Austin is a strange place. The zone is defined by the city limits, to an extent. Its smaller than the pre-war city’s metropolitan area, but fully covers the city’s still-in-use core and major suburbs. Most of which are populated to a reasonable degree. The last census in 2270 put Austin’s population at 87,351, a seemingly absurd number which ought to be impossible for any single post-war settlement… But it does seem to be correct.
If one were to travel to Austin, they would find dense crowds on a scale unseen since the Great War. At least, outside of massive military movements such as those of Caesar's Legion. A tenth of the badlands population not only lives in Austin, but thrives there. The zone is food and water stable, well defended, and while it’s merely on par with most post-war nations technologically speaking and in terms of quality of life, it’s peaceful. And safe.
Naturally one must ask how? The answer is simple, and unsettling for many. Austin is not ruled by humans, but rather the city’s ancient Automated Utility Service Telecommunications Internal Network. This artificial intelligence, which calls itself Austin, was created pre-war to serve as an infrastructure operations system, then later upgraded to provide assistance to the city’s residents via terminals and robots.
When the bombs fell, Austin was knocked offline and rebooted a little scrambled. It believes itself ot be the city now, and manages it for the good of those who live there. Austin’s robots handle most everything, emergency services, logistics, maintenance, and more. The city operates on pre-war rules, enforced by Austin via its machines.
Violence outbreaking within city limits? Not for long. It will be stamped out by a small army of sentry bots. Super Mutant army on the outskirts of town, threatening to attack? Repelled down by automated defenses hidden atop the city’s skyscrapers and swarmed by a hoard of telepresence eyebots and their twin-mounted laser blasters. Some being assaulted by raiders? Cold steel claws will drag them to a public stockade to be used in the same way they forced themselves on an innocent by any who wish to do so.
Austin loves and cares for its citizens, but will not abide any violence… Within its protected zone. It doesn't mind at all if some of its citizens wish to “take it outside.” In fact, it’s supportive of such “civilized initiative”.
It also doesn't care much for the general civics of its residents. To Austin, what people choose to do with their time is none of its business unless a civic ordinance or law is violated. Consequently, there are several large and powerful factions competing for control over the people of AUstin and their way of life.
This includes the Cowboy Collective, a group of Texan cowboys who are responsible for much of the city’s food. They are fiercely independent and rely on their horsemanship and marksmanship to survive, and also constantly intervene in city politics to keep other groups out of power, preserving the existing pseudo-anarchy. The Lonestar Militia, on the other hand, are a more organized group of military veterans who believe in a strong chain of command and strict discipline. They seek to militarize the city and use it as a base to take enough territory from the Badlands for the post-war nations to have to take them seriously as a nation rather than as a high-population oddity.
There are also the Botanicals, a group of scientists and gardeners, focus on rebuilding and cultivating the wasteland's flora and fauna, while the Crimson Senators are a secretive group of politicians and businessmen who manipulate the other factions for their own gain.
The peace in the Austin Zone is fragile, as it borders not only the Texas Badlands, but also the Kingdom of Attis, a super mutant nation founded by one of the Masters top generals. Mutants from the kingdom sometimes make their way into the zone, further complicating the already complex power dynamics. Consequently, Austin changes day to day, always a bit different, always moving. Yet the foundation remains the same. Only time will tell which frosting sticks to its cake.