Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and most populous city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the tenth-most populous city in the United States, the fourth-most populous city in the state after Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, and the second-most populous state capital city after Phoenix, the capital of Arizona. It has been one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States since 2010. Downtown Austin and Downtown San Antonio are approximately 80 miles (129 km) apart, and both fall along the Interstate 35 corridor. This combined metropolitan region of San Antonio–Austin has approximately 5 million people. Austin is the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States and is considered a Beta-level global city as categorized by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
Travis County is located in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat and most populous city is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is named in honor of William Barret Travis, the commander of the Republic of Texas forces at the Battle of the Alamo. Travis County is part of the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located along the Balcones Fault, the boundary between the Edwards Plateau to the west and the Blackland Prairie to the east.
Albert Leslie Cochran was an American homeless man, peace activist, cross-dresser, urban outdoorsman, and outspoken critic of police treatment of the homeless. Cochran was known in Austin as Leslie.
The history of African Americans in Austin dates back to 1839, when the first African American, Mahala Murchison, arrived. By the 1860s, several communities were established by freedmen that later became incorporated into the city proper. The relative share of Austin's African-American population has steadily declined since its peak in the late 20th century.
Mike Speedy is a Republican member of the Indiana House of Representatives representing the 90th district since 2010. He previously served as an Indianapolis City Councilman for the 24th district from 2004 to 2010. The American Conservative Union has given him a lifetime Legislature score of 90%. He earned a BS from the Kelley School of Business and a JD from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. In 2024, Speedy announced he was running for the United States House of Representatives in Indiana's 6th congressional district.
The Austin City Council is the unicameral legislature of the city of Austin, Texas, United States of America. The mayor is included as a member of the council and presides over all council meetings and ceremonies. The current mayor of Austin is Kirk Watson. The duty of the council is to decide the city budget, taxes, and various other ordinances. While the council is officially nonpartisan, all but one current council member are affiliated with the Democratic Party.
Gregorio Eduardo Casar is an American politician who is the member for Texas's 35th congressional district in the United States Congress since 2023. He served as a member of the Austin City Council from the 4th district from 2015 to 2022. Casar is a member of the Democratic Party and was endorsed by the Working Families Party in his run for Congress. Casar is an unendorsed member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He was first elected to the Austin City Council in 2014, representing District 4. He was reelected in 2016 and 2020. He was elected to Congress in 2022.
The 2022 Austin mayoral election was held on November 8, 2022 to elect the next mayor of Austin, Texas. The election was nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations did not appear on the ballot. Incumbent mayor Steve Adler was term-limited and could not run for re-election. In the general election, state representative Celia Israel and former mayor Kirk Watson took the first two spots, leading realtor Jennifer Virden and several other candidates. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the race proceeded to a runoff election between Israel and Watson on December 13, which Watson won by 30 votes.
The 2022 Austin, Texas municipal elections took place on January 25, May 7, November 8, and December 13, 2022.
The 2024 Austin, Texas municipal elections will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Five city council seats and the mayor have regular elections. All positions are nominally non-partisan, though most candidates choose to affiliate with a party given Austin's strong Democratic lean.
The Austin City Council 10th district covers west Austin, including Tarrytown, Bryker Woods, Northwest Hills, and River Place.
The Austin City Council 8th district covers southwest Austin, including Zilker Park, Barton Creek, and Oak Hill.
The Austin City Council 9th district covers central Austin, including Downtown, The University of Texas, Travis Heights, Hyde Park, and Mueller.
The Austin City Council 6th district covers northwest Austin, including portions of the city within Williamson County.
The Austin City Council 5th district covers south Austin.
The Austin City Council 4th district covers north Austin.
The Austin City Council 3rd district covers east and south Austin.
The Austin City Council 2nd district covers southeast Austin, including Dove Springs, Bluff Springs, and the Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
The Austin City Council 1st district covers east Austin.
The 2020 Austin, Texas, municipal elections took place on November 3, and December 15, 2020.