Is Austin a right place for me to move? (Houston: zoning, suburban)

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by Komeht

BTW - I wasn't comparing Austin to those cities. I was saying Austin's vision should be on the great cities of the world - not Houston.

Remember, cities grow by accretion. Washington DC was once a swamp, San Francisco a bunch of barren hills. In 30 years Austin will double. What kind of city do we want to be in 30 years? Houston?

It already is not dissimilar from a smaller Houston or Dallas.
This is Texas, and counties have very little development restrictions or "zoning" outside of city limits. That combined with explosive population growth = sprawl. Anyone who expects Austin to be D.C., London, Paris etc. is going to end up very disappointed.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

It already is not dissimilar from a smaller Houston or Dallas.
This is Texas, and counties have very little development restrictions or "zoning" outside of city limits. That combined with explosive population growth = sprawl. Anyone who expects Austin to be D.C., London, Paris etc. is going to end up very disappointed.

It is absurd and defeatist to think we have no control over what happens on the cities fringes. We exercise tremendous control over where we put infrastructure. An easy example of this is the Red Line. If we build cheap and easy access to the suburbs, cheap and easy people will move there.

Austin can be a world class city. It does not have to be Houston. However, it is our current policies ensure that we will become Houston.

Time to dream bigger than that. Time to dream of being a great city that people cherish being in, not another cancerous growth of dead end suburbs with a tiny urban core.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by love roses

Hmmm....big box overrun in Hutto? I guess I'll count and see.

Big box..
1. Sonic
2. Holiday Inn
3. Papa Johns
4. Walgreens
5. Lowes
6. Home Depot
7. McDonalds
8.Firestone
9. Taco Bell
10. Subway
11. Pizza Hut
12.dominos
13. Auto Zone
14.7-11

Mom and Pop.....
1. Spider and The Fly recording Studio
2. All of the small businesses in our light industrial park
3.pink Penguin frozen yogurt
4. Margo's liquor
5. Westphalia market
6. Baked and sconed
7. Ricardo's Tacos
8. Rio Grande
9. Bien Hoa
10. Marios
11. Texan cafe
12. Hall of fame
13. Skillets BBQ
14.candy corner
15. Debs pies
15.snuffy's
16. Hutto Donuts
17. Creative Touch
18. Dragonfly Floral
19. Guthries cleaners
19. Hutto family eye care
20. Hutto chiropractic

There are quite a number of more mom and pops than the 20. I forgot to add chilis and Christian brothers to the chains. We also have 2 nice parks and a hike and bike trail and host a few festivals and a 5k. We also have a little library.

Wow, you're really holding up Hutto, the poster child of sprawl, the ultimate failure of urban policy as some kind of model of a vibrant urban city?

You could put all of those mom and pop stores in the parking lot of the home depot and still have room to park a few hundred minivans and SUVs

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by Komeht

It is absurd and defeatist to think we have no control over what happens on the cities fringes. We exercise tremendous control over where we put infrastructure. An easy example of this is the Red Line. If we build cheap and easy access to the suburbs, cheap and easy people will move there.

Austin can be a world class city. It does not have to be Houston. However, it is our current policies ensure that we will become Houston.

Time to dream bigger than that. Time to dream of being a great city that people cherish being in, not another cancerous growth of dead end suburbs with a tiny urban core.

My goodness, why don't you post after you've taken your meds?

I find it highly insulting being considered "cheap' and "easy" because I choose to live in a suburb. If it wasn't that I was suffering from insomnia right now, I'd tell you where you and your vision could go. I've lived in a first rate, world class city which had suburban commuter rail. and if the metrorail was so "cheap" as you claim, then why was it reviled for being so expensive? Your world class Austin is actually like an endless punchline.. please. If Austin is going to be filled with world class pompous beeps, then I'm happy with the way it was.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by riaelise

My goodness, why don't you post after you've taken your meds?

I find it highly insulting being considered "cheap' and "easy" because I choose to live in a suburb. If it wasn't that I was suffering from insomnia right now, I'd tell you where you and your vision could go. I've lived in a first rate, world class city which had suburban commuter rail. and if the metrorail was so "cheap" as you claim, then why was it reviled for being so expensive? Your world class Austin is actually like an endless punchline.. please. If Austin is going to be filled with world class pompous beeps, then I'm happy with the way it was.

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck. . .then it's probably a duck.

Cheap and easy to the end user - the infrastructure itself is very expensive and very heavily subsidized by those living in the central city - you're welcome.

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by Komeht

It is absurd and defeatist to think we have no control over what happens on the cities fringes. We exercise tremendous control over where we put infrastructure. An easy example of this is the Red Line. If we build cheap and easy access to the suburbs, cheap and easy people will move there.

Austin can be a world class city. It does not have to be Houston. However, it is our current policies ensure that we will become Houston.

Time to dream bigger than that. Time to dream of being a great city that people cherish being in, not another cancerous growth of dead end suburbs with a tiny urban core.

Who says Austin isn't already a great city on it's own merits, or a city that people cherish being in? I know I do - well, aside from the pointless hipster cancers like you.

That's why I brought my business here, hired people here, etc. Some of these employees live in suburbs, some live in the city center, one lives on a boat - I cetrainly don't consider any of them "cheap" every other Friday! As far as I can tell, they're all good people, and I've known them long enough to know. I guess I should have just written off the suburb folks, since they're soulless. Dang, missed that memo.

I guess what you just don't get (pretty sure it's been roundly established thus far). Not everyone wants what you do, or thinks like you. People like you, in this burgeoning hipster-elitist "my neighborhood is soooo cool, you too can be cool if you act EXACTLY the same" class are actually what is ruinging much of Austin. Guess that "weird" part of Austin starts getting lost when you close your mind - pretty funny too that you deride "cookie cutter" mentalities on one side of a river, then preach the same on the other side of the bridge.

[Willsson]

Originally Posted by leavingillinoisfornow

Spoiler

Hey everyone. So I am a college student, who is looking to move to Austin Texas next year. Next year I would attend the community college, and then after that switch over to UT hopefully. I chose Austin because it is one of the top states to live in salary wise for my future career (Speech pathologist) and the living cost seems relatively cheap. I love planning ahead, and Austin seems to have the type of big houses I love for a way lower cost than the upperclass neighborhood I live in Illinois now. Also I want a big change from Illinois. I hate hot weather, but I feel like I could maybe adjust, plus I spend a lot of time inside, so I don't know if it will really effect me that much. As a college student, I am not a partier at all, i'd rather go shopping, go out to dinner with friends, etc.

I'm also very liberal, and very Midwestern. I'm worried about being around a bunch of rednecks/racists so to speak, the heat possibly, if people will be too "texas" for me meaning I don't know if the stereotypes are true where women there are all blonde with big hair, and dress relatively fancy.

Spoiler

In Illinois where I live the typical attire for people my age are yoga pants with a top, or stuff like dark wash jeans with riding boots, and a cardigan. Also need to know about the overall feel of Austin. Can anyone give me some information on life in Austin for people around my age level, and if you think it might work with the info i've told you about myself?

I opened this thread on post #37, a reply to the highlighted part of your OP shown above. I would think if you're looking to avoid rednecks and blown up blonde hair then you'll probably find more of it than you would want. On the other hand, if you just pursue your goals of an education and career follow up you'll probably find a suitable coterie of friends. That is, it will be what you make it.

Austin is a very typical yet highly successful town/city. It has the necessary elements to attract a broad range of social acceptance. You might try watching some UT sports, or find Austin City Limits on your TV. Watch the programming, you'll see who the people are among whom you'll be surrounding yourself. Much of the University crowd will be of the brightest and most socially successful youth in Texas, as well as from the country and far flung corners of the earth.

So yes, if you're looking to expand your horizons there aren't many places better suited to the task than Austin.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by Komeht

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck. . .then it's probably a duck.

Cheap and easy to the end user - the infrastructure itself is very expensive and very heavily subsidized by those living in the central city - you're welcome.

And if it posts like a gorilla's rear end, and blathers endlessly time and again, then it's probably a gorilla's rear end.

Frankly, you can only post your rants and whines on a message board since you have little power elsewhere.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

Who says Austin isn't already a great city on it's own merits, or a city that people cherish being in. That's whay I brought my business here, hired people here, etc. I know I do - well, aside from the pointless hipster cancers like you.

Austin is going to double in size in next 30 years. It's going to change whether you like it or not. The question is how is that change going to occur. Are we going to go the way of Phoenix, Atlanta, Houston?

Or

Can we be better than that. I think we can be better. But it won't happen by accident.

About the furthest you can get from being a hipster - one doesn't have to be a hipster to cherish a vibrant urban core, walkable city with fantastic amenities for it's contented people. You just have to despise sprawl.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by Komeht

It is absurd and defeatist to think we have no control over what happens on the cities fringes. We exercise tremendous control over where we put infrastructure. An easy example of this is the Red Line. If we build cheap and easy access to the suburbs, cheap and easy people will move there.

Austin can be a world class city. It does not have to be Houston. However, it is our current policies ensure that we will become Houston.

Time to dream bigger than that. Time to dream of being a great city that people cherish being in, not another cancerous growth of dead end suburbs with a tiny urban core.

Not so. I have dealt with county entities who are also frustrated at the lack of power they have with development restrictions. It is fact that in Texas, counties in unincorporated areas do NOT have powers (including zoning powers) like cites do.

And many would argue with you that Houston IS world-class in many respects. Just because it isn't a duplicate of other named cities or laid out like you think it should be doesn't make that not so. In the city, it actually has many "world-class" amenities Austin should admire and strive to establish.