Information about history and culture.

There is a long history involving Virginia and World War II. William T. O’Neill was from Virginia. He was involved in D-Day where he was part of the members of the landing crafts that landed on the Normandy beach. These crafts transported tanks and cargo. Major Thomas Dry Howie served as the operations officer of the 3rd Battalion, 116th Regiment. These were called the Stonewall Brigade on D-Day. He also taught at Stanton Military Academy. He fought the Nazis and died during a July 17, 1944 Nazi attack. His men took his body into the city of St. Lo. His body was covered with the American flag. Howie was one character that inspired Tom Hanks’s Captain Miller character in the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” Howie wrote to his wife, Elizabeth Payne Howie. Also, many African Americans were in Virginia to fight the Nazis and participate in the military. Frederick Branch was the first African American Commissioned 2nd Lt. His wife was Peggy Branch. Frederick Clinton Branch (1922-2005) was the first African American officer of the United States Marine Corps. Having received a bachelor's degree in physics from Temple in 1947, he taught at Dobbins High School in Philadelphia until he retired in 1988. Captain Branch died on April 10, 2005 and was buried at Quantico National Cemetery in Quantico, Virginia. The Virginian George Marshall helped to organize the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II. Europe was devastated after the Second World War. Cities were destroyed and massive homelessness transpired. The Marshall Plan allowed over $12 billion (or almost $100 billion in 2018 U.S. dollars) in economic assistance to rebuild Western European economies. There was a catch. It was also used to not only modernize industry. It wanted to prevent the spread of Communism in Europe. The Marshall Plan is not with its critics. Critics from the right didn’t like it, since it contradicted laissez faire capitalism. Critics from the left viewed it was a slick economic imperialism to dominate Western European societies and advance the power of transnational corporations. Back then, most Americans, British, French, and Italians supported the Marshall Plan.



By the 1970’s and the 1980’s, Austin had a widespread, large development economically. It was only halted with the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980’s. During the era of growth, debates happened between developers and preservationists. There was the preservation of Barton Springs and the extension of the Edwards Aquifer. There was a resistance to the growth during the 1970’s. Some didn’t like the new apartment complexes and traffic flow. Some neighborhood groups worked together to protect residential areas. There were more than 150 of such groups by 1983. Environmentalists formed a political movement to protect streams, rivers, lakes, watersheds, and wooded hills from environmental degradation. Later, there were many environmental protection ordinances during the 1970’s and the 1980’s. There was a program from 1971 to beautify the shores of Town Lake (now called Lady Bird Lake), a downtown lake impounded in 1960 behind Longhorn Crossing Dam. There were historic preservationists who didn’t want Austin’s architectural heritage gone. Many historic buildings were maintained or restored. Many neighborhood groups and environmentalists fought politically business and development interests over the management of growth. Many home grown businesses were replaced by corporate retail branches. In the 1970's, Austin became a refuge for a group of country and western musicians and songwriters seeking to escape the music industry's corporate domination of Nashville. The best-known artist in this group was Willie Nelson, who became an icon for what became the city's "alternate music industry"; another was Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1975, Austin City Limits premiered on PBS, showcasing Austin's burgeoning music scene to the country. Many anti-establishment musicians performed at the Armadillo World headquarters. Austin is a place where musicians started their careers. That is why it has been called, “The Live Music Capital of the World.” The economic boom in Austin continued in the 1990’s. New technology came about. IBM worked in Austin. The dot com boom and the dot com bust transpired in Austin too.

Austin is now a home for game development, film-making, and popular music. By May 23, 1999, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport served its first passengers, replacing Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. By 2000, Austin was the center of a media focus as the headquarters of presidential candidate and Texas Governor George W. Bush. The headquarters of his main opponent, Al Gore, were in Nashville, thus re-creating the old country music rivalry between the two cities. Also in the 2000 election, Austinites narrowly rejected a light rail proposal put forward by Capital Metro. In 2004, however, they approved a commuter rail service from Leander to downtown along existing rail lines. Capital MetroRail service finally began service in 2010. In 2004, the Frost Bank Tower opened in the downtown business district along Congress Avenue. At 515 feet (157 m), it was the tallest building in Austin by a wide margin, and was also the first high rise to be built after September 11, 2001. Several other high-rise downtown projects, most residential or mixed-use, were underway in the downtown area at the time, dramatically changing the appearance of downtown Austin, and placing a new emphasis on downtown living and development. Toll roads existed in 2006. Some wanted to fund highway projects, but others viewed them as a double tax. By March of 2018, four explosions were in Austin, Texas. Austin continues to experience popularity and rapid growth. Young people have heavily moved into the city. Austin is known for its liberal politics and alternative culture. It has lower housing costs as compared to other areas of America. There is the promotion of smart growth. People debate environmental concerns too. Employment growth and rising housing costs have existed as well. Austin is an iconic city of America. 


Austin’s culture is diverse. It is known for supporting independent businesses and its eccentricity. That is why many people of Austin want its culture to maintain itself. There is the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin (at the Rainey Street Historic District). According to the Nielsen Company, adults in Austin read and contribute to blogs more than those in any other U.S. metropolitan area. Austin residents have the highest internet usage in all of Texas. Austin was selected as the No. 2 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine in 2006, and No. 3 in 2009, and also the "Greenest City in America" by MSN. According to Travel & Leisure magazine, Austin ranks No. 1 on the list of cities with the best people, referring to the personalities and attributes of the citizens. In 2012, the city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. by CBS Money Watch. In 2015, Forbes listed Austin as #1 Boom Town because of its economic strength, including jobs among other appealing attributes .Many trailers, restaurants, stores, coffee shops, and other places are found in the South Congress shopping district.

The Rainey Street Historic District is a neighborhood in Downtown Austin consisting mostly of bungalow style homes built in the early 20th Century. Since the early 2010's, the former working class residential street has turned into a popular nightlife district. Much of the historic homes have been renovated into bars and restaurants, many of which feature large porches and outdoor yards for patrons. Austin is home of many festivals from the Austin City Limits Music Festival to the Kite Festival.  Texas barbecue and Tex-Mex cuisine is found in Austin, Texas. Breakfast tacos and queso are popular in the city. That is why Austin is called, “the home of the breakfast taco.” African Americans, people of Czech descent, and people German of German descent have contributed heavily to Austin culture. Six Square is the African American Cultural Heritage District. It’s located in East Austin (since 1928. It has been filled with businesses, schools, 2 colleges, etc. Germans, Lebanese, Italians, Swedes, and others lived in the area too). The African American Cultural and Heritage Facility was at a place where one of the first freed slaves lived at. The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center was Texas’ first neighborhood African American museum. Music from orchestra, country, hip hop, soul, gospel, and pop are all found in Austin. A film culture is strong in Austin like the SXSW Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival. International films are hosted in the city. Dynamic culture is always found in the city of Austin.





By Timothy