Downtown Austin has changed a lot since News 8 Austin went on the air eight years ago. We're taking a look back at where we've been since we launched in 1999.

This month, we're looking at changes in Central Texas. In 2004, the block-long Frost Bank Tower on Congress Avenue opened as the city's tallest building, at 33 stories.

But in just a few years it'll lose that distinction. More than a dozen high-rises are in development right now. The tallest, the 55-story Austonian, is under construction at Second and Congress and should open in 2009. Condos there are said to start at $500,000.

Austin Mayor Will Wynn wants 25,000 people living downtown by 2025. Currently about 5,000 people live there, and the few residential developments have sprung up in the last few years after the dot-com bust.

"We did partner up with the community to take downtown to the next level. I think it's going to be an exciting downtown for this city for a long time to come," council member Brewster McCracken said.

The Nokonah, the Austin City Lofts and the Plaza Lofts were the first to open after the downturn in the early 2000s. Now they're being overshadowed by mixed-use towers with concierge services, expensive appliances and hefty price tags in the millions.

Whether you think the progress is good or bad, it's not going away. Critics say they don't want Austin to lose what they say separates it from other Texas cities like Houston and Dallas.

"I understand it's progress and it brings a lot to our economy, but at the same time you kind of drag your feet and you're a little nostalgic for the way it always has been," resident Chris Heiligenstein said.

For others, the way it's been is the wrong way to look at the future of downtown.

None of this would have been possible if Austin hadn't rebounded after the dot-com bust. New industries have created new jobs, which translated into construction jobs for the expansion of new businesses and homes.

"In terms of drawing new businesses downtown and making a more urban environment - it's great," resident Garry Ashcraft said.