What is it that everyone thinks is so fabulous about Austin? (Houston: wedding, school) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

daugenstine · 07-02-2010, 11:55 AM

I'll be honest with everyone and say Austin isn't all it's hyped up to be. Yes, it's a friendly city, but it does absolutely nothing for me. I'll gladly state why I dislike Austin.

1.) IT'S HOTTER THAN HELL MOST OF THE TIME. The only real season here is summer. The spring and fall last all but a month, and the winter is maybe two weeks. Summer here begins about mid-April and goes all the way into November. Not to mention, it's super humid like a swamp, and the air is thick enough to swim through.

2.) AUSTIN ISN'T AS LIBERAL AS EVERYONE THINKS IT IS. Yes, it's progressive for a Texas city, but that's not saying much. Trust me; I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for three years, and there's no comparison between the two. Need I remind everyone Austin is the Capital of Texas, one of the most backward states in the Union? Most of those right-wing radical politicians live here and not Dallas nor Houston. Needless to say, Austin is one of the most racially segregated cities in America.

3.) THERE ISN'T MUCH CULTURE HERE. South by Southwest lasts one week out of the year, and it's usually crowded and overpriced. The music scene here is quite lame.. I find it ironic how the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World" has no opera, symphony, or orchestra .Okay, so there's a few nice parks here. Whoopie! Some people here think watching bats fly off Congress Bridge is exciting, too. There are no professional sports teams, planetariums, major museums, zoos, aquariums, or other major amenities here. Yes, I know San Antonio is down the road. Baltimore is down the road from Washington, D.C, and San Diego is not far from Los Angeles. That said, their juxtapositions towards other major cities didn't stop those locales from maturing. Austin has some good restaurants, but the shopping here is lame at best. Even the radio stations in Austin are dull.

4.) THIS CITY IS WAY OVERPRICED. The cost of living here is outrageous for a city with little activity and too much traffic. If the city of Austin is going to milk its residences for every penny, the least they could do is give them some entertainment back in return. Not everyone wants to go down to Sixth Street and watch a bunch of 40-year-old adolescents play mediocre music at best.

5.) AUSTIN HAS A VERY ELITIST ATTITUDE. My older brother in Houston first took note of this, and I must say I agree. UT is a very preppy school with a "holier than thou" mindset. The locals here think they're smarter and more sophisticated than anywhere else in Texas. They're forgetting NASA is located in Houston, and both Houston and Dallas have far more culture than Austin. In fact, I read recently that Houston was ranked one of America's top ten most underrated cities. The Austinites love bashing everywhere else in Texas, yet they get their panties in a wad when someone else returns the favor.

6.) THE CASUAL ATMOSPHERE IS QUITE UNBECOMING. The people here have no concept whatsoever about formal wear. Whenever I walk into a high-class restaurant, I see them wearing jeans, t-shirts, shorts, sneakers, sandals, or flipflops. In every other city I'd lived, I'd be thrown out of a restaurant for not wearing nice clothes and a tie. I even went to a wedding where people dressed casually. How pathetic is that? If Austin wants the reputation of being the most sophisticated city in Texas, the least they could do is act like it.

7.) AUSTIN ISN'T THE GREENEST CITY IN AMERICA. I love how the locals brag about that, too. They claim everything is environmentally friendly, yet everywhere I look people drive gas-guzzling SUV's and pick-up trucks. Plus, there's trash all over the feeder roads, and hardly anyone recycles here. Electric bills are sky-high because they still run off a natural gas plant. Let's seem the start driving smart cars, recycling everything, cleaning up trash, and using renewable energy like solar, wind, or geothermal power, then they can boast about how green they are.

If you want to live in a city that refuses to grow up and the adults act like college kids, you might like Austin just fine. However, if you're looking for a mature city that's affordable and has several activities going on, then I'd recommend staying away from Austin. The entire cultural hearth of this city revolves either around UT or the State Capitol. They didn't broaden their horizons like every other place I've lived. I'm sure the reader is wonder why I don't just leave this place. Believe me, I would if I had the means. Unfortunately, I'm stuck here for the time being due to the economy and whatnot. Also, I just graduated college not long ago, so I must get some experience before I go elsewhere. Rest assured I'll be leaving Austin in the not-too-distant future, and this time I won't be coming back.

mark311 · 07-02-2010, 12:09 PM

[/mod]off topic[/mod]

Anyway, half of your list can be turned around into positives in my view. I love the fact that I can go anywhere in jeans and a t-shirt. It's as laid-back as my hometown of San Diego. Who needs major tourist attractions and pro sports teams when they just cause extra traffic? San Francisco has probably been the most liberal city in the Nation for the past 50 years. Who actually believes that Austin is anything like San Francisco? Some people like myself like warmer temperatures.

Hopefully you'll be able to move to a more expensive place like San Francisco again so you'll be happier. No place is ideal for everyone. That's what makes the U.S. so great. You can move to any other city or state whenever you desire.

Jennibc · 07-02-2010, 01:00 PM

Well, he's entitled to opinion, even if I don't share it. However, I don't get this "elitist" attitude that we all supposedly hold. I've never heard any of my friends or neighbors disparage Houston, Dallas etc. If it were so widespread, I'd think I would have picked up on it by now.

oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots · 07-02-2010, 01:03 PM

and whatnot
Well, I do kinda agree with the elitist part. From my experience I've seen low standards but high expectations of others.

stan4 · 07-02-2010, 01:09 PM

I agree that Austin is vastly overrated, but most cities are. Still a nice place.

Jennibc · 07-02-2010, 01:09 PM

What do you mean by high expectations? That everyone gets high?

oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots · 07-02-2010, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jennibc

What do you mean by high expectations? That everyone gets high?

lol, touche

hoffdano · 07-02-2010, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daugenstine

Also, I just graduated college not long ago,

We can tell.

Quote:

Rest assured I'll be leaving Austin in the not-too-distant future, and this time I won't be coming back.

How far away is the not-too-distant future?

I hope you find a place you like.

outdoors456 · 07-02-2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daugenstine

I'll be honest with everyone and say Austin isn't all it's hyped up to be. Yes, it's a friendly city, but it does absolutely nothing for me. I'll gladly state why I dislike Austin.

If you want to live in a city that refuses to grow up and the adults act like college kids, you might like Austin just fine. However, if you're looking for a mature city that's affordable and has several activities going on, then I'd recommend staying away from Austin. The entire cultural hearth of this city revolves either around UT or the State Capitol. They didn't broaden their horizons like every other place I've lived. I'm sure the reader is wonder why I don't just leave this place. Believe me, I would if I had the means. Unfortunately, I'm stuck here for the time being due to the economy and whatnot. Also, I just graduated college not long ago, so I must get some experience before I go elsewhere. Rest assured I'll be leaving Austin in the not-too-distant future, and this time I won't be coming back.

i do in fact agree with you. i live in san antonio and the only thing i like about austin is that fact that there aren't as many illegals... everyone thinks austin is the sh$@ or something. its just like any other city, only pricey (and less illegals

) everyone gets all excited like "lets go to sixth street!!!! woooo party!! woo Alcoholic beverages" .......

you can get that down town her in SA.

Come on people figure it out.....

CptnRn · 07-02-2010, 01:29 PM

Actually I see very few Austinites bashing anyplace else, they have no need to. Its the people from other cities that are green with envy over what Austin has that spend all their time bashing Austin, to make themselves feel better. I don't see any Austinites from this thread going into other City threads saying, wow your city sucks. But it happens all the time here. In fact most Austinites in this forum don't bother defending Austin much, they don't have to.

Poor babies are green with envy.

Yet in spite of all this Austin bashing, people still move here in droves and publications all over the nation keep singing Austin's praises. Isn't that interesting?