| Canopy. That's a great word and a comforting | | | | and Kiowa Apaches visited the area, attracted by |
| thought when shade is what you need on a hot day. | | | | plentiful water, abundant game and reliable campsites |
| When it's canopy provided by trees, the word and | | | | along the creeks and streams. It's easy to imagine |
| the comfort loom refreshingly larger in the mind of | | | | that these people also appreciated the shade of the |
| any summer sun-smitten shade seeker. No man | | | | thickly forested hills. |
| made shade offers quite the appeal of the dark and | | | | The first European/American settlers founded a |
| dappled shade of a live oak tree on a sun-baked | | | | series of small towns along the banks of the |
| lawn. | | | | Colorado River here. One was called Waterloo. |
| Austin has a rich urban canopy and, although trees | | | | Mirabeau B. Lamar, one of the presidents of the |
| can cause problems with utility lines above ground | | | | Republic of Texas discovered the area during a |
| and roots that break sewer and water lines below, | | | | buffalo hunt and was so impressed by its beauty and |
| their benefit to the community is undisputable. There | | | | its resources that he decided it should become the |
| are more than 100 species of Hill Country trees and | | | | capital of the new republic. Despite stiff opposition |
| they provide a satisfying and soothing aesthetic | | | | from many people, including Sam Houston, Lamar |
| component to the urban landscape-basically by hiding | | | | prevailed and renamed Waterloo Austin, after |
| it! They also provide significant savings to the city | | | | Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas. |
| and its residents by reducing air pollution and storm | | | | That beauty and those resources have attracted |
| water runoff and by saving electricity by shading | | | | people to Austin ever since and have inspired its |
| homes and businesses which consequently use less | | | | residents to preserve it so that it can continue to be |
| power for cooling. | | | | enjoyed. The city has more than 16,000 acres of |
| Austin's urban forest and hilly terrain work together | | | | parkland in more than 200 parks, 12 preserves and |
| to provide city dwellers with a feeling that they are | | | | 26 greenbelts. The Town Lake Corridor offers hiking |
| never far from the country. Many home and business | | | | and biking trails that draw thousands of residents |
| owners in the city incorporate these environmental | | | | daily to enjoy the natural beauty that the setting |
| features into the design of their dwellings and | | | | along the river bank affords. |
| buildings to preserve and accentuate the illusion of an | | | | Zilker park is another hugely popular green area that |
| out-of-city experience. Of course, the increased | | | | attracts tens of thousands of visitors, especially |
| seclusion, privacy and noise reduction afforded by | | | | those who come in the summer to escape the heat |
| such natural barriers are far from illusory, and provide | | | | in the ice cold waters of the Barton Springs pool. |
| welcome relief from the expanses of concrete and | | | | The trees preserved in this extensive park system |
| asphalt that assail the senses in most other cities in | | | | and in the older neighborhoods of Austin are |
| Texas and, indeed, in some parts of Austin itself. | | | | important to the quality of life that this city has been |
| The thick woods, green hills and spring-fed streams | | | | recognized and honored for. As the city and private |
| that grace the area have attracted people to the | | | | groups and foundations continue to support the |
| area since way before the arrival of Europeans and | | | | preservation of old trees and the planting of new |
| their descendants. For hundreds of years, nomadic | | | | ones, its urban canopy will continue to grow and |
| indigenous tribes such as the Tonkawa, Comanche | | | | provide shade for generations to come. |