Moving to Austin? Here were my struggles- (Dallas, San Antonio: tech jobs, garden)

[love roses]

I guess someone forgot to show them Houston; hands down the most diverse city in Texas and then Dallas, a very close 2nd. It would be all I could do to avoid hitting the floor laughing when I read about Austin being the most ethnically diverse city in the whole American south. Austin does have some ethnic diversity but nowhere near some bigger cities in the south.

[capcat]

Originally Posted by aleavelle

Made my first trip to Central Market today and found Don Pepino pizza sauce, Lebanon bologna, Utz potato chips, and and a few other items! I should have gone there much sooner! The money I'll save not having that pizza sauce shipped to me alone is awesome!

HEB off Far West Blvd also has Lebanon bologna. I think you also mentioned Italian bread and potato rolls earlier in this thread. I'd like to suggest you stop by Upper Crust Bakery and try their Italian bread. I've never tasted theirs, but just about everything they make is excellent. It's on Burnet Rd at 45th St. The Kolache Shoppe, further north on Burnet Rd at Greenlawn Pkwy makes rolls that may be similar to potato rolls. Their kolache dough sweet, and I'm thinking their rolls may have a taste that's similar to what you're looking for.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

I had a good chuckle when I saw travel guide at B&N today that said Austin is perhaps the "most [ethnically] diverse city in Texas" and the American South. I mean, it's not that Austin isn't diverse, but where are they getting THAT from? I'm glad no one ever takes these travel writers (who don't stay long, don't visit at all and take bribes) seriously.

Originally Posted by love roses

I guess someone forgot to show them Houston; hands down the most diverse city in Texas and then Dallas, a very close 2nd. It would be all I could do to avoid hitting the floor laughing when I read about Austin being the most ethnically diverse city in the whole American south. Austin does have some ethnic diversity but nowhere near some bigger cities in the south.

That is pretty funny. Austin is certainly "less white" than a lot of people give credit, but that's where it ends. I would LOVE to have the Greek, Asian, middle Eastern, Indian, Paki, South American, Turkish, etc restaurant and food options to the point Houston does, but it's understandably not even close (I hope it continues to improve.)

That travel guide must be part of the city's multi-million dollar marketing campaign, LOL!

[eepstein]

Where did you read this, in the Enquirer??? Austin is probably one of the LEAST DIVERSE cities in the american south. My guess would be cities with large diversity would be HOUSTON, DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, EL PASO, and THEN maybe Austin.

Originally Posted by love roses

I guess someone forgot to show them Houston; hands down the most diverse city in Texas and then Dallas, a very close 2nd. It would be all I could do to avoid hitting the floor laughing when I read about Austin being the most ethnically diverse city in the whole American south. Austin does have some ethnic diversity but nowhere near some bigger cities in the south.

[Tim_Barton]

So places like Whole Foods don't have foo-foo , oh I mean good bread?

[aleavelle]

I can't stand Whole Foods. Way over priced and not a lot of variety imo.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by eepstein

Austin is probably one of the LEAST DIVERSE cities in the american south. My guess would be cities with large diversity would be HOUSTON, DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, EL PASO, and THEN maybe Austin.

Why guess, when it is so easy to find the facts online? Based on the 2010 Census, as analyzed on harvard.edu Diversity Data - Diversity Data - Metropolitan Quality of Life Data , it seems the diversity ranking should be Houston, Dallas, Austin... and then San Antonio and finally El Paso (which is clearly the least diverse of the group).

City............. Hispanic.......... White...........Black...........Asian........Other - Hisp+Wh
Houston.......43.8%.............25.6%.........23.6 %.........6.4%........ .6% - 69.4%
Dallas...........27.5%.............50.2%.........1 4.7%.........5.3%........ 2.3% - 77.7%
Austin...........31.3%.............54.7%.........7 .8%...........4.8%........ 1.4% - 86%
San Antonio..54.0%.............36.1%.........6.0%..... ......2.0%.........1.9% - 90%
El Paso..........82.0%.............13.0%.........6.0% ...........1.0%.........1.5% - 95%

Notice that Houston has the broadest, most balanced distribution, with no single population segment over 50%, and the combined white + hispanic proportion at 69.4%, the lowest of the 5. That means that nearly 1/3 of the population is other than the largest two groups, and that's a good working definition of diversity*. And as a point worth mentioning, in March Houston was named the Most Diverse City in the Nation: Houston region is now the most diverse in the U.S. - Houston Chronicle

Dallas basically reverses the white and hispanic proportions of Houston, while their combined total rises to 77.7%, so all other groups combined fall to 22.3%.

Austin, the largest segment (white) increases to 54.7% and the combined w+h increases to 86%

San Antonio, reverses the white/Hispanic ratio of Austin, so Hispanic rises to 54% and the w+h combo increases to 90%

El Paso is a distant 5th, with 82.0% Hispanic, and 95% w + H combined, or only 5% come from all other groups combined.

*Part of the reason people disagree here about how much diversity there is seems to come from the different definitions they use... some think diversity is the proportion of non-whites in a population, some think it's the proportion of blacks only, while experts look at things like the relative difference there is in the various group proportions, and how many distinct population groups there are. In other words, the more uniformity, the less diversity.

[sinking]

Originally Posted by aleavelle

Made my first trip to Central Market today and found Don Pepino pizza sauce, Lebanon bologna, Utz potato chips, and and a few other items! I should have gone there much sooner! The money I'll save not having that pizza sauce shipped to me alone is awesome!

Looks like I am going to have to hit up Central Market. I have been bringing home cans of Furmanos pizza sauce from my trips home to MA but I am pretty sure I liked Don Pepinos too. The offerings at HEB for pizza sauce are disgusting. If I ate potato chips more than once in a while I would be all over the Utz, too.

[sxrckr]

I was going to say, no way SA and especially EP are more diverse than Austin....

[phone man]

Maybe Austin is not that ethnically diverse but we have our fair share of weirdos, hipsters, freaks, and just plain losers.