Greetings! 

Happy Holidays from the BartonPlace team.

Residents enjoy a short walk to Zilker park to experience the brilliant holiday tree...and some can even see the tree from their residence!

From http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zilker/zhttree.htm

BartonPlace residents enjoy a short walk to Austin's most popular Christmas destination!

The Zilker Tree Stands 155 feet tall and is composed of 39 streamers, each holding 81 multicolored, 25 watt bulbs, totaling 3,309 lights. At the top of the tree, a double star measures 10 feet from point to point. The double star displays 150 frosted bulbs. This unique spiral pattern of lights was created by City of Austin electricians. At its circumference, the tree measures 380 feet. The diameter is 120 feet. The base of the tree is made up of 19 utility poles, each 14 feet tall, arranged in a circle around the Moonlight Tower. 

Origins:
The Zilker Tree was initiated in 1965 by Mrs. Alden (Mabel)Davis, civic leader and chairperson for the City's Special Holiday Activities Committee. The tree was designed by City of Austin electricians Odie Bull, D.J. Kozlowski, Fred Scantlen and Merle Wheeler. On December 10, 1967, the first tree was lighted by Mayor Pro Tem Mrs. Emma Long. In subsequent years this honor has been awarded to the young winner of a city-wide tree coloring contest. The winner of the yearly art contest will throw the switch to illuminate the tree.

Austin was one of the first American cities to employ the modern street lighting innovation to create the Zilker Tree. Austin ran its new illumination system with power from its new City of Austin-owned electric utility. Most noted for their soft moonbeam effect, the tower lights were so effective that citizens were even able to read a wristwatch as far as 1,500 feet from the structures.

Today, 17 of Austin's original 31 Moonlight Towers remain standing as present-day reminders of our city's first illumination system. Austin is the only city in the world where origins of a tower lighting system can still be found. They are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, have been designated Historic Landmarks by the State of Texas, and have been zoned historic by the City of Austin.

Perhaps the most notable of these Austin structures is the replica Moonlight Tower which becomes the Zilker Tree. Moonlight Towers debuted in Austin over a century ago. In 1894, Austinites chose a forward-thinking approach to large scale community lighting by hiring Fort Wayne Electric Company of Indiana to provide and install a downtown system of carbon arc lamps situated atop 150 feet wrought iron poles in clusters of six.

Housing market still a stabilizing force for Austin's economy

From www.statesman.com 

Wondering what a housing bust can do to a city's economy?

Residents of Las Vegas can tell you. So can homeowners in Phoenix, Orlando in Florida and Riverside/San Bernadino in California - the metro areas hit hardest when the housing bubble burst.

In the past four years, these cities have seen foreclosures soar, home values plummet and homebuilding grind nearly to a halt.

The ripple effect on those cities' economies has been dramatic: swiftly rising unemployment, significant construction job losses and a major drain of homeowners' personal wealth.

The antithesis of that picture: the Austin-area housing market.

By sidestepping the national bubble, the Austin housing market served as a stabilizing force for the Central Texas economy. That, experts say, was key to helping the region outperform many other U.S. metro areas during the economic downturn.

Unlike the wild roller-coaster ride that house prices took in states like California, Florida and Nevada, Central Texas registered steady prices - flat at worst - in a state that had the sixth-lowest foreclosure rate in the nation. Since 1996, the median home sale price here has only twice sustained an annual decline.

That stability is felt across the market - including in the area's overall job picture. The Austin area's unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in September - dramatically better than 13.6 percent in Las Vegas, 13.4 percent in Riverside/San Bernadino, and more than 10 percent in Orlando.

"Housing is a giant job creator," said Scott Norman, an Austin mortgage broker and past president of Texas Mortgage Bankers Association. "There are a lot of people whose livelihoods depend on a house being bought and sold."

Contributing factors

Several factors contributed to the relative stability of the Central Texas housing market during the downturn. They include stricter home-equity lending laws in Texas than some other states, the diverse local economy, and continued job and population growth, housing experts and economists say.

The region also has a more plentiful supply of land and lots - and fewer impediments to developing it - than in some of the boom-bust states, said Eldon Rude, director of the Austin office of Metrostudy, a housing market research firm. This resulted in lower price appreciation in our housing market during the most recent housing boom, he said.

In contrast, a run-up in demand in the hardest-hit states, coupled with a limited supply of land and lots, resulted in significant appreciation of those lots, which made the homes more expensive, Rude said.

Rude said several key indicators provide "powerful insight" into the differences in the housing industries and underlying economics of the Austin area when compared with the boom-bust markets.

* Pricing: Home prices locally didn't experience a big boom-bust cycle like they did in Las Vegas, where prices went up 44 percent per year at the peak ; Phoenix, up 41 percent per year at the peak; and Orlando, which saw 33 percent annual appreciation at the peak, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. By contrast, Austin's peak annual home price appreciation was 10.5 percent, according to the agency's data.

On the flip side, prices have dropped sharply, down 16 percent in Las Vegas from mid-2010 to mid-2011, and by 15 and 10.7 percent in Phoenix and Orlando, respectively. The decline in the Austin area was much lower at 2.3 percent during the same 12-month period.

* New-home construction: Home starts plunged nearly 90 percent from early 2007 (roughly the housing peak) through September of this year in Las Vegas. Phoenix and Orlando also saw dramatic declines, nearly 85 and 72 percent, respectively.

By comparison, the Austin area registered a 61.4 percent decline, the lowest during that period among major Texas cities and well below the most troubled markets.

* Construction employment: Comparing September 2006 - roughly the peak of new home construction - with this September, construction employment fell 62 percent in Las Vegas, and Phoenix and Orlando each lost more than half of their jobs in the sector. During the same period, construction employment in Austin dropped slightly more than 8 percent.

"This comparison is pretty telling with respect to the impacts on these economies as a result of the huge decrease in construction," Rude said.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, every dollar spent on new construction turns over six times in the local economy, as builders pay contractors and suppliers, who pay their employees, who then spend money at local businesses; so construction job losses ripple throughout the economy.

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Austin led the nation in percentage of small business growth

From www.bizjournals/austin.com

Austin, Houston and McAllen-Edinburg were the only major markets in the U.S. to add small businesses from 2008 through 2009, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by The Business Journals' On Numbers, a division of American City Business Journals.

Austin saw the largest percentage growth, with small businesses increasing to 39,350 in 2009 from 39,180 in 2008, or a 0.43 percent growth. McAllen had a 0.41 percent increase, and Houston rounded out the top three with a 0.25 percent increase. On Numbers defines a small business as any private-sector establishment with fewer than 100 employees.

While these three Texas cities saw small business growth, much of the nation did not. The number of small businesses in 938 metropolitan and micropolitan areas across the nation dropped to 6.82 million in 2009 from 6.96 million in 2008, according to the analysis. The trend was also evident on a larger basis, with 97 of the nation's 100 biggest markets also saying goodbye to many of their small businesses.

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Local Food + Drink News

From www.austinist.com

If you'd rather be yarn-bombed than trampled by the Black Friday masses, then these upcoming holiday art fairs are for you. From November 26 - December 24, you'll be able to find both beautiful and bizarre handmade goods from local artists at any of these bazaars.

Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market  

The Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market features over 150 local and national indie-craft artists hawking items such as jewelry, clothing, home goods, posters, artwork, and bath products. Hands-on crafting activities, such as an ornament-making workshop, offer an opportunity to exercise your own creativity while you're inspired by all these crafters. Knitta Please (known locally for installations such as last year's yarn-bombing 99 trees at The Blanton) will have a giant yoga ball installation, and Waterloo Records DJs will be spinning tunes. Food and beverages for purchase.

Blue Genie Art Bazaar  

The Blue Genie Art Bazaar claims to be Austin's most creative holiday art bazaar. Over 130 local artists and craftspeople will be selling paintings, sculptures, glasswork, ceramics, prints, photography, jewelry, etc. Holiday films will be shown in a movie room to keep the kiddos (or yourself) occupied. Beverages for purchase.  

Cherrywood Art Fair 

The 10th annual Cherrywood Art Fair is a production of East Austin nonprofit, Chula (Cherrywood Urban Landscape and Arts) League. Proceeds benefit the Little Artist Big Artist Program and other E. Austin projects. In addition to goods by over 100 local artists (including 25 Etsy and Craft Riot members), this fair features live music, children's activities, and a silent auction. Food and beverages for purchase.

Armadillo Christmas Bazaar 

In its 36th season, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar is an Austin staple. You'll find affordable to high-end art from more than 160 local artists and artisans. In addition, at least three music acts will perform daily. The lineup includes Austin favorites such as Ruthie Foster, Suzanna Choffel, and Band of Heathens. Food and beverages (including a full bar) for purchase.  

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49th Annual Production of The Nutcracker

From www.balletaustin.org

The longest running holiday dance production in Texas returns with Ballet Austin's 49th annual production of The Nutcracker. Whether starting a new tradition or continuing a long-standing one, The Nutcracker is a magical, memory making experience for all ages, with an army of mischievous mice, a bevy of bon-bons, a slurry of sparkling snowflakes, and one jovial Mother Ginger... plus the Austin Symphony Orchestra! 

Tchaikovsky's holiday masterpiece sparkles with the original choreography of Stephen Mills and comes to life with over 200 dancers. THIS Nutcracker is Austin's Holiday Tradition. Ballet Austin's annual production is the best gift you could give anyone - including yourself.

Choreography by Stephen Mills
Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Musical Accompaniment by The Austin Symphony Orchestra

The Long Center

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