Stepford Drones versus Athiest Commies? (Austin, Round Rock: rent, credit, home)

[atlanta hope]

Originally Posted by redpanda

Interesting thread. I personally have similar concerns, not because I want to raise my son in a religious way but more because we're pretty priced-out of the downtown area. I'm sure we'd fit in nicely with the creative agnostic/atheistic types there, but I can't afford it if we want to have time to spend pursuing creative endeavors and raising the aforementioned son.

I find it curious that you say "in your industry", people judge you by where you live. That seems a little high school to me. If it were me confronted with that kind of thing, I'd try rolling my eyes scornfully and saying "Living downtown is so OBVIOUS. I'd MUCH rather be a creative pioneer in the suburbs."

Or you could try just not caring so much what other people think. There's similar judgment across the board of professions (i.e., I'm sure a CEO would get eyerolls for NOT living in a giant suburban McMansion...), but you have to put what's best for you and your family above what makes the people you work with feel most comfortable.

Well said!

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by twange

Wow. Just when I think we haven't made any progress, I hear something like that and I realize that we have indeed.

Yep. And guess who owns the biggest, most expensive house in Westlake now?

[S6Sputnik]

Originally Posted by lastdavidbaldacci

Sputnik, would your broadened mind allow for the possibility that not all Christians are inconsiderate a-holes who run over dogs and lower your property values? You said that some Christians are good people, and I hope you really think that. I have to think that if these HOAs just don't want the traffic (understandable), they'd be opposed to other things, too, that will increase traffic.

Surely, I know many already . I am sure those HOA's fight many other things also, but keep in mind that Churches often bring other people to an area who don't live there, where a new store or sports facility etc could be perceived as more of a benefit to the area.

[love roses]

I know a musician in Pflugerville, one in Wahlburg, and several in Round Rock and a few in Hutto. Also, a few people out here who do some painting. Avery Ranch is one of the neighborhoods with the musician. I know an events promoter who lives in some neighborhood on W. Palm Valley in Round Rock. This is an interesting thread. Why care so much what the coworkers think? I really liked what Redpanda says about Rolling the eyes and Twange is right about the East Austin thing. I watched some scary areas of downtown Denver boom like crazy, and lots of people profited from not being afraid of what others said about the areas they were buying in.

[jbookly]

Lastdavidbaldacci, any conflict between Hyde Park Christian Church and the Hyde Park neighborhood has nothing to do with the neighbors being anti-Christian. In the process of becoming a megachurch, Hyde Park Church bought up a number of neighboring properties in order to expand its facilities. This process went on for a number of years and caused much hard feeling among the neighbors, who felt the livability of the neighborhood was being compromised. Many people, including Christians who belonged to less aggressively expansionist churches, called that church "the church that ate Hyde Park."

In response to your earlier posting, I also remember a less expensive and less pretentious Austin in which middle class people could afford to live in Tarrytown, Hyde Park, and other central neighborhoods. My feeling is that wherever you live, it's a good idea to go ahead and make it look and feel like whatever home looks and feels like to you. Then, if somebody wants to diss you for your choice of neighborhood, consider telling that person to take a long walk off a short pier, preferably at a time when the lake has been lowered for removal of duckweed so that the snobbish offender will embed himself neck-deep in some nice squishy mud.

Stereotypes have only the power you give them.

[Rose Red]

Originally Posted by lastdavidbaldacci

I appreciate the replies, and I have nothing against people in the suburbs. I also should point out that I work in creative / advertising/ design, and other folks in my industry judge people by where they live. Living in a 'cool' part of town, not having a commute, riding your bike to work, an old house with character all factors in. You're rated even higher on the scale if you live in East Austin, in one of the 'gentrified' communities.

I don't think people in the suburbs are as judgemental as many who live in Hyde Park or Travis Heights. There is such a fierce amount of pride at living in a 400K bungalow, and NOT living in Circle C. Now, I myself don't share this elitist attitude but it's there, and it affects my career.

I'd love to live in town, though, not because I want to fit in with people who work in my industry but because I genuinely like aspects of it. I just think in some ways the suburbs are more accepting... but again like I said, I think I might feel alienated there too.

Love Roses, which suburbs do you think have a higher concentration of artists and musicians? Because I know a lot of people who live in Steiner Ranch and Circle C and I gotta say -- none of them are artists, nor do they know any artists. Those places seem like they are void of creative types.. And it seems that the creative types in the city loathe those places with a passion.

I wish there wasn't so much hate but I definitely notice it. Probably I notice it more than most because of the industry I'm in, though.

You used the word "judge" a couple of times and I think individuals judge - not places. Generally, in my opinion, if people, individuals stopped passing judgement it wouldn't matter where anyone lived as long as your comfortable and what needs that you want for you or your family are fulfilled. I'm sure your friends will still like you and visit you wherever you choose to live. That's why they are friends.

In my opinion. Worrying about how "the industry" would feel instead of how you ultimately feel may cloud your decision making process. Do you go home at night to your industry? Or do you go home at night to a place you love and leave "the industry" behind?

As far as feeling alienated - why would you? As long as your comfortable in your own skin people will be comfortable around you and if there not - oh well! Love yourself, choose for yourself and don't worry too much about the nay sayers. Your aren't going home to them.

Peace!!!

[lastdavidbaldacci]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. A few things come to mind. I'm definitely not wanting to live someplace just to get the approval of anyone. I think there is so much truth in what people like loveroses are saying, you should just pick a place that suits your needs. But the truth is, I honestly feel that in Austin, your prospects for career in advertising are in many ways, tied to where you choose to live. I know it sounds far-fetched, but in my career I have watched some who have sacrificed a lot in order to get a small bungalow in a cool neighborhood go higher and higher, because of the people they know who think highly of them. It's part of building a reputation. I don't want to be too specific here, but for advertising work, you can get ahead if you live in a cool place. All of that stuff is taken into account. People assume so much about you, if you have the right address. You have to do a lot more work to prove yourself and establish yourself if you live in the burbs. I've been lucky enough to rent in town, in a cool old house, and I really did notice that it made a difference. Now, I can't afford to live there and want to make choices that affect my kids and family, and are less about career....On the other hand I know folks who lived in the burbs, and the general attitude toward them (from co-workers, clients and vendors) was "What's your problem?", like there was something hilariously wrong with them. Those were the ones that you couldn't deny how creative and talented they were.

Then there are the Save Our Springs types (fortunately these people have little power over careers) who think it's morally evil to live in certain suburbs that are over the watershed. Like, any of those new neighborhoods off Southwest Parkway, for example. To them, where you decide to live is making a moral choice, and is either helping the environment or hurting the planet.

The people living in urban-sprawl land, in Hutto or down in Bel Terra are equated with the Germans who willingly went along with the Nazis. You think it's a joke, but I'm serious, I know many professors at UT and administrators who have this attitude.

There are other things that validate you, too.. things like the right shoes, the right jeans, the right (or left) political ideas, the right car (definitely a hybrid means a lot), coffee from the right places, and the list goes on. Sadly I think Austin has only become this way in the past 4-5 years. It didn't used to be this way at all.

And at the end of the day I don't participate in this crap but I now have kids. So, every choice I make will affect my income and my career which affects my ability to provide for them. So in a sick way, I got over needing to be perceived as "cool" in my 20s, only to be confronted with a financial incentive to be perceived as "cool" among the Austin king & queen makers that I feel trapped in. Cue the violins.

There have to be others who are affected by this kind of Austin scenester fascism. Speak up!

[HappyTexan]

There's a lot of bad blood between Hyde Park Baptist Church and the surrounding neighborhoods. It's not religious though..it's more politics.

[lastdavidbaldacci]

I guess that's what everybody says (that it's politics) but I think part of why people in Hyde Park got so fired up is that to them, Hyde Park Baptist was some kind of microcosm of everything they stand against.

[HappyTexan]

I meant politics in the way of what the church wanted to do in the neighborhood development-wise in spite of it being in a neighborhood of homes.

It goes back a long time:

The Austin Chronicle: Columns: Page Two