Silicon Hills
Silicon Hills is a nickname for the cluster of high-tech companies in the Austin metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas. The name is analogous to Silicon Valley, but refers to the hilly terrain on the west side of Austin. High tech industries in the area include enterprise software, semiconductors, corporate R&D, biotechnology, gaming, and a variety of startup companies.
Greater Austin
The region contains numerous universities. Major area universities include the University of Texas at Austin (flagship of the University of Texas System), Texas State University, and Southwestern University (Georgetown). The city of Austin itself contains numerous other institutions of higher education including Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Concordia University, Huston-Tillotson University, St. Edward's University, and others. Additional institutions in the suburban communities include Temple College in Taylor and the Texas State University extension in Round Rock.
In 2006, 35% of adults in the City of Austin held college degrees, placing fourth among the 77 largest cities in the U.S. this percentage had climbed to 43.3%. In Round Rock 37.2% of adults held degrees, in Pflugerville 40.50% held degrees, in Cedar Park 39.1% held degrees, and in San Marcos 34.1% held degrees. This compares to 23.2% for all of Texas and 24.4% for the entire U.S. making the Austin area one of the most educated metropolitan areas in the U.S.
The region is served by numerous school districts. the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce lists 29 public school districts, 17 charter schools, and 69 private schools.