If you Make Stuff,
You Can Make it in Austin
AustinZone is Here to Help
Austin, Texas is a celebrated city that has fostered the rise of exceptional people, events, and businesses.
Blues on the Green
South by Southwest
Austin City Limits
Black Pumas
Willie Nelson
Gary Clark Jr.
Matthew McConaughey
Richard Linklater
Robert Rodriguez
Whole Foods Market
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Not to brag, but…
New Study Ranks Austin the No. 1 College City in the US
KVUE
Austin Takes Top Spot as ‘Best-Performing’ US City
KXAN
Austin Tops ‘Most Festive Cities in the U.S.’ List
Fox 7 Austin
For decades, our reputation has attracted valuable human capital.
Austin Metro Area Claims Fastest-Growing Population for 12th Straight Year
Austin American-Statesman
Tech giants have set up operations here, bringing jobs and prestige.
Austin Tops List for Headquarters Relocations in US, Report Says
KXAN
But, the rapidly growing population also led to a few noticeable disadvantages.
Austin among worst cities in US for traffic, new report show
Austin American-Statesman
Austin Plummets on List of Best Places to Live in New National Report
Marketplace.org
Heat strains Texas power grid as population keeps growing
CultureMap
And some outside influences have changed the city in unwelcome ways.
Hotel Built next to Austin’s Historic Music District Files Lawsuit Over Loud Music
CBS Austin
‘Unrecognizable’: The Changes to Austin Go Far Beyond the Skyline
Texas Standard
Elon Musk’s Boring Co. Slapped With More Environmental Violations
Austin Chronicle
Costs of living have been climbing, making it increasingly difficult for residents to afford their lifestyles and homes.
Texans Struggle to Pay Skyrocketing Rent
Spectrum News
‘Victim of our own success:’ Austin Home Prices Rising Far Faster than Local Incomes
Austin American-Statesman
Report: Austin Listed Among Cities With Highest Property Taxes in US
KXAN
Friends, families, and creators are moving to more affordable and less congested areas.
For the First Time in 20 Years, More People are Leaving Travis County than Moving In
KUT News
Priced Out of Austin, Artists and Musicians are Fleeing for Small-Town Texas life in Elgin
MySanAntonio.com
More Black and Hispanic Families are Moving Away from Austin, Data Shows
KVUE
Cherished homegrown businesses are closing.
Dart Bowl
“This is a terrible loss for our family and for Austin, but a pandemic that keeps people home is also keeping them away from local entertainment options”
Fox 7 Austin
Counter Culture
“I love Austin wholeheartedly, but with the rising costs, I’m not sure it’s feasible to rent again, and buying seems like a faraway dream”
KXAN
Daily Juice
The reason the juice company closed was because of “rising food costs, labor costs, and rents”
Austin Eater
Thunderbird Coffee
“Work from home has been a blessing for most but very hard on Austin’s coffee shops”
Austin American-Statesman
Even the big companies we once attracted are moving out and slowing their expansion into the city.
Laundris CEO Don Ward announced that he’d decided to relocate his B2B software startup’s headquarters from Austin to Tulsa. “A lot of it [Tulsa] reminded me of where Austin was 10 years ago in terms of the tech ecosystem being built,” Ward told Tulsa World.
TechCrunch
Meta abandoned plans to move into the biggest skyscraper in Austin, a 66-story monolith called “Sixth and Guadalupe.” Google recently froze efforts to move into 35 floors of a different downtown building, despite paying rent to the developer, according to the Washington Post.
Inc.
Cart announced that it was moving its headquarters back to Houston after relocating to Austin in late 2021. “Costs in Austin are high relative to Houston’s affordability, [and] Houston is also more accessible,” Goulding said.
TechCrunch
As things are slowing down in Austin…
Austin’s Growth Rate Slips to Second Place After 12-year Metro Area Growth Streak
CBS Austin
Home Prices are Up in All Major U.S. Cities, Except One [Austin]
CNBC
Austin Bucks the Trend: Home Prices Drop in a Rising Market!
Smart Austin Realty
…the world is changing everywhere.
Remote Work Has Radically Changed the Economy – and It’s Here to Stay
US News & World Report
Tech Layoffs Just Keep Coming as Sector Resets for AI
The Wall Street Journal
Formal Education and School Aren’t the Same (Anymore)
Dr. Gary L. Ackerman
We still have a chance to get ahead of the curve.
Which future would you prefer?
Average wages can’t keep up with rising costs of living and residents continue to be priced out of Austin
Dreamers, creators, and everyday people can support themselves and their families in Austin
Artists and entrepreneurs have moved away, taking their vibrance and innovative potential with them
Creativity flourishes in an arts and entrepreneurial scene that inspires and elevates Austin area communities
Austin loses its appeal, attracting fewer people to our neighborhoods, schools, events, and tourist locations
Austin’s creative culture, educational options, and economic strength continue to attract and retain the best people
Only big box stores and national chains can afford to do business in Austin, replacing culture with sameness
Unique, Austin based businesses thrive while providing world-class products, services, and innovations
The future of YOUR HOME
should be in YOUR HANDS.
AustinZone is the future of Austin.
AustinZone is guided by three principles and areas of focus.
The first principle…
It’s Bigger than Local
It’s Austin
Austin is one of the 10 largest and most well-known cities in the US
Austin is home to some of the biggest names in media, business, and technology
SXSW brings people and attention from all over the world
Austin’s Q2 soccer stadium and Circuit of the Americas Formula One track host sports with global audiences
AustinZone is here to help you claim a bigger stake and larger share of the attention and admiration that comes into our city from around the world.
The University of Texas’ slogan “What starts here changes the world” can also apply to the city. Austin is special because it’s not just a college town and state capital; it’s also a hub for businesses and creativity.
Our vibrant culture, entrepreneurial spirit, and special occasions attract attention from all over. Being in a global spotlight means that ideas, people, and businesses that do well in Austin can make a big difference far beyond our city limits.
media
AustinZone is focused on using media to amplify the voices of Austin area creators, businesses, and residents. Whether it’s through artistry, storytelling, or journalism, we want to share your stories everywhere: on TV and radio, in newspapers and magazines, outdoors, and online.
Ready to share your message, idea, or story?
We don’t just want to keep it weird, we want to keep Austin…
As Austin As Possible
There are over 2,000,000 residents of Greater Austin
Tens of thousands of homegrown small businesses are doing big things in the region and world
Some Austin based online communities have hundreds of thousands of members
The Austin area hosts dozens of unique festivals, markets, and events at hundreds of locally owned venues
AustinZone is here to help you claim a bigger stake and larger share of Austin’s
pool of powerful resources and talent.
AustinZone is focused on residents, businesses, and creators based in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwell counties. We’re all about making our community and economy stronger while showing off what makes Greater Austin special.
We believe in leveraging the skills and passions of our diversely talented neighbors to shape Austin’s future. We are committed to actively choosing and promoting businesses based in Greater Austin for goods and services whenever we can.
community
AustinZone values community and collaboration over competition among our fellow Greater Austinites. We’re building bridges to help you find each other, work together, tap into the potential of Austin’s communities, and add to the area’s innovative culture.
Looking to find or serve your community?
Let’s go farther together. We’re building is ways to ensure that…
Everybody Wins
Austin consistently ranks as a top US city for people starting a business
Austin declared the No. 1 city for college graduates to land entry-level jobs
Austin-area GDP growth ranked No. 1 among big US metros
Every year, Amplify Austin raises millions of dollars in contributions for Central Texas non-profits
AustinZone is here to help you claim a bigger stake and larger share of Austin’s annual $150-$200 billion in sales and GDP.
We want everyone in Greater Austin to have more money. We’ll know we’re doing well if people are making more, spending more, and investing more. We also want to help businesses to make more profit and create more jobs.
When people and businesses have extra money to spend, invest, and donate, we can help others and make our communities better in our own ways. To do this, we work with local businesses, creators, and residents to create projects that help everyone win.
technology
AustinZone will empower the community with tools to connect, engage, and prosper by investing in technology focused on user-centric design for communication, transactions, and data-driven decision-making.
Want to level up your earning potential?