Central Texas is a sprawling region stretching from Austin in the south to Lubbock in the north, and taking in the green, rolling Hill Country in the east as well as the stark plains of the Llano Estacado to the west. The Hill Country is a region richly endowed with scenic beauty. Many consider it the real heart of Texas, and the sight of bluebonnets covering the landscape in spring is one of the state's most famous images. Austin is the major city of this part of Central Texas. Once known mostly as the state capital and home of the University of Texas, Austin has recently become just about the most un-Texas-like part of the entire state. A stampede of new residents has doubled the population since 1990, and Austin now has a reputation as a quirky, wired, and very creative city--much like San Francisco. Also much like California's Bay Area, Austin has recently attracted a spate of high-tech firms that have made it the Silicon Valley of Texas. The Llano Estacado ("palisaded plain") is also considered by many to be the real heart of Texas, and it could hardly be more different: dry, open, windswept, and very "western." Here, cattle ranches and cotton fields are dotted with oil wells, and the cities and towns change far slower than frenetic Austin. Lubbock is the largest city of this part of Central Texas. [Less...]