AUSTIN (KXAN) — Being the Live Music Capital of the World, you could say Austin has a knack for creating and attracting talent. 

Over the years, a number of stars have moved in and enjoyed many of the same activities and sites locals do.

Here’s a list of celebrities who call the Austin area home. 

Jensen Ackles

The actor, best known for his longtime role in the CW show “Supernatural,” has a five-bedroom home on Lake Austin, according to a 2018 article from Architectural Digest.

Ackles is also a cofounder of Dripping Springs brewery Family Business Beer Co., along with his wife Danneel Ackles and General Manager Gino Graul, according to its website. Aside from the brewery’s physical location in Dripping Springs, you can find it on store shelves at H-E-B, Specs and Whole Foods.

Sandra Bullock 

The starlet has been a part-time Austin resident for at least a couple decades now. A May 1998 story from Texas Monthly reported she began the process of moving to Austin the year before.

The actress has dabbled in the restaurant industry in Austin, opening Bess Bistro and Walton’s Fancy and Staple in the 2000s, DiversityWomanMedia said.

One of Bullock’s most-notable movies, “Miss Congeniality,” was also filmed partly in Austin, including at the Starbucks location on Sixth Street and Congress Avenue, which closed its doors in late August 2022.

In a December 2021 interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Bullock called Austin “a good place,” but said she spends most of her time in Los Angeles at the moment because of her kids.

“Austin has the vibe of whatever you have going on, it’s OK,” she said.

Christy Carlson Romano

The actress and singer gave the TODAY show a tour of her home in Austin in March 2022. In the 12-minute video, she described Austin as “a really magical place.”

“And it’s got this really amazing spirit, great food, great music, and it’s a really wonderful place to raise a family,” Carlson Romano said.

Kyle Chandler

The actor widely known for his role in “Friday Night Lights” has a ranch in Dripping Springs in Hays County, where he lives with his family, according to multiple reports.

Gary Clark Jr.

According to Realtor.com, the four-time Grammy award-winning musician purchased a 50-acre ranch in Kyle in Hays County in January 2017. The property went for $1.6 million.

The home on the ranch has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and three half-baths.

Christopher Cross

According to the Austin American Statesman, the ‘Arthur’s Theme (Best You Can Do)’ singer moved back to Austin from Southern California in 2021. Cross grew up in San Antonio and lived in Austin throughout the 1970s, per the Statesman.

Kirsten Dunst and Jessie Plemons

It is not clear if the couple still resides in Austin, but Dunst told CBS in early 2022 that her family, including Plemons and their two small boys, lived in Austin during much of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the interview, the CBS reporter asked the “Spider-Man” star if she enjoyed living in Austin because of less paparazzi attention.

“No, it’s everything,” Dunst told CBS. “People care less because it’s not a movie town. They are better with children, the parks are nicer. In general, I’ve had a more fun time living here.”

Dunst and Plemons have been engaged for several years, and have acted alongside each other in big productions, like “Fargo” in 2015 and “The Power of the Dog” in 2021.

Plemons is a Dallas native and has reportedly lived in Austin on and off for years. He recently acted alongside Elizabeth Olsen in HBO’s “Love and Death,” inspired by an infamous 1980’s Dallas murder. The show was filmed throughout Central Texas.

Haylie Duff

The actress and sister of Hilary Duff is originally from Texas and moved back in 2020 during the pandemic, according to a New York Times article.

Adrian Grenier

In a September 2021 interview with Austin Monthly, Grenier said he purchased a farm in Bastrop. He said he’s had a home in the area since 2016 but moved to Texas full time during the pandemic. 

The actor starred in HBO’s “Entourage” and “The Devil Wears Prada” alongside Anne Hathaway.

Chris Harrison 

The former host of ABC’s “The Bachelor” and its spinoffs and his wife Lauren Zima, who is a host on “Entertainment Tonight,” bought an Austin home in the summer of 2020, according to a story with Austin Lifestyle.

Harrison is originally from Dallas. He told the lifestyle magazine, “my favorite thing about Austin is what’s always been my favorite thing about Texas – the people.”

Zachary Levi

In February 2018, the actor posted to Twitter, saying he recently moved to the city of Bastrop, which is about 30 minutes east of Austin.

“Hey folks! So, I recently moved to a town by the name of Bastrop, TX, just outside of Austin, and Bastrop is in the running to get a major infusion of economic growth/help. If you helped vote and push it over the top, I’d be much obliged,” the post read, referencing the Small Business Revolution series.

He’s known for the television series “Chuck” and “Shazam!”.

Richard Linklater

The director and filmmaker is originally from Houston but relocated to Austin in the 80s. The Austin Film Society was founded by the filmmaker around that time as well.

Parts of his 2011 film “Bernie” were shot in neighboring Bastrop County, and Mount Bonnell made an appearance in the 1991 film “Slacker.”

You can learn more about popular locations Linklater has filmed at on the Texas Film Commission website.

James Marsden

In January 2022 it was reported property records showed the “X-Men” and “Enchanted” actor bought a home near Lake Austin west of West Lake Hills. 

Marsden talked about moving to Austin on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” in December 2020, saying, “it’s still got that small-town feel to it, but it’s definitely booming at the moment.” 

Matthew McConaughey

Being a professor at the University of Texas and part owner of Austin FC, it’s pretty clear the actor and his family love Austin. McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, also host an annual fundraising event for the Mack, Jack & McConaughey foundation. They celebrated 10 years of helping children through the foundation in May 2022, according to Yahoo.com.

McConaughey is originally from the Texas town of Uvalde, where in May, 21 people were killed in a mass shooting at an elementary school. He spoke out about the shooting on social media, saying, “once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.

Willie Nelson

The country music star lives in Spicewood, Texas, about 40 minutes outside of Austin. He owns a property there called Luck Ranch, which has hosted various music performances and events. Lucktoberfest is slated to take place on the ranch in late October 2022, featuring 10 nights of music.

Paul Oakenfold

The UK-born Grammy-winning artist and producer found his way to Bastrop in 2021. Oakenfold produced several massive hits in the late ’90s and early aughts, that helped club go-ers “dance all night.”

The Austin Chronicle reported that the electronic dance superstar purchased a ranch in Bastrop because of its pastoral appeal.

Jared Padalecki

The native Texan and longtime “Supernatural” star who’s now the lead in the CW’s “Walker” came to Austin with his family in 2010, according to a July 2021 report from “Architectural Digest”. The magazine describes their home as a “modern farmhouse.”

Much of the “Walker, Texas Ranger” reboot Padalecki stars in was also shot in the Austin area.

In a January 2021 interview with KXAN, Padalecki said he just “wanted to show that there are a lot of us who live here in the great state of Texas and call it home and have for our whole lives, who care about people as people, you know.”

Dennis Quaid

He might not live in Austin anymore, but the actor used to own a nearly 5,000-square-foot home overlooking Lake Austin, according to a 2017 article from Austin Business Journal. Quaid is originally from Houston.

Wall Street Journal reported in 2018 the actor sold the home for $3.5 million.

Robert Rodriguez

Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez has made Austin the home for his production company, Troublemaker Studios, according to Dujour Magazine.

The city has also been where several of his films have been shot, including “Spy Kids” and its sequels.

Joe Rogan

According to multiple reports, the podcast host and comedian lives in a mansion worth millions of dollars on Lake Austin. He’s also been known to perform in comedy shows downtown.

Austin Business Journal reported in March 2022 a company that bought The Ritz on E. Sixth Street, a historic building, is linked to Rogan, and the building is set to potentially be turned into a comedy club.

Rogan had Austin Mayor Steve Adler on his podcast in May 2021 to discuss homelessness response and the city’s camping ordinance.

Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitsky

Rogan isn’t the only famous comedian who now calls Austin home. Christina Pazsitzky and husband Tom Segura traded a Southern California home for a 6,200-square-foot mansion in Austin, listed for $6.5 million, in 2021, according to real estate publication Dirt.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler

“The Sopranos” and “Big Sky” actress moved to Austin in 2021, according to an Architectural Digest report.

“It’s all about outdoors and nature which I really appreciate since I never had it growing up in New York and L.A,” she told People.com in January 2022.

Paul Simon

You may catch Paul Simon and Julio down by a Central Texas schoolyard, as the 81-year-old singer purchased a Wimberly home in 2022, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The ‘You Can Call Me Al’ singer moved to the Hill County town with his Dallas-born wife, Edie Brickell — whose also a successful recording artist. DMN said In a three-hour interview with Wimberly radio station KWVH 94.3, Simon told the hosts, “We’re Wimberly people now.”

Emma Stone

The “La La Land” and “Cruella” actress bought a home in west Austin in May 2021, according to a report. The article stated a business manager connected to Stone purchased the home.

Property records show the home sits on a 1.24-acre lot and has four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and was originally built in 1940.

James Van Der Beek

The “Dawson’s Creek” actor relocated from California to the Austin area, more specifically, Spicewood, circa fall 2020, according to Culture Map Austin. Van Der Beek made the announcement on Instagram in October 2020, saying “drastic changes” brought his family to Texas.

In a 2021 interview with “Austin Lifestyle” magazine, he said he “felt an energy to Austin.” The magazine reported the family lives on a 36-acre property.

Jonathan Van Ness

According to reports, the “Queer Eye” cast member fell in love with Austin after filming season six of the show in the city. He decided to move here shortly after.

This list will be updated as more celebrities come to call the Austin area home.