An award-winning employer, the City of Austin has a Council-Manager form of government and employs 13.8K employees. The City Manager, appointed by the City Council, is responsible to the Council for the management of City employees, and for the administration of all City affairs. In order to achieve the vision of making Austin the most livable city in the country, Austin's city government's mission is to be the best-managed city in the country. The City continues to implement its best‐managed mission through transparent business practices, excellence in public service, innovative leadership, and providing services that are reliable, safe, efficient, and above national standards.The Austin metro area population is more than 2 million people. Geographically, Austin consists of approximately 326 square miles. Austin is nationally recognized as a great place to live due in part to its diverse population, as well as its promotion of a year-round outdoor active lifestyle. Austin's quality of life has become its biggest economic development engine, and the City's diverse demographic structure serves to support and enrich its quality of life. Austin is fortunate to offer a host of broad-ranged educational opportunities as host to six universities, a robust community college system, and numerous other institutions of higher learning.