
Austin is the capital of the US state of Texas, the fourth-most populous city in the state, the eleventh-most populous city in the USA, and the second-most populated state capital after Phoenix, Arizona. The city was settled in 1835 as "Waterloo", but it was renamed to "Austin" when it was incorporated on 27 December 1839 in honor of Stephen F. Austin. That same year, Austin was chosen as the new capital of the Republic of Texas, replacing Houston, and it remained the state capital after Texas' annexation by the USA. With the construction of the State Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin, the city became the political and educational center of Texas, and its development lagged during the Great Depression before developing into a major city and a technology and business center. In 2016, the Austin metro area had a population of 2,056,045 people.