Initial plans for the capital city of the Lone Star State called for a grid of city streets alongside the Colorado River. Named after "the father of Texas," Stephen F. Austin, city streets still resemble the first plan conceived by Judge Edwin Waller in 1839. This view across Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir on the Colorado River, takes in the Austin skyline. A notable line of peaks include the W Austin Hotel, Austonian, Frost Bank, and One Eleven Congress.
   Chosen to be the new capital city of the Republic of Texas in 1836, the city remained the state capital after annexation by the United States in 1845. A troublesome Colorado River was stabilized in 1893 with construction of the Great Granite Dam. By 1938, a public works project replaced the failed dam with a series of dams and reservoirs. The initiative was shaped by a young congressman, Lyndon B. Johnson. The chain of reservoirs, often referred to as the Texas Highland Lakes, provide power, water and a recreation area. Austin’s Mayor Roy Butler, worked alongside Lady Bird Johnson to restore Town Lake in the mid 1970s. Named posthumously Lady Bird Lake, this peaceful setting supports a system of biking and walking trails, and an entertainment venue for "The Live Music Capital of the World". A few thousand bands and music artists live in and around Austin. It was more than 45 years ago when Willie Nelson brought his independent flair to the original pilot episode of Austin City Limits. The longest running music series in American history gave birth to the Austin City Limits Festival, continuing in a similar tradition along the shores of Lady Bird Lake under the Austin Skyline.

     Area Map