)
Spoon (band)
Bob Schneider (musician)
Quentin Tarantino (actor/director)
Stevie Ray Vaughn (musician)
Django Walker (musician)
Jerry Jeff Walker (musician)

Local Slang:
Congress - A main street downtown that runs into the Capital.
South Congress - the part of Congress Avenue where there are many cool shops that trendy people like to frequent.
First Thursday - on S. Congress Avenue on the first Thursday of every month there is an open house of sorts where all of the stores are open late and people can walk around and eat and drink and shop and listen to music. It is very popular.
The Drag - Guadalupe Street while it is in front of the University, there are lots of shops and restaurants that are very popular with students and with tourists visiting UT.
Co-op - The store on the Drag that sells UT memorabilia and books for UT classes.
Leslie - A local celebrity—Austin’s very famous transvestite.

Most Recent Contributing Author

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Hometown: Houston, TX
Major: Marketing

Tony would be perfect if he just had a little more humility.

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