ATXplained

by KUT & KUTX Studios

What about Austin has you curious?

Who was Austin’s first female lifeguard?
Jun 5, 2025 – 12:30
Who is the 94 year-old Texan who calls every state lawmaker?
Jun 2, 2025 – 8:49
What’s the history of segregation at Barton Springs Pool?
May 22, 2025 – 10:25
Is it safe to live near an old East Austin ‘Tank Farm’?
May 8, 2025 –
Why are there so many of the same kind of bars on Sixth Street?
Apr 24, 2025 –
Why are there so many ‘Violet Crowns’ in Austin?
Apr 10, 2025 –
Who has the oldest friendship in Austin?
Mar 27, 2025 –
How long have movies and TV shows been filmed in Austin?
Mar 13, 2025 – 8:35
Introducing 24 Hours in Austin
Nov 22, 2024 – 52:30
Why are people dropping flour in weird patterns around Austin?
Oct 17, 2024 – 16:06
Why hasn’t Bob Schneider ever had a Top 40 hit?
Oct 3, 2024 –
How is Big Stacy Pool naturally heated?
Sep 19, 2024 –
Were there ever alligators in Zilker Park?
Sep 5, 2024 –
What’s the story behind this insert from a 1975 ZZ Top album?
Aug 29, 2024 –
Why is there a display about Jasper Johns on the side of a Jason’s Deli in San Marcos?
Aug 22, 2024 –
There used to be a pet cemetery in Pflugerville. What happened to the animals?
Aug 8, 2024 – 10:09
Why do all the new skyscrapers in Austin look blue?
Jul 25, 2024 –
Why do lifeguards at Austin’s pools blow their whistles like that? (archive episode)
Jul 11, 2024 – 7:22
Why are there so many empty stores on The Drag near UT Austin?
Jun 27, 2024 – 9:41
Can you raise backyard chickens in Austin even if your HOA says you can’t?
Jun 13, 2024 – 11:13
Black houses are so hot right now in Austin. But are they hotter? (archive episode)
May 30, 2024 – 8:04
Is Steiner Ranch really full of swingers?
May 16, 2024 – 15:36
Where have Austin’s Indigenous people gone? (archive episode)
May 2, 2024 – 11:13
Why do bluebonnets grow so well along MoPac?
Apr 18, 2024 – 7:31
Does Austin have a rat problem? Maybe. But this reporter sure does.
Apr 4, 2024 – 13:17
How does Thomas J. Henry make any money when he spends so much on ads all over Austin?
Mar 21, 2024 – 11:32
A tower has loomed in Austin’s Clarksville neighborhood for 72 years. What does it do?
Mar 7, 2024 – 13:34
Why are some Austin sidewalks red?
Dec 15, 2023 – 8:18
What’s the oldest tree in Austin?
Nov 9, 2023 – 14:00
What happened to the time capsule UT Austin buried at Centennial Park?
Oct 26, 2023 –
What happened to Juarez-Lincoln University in downtown Austin?
Sep 14, 2023 – 11:18
What are those towers for in West Austin and why are they all there?
Sep 7, 2023 – 11:43
What’s the story behind the colorful Maria de la Luz Cemetery in South Austin?
Aug 23, 2023 – 11:14
Why is Lala’s Little Nugget in Austin always decorated for Christmas?
Jul 20, 2023 – 12:53
What’s the oldest music venue in Austin?
Jun 8, 2023 – 12:14
Why does the Texas Legislature meet for only 140 days every two years?
Jun 1, 2023 – 10:19
What are the weirdest laws in Texas?
May 25, 2023 – 11:31
‘Is Austin hiding their elderly?’ What’s the average age of its residents?
May 19, 2023 – 6:08
Who is ‘Moody,’ and why is everything in Austin named after them?
May 11, 2023 – 11:09
For mouth painter Jared Dunten, the trick is to just keep going
May 4, 2023 – 12:22
What happens to all that stuff you throw in compost bins in Austin?
Apr 19, 2023 – 7:41
How much of the stuff we put in the blue bin in Austin actually gets recycled?
Apr 18, 2023 – 13:15
Why is the two-step danced differently in Austin than in other parts of Texas?
Apr 6, 2023 – 4:29
What’s the story behind the abandoned house by Dell Medical School?
Mar 30, 2023 – 10:28
What happened to Brian Vargo almost 50 years ago? His niece is still looking for answers.
Mar 9, 2023 – 11:07
Is Austin’s Paramount one of only a few century-old theaters still operating in the country?
Feb 16, 2023 – 11:49
Why do sidewalks in Austin suddenly end?
Feb 9, 2023 – 12:05
What happened to the Zilker Park minitrain?
Jan 24, 2023 – 9:17
How did H-E-B’s Combo Loco get its name?
Jan 13, 2023 – 14:25
What was the grandstand on the shores of Lady Bird Lake in East Austin used for?
Jan 5, 2023 – 9:26

Recent Reviews

paydro*

Thank you so much

With the exception of that tool from New York that eventually ran away from his students and our city - everyone involved in this program has provided some outstanding narratives. My wife and I grew up in different cities and actually met at A&M (go ahead, laugh) but it didn’t take long for us to declare Austin as our forever home. Literally. We bought a house and everything. I’ll never get tired of learning new things about our city. Thank you so much for this podcast, and keep up the great work!!
Hoodedfantasia

I like to learn

Thank you for teaching things about the city that I would never have known... still looking for this “cemetery” seeing as how I drive 183 every day. Also why do drivers here refuse to use there blinkers and constantly swerve out of there lane... it’s so terrifying. I drive a lot for work and sometime I have to swerve because I don’t know what they are doing....what is going on?
E. B. South

Great inside view of local stories

As a new Austinite, this show is helping me cross off the several questions I've had about this pretty idiosyncratic town.