Austin is the U.S. state capital named for Stephen F. Austin, known as the “Father of Texas.”
The city was originally called Waterloo and was selected as Texas’s capital in 1839. It was renamed Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, who led the first successful colonization effort under Mexican authority and helped establish the Republic of Texas.
Austin sits on the Colorado River in central Texas. Although Houston served as the republic’s capital before Austin, the government moved to the new inland settlement because its location was considered more defensible and central.
A common mix-up is confusing Austin with Houston, the largest city in Texas. Houston is named for Sam Houston, another major figure in Texas history, while Austin carries the name of Stephen F. Austin.