Please give me 10 reasons why NOT to move to the Austin area. (Houston: renting, statistics)

[socrates1234]

Originally Posted by browneyedgrl

"I am sorry if you don't get Austin. I have met many people that don't. But those of
us that do enjoy the energy here produced by well, educated people that relish the
old hippie mentality that lingers, small music venues (much cooler than big acts in a large auditorium), a tolerance for different lifestyles (remember I am from the Bible
Belt), some really weird people of which people celebrate their weirdness, some really weird celebrations for people with a sense of humor.
You have to lighten up, read the chronicle and the XL, visit Austin 360.com and just
enjoy. And if you don't like different, how boring life must be for you."~"Southern Grace"

This place has no energy. The "educated" people here don't seem any more intelligent than other places and all they like to do is drink. It's booring! That last statement you made in your quote, southern grace, was far from gracious. Maybe you need to get out of your comfort zone of being in the south and go live somewhere else where they have a life and they Really know how to live! I have lived in the deep south, the west coast and the east coast. I didn't realize a place could be so boring until I moved to Austin. Even the deep south was a lot more fun than here. There are not very many good restaurants here. The people here who call themselves hippies are wanna be hippies. They don't even look like one or act like one. They think they're a hippy because of smoking weed. You find A LOT more real hippies and diversity in the west than you do here. The old music scene here is dying and poor quality. I haven't seen any weirdness or enough diversity to keep me entertained. Austin isn't weird. It's a bunch of people who are really into their jobs because the economy out here is good. This is the land of entrepreneurers and high tech people.
Very few people out here are solid as christians. A lot of the churches here are either dying or highly watered down or dry.
As far as recreation, who wants to waste money flying to a ski resort when in a lot places it's not that far of a drive. I can't wait for more people from California to move here, take over and give it a heartbeat and a personality. There is a strong prejudice against people from California out here. I can't wait until the Texans out here are outnumbered.

Did you try to make it happen for yourself? You must take your life into your own hands, and MAKE those things happen you saw in your mind per what you thought Austin was like.....I know for sure it can't liveup to hype though, and the PR people who get paid to keep Austin on those top 10 lists DO oversell many "aspects" of Austin, and are totally overblown, per its quirkiness, live music(great, but roots rock and college rock orientated), and art scene(mostly variations on a qurky outdoor BBQ eatery theme, sometimes with upper-deck outdoor dining and live bands). It's a GOOD scene, and a fun scene, but not what the pundits make it out to be. The vast majority of the city is quite bland and typical All American sprawl. Just look at it realistically is all, and you may or may not find what you are looking for

[imaterry78259]

Originally Posted by socrates1234

Did you try to make it happen for yourself? You must take your life into your own hands, and MAKE those things happen you saw in your mind per what you thought Austin was like.....I know for sure it can't liveup to hype though, and the PR people who get paid to keep Austin on those top 10 lists DO oversell many "aspects" of Austin, and are totally overblown, per its quirkiness, live music(great, but roots rock and college rock orientated), and art scene(mostly variations on a qurky outdoor BBQ eatery theme, sometimes with upper-deck outdoor dining and live bands). It's a GOOD scene, and a fun scene, but not what the pundits make it out to be. The vast majority of the city is quite bland and typical All American sprawl. Just look at it realistically is all, and you may or may not find what you are looking for

In reality Austin is no different than any other city. I just don't get the hype

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

In reality Austin is no different than any other city. I just don't get the hype

I get the hype; it's just all the buzz about Austin is about 15 years behind the curve. Austin was a fantastic place when I started college in 1993. It's ruined now by pretentious people who want to make it into a shiny refugee camp for Californians. I lived in Austin for six years on and off and though the place was beautiful, a lot of its natural beauty has been ruined by overdevelopment and the vibe is just gone and replaced with something completely artificial.

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

I get the hype; it's just all the buzz about Austin is about 15 years behind the curve. Austin was a fantastic place when I started college in 1993. It's ruined now by pretentious people who want to make it into a shiny refugee camp for Californians. I lived in Austin for six years on and off and though the place was beautiful, a lot of its natural beauty has been ruined by overdevelopment and the vibe is just gone and replaced with something completely artificial.

Well, let's be fair here. If you live and work in the Austin-ish areas, it's not too different. Clarksville hasn't changed that much, and that changes have occurred have been for the better. My S.O. lives off Barton Springs, and that still has the same feel that it did when I was in college. But someone who came here and got stuck living next to the Dell Diamond or off in Lakeway wouldn't feel the "vibe." Heck, I don't even go to those places.

[love roses]

But the Dell Diamond is part of the vibe out here. Coupland dance hall is part of the vibe out here. Cotton Club is also part of that vibe. And snuffy's and the places out in Walburg. To me, it's like little roots of Austin that are spread out in the areas around it and they are all contributing their little parts in the soup that is central texas. Gruene dance hall also isn't in Austin, but would the area still have the same vibe without all these little places? I remember when the Old Settlers Festival used to be held at the Old Settlers Park, and you could camp out and even swim in the pond. Now that developments encroached on the park, it's not that way though

[socrates1234]

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

I get the hype; it's just all the buzz about Austin is about 15 years behind the curve. Austin was a fantastic place when I started college in 1993. It's ruined now by pretentious people who want to make it into a shiny refugee camp for Californians. I lived in Austin for six years on and off and though the place was beautiful, a lot of its natural beauty has been ruined by overdevelopment and the vibe is just gone and replaced with something completely artificial.

That is the most on-the-mark statement I have or ever will hear about Austin per "Austins' hype is always 15 years behind the curve. So the Austin they are selling now in "best places" lists is really germain to Austin circa 1993, which I understand was when Austin "jumped the sharK'. Now they have paved in all that vacant acerage north and northwest, and built them a "parking lot". I see nothing but mega-apartment complexes all over the new areas, and lots of generic regional(h-e-b) and national chains........It could be the outskirts of Amarillo as well. You could call it a slightly downscale version of Houston's
outskirts,which isn't saying much.

[Cherokee Girl]

Oh, good grief, people!

You can't MAKE a person love a place, any more than than you can make a person love another person. I think my boyfriend is the cutest thang I ever did see, with his little crookedy nose and his slight overbite that makes his smile extra extra extra special (I LOVE that smile!), and Matt Damon's looks just sort of creep my out. So, why is it I think my guy is the best kept secret ever, and Matt Damon, People magazine's selected hottie hunk for this year, just doesn't do it for me? I dunno. But that's the way I feel. Falling in love with a place is kind of the same thing, I think. There's no explaining. You either do or you don't. Enough.

Oh, and here's a joke that is very appropriate for this forum:

Q: How many Austinites does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five. One to change it, and four to sit around and talk about how great the OLD light bulb used to be.

[imaterry78259]

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

I get the hype; it's just all the buzz about Austin is about 15 years behind the curve. Austin was a fantastic place when I started college in 1993. It's ruined now by pretentious people who want to make it into a shiny refugee camp for Californians. I lived in Austin for six years on and off and though the place was beautiful, a lot of its natural beauty has been ruined by overdevelopment and the vibe is just gone and replaced with something completely artificial.

I lived in Austin too but it was just a college and state government town then. The city was ok the NW suburbs were beautiful. Ok Austin has more health food stores, alternative medicines, new age, old hippies and swinger clubs then any city its size in America. The inner city housing and streets were very bad and now the same liitle huts are selling for 400K.

[cub77cub]

Originally Posted by Cherokee Girl

Oh, good grief, people!

You can't MAKE a person love a place, any more than than you can make a person love another person. I think my boyfriend is the cutest thang I ever did see, with his little crookedy nose and his slight overbite that makes his smile extra extra extra special (I LOVE that smile!), and Matt Damon's looks just sort of creep my out. So, why is it I think my guy is the best kept secret ever, and Matt Damon, People magazine's selected hottie hunk for this year, just doesn't do it for me? I dunno. But that's the way I feel. Falling in love with a place is kind of the same thing, I think. There's no explaining. You either do or you don't. Enough.

Oh, and here's a joke that is very appropriate for this forum:

Q: How many Austinites does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five. One to change it, and four to sit around and talk about how great the OLD light bulb used to be.

Very well said. My sentiments exactly!

[elduderino38]

Originally Posted by Cherokee Girl

Oh, good grief, people!

You can't MAKE a person love a place, any more than than you can make a person love another person. I think my boyfriend is the cutest thang I ever did see, with his little crookedy nose and his slight overbite that makes his smile extra extra extra special (I LOVE that smile!), and Matt Damon's looks just sort of creep my out. So, why is it I think my guy is the best kept secret ever, and Matt Damon, People magazine's selected hottie hunk for this year, just doesn't do it for me? I dunno. But that's the way I feel. Falling in love with a place is kind of the same thing, I think. There's no explaining. You either do or you don't. Enough.

Oh, and here's a joke that is very appropriate for this forum:

Q: How many Austinites does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five. One to change it, and four to sit around and talk about how great the OLD light bulb used to be.

ROTFL! Thats it in a nutshell