Today marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Austin Fire Department, which was started on Sept. 25, 1857 by ex-New York fireman and Austin grocer John Bremond Sr.* John Bremond Sr.What began as the volunteer-based Hook and Ladder Fire Company No. 1—operating under the motto of "Always Ready!"—eventually blossomed into one of the largest departments in the country. AFD now employes over 1,000 people, with 44 fire stations throughout the city. To......

Cedar Park, Pflugerville and Round Rock placed among Forbes magazine's fifty fastest growing suburbs in the United States from 2000-2006. Among the many Texas cities on the list, Round Rock was 12th, Pflugerville was 7th and Cedar Park was 3rd. Forbes discussed some of the tradeoffs of unregulated suburban sprawl: low housing costs, but high transportation costs - providing the example that in Houston, transportation costs are the No. 1 household expense, according to......

Just when you thought you’d fulfilled your civic duty, along comes AmericanStyle magazine. The bi-monthly publication that bills itself as the nation’s premier arts lifestyle magazine for enthusiasts, collectors and travelers is holding its annual poll on the nation’s Top 25 American Arts Destinations. Voters can visit the magazine's website and vote for cities in three categories, broken down by size. A paper ballot will also be available in the February 2007 issue of AmericanStyle......

When we first got geared up to move to Austin, someone told us Austin was "bordering on lazy," which pleased us. Now, we have something to back up such blanket statements: Austin/San Marcos has been named one of the top "Chill Together" cities in the country. Austin ranked 9th on the list put out by Sperling's BestPlaces and Bailey's Irish Cream (who, of course, would like to remind you to drink responsibly). Among Austin's......