Any long-time residents think of all the Austin growth? (Spring: apartments, homes)

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by Moonlady

I don't know Jenbar, I've gone back to some places I've lived that haven't changed much and it's pretty eerie. It's like the town is stuck in a time warp. It does make you appreciate some of the change!

When I go to my hometown it dang near creepy since it's dying a slow death. Every time I go another business is vacant. What's weirder is that the town has gained residents over the past 10 years but there's fewer and fewer businesses...and there's no Wal-Mart or other big box to blame either.

[TexasHorseLady]

Is this a town in an area that's been impacted strongly by the current economy, achtungpv?

[achtungpv]

Nah, it's Yoakum down by Victoria. There's no economy there other than leather factories. It's a weird place.

[chickenfry]

what would we do without the Yoakum girls from double D?

[TexasHorseLady]

Ah! In googling for something for another thread, I found this, and it's great and evocative of the Austin we're in danger of losing. Even if it was written by a Minnesota boy about a Texas gal, rather than the city itself.

[scongress1234]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Ah! In googling for something for another thread, I found this, and it's great and evocative of the Austin we're in danger of losing. Even if it was written by a Minnesota boy about a Texas gal, rather than the city itself.

I think Mr. Keillor would fit right in with the Austin temperament, which, goes to show, is just a state of mind, more than anything to do with Texas or big cities in general. So true......Miss Molly would have bundles of things to say about Austin's changes too. Yes, THL, that is the true spirit and heart of the city. And lets hope it doesn't pass, or at least hangs around for as long as possible.

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by chickenfry

what would we do without the Yoakum girls from double D?

I totally forgot about the upscale hillbilly fashion from there!

[AustinTexan]

Our governments in Texas (local and state) really need to step up big time and start doing something to control all this migration! It's putting huge strains on our school systems, roads, infrastructure, etc. and it's NOT good for those of us who have lived here our whole lives. We're witnessing the demise of the city/state that we've lived in and loved our whole life, right before our eyes. There's a lot more bad than good that comes from massive migration to a particular area. Right now, Texas is experiencing double digit inreases in population and because of it, we're all having to pay higher prices for everything from housing to tolls on roads that had to be built, to tuition at colleges/universities, etc. I'm afraid that the temperament of "Welcome to Texas" is already changing to "Please Go Back to Wherever You Came From, and Don't Come Back". I know that I'm seeing it/hearing it (and feeling it) a lot more than usual! How can Texans not feel this way? Change is good, yes, but massive migration from all over the country like we're experiencing now is NOT GOOD, regardless of what some of you politically correct, wannabee Texans have to say. It's just not true. The problem now is, how do we control it? Our lawmakers need to be the ones to do something. At some point, it's going to be miserable to live here and we're going to be looking to do the same thing half the state of California is doing, looking for somewhere better/cheaper to live. That is going to be a very sad day for those of us that have lived here our whole lives!

[jread]

Originally Posted by AustinTexan

Our governments in Texas (local and state) really need to step up big time and start doing something to control all this migration! It's putting huge strains on our school systems, roads, infrastructure, etc. and it's NOT good for those of us who have lived here our whole lives. We're witnessing the demise of the city/state that we've lived in and loved our whole life, right before our eyes. There's a lot more bad than good that comes from massive migration to a particular area. Right now, Texas is experiencing double digit inreases in population and because of it, we're all having to pay higher prices for everything from housing to tolls on roads that had to be built, to tuition at colleges/universities, etc. I'm afraid that the temperament of "Welcome to Texas" is already changing to "Please Go Back to Wherever You Came From, and Don't Come Back". I know that I'm seeing it/hearing it (and feeling it) a lot more than usual! How can Texans not feel this way? Change is good, yes, but massive migration from all over the country like we're experiencing now is NOT GOOD, regardless of what some of you politically correct, wannabee Texans have to say. It's just not true. The problem now is, how do we control it? Our lawmakers need to be the ones to do something. At some point, it's going to be miserable to live here and we're going to be looking to do the same thing half the state of California is doing, looking for somewhere better/cheaper to live. That is going to be a very sad day for those of us that have lived here our whole lives!

I personally don't think it will be the same as the situation in California. I honestly think that someone who moves to Texas and does not "get it" will not be very happy here for long. We're not the type of people to change who we are to make someone else happy. This is Texas, you can either love it or hate it.

I don't think it's possible to control migration to a city unless you just stop building homes. Even that would have negative consequences, though, because it would just drive up the value of homes to the point where only the rich could live here (it's already getting that way despite all the homes being built). Times change.... cities grow and evolve just like people do. It is important to respect the past but it is self-limiting to live in the past. I see no reason why Austin couldn't still be a great place to live, even if it is a much larger, busier and more diverse version of what it used to be. I mean really, Central Austin is still full of weird (but very nice) people. South Austin is still full of middle-class folks who like to barbecue and drink beer on the weekends, Westlake is still full of pretentious rich people (it was like that way before the Californians showed up), so on and so forth. Yeah, it really sucks that places like Southpark Meadows and Shady Grove are being paved over, but that is life. Just think about how wonderful Southern California was back in the 50s and how many people are sad to see what it has become today. Yet, there are many more people moving out to SoCal today who think it is the most awesome thing in the world.

I think that humans will always look back on the past as a "better time". Hell, I miss the 80s tremendously... I loved everything about that decade: the music, the ridiculous clothes and hair, the crappy cars, the movies, etc. All the greatest memories of my life were during the 80s and I would give anything to live in that world again. It is over, though, and I have moved on to appreciate my life today. Just think of all the people who thought the 70s were better, or the 60s.

Life carries on and we must go with it. You just have to make the best of your situation and live life to the fullest. We just don't have enough time on this planet to worry about what "used to be".

[traceyr13]

Originally Posted by AustinTexan

Our governments in Texas (local and state) really need to step up big time and start doing something to control all this migration! It's putting huge strains on our school systems, roads, infrastructure, etc. and it's NOT good for those of us who have lived here our whole lives. We're witnessing the demise of the city/state that we've lived in and loved our whole life, right before our eyes. There's a lot more bad than good that comes from massive migration to a particular area. Right now, Texas is experiencing double digit inreases in population and because of it, we're all having to pay higher prices for everything from housing to tolls on roads that had to be built, to tuition at colleges/universities, etc. I'm afraid that the temperament of "Welcome to Texas" is already changing to "Please Go Back to Wherever You Came From, and Don't Come Back". I know that I'm seeing it/hearing it (and feeling it) a lot more than usual! How can Texans not feel this way? Change is good, yes, but massive migration from all over the country like we're experiencing now is NOT GOOD, regardless of what some of you politically correct, wannabee Texans have to say. It's just not true. The problem now is, how do we control it? Our lawmakers need to be the ones to do something. At some point, it's going to be miserable to live here and we're going to be looking to do the same thing half the state of California is doing, looking for somewhere better/cheaper to live. That is going to be a very sad day for those of us that have lived here our whole lives!

I know a person who moved here from the OC in August of 2006, and just sold her house and is hightailing it back there because she didn't like it here. I'm not sure what her problem was...we sort of drifted apart because she was so negative.

But I'm unclear what you would expect the government to do to STOP migration? I'm not asking that in a snarky way, I'm honestly confused.

As a relatively new transplant (just under 2 years), I'm glad I was able to make the move here.