Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and 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 26th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the 11th-most populous city in the United States, the fourth-most populous city in the state after Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, 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 Gamma + level global city as categorized by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
South Houston is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Harris County. The population was 16,153 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by the cities of Houston and Pasadena, and geographically located southeast of Houston.
Texas's 21st congressional district of the United States House of Representatives serves the area north of San Antonio and a significant portion of Austin in the state of Texas. Towns entirely or partially in this district include Boerne, Fredericksburg, Ingram, Kerrville, Kyle, New Braunfels, and San Marcos. The current Representative from the 21st district is Chip Roy.
The government of Texas operates under the Constitution of Texas and consists of a unitary democratic state government operating under a presidential system that uses the Dillon Rule, as well as governments at the county and municipal levels.
Lydia Hernandez is an American politician serving as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives for the 24th district since January 2023. A Democrat, she previously served in the House from 2013 through 2015 representing the 29th district.
Eduardo Rene Rodriguez is an American politician served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for the 51st district. Elected in November 2002, he assumed office in January 2003 and left office in 2023.
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.
James Dell Talarico is an American politician and former teacher. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2018 to represent District 52, which includes the cities of Round Rock, Taylor, Hutto, and Georgetown in Williamson County. Following the 2020 redistricting cycle, Talarico announced his run for a seat in District 50 in 2022, which he won. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
David Mayes Middleton II is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the Texas Senate for the 11th district. Previously, he served as a Texas House of Representatives for District 23. A member of the Republican Party, Middleton has been in the Texas legislature since January 8, 2019.
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.
Jeffrey Harold Cason is an American businessman and politician who served a single term in the Texas House of Representatives, from January 2021 to January 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected from District 92.
The Texas House of Representatives 49th district represents a central portion Travis County. The current representative is Gina Hinojosa, who has represented the district since 2017.
The 48th district of the Texas House of Representatives consists of central and southern portions of Travis County. The current representative is Donna Howard, who has represented the district since 2006.
The 51st district of the Texas House of Representatives represents a southeast portion of the city of Austin, the capital of Texas, in Travis County. The current representative is Lulu Flores, who has represented the district since 2023.
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 924 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 5th district covers south Austin.
