if you moved to Austin recently, are you happy with your decision? (Dallas: elementary school, college)
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A study just came out that said people in Austin spend more on non housing expenses than anywhere else in the country. To be fair the study used a mean which can be skewed and misleading.
That said, I firmly believe the mantra that people in Austin aren't that materialistic is absurd. Maybe compared to Beverly Hills or Newport Beach but not when compared to most of the country. Austin's downtown is full of luxury condos and apartments and the west side has more luxury homes and mansions than you can count. The roads are filled with BMWs, Range Rovers, and Mercedes and on most days I see at least a few cars in the $150,000+ range. Austin supports a Saks, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus and has well over 10 bottle service nightclubs now.
Don't take me wrong, I love Austin and personally feel that all of these things are signs of a hardworking and innovative population. I just laugh when I hear people talk about how non materialistic a city is that currently has 1,932 homes listed for sale over $500k and 600 listed over $1m.
Agree with this post.
Lots of wealthy people drive trucks & spend their wealth on assets that appreciate.
Not only wealthy people....but ALSO High earning & medium earning people (who may or may not be wealthy....but are certainly materialistic) support the bolded items listed above.
And this. Some of the least materialistic people I've known have been the wealthiest (as in, could buy small countries - or football teams - wealth, both new and old money).
I don't believe I am. You can be wealthy and not buy a 5,000+ squarefoot house, a German luxury car, and a closet full of designer clothing. I 'm not saying everyone in Austin is materialistic, I am saying that there are a LOT of materialistic people here.
How exactly does someone buy a $900k Spanish villa, a $90,000 Range Rover, and a closet full of designer clothes without being materialistic?
Or do I simply not understand the meaning of materialism?
As THL said, rich people don't always flaunt it. One of the wealthiest men I've ever met buys his clothes in thrift stores and drives normal cars that are at least ten years old. He worked an $8/hour job when I met him back in the early '90s and seemed like the average lower middle class guy. Come to find out, he owns a large chunk of the LA rental market and worked that job to keep himself from being bored. He wore shabby clothes and drove old cars to keep people from treating him different, because in his words "I'm just like you guys, except I have a lot of money".
My reply wasn't about people who are rich and don't let everyone else know it. It was about the rich or aspiring rich who do exactly the opposite.
I moved here in 1984 from Houston. So I am not a recent Austin resident. But Austin still keeps me and my family happy all things considered.
I think the entire country has grown more materialistic over the last 50 years. General prosperity, more media, faster media, etc. have driven Americans to acquire MORE of almost everything. Maybe the current recession will drive people to a slightly more rational level of spending (and debt accumulation).
Austin has its share. But I do not think Austin (and Texas) is as materialistic as, say California, is. Nowhere in the US is it more valued to drive a BMW than in California. I don't think many in Austin spend a lot on clothes. They do buy vehicles, some toys (such as boats), and some beautiful homes.
Things that I think will make people unhappy after they move to Austin:
1. They can't adjust to the weather
2. They expect more out of the local and state government than you will get here.
3. They need large city entertainment like pro sports or "high culture"
4. They don't want to drive
5. They need an urban setting but can't afford it here
6. They need to live in a neighborhood with distinct demographics such as gay, or black, or something similar
How exactly does someone buy a $900k Spanish villa, a $90,000 Range Rover, and a closet full of designer clothes without being materialistic?
I think of a "materialistic" person more in terms of someone who judges/rates others against themselves. Perhaps your hypothetical person above is simply enjoying the fruits of hard work and effort and not trying to impress you or anyone else. And he or she would blend in having a beer at Schultz's or a margarita at Hula Hut. Perhaps he or she is less materialistic, relatively speaking, than the mid-manager who is stretched trying to afford to look "richer" than your hypothetical person.
The most materialistic are often least able to afford their spending, but are obsessed with being viewed at a higher status than they've earned. I think of materialistic as over-consumption, or consumption beyond one's means, and the constant rating of others based on appearances. You can be wealthy and not materialistic at the same time. It's an attitude, not a math equation.
But I do not think Austin (and Texas) is as materialistic as, say California, is. Nowhere in the US is it more valued to drive a BMW than in California.
That is just a gross generalization. A few places, especially very wealthy communities in CA are like that (Newport Beach, La Jolla, and Belvedere come to mind), but most places are not any more materialistic than any where else. Having lived in several parts of CA over 35 years, I can say that almost all of my friends drive economy cars, and would rather go for a hike than go to opening night at the ballet. People like to beat up on CA, but most of what they say isn't true. Here are some of the occupations of people I know: school teachers, nurses, farmers, small ranchers, park rangers, carpenters, small business owners, etc. Do you think they are living the materialistic life style, driving BMWs?
I moved here in 1984 from Houston. So I am not a recent Austin resident. But Austin still keeps me and my family happy all things considered.
I think the entire country has grown more materialistic over the last 50 years. General prosperity, more media, faster media, etc. have driven Americans to acquire MORE of almost everything. Maybe the current recession will drive people to a slightly more rational level of spending (and debt accumulation).
Austin has its share. But I do not think Austin (and Texas) is as materialistic as, say California, is. Nowhere in the US is it more valued to drive a BMW than in California. I don't think many in Austin spend a lot on clothes. They do buy vehicles, some toys (such as boats), and some beautiful homes.
Things that I think will make people unhappy after they move to Austin:
1. They can't adjust to the weather
2. They expect more out of the local and state government than you will get here.
3. They need large city entertainment like pro sports or "high culture"
4. They don't want to drive
5. They need an urban setting but can't afford it here
6. They need to live in a neighborhood with distinct demographics such as gay, or black, or something similar
I'm not a recent Austin resident either moved here from SA in 1982 when my dad started his company here. Not shure how come you refrence BMW's there's other cars that are more expensive like Bentley's,Ferrari's,Aston Martin's (which I have been seeing more of here) I'm not rich and I drive a BMW that doesn't make me materialistic.
Moved here six months ago from some big big cities....Tokyo, San Fran....were the last two.
Austin is so so........
I think the thing that is keeping me interested is the music, I can't see much else that the city has above that. But that isn't a bad thing as the music options I've found are good.
The whole "laid back" thing I'm starting to beleive is a joke. If you want to make some money here, you will be waking up early Monday and grinding it out in a corporate environment just like in any other city in the US. Yea..... maybe there is a laid back feel on the weekends, but you will be laid back waiting in line 40 minutes to eat at any breakfast place worth mentioning.
The other thing I am finding out that kills me is that I feel outside of South Austin is just like any boring suburb in any city in the USA. And living in South Austin either means a ton of money or living in a old college dorm. Actually being a part of the good part of Austin is a tough gig.
I didn't move here to hang out in suburbs where people talk about what their kid is going to wear to their elementary school bakeoff(and there are a lot of them) . If you aren't taking advantage of South Austin then I can't relate to you, and who knows, maybe you'll love what you can relate to here as I can't comment on it.
I'd rate the food here as the worst I've had....................
SXSW is one of the greatest events I've been to in any city.
If you want to know this town, check out the Austin Chronicle events listing for what is happening on a Saturday or Sunday. If you are impressed, then you will probably like this city. If you think.......wow, not much is going on, then you probably need a city with more going on.
To sum it up, this city to me is good to kick around in for a couple of years, listen to some music, learn about Texas culture, eat some BBQ. Will I enjoy the two years here...... yea. But after that, I'm outta here.
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