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Old 08-01-2009, 08:26 AM
 
48 posts, read 90,432 times
Reputation: 93

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Quote:
Originally Posted by centralaustinite View Post
Well, the lack of amusement/theme parks should be plus in my book!

Austin is a creative town. Really and truly.

And one reason why, I think, is the lack of pre-packaged entertainment (like Vegas or Orlando)! People in Austin, to a much greater extent than many other places, create things themselves.

You won't find me or my neighbors in bars or at a theme park. You will find them outside on the trails, around Ladybird Lake or in a garden. You will find them creating things to sell on etsy, opening small businesses, and sewing clothes to sell or swap. My neighbors volunteer at SafePlace, Big Brother/Big Sisters, and the Junior League. Folks on my block play competitive bridge, play competitive chess, and play league darts. They work from home and have another business on the side. They raise children and write books. They are involved in neighborhood associations, they follow city zoning cases and block-walk for political candidates!

There is a creative spark to this city that is hard to find elsewhere. We only sit and watch the Longhorns and even then, lordy, such wheel-and-dealing, glad-handing, making contacts goes on at games!!

(And I grew up elsewhere -- I actually worked at an amusement park for years as a teenage, but in Austin, I do not miss them for a second!)
Creative? This town has created the most congested traffic of all mid-sized cities in the country-- something like the last 7 years running.
They'v e also created a dismal public school system (see today's Austin newspaper).
They've also created the highest housing costs in the South.
They've also created a panhandler's mecca, they are on practically every busy street corner.
I'm not impressed with all this "creativity". Maybe the high-tech millionares are.
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Old 08-01-2009, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Central Texas
13,715 posts, read 31,011,624 times
Reputation: 9270
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyBlue View Post
Creative? This town has created the most congested traffic of all mid-sized cities in the country-- something like the last 7 years running.
They'v e also created a dismal public school system (see today's Austin newspaper).
They've also created the highest housing costs in the South.
They've also created a panhandler's mecca, they are on practically every busy street corner.
I'm not impressed with all this "creativity". Maybe the high-tech millionares are.
It would be nice if you cited some data to back up your statements.

I don't think anyone here will brag about the traffic in Austin. It can be terrible.

Highest housing costs in the South? Please scan the article below and you will find many cities, traditional "South" or other places where housing costs require more of a family's income than in Austin.

High cost of housing hits consumer's pocketbooks - USATODAY.com

Dismal school system? Glad you rely on the newspaper for your news. Austin ISD is but one school system in the Austin area. And yes they have some troubled campuses. But they also have some fine campuses as do most large school districts. You should look at Dallas ISD. There are many very fine public schools in the Austin area.

No one "created" panhandlers in Austin except the panhandlers themselves. Been to San Francisco? They seem to breed them.

Austin isn't perfect and no one should claim it is. There are many good reasons to live here. But it isn't for everyone. If you want or need big museums, theme parks, or pro sports Austin doesn't have it.
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Old 08-01-2009, 09:57 AM
 
1,556 posts, read 2,383,523 times
Reputation: 2591
We have been here 25 years and will leave in a few when we retire. The poster who mentioned that the infrastructure does not support the growth has it right. People continue to flock here making the matter worse. Increasingly, there are more potholes in the road, fewer books at the library, less police protection and higher property taxes to show for the deficits in basic services and low quality of too many public schools. Our neighborhood park owned by the city has turned into a dumpy place because it is no longer maintained regularly. It could have been a magical place, but I think that opportunity passed.
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