Likes and dislikes on our first 30 days in Austin (Round Rock: college, living in)

[jread]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

Other states do this too. Not just TX. In WA, it's called an "Unincorporated" area of a county.

That's what it's called in TX also.

[twange]

There's a hideous place near a Cleveland suburb close to where I grew up called "Chagrin Exempted Village". Basically, this was a little village that in the 1930s, housed black servants who worked for all of the wealthy white folks in nearby Chagrin Falls, a very affluent New England type looking place - old fashioned storefronts, town square, stately mansions, etc...Over time, the practice of using these servants diminished(I mean, who the hell does that anymore), but the original inhabitant's progeny still lived there and over time, this area became a ghetto referred to as "The Park". All the rich white kids would go there to get there pot/coke/drug-of-the-day. The city eventually exempted that part of the city and dished it off to the next town over, which took on the responsibility of busing the kids to school, fire, police etc...I mean Chagrin Falls is a very affluent, beautiful area, and to see a place like this a mile from the town square is utterly shocking. I used to drive around there a lot while I was in college because I was fascinated by the incongruous nature of the place. It seemed rural but from a bygone era. Chickens coups, an old, rundown gas station with a rusty pump from the 1930s out front. If it wasn't such social scar, it might have been charming. But it certainly isn't

A friend of mine was a volunteer fireman and told me that some of the places were still using outhouses.

Shame. Shame. Shame.

[TheHarvester]

"...unincorporated area."

Originally Posted by jread

That's what it's called in TX also.

Of course, a place that isn't incorporated is called "unincorporated." But the counties in most states have power that Texas counties lack. For example, in California the counties are empowered to regulate all the unincorporated land in ways that are almost completely absent in Texas. The main provision for regulation is through extra-territorial jurisdiction, a power that extends from a city to its nearby lands for purposes of land-use planning and providing services.

But other than that, the lack of control over how land is used makes Texas highways especially dangerous because you can own a piece of unincorporated land along a very busy 4-lane highway and you can open just about any type of business you want and put a driveway out to the highway. The state, in my opinion, should take responsibility for contributing to the deaths of many people on these dangerous roads. Heavy traffic at 70 MPH is dangerous even if it's a restricted-access road (a freeway), but when it's an uncontrolled road with barely any shoulder and lots of cross traffic, it's inevitable that there will be many traffic fatalities due to the design flaws inherent in the laissez-faire policies of the state.

That's just one example. Other problems arise around such issues as water use --- Texas has traditionally been a "free market" state for water, which has led to enormous problems that are fortunately being addressed because there's no way to avoid regulations any more. But back in the day, our own gubernatorial candidate, "Claytie" (who lost to Ann Richards, thank goddess), was known to have drained an ancient spring for purposes of irrigating his west Texas ranch. There was no law against that. Dry out the springs, destroy the land, it was all good under Texas law. We need more local power to control how people behave because there are far too many people in Texas for it to be treated like a 19th century frontier state.

[jrdnjstn]

Well I do live in the Parmer Ln and Dessau Rd area.
I get my electricity from Austin Energy, my gas is Atmos, my garbage services is Round Rock. If I want cable I have to use Cox cable, Time Warner doesn't come this far, which I hear Time Warner isn't great anyways. My kids go to Pflugerville schools. So I guess I get a little bit of everything.

If I do have to call the police, APD doesn't come out it's the sheriff that does. I remember not too long ago that there was nothing but cows and land out here. Not anymore and I hate it. I know I should move but I do like the fact of not having to drive 20 miles to get to a store.

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by jrdnjstn

Well I do live in the Parmer Ln and Dessau Rd area.

Your description of your location is hilarious --- I have an image in my head of you calling 911 for a medical crisis, and 4 ambulances show up from different jurisdictions, each paramedic grabbing a different arm or leg and pulling you apart. Then they all look at each other and the mess they've made and they say "Oops!"

[jread]

Originally Posted by TheHarvester

But other than that, the lack of control over how land is used makes Texas highways especially dangerous because you can own a piece of unincorporated land along a very busy 4-lane highway and you can open just about any type of business you want and put a driveway out to the highway

Like those "Adult Video" stores you see up and down the highways on the city outskirts?

We need more local power to control how people behave because there are far too many people in Texas for it to be treated like a 19th century frontier state.

I agree 100%.

Originally Posted by jrdnjstn

Well I do live in the Parmer Ln and Dessau Rd area.

So I'm assuming you're on the East side of Dessau, putting you in unincorporated Travis County.

[jwb123]

That's what it's called in TX also.

Well in this area of Round Rock it's called an ETJ and when I said to the lady working at the City of Round Rock office, "Oh, do you mean like "Unincorporated" (as we lived in an "Unincorporated" area in WA) she didn't know what I meant...

But the counties in most states have power that Texas counties lack. For example, in California the counties are empowered to regulate all the unincorporated land in ways that are almost completely absent in Texas. The main provision for regulation is through extra-territorial jurisdiction, a power that extends from a city to its nearby lands for purposes of land-use planning and providing services.

Right, and an ETJ (the extra-territorial jurisdiction) is different than unincorporated... perhaps TX uses unincorporated - but I havent seen it used in the way that other states typically label that.

[jread]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

Well in this area of Round Rock it's called an ETJ and when I said to the lady working at the City of Round Rock office, "Oh, do you mean like "Unincorporated" (as we lived in an "Unincorporated" area in WA) she didn't know what I meant...

Right, and an ETJ (the extra-territorial jurisdiction) is different than unincorporated... perhaps TX uses unincorporated - but I havent seen it used in the way that other states typically label that.

ETJ extent depends on the city's population and I didn't think RR was large enough to have more than a 1/2-mile ETJ. It's mainly to give the city some (limited) control over the development immediately outside its corporate limits.

Also, I'd be suspicious of a city worker who didn't know what "unincorporated" meant, LOL!

[jwb123]

I didn't think RR was large enough to have more than a 1/2-mile ETJ.

I don't know the requirements, but I know of at least one (Teravista) that is probably over 1/2 mile. The ETJ on the east side of RR is actually Hutto, though with a RR address.

Hutto has several ETJ's though, I don't know their size.

[Trainwreck20]

The extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality is the unincorporated area that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the municipality and this is located:

1. within ½ mile of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants;
2. within one mile of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 5,000 to 24,999 inhabitants;
3. within two miles of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 25,000 to 49,999 inhabitants;
4. within 3½ miles of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants; or
5. within five mile of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 100,000 or more inhabitants.

The ETJ is unincorporated (it is not part of a city or town) but is subject to some control from the town exercising its' ETJ priviledges.