Austin Texas History

Before European settlers arrived, the area was inhabited by the Tonkawa, Comanche and Lipan Apache Indians who hunted buffalo and deer, fished and lived off the land. In the late 1700s, Spanish explorers arrived and missions were established near Barton Springs, an artesian springs; they later moved to San Antonio. The settlement was a trading post by the early 1800s. In 1838 it became a permanent settlement in 1838 when Mirabeau B. Lamar, then Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, declared it should become the government seat and moved it from Houston. The city was named after Stephen F. Austin who brought the first Anglo colonists in 1821. The area grew with a population made up of Germans, Swedes and Mexicans who fled during the Mexican Revolution. When Texas achieved statehood in 1845, the French built the French Legation, a diplomatic outpost, still the oldest frame structure in Austin. Fortune 500 companies have established corporate offices, many in technology such as Dell Computers. With a large supply of bright students from the University of Texas, the city’s economic and commercial growth continues, adding to the area’s cultural, social and natural attractions.