Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) is a reservoir on the Colorado River in Downtown Austin, Texas, in the United States. It was created in 1960 by the construction of Longhorn Dam and is owned and operated by the City of Austin in cooperation with the Lower Colorado River Authority. The surface area of the lake is , and it is used primarily for flood control and recreation. Located on the lake's shoreline are various hotels and apartments, as well as the Auditorium Shores park and the Austin Hike and Bike Trail.