Austin, capital of Texas, situated 81 mi. north-east of San Antonio at the point where the Colorado River leaves the Edwards Plateau, was founded in 1839 and named after Stephen F. Austin (1793-1836), the "father of Texas". It is an educational centre, with the University of Texas, the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum and the Texas Memorial
Museum.
Other features of interest include the red granite State Capitol (1882-88), modelled on the Capitol in Washington, DC, which is the second largest Capitol in the United States; the restored Old Pecan Street (Sixth St.), the town's old main street and still a popular place in the evenings; the museum in the house of the sculptor Elisabeth Ney (1830-1907); and the Governor's Mansion (1010 Colorado St.), a classic Southern mansion dating from 1856.
Anyone wanting exercise in the form of a walk or sport should head for Zilker Park, the adjacent botanical garden or the gardens of the National Wildflower Research Center. A rather more unusual pleasure Austin has to offer is the spectacle every evening of a large flock of bats leaving the Congress Avenue Bridge on their nightly flight.
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