Dallas area vs. Austin area (Houston, Cedar Hill: transplants, crime, neighborhood)

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

Whats this "Keep Houston Ugly" thing I keep hearing about?

"Keep Houston Dirty" sounds much better! You know, as in the Dirty South?

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

Then do us the huge service of never claiming to like Dallas ever again if you feel that way. You often do that as a way to help make youre point.

Just come out and say you hate the place. We all know you do.

I've lived in Dallas before & its not for me. It doesn't fit my attitude & lifestyle at all. I much prefer the more laid back, coastal setting. Its just right now I'm stuck living life back here in my hometown of Tyler (which isn't as bad as it seems)...for now anyways.

I do thoroughly enjoy visiting friends & hanging out in Dallas, however. Its a cool city, just not to live in, kinda like LA I guess.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

I've lived in Dallas before & its not for me. It doesn't fit my attitude & lifestyle at all. I much prefer the more laid back, coastal setting. Its just right now I'm stuck living life back here in my hometown of Tyler (which isn't as bad as it seems)...for now anyways.

I do thoroughly enjoy visiting friends & hanging out in Dallas, however. Its a cool city, just not to live in, kinda like LA I guess.

And I commend you for why youre in Tyler. Its honorable, but it seems like you talk down about Dallas alot. I can understand not wanting to live there, alot of people dont.

[eepstein]

I really doubt that anyone would be jealous of someone who lived in Austin over Dallas. Do people really break down why they think the way they do? Again, Dallas has a higher crime rate, because its a much larger city in population and area. Austin's crime rate has been rising over the years especially on the east and southeast parts of town. Again, i simply laugh when Austin claims to be a "green city"

Again, the city of Austin is trainwreck for the most part. What is the number one thing that causes pollution in this country? Vehicles and powerplants. Austin has few powerplants, but it has tons of vehicles. The largest most innefficent vehicles in the nation. So, sitting in traffic causes horrible levels of pollution to occur. So lets take a look at how green Austin is.

1.) Austin and the state rewards people who buy gas guzzling pickups by giving them a tax break on their purchase.

2.) The most pollution these huge vehicles put out is while sitting in stop and go traffic. Traffic is near gridlock in this city and Austin has no plans to improve its road system.

3.) The city of Austin has the worst public transportation system in the nation (actually capital metro is known throughout the country as a disaster financially and economically) I have worked in other cites with their transportation systems in Colorado Springs, and Kansas City and that is how I first heard about Austin....A good, solid network of buses and light rail would make it easier for people to ride to work and create less pollution. Cap Metro has no plans to improve this...you only hear them whine about "we're in debt, WA WA WA WA" "We're in a financial shortfall WA WA WA" The city of Austin has done nothing about this.

4.) The city of Austin has few bikes lanes and even fewer paved trails set aside for bikers throughout the city. KC and Tulsa, two cities which would never claim to be green probably have 3 times the paved bike trails that Austin does) With Austin's warmer climate, and flat terrian, it could be a great way for people to commute to work. The city of Austin won't spend any money for this.

5.) THe city of Austin rewards rich people by trying to bring them all downtown, and says "the hell" with everyone else who are sitting in traffic with their gas guzzling vehicles.

I would probably say that few cities in the nation are LESS GREEN than Austin. I guess that is what frusterates me so much. The city of Austin is such a trainwreck that it literally makes up lies to cover of its massive shortcomings which are HUGE.



3.)

Originally Posted by Nomadic9460678748

It's true that most Austinites are not very jealous of people from Dallas, but many Austinites are also prone to statements amounting to, "Isn't it awesome that we live in Austin! You know, the best city in Texas? At least we don't live in Dallas or Houston! We're so weird!" People get a bit tired of hearing Austin toot its own horn all of the time. Nothing wrong with being happy with where you live, but after a certain point Austin is actually not that different from Dallas insofar as its a regular sprawly Texas city.

While I could never see myself living in Dallas or Houston (lived in Houston for a short time and have visited Dallas for museums) I wish Austin had something akin to DART. Austin flouts its "green" credentials, but has one of the most atrocious public transportation systems imaginable. In my opinion a big part of being a "green" locale means offering meaningful, efficient mass transit that all citizens can enjoy regardless of income or location. I am a huge fan Dallas and Fort Worth's museum offerings. I would love to make a trip to see the Kimball. Two of the most memorable exhibits I've seen (Catherine the Great and Bodyworlds) were both in Dallas. (Wasn't the King Tut exhibit there also when it toured?) And I'm told the food scene in Dallas is supposed to be a bit more varied than Austin's. Also, if you like pro sports Dallas has the edge there, but a lot of people make do with UT's offerings. I wouldn't mind being able to see a real professional sports team every now and then without to plan around a three hour trip, but that's just me. I'm not crazy about live music or getting drunk with a bunch of college kids, so Austin's night life offerings don't appeal to me any more. Been there done that. I'm a staid old fuddy-duddy who likes museums, plays, nice dinners, symphony in the park, stuff like that.

Austin and Dallas are different things for different people. You could be happy in either place I imagine. Again, it depends on what your expectations are and what you want.

[jdevelop2]

Originally Posted by eepstein

Again, Dallas has a higher crime rate, because its a much larger city in population and area.

This is nonsense. I am talking about per capita. Dallas has a higher violent crime rate per capita than Austin. Period.

Per capita is the only relevant measure.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Then Dallas had to be cool too & moronically come up with "Keep Dallas Plastic".

Originally Posted by LAnative10

Whats this "Keep Houston Ugly" thing I keep hearing about?

It's actually "Keep Houston Boring" and it's a tongue-in-cheek that came about because all of these nitwits in other states try to say this seriously, as if the nation's 4th largest city had nothing to do. It's a big joke basically...

[MasterOfPuppets]

Originally Posted by jdevelop2

Funny, I chose to move to Austin out of anywhere in the U.S. and I consider the whole "Austin Weird" thing to be one of Austin's downsides.

The most ironic aspect of the "keep austin weird" idiocy is that Austin isn't weird; you'll find some artsy neighborhoods but Dallas, Houston, etc have them too.

[dallasboi]

Originally Posted by MasterOfPuppets

The most ironic aspect of the "keep austin weird" idiocy is that Austin isn't weird; you'll find some artsy neighborhoods but Dallas, Houston, etc have them too.

And MORE of them......i never understood this...to me dallas has always had more of everything that austin is known for.....to me the whole city of austin is equivilent to....uuh lets see..... las Colinas!

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

And I commend you for why youre in Tyler. Its honorable, but it seems like you talk down about Dallas alot. I can understand not wanting to live there, alot of people dont.

Tyler is getting better as it continues to grow. Its over 100,000 in the city right now & between 200,000-250,000 in the metro area, depending on how you calculate it. Smith County just recently went wet after 70 some odd years & more surrounding towns & suburbs are following suit. Tyler offers an excellent dining scene for a city its size, & most of the amenities found in larger cities such as Dallas, Houston, & Shreveport can be found here. The medical centers here are first rate with the only Level 1 trauma center in all of East Texas. If it can be treated in Dallas or Houston, it can be treated here. The only thing we are missing however is a Children's hospital, which I suspect will come to fruition in the coming years. The nightlife could use a real boost, but Dallas is just 1 1/2 hours away for clubs & Shreveport is just 1 1/2 hours away for gambling. If I wanna get away, all I have to do is hop on a flight from Tyler's airport to Dallas or Houston via AA or Continental, which both offer daily flights to & from both cities.

Tyler & all of East Texas has some of the most beautiful scenery in the entire state. Many outdoor activities can be enjoyed here for free.

[hoffdano]

I still cannot believe eepstein continues to live in Austin since he absolutely despises it. I guess though he likes and values his job more.

I have no axe to grind with Dallas. I know it works for people.

eepstein rants about the same things over and over - and most of it is his own perspective, not objective by any standard.

Facts:

Per capita violent crime is lower in Austin and has been for years. It is also steady, not going up. Based on 2008 data, Dallas' murder rate is 4 times as high as Austin.

United States cities by crime rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As for "green" concerns, both cities have improving air quality, but Austin clearly has fewer unhealthy days:

http://www.epa.gov/cgi-bin/broker?_s...ycounty=county

One measure of "green" is the city's "sustainability" rating. Dallas scores 24th to Austin's 13th.

Dallas - 2008 US Cities Sustainability Ranking by SustainLane.com

Austin - 2008 US Cities Sustainability Ranking by SustainLane.com

eepstein likes to claim that Austin is somehow full of gas guzzlers. That makes almost no sense at all - Texas is the land of big vehicles in general. But he refuses to acknowledge that Austin has the highest per capita sales of hybrids in Texas. Austin is the only Texas city in the top 15. Dallas buys more hybrids - but I hope so since it is 3 times larger than Austin. He also doesn't seem to understand that the V8 in the S-class Mercedes so popular with the north Dallas (or Austin Westlake) crowd pollutes just as much as a Chevy Tahoe.

September 2009 Dashboard: End of Clunkers Hurts Hybrids | Hybrid Cars

Dallas has many things Austin doesn't have. If those things are important to you - Dallas may be a better choice. But don't rely on eepstein to help you make a choice.