Austin skyline -- too much, too little? (house prices, live)

[AK123]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

I knew I was taking a risk when I tried to speak for EITHER city. Haven't been to downtown Houston in about 10 years and have only passed through Dallas once! My comments were wild speculation.

No problem! But yes, it's been only the past 7-8 years at the most, that downtown Houston had nightlife. Prior to that you are correct it did not...

[AK123]

Originally Posted by southaustingal

And they're all happy they moved here, which is scary because it means there will be tens of thousands more like them and the traffic will get even worse, the prices will go higher, and the beautiful green spaces will get further trampled. Kinda like we're the next Seattle?

I'm hoping in another 10 years, they'll still be coming, prices will be higher, and I can cash out and move to a city reminiscent of old Austin, complete with unlimited water reserves and no toll roads. Better yet, Californians, hold off for 10 years, so I don't have to work 80 hours a week to afford to live here. Then come and pay more for my house than it's worth and give me a nice retirement.

As a former Austinite (living there throughout the 90's) I totally know what you mean. We're in Houston now, but it's only because we decided if we were going to get the big city headaches (crowds, traffic, toll roads, etc) we may as well get the big city amenities too (great restaurant scene, top-notch performing arts, museums, lots of shopping) so it was a good move.

BUT if someone can find that TX town that is like Austin was in the early 90's, I think we'd be very interested...

So, does anyone have any opinions as to what town this could be? I would assume it would have to house a large university, to have that as a base just as Austin did. I guess Bryan/College Station would have the potential if it weren't so conservative and uncreative...

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by JJP

So, does anyone have any opinions as to what town this could be? I would assume it would have to house a large university, to have that as a base just as Austin did. I guess Bryan/College Station would have the potential if it weren't so conservative and uncreative...

Also, there's no place in Texas that has the geographical advantages of Austin (bordering the Hill Country, multiple lakes, Barton Springs, etc.)

So, we have to look out of state. And, according to a friend, Fayetteville Arkansas is kinda like old Austin. Right. I didn't believe it. So I checked it out last year. Just drove through cuz I couldn't see anything worth staying for. Maybe it was my mood..... there's a lot of nice countryside around there, definitely has good access to mountains and farmlands and water, has a university ---- but it ain't Austin!

I absolutely LOVE Athens, GA, but that's about a half square mile area of central Athens that I love. Outside of that, it's kinda scary southern for my west coast elitist tastes.

[momof2dfw]

For the "funkiness" of Austin but w/ the small town/city attitude the closest I can think of is Savannah, GA. It has a small university that is not quite UT but it has lots of character. And lots of nearby interests: Tybee Island, Simon Island, Hilton Head Island, etc. Lots of hometown good restaurants.

Dallas has always had something downtown with the Convention Center and Reunion Arena and the Hyatt, Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, etc. Though those were just for "visitors" more than anything for the longest. There have been several buildings of apartments, one on Commerce for a LONG time (just not the support businesses to go w/ it "after hours"). Then in the 80's the West End got going. Late 80's the Deep Ellum scene started happening and was safe to go to for "normal" people. What has hurt the Convention Center area is the lack of a hotel REALLY close like directly across the street. The lil "bunny buses" or whatever they were helped back in the 80's for the nightlife that was there then DART has helped too. Around the new American Airlines Center there is development left and right, the new W place in Victory is supposed to be VERY NICE. Around the fringes of downtown like McKinney, State-Thomas, Knox-Henderson, etc started developing back in the early 90's and picking up steam. Now the El Fenix in downtown is PACKED even on weeknights. A friend works at the Hooters downtown and will not go to any other location as that one pulls in more people than the others around the area. So it really has picked up in the last 15-20 years. Only bummer now is that the big hoopla on Commerce for TX-ou weekend is no more. You can still walk it but it is closed for traffic.

[southaustingal]

I've also heard of parts of Georgia that are like old Austin. And I've never been there, but I have friends moving to the Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte areas of North Carolina. All are long-time Austinites who don't want to live in Austin, California, so they're moving on. They say the NC cities remind them of old Austin, and they're excited about having seasons again, but without harsh winters. It's been many years since I visited North Carolina, but I remember it being very green and pretty.

I love the Southern hospitality, and I'm acclimated to the weather, but the Deliverance element scares me. But I think there are pockets in the south, other than Austin, that are more moderate and educated communities.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by southaustingal

...I have friends moving to the Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte areas of North Carolina. All are long-time Austinites who don't want to live in Austin, California, so they're moving on.

Interesting. Everything I've read and heard about the R-D-Chapel Hill area is that it's basically a NC version of Austin. Economy driven by high tech, state government and higher education, great music scene, rapid growth, nightmarish traffic, great cultural diversity, etc.

But one thing that's really different there is that they were all separate towns before merging into a more cohesive urban region, whereas Austin is definitely "Austin plus surrounding suburbs and small towns." Everything is centralized here. I've never been to the Research Triangle but am very curious about it --- maybe I'll sneak around their forum and do some eaves-dropping on their conversations...

[irwin]

Austin was and still is a great town. I am also happy to see that Austin is building up their downtown. I would love to move back to Austin and live within walking distance of downtown. Now all they need is a real public transport system and the place would be world-class.

[roaring-rox]

Had the same idea of wanting to find a city like Austin.

Have not been to Austin, but think I would like it very much...but wish could find that in Florida w/o going out of state.

Have looked at Gainesville, Florida...is funky, creative, has the flagship state university there. But it is just as expensive to live there as Austin and is no where near as cool and hip as Austin or Raleigh area in NC. The downtown of Gainesville is run-down and the restaurant scene needs vast improvement, IMO.

Looking at Mount Dora in Florida. It is a small town that is quaint and charming, set against a chain of lakes. There are more retirement people there, but have heard young families are moving in. They have a lot of antiquing in the area and it is somewhat of an artsy, metaphysical, creative community. It is not a university town, but is the kind of place that people travel to in order to experience a real town existence. I read that it compares favorably to Sonoma, California. It is called the New England of the South. There are good restaurants there...one restaurant called 'Pisces Rising' is in a neat 1920s' coquina Key West style building.

Wish Austin was here...

[deeptrance]

Mount Dora? As in Dora The Explorer?

I just cannot fathom comparing any place in Florida to any place in northern California, unless you limit the comparison to demographics. The climates and topography are radically different, and the places you have access to are also radically different. The Bay Area of California has more diversity of topography, climates, politics, demographics, ecological niches and subcultures than almost all of the east coast combined! It's seriously rich in variety so if you just look at a snapshot of one town you're going to miss what's happening a mile outside of town or on the other side of the hill.

But you've sure got me curious about Mount Dora!

[roaring-rox]

2 reasons compared Mount Dora to Sonoma---

Had read an article by a man who studies town designs, kind of a sociological/analytical treatise on why current city/subdivisions are so out of control. He mentioned that many people are spending a lot of money to experience the small town feel. He cited Sonoma, CA and Mount Dora, FL as 2 small towns that had a sense of place that people loved to visit and experience.

The other reason was that a sister was visiting me and we passed through Mount Dora. She said it reminded her of Sonoma, CA as we briefly drove through it.

It is a very small town with some unique architecture. In the winter, there are a lot of northern residents who come down for the season. In the summer, it is the locals mostly.

Probably vastly different from Sonoma, CA (most likely not as progressive) but was making a surface comparison. Still, the town is somewhat of a remnant of a bygone era left more intact than many places nowadays.

The crass development is coming in from all sides to the town. But for a few miles, it is kind of a unique environment.