I knew my daughter would learn a lot in college, I didn't know that she would connect so deeply her to Jewish identity through her involvement with Texas Hillel . [Parent of a Senior, Class of 2011]
Wonder why Austin is weird? Â Here are some things you may not have known:
Austin is estimated to be the fastest growing Jewish community in the country. Â That’s right… Austin! Â Some estimates put the number of new Austinites per year at more than 60,000. Â If just 2% of those are Jewish (national stats on total Jewish population), that’s 1,200 new Jewish people per year.
Austin’s Jewish community is approximately 5 times what it was 25 years ago.
Unlike many communities that are aging and shrinking, Austin is growing and staying young. Â No, Lady Bird Lake is not the fountain of youth. Â Individuals still age, but the median population remains 29.6. Â That’s because younger people keep moving to Austin. Â What’s even more remarkable is that many Jewish people are retiring to Austin because of the climate and proximity to grown children. Â You’d think that would drive up the median age, but it isn’t. Â So there are more young people moving here than retirees.
Because it is home to The University of Texas at Austin, many high-tech firms, live music and other entertainment, Austin’s Jewish community is also quite young. Â Add to that the fact that most Jewish Austinites moved here from somewhere else, and you have the perfect combination for the next great Jewish community.
There are more Jewish people in Austin between 18-35 than there are in any other city in a nineteen state region. Â Undergraduates, graduate students, young professionals, young singles, young families. Â Austin has it all! Â Looking for a place to be young and Jewish? Â This is it.
Young. Â Creative. Â Entrepreneurial. Â Global. Â That’s the present and the future of Jewish Austin.
