138-490: The Green Dot Corporation is an American financial technology and bank holding company headquartered in Austin, Texas . It is the world's largest prepaid debit card company by market capitalization . Green Dot is also a payment platform company and is the technology platform used by Apple Cash , Uber , and Intuit . The company was founded in 1999 by Steve Streit as a prepaid debit card for teenagers to shop online. In 2001,
276-714: A boil-water advisory which would last until water pressure was restored on February 23. Beginning January 30, 2023 the City of Austin experienced a winter freeze which left 170,000 Austin Energy customers without electricity or heat for several days. The slow pace of repairs and lack of public information from City officials frustrated many residents. A week after the freeze and when Austin City Council members were proposing to evaluate his employment, City Manager Spencer Cronk finally apologized. On Thursday February 16, 2023, Cronk
414-443: A cotton gin engine was located downtown near the trains for "ginning" cotton of its seeds and turning the product into bales for shipment. However, as other new railroads were built through the region in the 1870s, Austin began to lose its primacy in trade to the surrounding communities. In addition, the areas east of Austin took over cattle and cotton production from Austin, especially in towns like Hutto and Taylor that sit over
552-467: A fintech firm and biggest U.S. provider of prepaid debit cards, is moving its headquarters from Pasadena, California to Austin, Texas ." CEO Steve Streit was nominated for Industry Executive of the Year at LendIt. Green Dot was nominated for Solving Problems Through Payments during the 2018 Benzinga Fintech Awards. On July 30, 2019, Green Dot made its debut of a savings account for customers through
690-485: A pre-paid debit card , the first in the industry, called the Unlimited cashback account. The card features a 3% cash back return on purchases, as well as a 3% APY towards a customer's savings account. The Cash Back Debit Card is available online and in many stores, including CVS Pharmacy , Kmart , 7-Eleven and Walgreens while the prepaid card is only available in stores. Cards bought online are personalized with
828-613: A NFC chip to make transactions. The major debit card flags in Brazil are Visa (with Electron cards ), Mastercard (with Maestro cards ), and Elo . The tap to pay technology has been quite popular in Brazil, you won't need to insert your card with a smart chip and put your password, you just need to approximate the card at the credit card machine, it works for debit and credit cards. Some virtual wallets like Samsung Pay , Google Pay and Apple Pay can be used on time of purchase, you just need to approximate your mobile phone or watch at
966-693: A bank account, for maintenance costs. The most common cards in Bulgaria are contactless (and Chip&PIN or Magnetic stripe and PIN) with the brands of Debit Mastercard and Visa Debit (the most common were Maestro and Visa Electron some years ago). All POS terminals and ATMs accept Visa, Visa Electron, Visa Debit, VPay, Mastercard, Debit Mastercard, Maestro and Bcard. Also some POS terminals and ATMs accept Discover, American Express, Diners Club, JCB and UnionPay. Almost all POS terminals in Bulgaria support contactless payments. Credit cards are also common in Bulgaria. Paying with smartphones/smartwatches at POS terminals
1104-469: A bank account. Usually, it is free to use debit cards on national and EU ATMs even if they aren't owned by the issuing bank. Since 2019, a few banks charge a 50ct cost when using ATMs who are not owned by the issuing bank. The debit cards in Belgium are branded with the logo of the national Bancontact system and also with an international debit system, Maestro (for the moment there aren't any banks who issue
1242-500: A bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act. This move enabled Green Dot to issue its own prepaid debit cards directly through its banking subsidiary and provide related financial services, enhancing its control over product offerings and customer experience. In early 2012, Green Dot acquired the mobile location technology company Loopt for $ 43.4 million, retained Loopt's employees to develop GoBank,
1380-420: A credit card bill or going into debt, the opportunity for anyone over the age of 18 to apply and be accepted without checks on creditworthiness, and the option to deposit paychecks and government benefits directly onto the card for free. A newer advantage is the use of EMV technology and even contactless functionality, which had previously been limited to bank debit cards and credit cards. Prepaid cards vary by
1518-448: A credit card since the money will not immediately leave their control. Fraudulent charges on a debit card can also cause problems with a checking account because the money is withdrawn immediately and may thus result in an overdraft or bounced checks . In some cases, debit card-issuing banks will promptly refund any disputed charges until the matter can be settled, and in some jurisdictions, the consumer's liability for unauthorized charges
SECTION 10
#17328015380651656-641: A credit card transaction (for example, credit not accessible due to being over one's credit limit ). This is especially true in the United States, where check fraud is a crime in every state but exceeding one's credit limit is not. Debit cards may also be used on the Internet, either with or without using a PIN. Internet transactions may be conducted in either online or offline mode. Shops accepting online-only cards are rare in some countries (such as Sweden), while they are common in other countries (such as
1794-682: A credit card was accepted, were first introduced in Canada by Saskatchewan Credit Unions in 1982. In the early 1990s, pilot projects were conducted among Canada's six largest banks to gauge security, accuracy and feasibility of the Interac system. Slowly in the later half of the 1990s, it was estimated that approximately 50% of retailers offered Interac as a source of payment. Retailers, many small transaction retailers like coffee shops, resisted offering IDP to promote faster service. In 2009, 99% of retailers offer IDP as an alternative payment form. In Canada,
1932-414: A debit transaction as occurring in real time: the money is withdrawn from their account immediately after the authorization request from the merchant. In many countries, this is correct for online debit purchases. However, when a purchase is made using the "credit" (offline debit) option, the transaction merely places an authorization hold on the customer's account; funds are not actually withdrawn until
2070-485: A flood on April 7, 1900. In the late 1920s and 1930s, Austin implemented the 1928 Austin city plan through a series of civic development and beautification projects that created much of the city's infrastructure and many of its parks. In addition, the state legislature established the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) that, along with the city of Austin, created the system of dams along
2208-544: A freeze are December 1 and February 15, giving Austin an average growing season of 288 days, and the coldest temperature of the year is normally about 24.2 °F (−4 °C) under the 1991-2020 climate normals, putting Austin in USDA zone 9a. Conversely, winter months also produce warm days on a regular basis. On average, 10 days in January reach or exceed 70 °F (21 °C) and 1 day reaches 80 °F (27 °C); during
2346-727: A major university. The 1970s saw Austin's emergence in the national music scene, with local artists such as Willie Nelson , Asleep at the Wheel , and Stevie Ray Vaughan and iconic music venues such as the Armadillo World Headquarters . Over time, the long-running television program Austin City Limits , its namesake Austin City Limits Festival, and the South by Southwest music festival solidified
2484-607: A message to the cardholder's bank to withdraw funds from the cardholder's designated bank account. In some cases, the payment card number is assigned exclusively for use on the Internet, and there is no physical card. This is referred to as a virtual card . In many countries, the use of debit cards has become so widespread that they have overtaken checks in volume or have entirely replaced them; in some instances, debit cards have also largely replaced cash transactions. The development of debit cards, unlike credit cards and charge cards , has generally been country-specific, resulting in
2622-1031: A number of different circumstances. The five major debit card networks are UnionPay , American Express , Discover , Mastercard , and Visa . Other card networks are STAR , JCB , Pulse , etc. There are many types of debit cards, each accepted only within a particular country or region; for example, Switch (since merged with Maestro) and Solo in the United Kingdom; Interac in Canada; Carte Bleue in France; EC electronic cash (formerly Eurocheque ) in Germany; Bancomat/PagoBancomat in Italy; UnionPay in China; RuPay in India; and EFTPOS cards in Australia and New Zealand. The need for cross-border compatibility and
2760-511: A number of different systems around the world that are often incompatible. Since the mid-2000s, a number of initiatives have allowed debit cards issued in one country to be used in other countries and allowed their use for internet and phone purchases. Debit cards usually also allow an instant withdrawal of cash, acting as an ATM card for this purpose. Merchants may also offer cashback facilities to customers so that they can withdraw cash along with their purchase. There are usually daily limits on
2898-683: A part of their land, created an immense motive for Sam Houston, the first and third President of the Republic of Texas, to relocate the capital once again in 1841. Upon threats of Mexican troops in Texas, Houston raided the Land Office to transfer all official documents to Houston for safe keeping in what was later known as the Archive War , but the people of Austin would not allow this unaccompanied decision to be executed. The documents stayed, but
SECTION 20
#17328015380653036-408: A phone call or trip to the branch to reactivate with a new PIN, the card being cut up by the merchant, or in the case of an ATM, being kept inside the machine, both of which require a new card to be ordered. Generally credit card transaction costs are borne by the merchant with no fee applied to the end user (although a direct consumer surcharge of 0.5–3% is not uncommon) while EFTPOS transactions cost
3174-481: A sandy beach along the river, and a disc golf course. Prepaid debit card A debit card , also known as a check card or bank card , is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The card usually consists of the bank's name, a card number, the cardholder's name, and an expiration date, on either the front or the back. Many new cards now have a chip on them, which allows people to use their card by touch (contactless), or by inserting
3312-595: A secured payment card, the Platinum Visa Secured card. This is a Visa card that is secured by a deposit, and is not a debit card nor is it a prepaid card. It is a credit card. MoneyPak is used to deposit cash to Green Dot prepaid cards but it can also be used to deposit cash onto third party prepaid or bank debit cards. MoneyPak is available in the same stores GreenDot prepaid is and most stores charge $ 5.95 for reloading. Austin, Texas Austin ( / ˈ ɔː s t ɪ n / AW -stin )
3450-576: A set of zoning restrictions that preserve the view of the Texas State Capitol from various locations around Austin, known as the Capitol View Corridors . At night, parts of Austin are lit by "artificial moonlight" from moonlight towers built to illuminate the central part of the city. The 165-foot (50 m) moonlight towers were built in the late 19th century and are now recognized as historic landmarks. Only 15 of
3588-549: A severe lull in economic growth from the Great Depression , Austin resumed its steady development. Following the mid-20th century, Austin became established as one of Texas' major metropolitan centers. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Austin's population as 14.5% Hispanic, 11.9% black, and 73.4% non-Hispanic white. In the late 20th century, Austin emerged as an important high tech center for semiconductors and software. The University of Texas at Austin emerged as
3726-471: A state driver's license or DMV ID card) in the case of Oakland or in conjunction with a prepaid transit pass (in Chicago). These cards have been heavily criticized for their higher-than-average fees, such as excessive flat fees added onto every purchase made with the card. The U.S. federal government uses prepaid debit cards to make benefit payments to people who do not have bank accounts. In July 2013,
3864-494: A temporary virtual card number that works just in 48 hours, according to Itaú , you can use it to buy on unknown websites for safety reasons, because in the case of a data leak, the credit card number that was leaked wouldn't work. In Bulgaria, debit cards are accepted in almost all stores and shops, as well as in most of the hotels and restaurants in the bigger cities. Smaller restaurants or small shops often accept cash only. All Bulgarian banks can provide debit cards when you open
4002-526: A third of normal precipitation. This was a result of La Niña conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean where water was significantly cooler than normal. David Brown, a regional official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explained that "these kinds of droughts will have effects that are even more extreme in the future, given a warming and drying regional climate." The drought, coupled with exceedingly high temperatures throughout
4140-497: Is a state park administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department , located at the confluence of Onion Creek and Williamson Creek. The park includes several designated hiking trails and campsites with water and electric. The namesake features of the park are the scenic upper and lower falls along Onion Creek. The Emma Long Metropolitan Park is a municipal park along the shores of Lake Austin , originally constructed by
4278-466: Is a monthly charge of $ 9.95, unless the customer makes more than 30 purchases in a month or loads the card with more than $ 1000 in that month. Green Dot partnered with Uber on a business debit card for Uber Drivers to be able to get paid weekly or immediately through Green Dot's instant pay service by depositing earnings on to a debit card. RushCard is a personalized prepaid debit card offering early direct deposit, money management, and rewards. The card
Green Dot Corporation - Misplaced Pages Continue
4416-435: Is a popular summer swimming spot for visitors and residents. Hamilton Pool Preserve consists of 232 acres (0.94 km ) of protected natural habitat featuring a jade green pool into which a 50-foot (15 m) waterfall flows. In May 2021, voters in the City of Austin reinstated a public camping ban. That includes downtown green spaces as well as trails and greenbelts such as along Barton Creek. McKinney Falls State Park
4554-556: Is also getting common. Canada has a nationwide EFTPOS system, called Interac Direct Payment (IDP). Since being introduced in 1994, IDP has become the most popular payment method in the country. Previously, debit cards have been in use for ABM usage since the late 1970s, with credit unions in Saskatchewan and Alberta introducing the first card-based, networked ATMs beginning in June 1977. Debit cards, which could be used anywhere
4692-732: Is an issuer of prepaid MasterCard and Visa cards in the United States. These products are available at nearly 100,000 retail stores including CVS , Rite Aid , Walgreens , Dollar Tree ; as well as discounted offerings at Meijer and Walmart . Green Dot also transfers individuals' direct deposit funds (such as Social Security payments) from the US government to personal bank accounts. They also provide co-branded card programs to Walmart , Boost Mobile , AT&T and Citibank . In 2007, Green Dot raised $ 20 million in funding, including Sequoia Capital as an investor. In 2008, Green Dot ceased to offer prepaid Discover cards. On July 30, 2019, Green Dot launched
4830-615: Is home to the tallest condo towers in the state, with The Independent (58 stories and 690 ft (210 m) tall) and The Austonian (topping out at 56 floors and 685 ft (209 m) tall). The Independent became the tallest all-residential building in the U.S. west of Chicago when topped out in 2018. In 2005, then-Mayor Will Wynn set out a goal of having 25,000 people living downtown by 2015. Although downtown's growth did not meet this goal, downtown's residential population did surge from an estimated 5,000 in 2005 to 12,000 in 2015. The skyline has drastically changed in recent years, and
4968-471: Is its highly variable humidity, which fluctuates frequently depending on the shifting patterns of air flow and wind direction. It is common for a lengthy series of warm, dry, low-humidity days to be occasionally interrupted by very warm and humid days, and vice versa. Humidity rises with winds from the east or southeast, when the air drifts inland from the Gulf of Mexico , but decreases significantly with winds from
5106-772: Is located within the middle of a unique, narrow transitional zone between the dry deserts of the American Southwest and the lush, green, more humid regions of the American Southeast. Its climate, topography, and vegetation share characteristics of both. Officially, Austin has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) under the Köppen climate classification . This climate is typified by long, very hot summers, short, mild winters, and warm to hot spring and fall seasons in-between. Austin averages 34.32 inches (872 mm) of annual rainfall distributed mostly evenly throughout
5244-472: Is most common during the spring. According to most classifications, Austin lies within the extreme southern periphery of Tornado Alley , although many sources place Austin outside of Tornado Alley altogether. Consequently, tornadoes strike Austin less frequently than areas farther to the north. However, severe weather and/or supercell thunderstorms can occur multiple times per year, bringing damaging winds, lightning, heavy rain, and occasional flash flooding to
5382-484: Is rare in Austin. A snow event of 0.9 inches (2 cm) on February 4, 2011, caused more than 300 car crashes. The most recent major snow event occurred February 14–15, 2021, when 6.4 inches (16 cm) of snow fell at Austin's Camp Mabry , the largest two-day snowfall since records began being kept in 1948. Typical of Central Texas , severe weather in Austin is a threat that can strike during any season. However, it
5520-664: Is sometimes, but not always, indicated on the receipt), and this has nothing to do with whether the transaction was conducted in online or offline mode, since both credit and debit transactions may be conducted in both modes. In some countries, banks tend to levy a small fee for each debit card transaction. In other countries (for example, New Zealand and the UK) the merchants bear all the costs and customers are not charged. There are many people who routinely use debit cards for all transactions, no matter how small. Some (small) retailers refuse to accept debit cards for small transactions, where paying
5658-417: Is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat and most populous city of Travis County , with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 26th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the 11th-most populous city in the United States, the fourth-most populous city in the state after Houston , San Antonio , and Dallas , and
Green Dot Corporation - Misplaced Pages Continue
5796-523: Is the home of the University of Texas at Austin , one of the largest universities in the U.S., with over 50,000 students. In 2021, Austin became home to the Austin FC , the first (and currently only) major professional sports team in the city. Austin, Travis County and Williamson County have been the site of human habitation since at least 9200 BC. The area's earliest known inhabitants lived during
5934-569: Is the necessity of an electronic authorization device at the point of sale (POS) and sometimes also a separate PINpad to enter the PIN, although this is becoming commonplace for all card transactions in many countries. Overall, the online debit card is generally viewed as superior to the offline debit card because of its more secure authentication system and live status, which alleviates problems with processing lag on transactions that may only issue online debit cards. Some online debit systems are using
6072-418: Is the same for both debit and credit cards. In 2010, Bank of America announced that "it was doing away with overdraft fees for debit card purchases." In some countries, such as India and Sweden, consumer protection is the same regardless of the network used. Some banks set minimum and maximum purchase sizes, mostly for online-only cards. However, this has nothing to do with the card networks but rather with
6210-691: Is the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States and is considered a Gamma + level global city as categorized by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . As of 2024, Austin had an estimated population of 984,567, up from 961,855 at the 2020 census . The city is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan statistical area, which had an estimated population of 2,473,275 as of July 1, 2023. Located in Central Texas within
6348-479: Is to prevent fraudulent activities and protect the card holder. If customers want to use card swipe magnet strips aboard and internationally, they will have to activate and enable international card usage. Debit cards and secured credit cards are popular among college students who have not yet established a credit history. Debit cards may also be used by expatriate workers to send money home to their families holding an affiliated debit card. The consumer perceives
6486-683: Is water. Austin is situated at the foot of the Balcones Escarpment , on the Colorado River , with three artificial lakes within the city limits: Lady Bird Lake (formerly known as Town Lake), Lake Austin (both created by dams along the Colorado River), and Lake Walter E. Long that is partly used for cooling water for the Decker Power Plant. Mansfield Dam and the foot of Lake Travis are located within
6624-511: Is well-fed. Both range in temperature from about 68.0 °F (20.0 °C) during the winter to about 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) during the summer. Hippie Hollow Park , a county park situated along Lake Travis, is the only officially sanctioned clothing-optional public park in Texas. Hamilton Pool Preserve is a natural pool that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion thousands of years ago. The pool, located about 23 miles (37 km) west of Austin,
6762-703: The Association of Government Accountants released a report on government use of prepaid cards, concluding that such programs offer a number of advantages to governments and those who receive payments on a prepaid card rather than by check. The prepaid card programs benefit payments largely for the cost savings they offer and provide easier access to cash for recipients, as well as increased security. The report also advises that governments should consider replacing any remaining cheque -based payments with prepaid card programs in order to realize substantial savings for taxpayers as well as benefits for payees. In January 2016,
6900-776: The Civilian Conservation Corps . The 284 acres (115 ha) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a botanical garden and arboretum that features more than 800 species of native Texas plants in both garden and natural settings; the Wildflower Center is located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Downtown in Circle C Ranch . Roy G. Guerrero Park is located along the Colorado River in East Riverside and contains miles of wooded trails,
7038-555: The Houston and Texas Central Railway (H&TC) in 1871 turned Austin into the major trading center for the region, with the ability to transport both cotton and cattle. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas (MKT) line followed close behind. Austin was also the terminus of the southernmost leg of the Chisholm Trail , and "drovers" pushed cattle north to the railroad. Cotton was one of the few crops produced locally for export, and
SECTION 50
#17328015380657176-528: The V-Pay or Visa Electron cards even if they are widely accepted), the Maestro system is used mostly for payments in other countries, but a few national card payment services use the Maestro system. Some banks also offer Visa and MasterCard debit cards but these are mostly online banks. In Brazil debit cards are called cartão de débito (singular) or cartões de débito (plural) and became popular in 2008. In 2013,
7314-429: The blackland prairie , with its deep, rich soils for producing cotton and hay. In September 1881, Austin public schools held their first classes. The same year, Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute (now part of Huston–Tillotson University ) opened its doors. The University of Texas held its first classes in 1883, although classes had been held in the original wooden state capitol for four years before. During
7452-485: The 100 millionth Brazilian debit card was issued. Debit cards replaced cheques , common until the first decade of the 2000s. Today, the majority of the financial transactions (like buying food at a supermarket), are made using debit cards (and this system is quickly replacing cash payments in Brazil). Nowadays, the majority of debit card payments are processed using a card + PIN combination, and almost every card comes with
7590-400: The 1880s, Austin gained new prominence as the state capitol building was completed in 1888 and claimed as the seventh largest building in the world. In the late 19th century, Austin expanded its city limits to more than three times its former area, and the first granite dam was built on the Colorado River to power a new street car line and the new " moon towers ". The first dam washed away in
7728-805: The 1990s, Austin has become a center for technology and business. The technology roots in Austin can be traced back to the 1960s, when defense electronics contractor Tracor (now BAE Systems ) began operations in the city in 1962. IBM followed in 1967, opening a facility to produce its Selectric typewriters. Texas Instruments was set up in Austin two years later, and Motorola (now NXP Semiconductors) started semiconductor chip manufacturing in 1974. A number of Fortune 500 companies have headquarters or regional offices in Austin, including 3M , Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) , Agilent Technologies , Amazon , Apple , Dell , Facebook (Meta) , General Motors , Google , IBM , Intel , NXP Semiconductors , Oracle , Tesla , and Texas Instruments . With regard to education, Austin
7866-482: The 1991-2020 period recorded at least 1 day of the latter. The average daytime high is 70 °F (21 °C) or warmer between March 1 and November 21, rising to 80 °F (27 °C) or warmer between April 14 and October 24, and reaching 90 °F (32 °C) or warmer between May 30 and September 18. The highest ever recorded temperature was 112 °F (44 °C) occurring on September 5, 2000, and August 28, 2011. An uncommon characteristic of Austin's climate
8004-549: The 1991-2020 period, all Januarys had at least 1 day with a high of 70 °F (21 °C) or more, and most (60%) had at least 1 day with a high of 80 °F (27 °C) or more. The lowest ever recorded temperature in the city was −2 °F (−19 °C) on January 31, 1949. Roughly every two years Austin experiences an ice storm that freezes roads over and cripples travel in the city for 24 to 48 hours. When Austin received 0.04 inches (1 mm) of ice on January 24, 2014, there were 278 vehicular collisions. Similarly, snowfall
8142-508: The 31 original innovative towers remain standing in Austin, but none remain in any of the other cities where they were installed. The towers are featured in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused . In December 2023, amid rising home prices, the Austin City Council loosened the city's zoning rules to permit by-right development of triplexes on each lot and loosened restrictions on tiny homes. The central business district of Austin
8280-720: The Austin Nature & Science Center, and the Zilker Zephyr, a 12 in ( 305 mm ) gauge miniature railway carries passengers on a tour around the park. Auditorium Shores , an urban park along the lake, is home to the Palmer Auditorium , the Long Center for the Performing Arts , and an off-leash dog park on the water. Both Zilker Park and Auditorium Shores have a direct view of
8418-728: The City of Austin issued a mandatory citywide boil-water advisory after the Highland Lakes , home to the city's main water supply, became overwhelmed by unprecedented amounts of silt, dirt, and debris that had washed in from the Llano River . Austin Water, the city's water utility, has the capacity to process up to 300 million gallons of water per day; however, the elevated level of turbidity reduced output to only 105 million gallons per day. Since Austin residents consumed an average of 120 million gallons of water per day,
SECTION 60
#17328015380658556-459: The Colorado River between two creeks, Shoal Creek and Waller Creek , which was later named in his honor. Waller and a team of surveyors developed Austin's first city plan , commonly known as the Waller Plan , dividing the site into a 14-block grid plan bisected by a broad north–south thoroughfare, Congress Avenue, running up from the river to Capital Square, where the new Texas State Capitol
8694-760: The Colorado River to form the Highland Lakes . These projects were enabled in large part because the Public Works Administration provided Austin with greater funding for municipal construction projects than other Texas cities. During the early 20th century, a three-way system of social segregation emerged in Austin, with Anglos, African Americans and Mexicans being separated by custom or law in most aspects of life, including housing, health care, and education. Deed restrictions also played an important role in residential segregation . After 1935 most housing deeds prohibited African Americans (and sometimes other nonwhite groups) from using land. Combined with
8832-590: The Comanches westward, mostly ending conflicts in Central Texas. Settlement in the area began to expand quickly. Travis County was established in 1840, and the surrounding counties were mostly established within the next two decades. Initially, the new capital thrived but Lamar's political enemy, Sam Houston , used two Mexican army incursions to San Antonio as an excuse to move the government. Sam Houston fought bitterly against Lamar's decision to establish
8970-785: The Downtown skyline. The Barton Creek Greenbelt is a 7.25-mile (11.67 km) public green belt managed by the City of Austin's Park and Recreation Department. The Greenbelt, which begins at Zilker Park and stretches South/Southwest to the Woods of Westlake subdivision , is characterized by large limestone cliffs, dense foliage, and shallow bodies of water. Popular activities include rock climbing , mountain biking, and hiking. Some well known naturally forming swimming holes along Austin's greenbelt include Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls, Gus Fruh Pool, and Campbell's Hole. During years of heavy rainfall,
9108-574: The Kuwaiti KNET . Bangladesh launched its first domestic card scheme, "Taka Pay" on 1 November 2023. Until now banks were dependent on international card schemes such as Visa , Mastercard , UnionPay etc. From the launching day 3 banks are issuing "Taka Pay" card. Those banks are: Sonali Bank PLC , BRAC Bank PLC and The City Bank Limited . 5 banks ( Dutch Bangla Bank Limited , Estern Bank PLC , Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC , Mutual Trust Bank Limited and United Commercial Bank PLC ) have joined
9246-547: The Netherlands). For a comparison, PayPal offers the customer to use an online-only Maestro card if the customer enters a Dutch address of residence, but not if the same customer enters a Swedish address of residence. Internet purchases can be authenticated by the consumer entering their PIN if the merchant has enabled a secure online PIN pad, in which case the transaction is conducted in debit mode. Otherwise, transactions may be conducted in either credit or debit mode (which
9384-467: The Netherlands. Prepaid debit cards are reloadable and can also be called reloadable debit cards. The primary market for prepaid debit cards has historically been unbanked people; that is, people who do not use banks or credit unions for their financial transactions. Advantages of prepaid debit cards include being safer than carrying cash, worldwide acceptance, not having to worry about paying
9522-579: The Republic of Texas into the United States. In 1860, 38% of Travis County residents were slaves . In 1861, with the outbreak of the American Civil War , voters in Austin and other Central Texas communities voted against secession. However, as the war progressed and fears of attack by Union forces increased, Austin contributed hundreds of men to the Confederate forces. The African American population of Austin swelled dramatically after
9660-529: The Texas Congress formed a commission to seek a site for the new capital of the Republic of Texas to replace Houston . When he was Vice President of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar had visited the area during a buffalo -hunting expedition between 1837 and 1838. He advised the commissioners to consider the area on the north bank of the Colorado River (near the present-day Congress Avenue Bridge ), noting
9798-734: The UK government introduced a requirement for banks to offer fee-free basic bank accounts for all, which had a significant impact on the prepaid industry, including the departure of a number of firms. Consumer protections vary depending on the network used. Visa and MasterCard, for instance, prohibit minimum and maximum purchase sizes, surcharges, and arbitrary security procedures on the part of merchants. Merchants are usually charged higher transaction fees for credit transactions since debit network transactions are less likely to be fraudulent. This may lead them to "steer" customers toward debit transactions. Consumers disputing charges may find it easier to do so with
9936-652: The UK, Pinpas cards in the Netherlands, Bancontact cards in Belgium, etc.). The use of a debit card system allows operators to package their products more effectively while monitoring customer spending. Online debit cards require electronic authorization of every transaction, and the debits are reflected in the user's account immediately. The transaction may be additionally secured with the personal identification number (PIN) authentication system; some online cards require such authentication for every transaction, essentially becoming enhanced automatic teller machine (ATM) cards . One difficulty with using online debit cards
10074-595: The Uber Debit Card, enabling Uber drivers to cash out their ride fare immediately. On January 30, 2017, it was reported that UniRush LLC would be sold to Green Dot Corp. in a deal valued around $ 147 million. The deal was projected to add around 750,000 cardholders to Green Dot's network. In early December 2017, Green Dot Corporation announced that it was powering the Apple 's new Apple Pay Cash P2P payment service. On May 7, 2021, CNBC reported that "Green Dot,
10212-624: The Unlimited Cash Back Bank Account, offering 3% cash back as well as a savings account offering 3% interest known as the Unlimited cashback account. The cards are normal debit cards, and not a line of credit. Purchases are deducted from the balance stored on the card. The user can add more money to the card by paying cash at a retail store's point of sale , or in certain cases from their paycheck . Originally known as Next Estate Communications, Green Dot Corporation
10350-521: The World", a reference to the city's many musicians and live music venues, as well as the long-running PBS TV concert series Austin City Limits . Austin is the site of South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual conglomeration of parallel film , interactive media , and music festivals . The city also adopted " Silicon Hills " as a nickname in the 1990s due to a rapid influx of technology and development companies. In recent years, some Austinites have adopted
10488-481: The ability of banks, who typically provide merchant services to retailers on behalf of Visa or MasterCard, from stopping those retailers charging extra fees to take payment by credit card instead of cash or EFTPOS. In Bahrain debit cards are under Benefit , the interbanking network for Bahrain. Benefit is also accepted in other countries though, mainly GCC, similar to the Saudi Payments Network and
10626-597: The absence of other scheme networks. EFTPOS cards can also be used to deposit and withdraw cash over the counter at Australia Post outlets participating in Giro Post and withdrawals without purchase from certain major retailers, just as if the transaction was conducted at a bank branch, even if the bank branch is closed. Electronic transactions in Australia are generally processed via the Telstra Argent and Optus Transact Plus network—which has recently superseded
10764-552: The advent of the euro recently led to many of these card networks (such as Switzerland's "EC direkt", Austria's "Bankomatkasse", and Switch in the United Kingdom) being re-branded with the internationally recognized Maestro logo, which is part of the Mastercard brand. Some debit cards are dual-branded with the logo of the (former) national card as well as Maestro (for example, EC cards in Germany, Switch and Solo in
10902-526: The amount of cash that can be withdrawn. Most debit cards are plastic , but there are cards made of metal and, rarely, wood. There are currently three ways that debit card transactions are processed: EFTPOS (also known as online debit or PIN debit ), offline debit (also known as signature debit ), and the Electronic Purse Card System . One physical card can include the functions of all three types, so it can be used in
11040-464: The area's hills, waterways, and pleasant surroundings. It was seen as a convenient crossroads for trade routes between Santa Fe and Galveston Bay , as well as routes between northern Mexico and the Red River . In 1839, the site was chosen, and briefly incorporated under the name "Waterloo". Shortly afterward, the name was changed to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin , the "Father of Texas" and
11178-476: The area. Spanish colonists, including the Espinosa - Olivares - Aguirre expedition, traveled through the area, though few permanent settlements were created for some time. In 1730, three Catholic missions from East Texas were combined and reestablished as one mission on the south side of the Colorado River, in what is now Zilker Park , in Austin. The mission was in this area for only about seven months, then
11316-419: The bank's judgment of the person's age and credit records. Any fees that the customers have to pay to the bank are the same regardless of whether the transaction is conducted as a credit or debit transaction, so there is no advantage for the customers to choose one transaction mode over another. Shops may add surcharges to the price of goods or services in accordance with laws allowing them to do so. Banks consider
11454-806: The black market, and even some building sites are known for cash-in-hand payments in the UK, meaning high amounts of money can be unaccounted for. The banks in Angola issue by official regulation only one brand of debit cards: Multicaixa , which is also the brand name of the one and only network of ATMs and POS terminals. ArCa (Armenian Card), a national system of debit (ArCa Debit and ArCa Classic) and credit (ArCa Gold, ArCa Business, ArCA Platinum, ArCa Affinity and ArCa Co-branded) cards popular in Armenia. Established in 2000 by 17 largest Armenian banks. Debit cards in Australia are called different names depending on
11592-489: The capital in such a remote wilderness. The men and women who traveled mainly from Houston to conduct government business were intensely disappointed as well. By 1840, the population had risen to 856, nearly half of whom fled Austin when Congress recessed. The resident African American population listed in January of this same year was 176. The fear of Austin's proximity to the Indians and Mexico, which still considered Texas
11730-403: The capital would temporarily move from Austin to Houston to Washington-on-the-Brazos . Without the governmental body, Austin's population declined to a low of only a few hundred people throughout the early 1840s. The voting by the fourth President of the Republic, Anson Jones , and Congress, who reconvened in Austin in 1845, settled the issue to keep Austin the seat of government, as well as annex
11868-423: The card acting as their checking account . Additionally, the cards may be re-loaded using ACH transfers online directly from a bank account and even from PayPal . MoneyPak can be used to deposit cash onto card, which is available in the same stores GreenDot prepaid is. Most stores charge $ 5.95 for reloading. As of December 2023, Green Dot has the following ratings: The majority of unfavorable reviews, listed in
12006-425: The card and keying in a PIN as with swiping the magnetic stripe. Debit cards are similar to a credit card , but the money for the purchase must be in the cardholder's bank account at the time of the purchase and is immediately transferred directly from that account to the merchant's account to pay for the purchase. Some debit cards carry a stored value with which a payment is made (prepaid cards), but most relay
12144-442: The card need no network connectivity) have been in use throughout Europe since the mid-1990s, most notably in Germany ( Geldkarte ), Austria ( Quick Wertkarte ), the Netherlands ( Chipknip ), Belgium ( Proton ), Switzerland (CASH), and France ( Moneo , which is usually carried by a debit card). In Austria and Germany, almost all current bank cards now include electronic purses, whereas the electronic purse has been recently phased out in
12282-481: The city's limits. Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Travis are each on the Colorado River. The elevation of Austin varies from 425 feet (130 m) to approximately 1,000 feet (305 m) above sea level. Due to the fact it straddles the Balcones Fault , much of the eastern part of the city is flat, with heavy clay and loam soils, whereas the western part and western suburbs consist of rolling hills on
12420-516: The city's place in the music industry. Austin, the southernmost state capital of the contiguous 48 states, is located in Central Texas on the Colorado River . Austin is 146 miles (230 km) northwest of Houston , 182 miles (290 km) south of Dallas and 74 miles (120 km) northeast of San Antonio . Austin occupies a total area of 305.1 square miles (790.1 km ). Approximately 7.2 square miles (18.6 km ) of this area
12558-420: The city. The deadliest storm to ever strike city limits was the twin tornadoes storm of May 4, 1922, while the deadliest tornado outbreak to ever strike the metro area was the Central Texas tornado outbreak of May 27, 1997. From October 2010 through September 2011, both major reporting stations in Austin, Camp Mabry and Bergstrom Int'l, had the least rainfall of a water year on record, receiving less than
12696-673: The clay-rich types, are slightly to moderately alkaline and have free calcium carbonate . Austin's skyline historically was modest, dominated by the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas Main Building . However, since the 2000s, many new high-rise towers have been constructed. Austin is currently undergoing a skyscraper boom, which includes recent construction on new office, hotel and residential buildings. Downtown's buildings are somewhat spread out, partly due to
12834-408: The company pivoted to serving the " unbanked " and " underbanked " communities. In 2010, Green Dot Corporation went public with a valuation of $ 2 billion. Since its inception, Green Dot has acquired a number of companies in the mobile, financial, and tax industries including Loopt , AccountNow , AchieveCard , UniRush Financial Services , and Santa Barbara Tax Products Group . Green Dot Corporation
12972-493: The consumer an applicable withdrawal fee charged by their bank. The introduction of Visa and MasterCard debit cards along with regulation in the settlement fees charged by the operators of both EFTPOS and credit cards by the Reserve Bank has seen a continuation in the increasing ubiquity of credit card use among Australians and a general decline in the profile of EFTPOS. However, the regulation of settlement fees also removed
13110-503: The convenience of not having to carry cash, and the availability of automated bank machines (ABMs) and direct payment merchants on the network. Debit cards may be considered similar to stored-value cards in that they represent a finite amount of money owed by the card issuer to the holder. They are different in that stored-value cards are generally anonymous and are only usable at the issuer, while debit cards are generally associated with an individual's bank account and can be used anywhere on
13248-479: The credit card machine. Generally the amount you are allowed to pay without a pin is quite low for security, but is really useful for daily things that won't cost too much. Something that appeared recently is a virtual card by some banks (such as Itaú , Bradesco , Mercado Pago and Nubank ) on your internet banking platform. They give you a card number, expiration date and the CVV code to be used online. They also have
13386-423: The customers name and cards bought in store are only a temporary card which does not have the customer's actual name on it; instead it says "Valued Customer". Temporary cards are not re-loadable. However, if the customer opts in to receive a personalized card, which is free of cost, in 7 to 10 business days it will arrive in mail with his or her name on it. Personalized cards are re-loadable in a variety of ways. There
13524-601: The debit card is sometimes referred to as a "bank card". It is a client card issued by a bank that provides access to funds and other bank account transactions, such as transferring funds, checking balances, paying bills, etc., as well as point of purchase transactions connected on the Interac network. Since its national launch in 1994, Interac Direct Payment has become so widespread that, as of 2001, more transactions in Canada were completed using debit cards than cash. This popularity may be partially attributable to two main factors:
13662-403: The difference between the two being that EFTPOS transactions are authorized by a personal identification number (PIN) while credit card transactions can additionally be authorized using a contactless payment mechanism (requiring a PIN for purchases over $ 200). If the user fails to enter the correct pin three times, the consequences range from the card being locked out for a minimum 24-hour period,
13800-651: The edge of the Texas Hill Country . Because the hills to the west are primarily limestone rock with a thin covering of topsoil, portions of the city are frequently subjected to flash floods from the runoff caused by thunderstorms. To help control this runoff and to generate hydroelectric power, the Lower Colorado River Authority operates a series of dams that form the Texas Highland Lakes . The lakes also provide venues for boating, swimming, and other forms of recreation within several parks on
13938-697: The enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas by Union General Gordon Granger at Galveston, in an event commemorated as Juneteenth . Black communities such as Wheatville , Pleasant Hill, and Clarksville were established, with Clarksville being the oldest surviving freedomtown ‒ the original post-Civil War settlements founded by former African-American slaves ‒ west of the Mississippi River . In 1870, blacks made up 36.5% of Austin's population. The postwar period saw dramatic population and economic growth. The opening of
14076-770: The first bank account designed to be opened and used from a mobile device . In 2016, ridesharing company Uber enlisted GoBank to be the principal payment processor for its drivers. Green Dot regards this as their pivot from a prepaid debit card company into a platform company. In 2014, Green Dot Corporation acquired Santa Barbara Tax Products Group , the largest tax refund processor in America. Green Dot continued its acquisition of competitors in 2015, purchasing Account Now Inc. and Achieve Card. On September 24, 2014, Walmart announced it would be partnering with Green Dot Bank to begin offering Walmart customers checking accounts . In 2016, GoBank partnered with Uber to launch
14214-630: The first cash-accepting network for reloading the debit cards. On July 22, 2010, Green Dot Corporation went public and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange . under the stock ticker: GDOT In 2011, Green Dot expanded into offering banking services by acquiring Bonneville Bancorp and its subsidiary, Bonneville Bank, based in Provo, Utah. The acquisition was approved by the Federal Reserve, allowing Green Dot to become
14352-469: The greater Texas Hill Country , it is home to numerous lakes, rivers, and waterways, including Lady Bird Lake and Lake Travis on the Colorado River , Barton Springs , McKinney Falls , and Lake Walter E. Long . Residents of Austin are known as Austinites. They include a diverse mix of government employees, college students, musicians, high-tech workers, and blue-collar workers . The city's official slogan promotes Austin as "The Live Music Capital of
14490-412: The infrastructure was not able to keep up with demand. In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri dropped prolific amounts of snow across Texas and Oklahoma, including Austin. The Austin area received a total of 6.4 inches (160 mm) of snowfall between February 14 and 15, with snow cover persisting until February 20. This marked the longest time the area had had more than 1 inch (25 mm) of snow, with
14628-468: The issuer company: key and niche financial players (sometimes collaborations between businesses); purpose of usage (transit card, beauty gift cards, travel card, health savings card, business, insurance, etc.); and regions. As of 2013, several city governments (including Oakland, California , and Chicago , Illinois ) are now offering prepaid debit cards, either as part of a municipal ID card (for people such as illegal immigrants who are unable to obtain
14766-618: The issuing bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia : Keycard; Westpac Banking Corporation : Handycard; National Australia Bank : FlexiCard; ANZ Bank : Access card; Bendigo Bank : Easy Money card. A payment in Australia using a debit card can be processed by the local proprietary interbank network called EFTPOS , which is very popular and has been operating there since the 1980s, or it could be processed via an international Card scheme network (ie Visa, Mastercard). Debit cards that were solely EFTPOS-enabled can only be used domestically within Australia and would not be accepted internationally due to
14904-493: The lake for canoeing and fishing. The 10.1 miles (16.3 km) Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail forms a complete circuit around the lake. A local nonprofit, The Trail Foundation, is the Trail's private steward and has built amenities and infrastructure including trailheads, lakefront gathering areas, restrooms, exercise equipment, as well as doing Trailwide ecological restoration work on an ongoing basis. The Butler Trail loop
15042-437: The lake shores. Austin is located at the intersection of four major ecological regions, and is consequently a temperate-to-hot green oasis with a highly variable climate having some characteristics of the desert, the tropics, and a wetter climate. The area is very diverse ecologically and biologically, and is home to a variety of animals and plants. Notably, the area is home to many types of wildflowers that blossom throughout
15180-507: The late Pleistocene (Ice Age) and are linked to the Clovis culture around 9200 BC (over 11,200 years ago), based on evidence found throughout the area and documented at the much-studied Gault Site , midway between Georgetown and Fort Cavazos . When settlers arrived from Europe, the Tonkawa tribe inhabited the area. The Comanches and Lipan Apaches were also known to travel through
15318-608: The much larger Mansfield Dam was built by the LCRA upstream of Austin to form Lake Travis, a flood-control reservoir. In the early 20th century, the Texas Oil Boom took hold, creating tremendous economic opportunities in Southeast Texas and North Texas. The growth generated by this boom largely passed by Austin at first, with the city slipping from fourth largest to tenth largest in Texas between 1880 and 1920. After
15456-471: The normal authentication processes of Internet banking to provide real-time online debit transactions. Offline debit cards have the logos of major credit cards (for example, Visa or Mastercard ). These cards connect straight to a person's bank account, but there is a delay before the money is taken out. Smart-card -based electronic purse systems (in which value is stored on the card chip, not in an externally recorded account, so that machines accepting
15594-556: The old Transcend network in the last few years. Most early keycards were only usable for EFTPOS and at ATM or bank branches, whilst the new debit card system works in the same way as a credit card, except it will only use funds in the specified bank account. This means that, among other advantages, the new system is suitable for electronic purchases without a delay of two to four days for bank-to-bank money transfers. Australia operates both electronic credit card transaction authorization and traditional EFTPOS debit card authorization systems,
15732-427: The peak of the blackouts an estimated 40% of Austin Energy homes were without power. Starting on February 15, Austin Water received reports of pipe breaks, hourly water demand increased from 150 million gallons per day (MGD) on February 15 to a peak hourly demand of 260 MGD on February 16. On the morning of February 17 demand increased to 330 MGD, the resulting drop of water pressure caused the Austin area to enter into
15870-602: The previous longest time being three days in January 1985 . Lack of winterization in natural gas power plants , which supply a large amount of power to the Texas grid , and increased energy demand caused ERCOT and Austin Energy to enact rolling blackouts in order to avoid total grid collapse between February 15 and February 18. Initial rolling blackouts were to last for a maximum of 40 minutes, however lack of energy production caused many blackouts to last for much longer, at
16008-535: The purchases to have been made at the moment when the card was swiped, regardless of when the purchase settlement was made. Regardless of which transaction type was used, the purchase may result in an overdraft because the money is considered to have left the account at the moment of the card swipe. According to Singapore's local financial and banking laws and regulations, all Singapore-issued credit and debit cards with Visa or MasterCard swipe magnet strips are disabled by default if used outside of Singapore. The whole idea
16146-455: The republic's first secretary of state. The city grew throughout the 19th century and became a center for government and education with the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin . Edwin Waller was picked by Lamar to survey the village and draft a plan laying out the new capital. The original site was narrowed to 640 acres (260 ha) that fronted
16284-440: The residential real estate market has remained relatively strong. As of December 2016 , there were 31 high rise projects either under construction, approved or planned to be completed in Austin's downtown core between 2017 and 2020. Sixteen of those were set to rise above 400 ft (120 m) tall, including four above 600', and eight above 500'. An additional 15 towers were slated to stand between 300' and 399' tall. Austin
16422-536: The river's calm waters, nearly 6 miles (9.7 km) length and straight courses are especially popular with crew teams and clubs. Other recreational attractions along the shores of the lake include swimming in Deep Eddy Pool , the oldest swimming pool in Texas, and Red Bud Isle, a small island formed by the 1900 collapse of the McDonald Dam that serves as a recreation area with a dog park and access to
16560-460: The scheme and will start issuing cards soon. Bangladesh Bank is working to bring all Bank , Mobile financial service provider and other financial institutions into the scheme. In Belgium, debit cards are widely accepted in most businesses, as well as in most hotels and restaurants. Smaller restaurants or small retailers often accept either debit cards or Payconiq , but generally not credit cards . All Belgian banks provide debit cards when you open
16698-478: The second-most populous state capital city after Phoenix , the capital of Arizona . It has been one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States since 2010. Downtown Austin and Downtown San Antonio are approximately 80 miles (129 km) apart, and both fall along the Interstate 35 corridor. This combined metropolitan region of San Antonio–Austin has approximately 5 million people. Austin
16836-459: The sites above and other review sites, complain of Green Dot limiting access to a positive balance on the card, even though the funds have been added to the card with a cash purchase. The reviews also underscore the unwillingness or incapacity of Green Dot customer service to resolve these issues. The majority of recent positive reviews on Consumer Affairs mention the convenience and speed of automatic direct deposits. Green Dot Corporation also issues
16974-609: The summer of 2011, caused many wildfires throughout Texas, including notably the Bastrop County Complex Fire in neighboring Bastrop, Texas. In the fall of 2018, Austin and surrounding areas received heavy rainfall and flash flooding following Hurricane Sergio . The Lower Colorado River Authority opened four floodgates of the Mansfield Dam after Lake Travis was recorded at 146% full at 704.3 feet (214.7 m). From October 22 to October 29, 2018,
17112-450: The system of segregated public services, racial segregation increased in Austin during the first half of the twentieth century, with African Americans and Mexicans experiencing high levels of discrimination and social marginalization. In 1940, the destroyed granite dam on the Colorado River was finally replaced by a hollow concrete dam that formed Lake McDonald (now called Lake Austin ) and which has withstood all floods since. In addition,
17250-487: The transaction fee would absorb the profit margin on the sale, making the transaction uneconomic for the retailer. Some businesses do not accept card payments at all, even in an era with declining use of cash. This still happens for a variety of reasons, tax evasion by small business included. In 2019, £35,000 million in tax revenue was lost in the United Kingdom due to cash-only payments. Many businesses such as, barber shops, fish & chip shops, Chinese takeaways,
17388-509: The transaction is reconciled and hard-posted to the customer's account, usually a few days later. This is in contrast to a typical credit card transaction, in which, after a few days delay before the transaction is posted to the account, there is a further period of maybe a month before the consumer makes repayment. Because of this, in the case of an error by the merchant or issuer, a debit transaction may cause more serious problems (for example, overdraft/money not accessible/overdrawn account) than
17526-518: The unofficial slogan " Keep Austin Weird ", which refers to the desire to protect small, unique, and local businesses from being overrun by large corporations. Since the late 19th century, Austin has also been known as the " City of the Violet Crown ", because of the colorful glow of light across the hills just after sunset. Emerging from a strong economic focus on government and education, since
17664-408: The water level of the creek rises high enough to allow swimming , cliff diving , kayaking , paddle boarding , and tubing . Austin is home to more than 50 public pools and swimming holes . These include Deep Eddy Pool , Texas' oldest human-made swimming pool, and Barton Springs Pool , the nation's largest natural swimming pool in an urban area. Barton Springs Pool is spring-fed while Deep Eddy
17802-538: The west or southwest, bringing air flowing from Chihuahuan Desert areas of West Texas or northern Mexico. Winters in Austin are mild, although occasional short-lived bursts of cold weather known as " Blue Northers " can occur. January is the coolest month with an average daytime high of 62.5 °F (17 °C). The overnight low drops to or below freezing 12 times per year, and sinks below 45 °F (7 °C) during 76 evenings per year, mostly between mid-December and mid-February. The average first and last dates for
17940-512: The year but especially in the spring. This includes the popular bluebonnets , some planted by "Lady Bird" Johnson , wife of former President Lyndon B. Johnson . The soils of Austin range from shallow, gravelly clay loams over limestone in the western outskirts to deep, fine sandy loams, silty clay loams, silty clays or clays in the city's eastern part. Some of the clays have pronounced shrink-swell properties and are difficult to work under most moisture conditions. Many of Austin's soils, especially
18078-424: The year, though spring and fall are the wettest seasons. Sunshine is common during all seasons, with 2,650 hours, or 60.3% of the possible total, of bright sunshine per year. Summers in Austin are very hot, with average July and August highs frequently reaching the high-90s (34–36 °C) or above. Highs reach 90 °F (32 °C) on 123 days per year, of which 29 days reach 100 °F (38 °C); all years in
18216-594: Was completed in 2014 with the public-private partnership 1-mile Boardwalk project. Along the shores of Lady Bird Lake is the 350 acres (140 hectares) Zilker Park , which contains large open lawns, sports fields, cross country courses, historical markers, concession stands, and picnic areas. Zilker Park is also home to numerous attractions, including the Zilker Botanical Garden , the Umlauf Sculpture Garden , Zilker Hillside Theater,
18354-515: Was established in 1992 to develop and improve parks in and around Austin. APF works to fill the city's park funding gap by leveraging volunteers, philanthropists, park advocates, and strategic collaborations to develop, maintain and enhance Austin's parks, trails and green spaces. Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River. The lake is a popular recreational area for paddleboards , kayaks , canoes , dragon boats , and rowing shells . Austin's warm climate and
18492-834: Was fired by the Austin City Council for the city's response to the winter storm. Former City Manager Jesus Garcia was named Interim City Manager. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department received the Excellence in Aquatics award in 1999 and the Gold Medal Awards in 2004 from the National Recreation and Park Association . To strengthen the region's parks system, which spans more than 29,000 acres (11,736 ha), The Austin Parks Foundation (APF)
18630-510: Was founded in 1999 by Steve Streit . Its first debit card, branded as I-GEN and marketed toward teenagers and Internet users, was released in 2000. In 2001 the first I-GEN MasterCard was sold at a Rite Aid in Virginia. In 2002, Green Dot debit cards were offered at Rite Aid, CVS Pharmacy , and Pantry Convenience stores and by 2003, in over 18,000 stores nationwide. In the year 2004, I-GEN officially changed its name to Green Dot and launched
18768-456: Was founded in 2013, with co-founders such as Russell Simmons under the company UniRush LLC which was sold to Green Dot Corp. in a deal valued around $ 147 million. Walmart in partnership with Green Dot offers MoneyCard a reloadable prepaid debit card both online and in Walmart stores. Card users can also opt to have their payroll transferred directly to the card through direct deposit and
18906-506: Was moved to San Antonio de Béxar and split into three missions. During the 1830s, pioneers began to settle the area in central Austin along the Colorado River . Spanish forts were established in what are now Bastrop and San Marcos . Following Mexico's independence , new settlements were established in Central Texas . In 1835–1836, Texans fought and won independence from Mexico . Texas thus became an independent country with its own president, congress, and monetary system. In 1839,
19044-659: Was to be constructed. A temporary one-story capitol was erected on the corner of Colorado and 8th Streets. On August 1, 1839, the first auction of 217 out of 306 lots total was held. The Waller Plan designed and surveyed now forms the basis of downtown Austin. In 1840, a series of conflicts between the Texas Rangers and the Comanches , known as the Council House Fight and the Battle of Plum Creek , pushed
#64935