Is this population growth sustainable? (Houston, Dallas: real estate, crime, live)

[cBach]

Okay, in two months we will be getting another 6,000 people. How can we possibly keep up with this?

Study projects thousands move to Austin by late summer | kvue.com Austin

Are we on an uncontrollable spiral? With this growth, we grow by a city the size of Lake Charles, LA every year. Then you factor in the people moving may have kids, think compounded interest.

What can we do to manage this growth?
What can we do to prevent the extra pollution and crime that comes with a larger population?
What can we do to preserve the few remaining "only in Austin" things like Barton Springs, etc?
How will our infrastructure ever cope with this? We have problems as it is, now we're going to be adding insult to injury.
Do you think these people will stay or are just here for a few years, enjoying the lifestyle? If the latter then it's not as much of a problem as we'll have somewhat of an outflow to balance the inflow.

[Trainwreck20]

It never mentions how many move out, though, implying that the net gain is 6,000 over the summer (or ~2,000 per month).

[centralaustinite]

And how does this vary from the normal July/August increase? Remember between UT, ACC, TX-State, St. Edwards, Concordia, etc etc, there are about 100,000 students in central Texas and thousands of them arrive for the first time in late July and August!

I'm various dubious of such studies, better to ask U-Haul if the number of trailers rented to be dropped off in Austin are up over what they normally expect at this time (and yes, real estate agents and other use these numbers)

[sxrckr]

No, it's probably not. I am extremely concerned.

But we've asked for it -- with all of the hype, puff-piece articles, and the way many Austinites and the general media trash-talk the other TX cities (making many outsiders feel Austin is the only choice in TX), is it really surprising? Be careful what you wish for....

[N. Olikee]

Huhhhhhh.....geez! I grew up in Houston. It grew exponentially (when I grew up there,) and is still growing and "surviving." Just like Dallas when it grew (and still continues to grow,) and San Antone. Wow the whole world is coming to an end.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by N. Olikee

Huhhhhhh.....geez! I grew up in Houston. It grew exponentially (when I grew up there,) and is still growing and "surviving." Just like Dallas when it grew (and still continues to grow,) and San Antone. Wow the whole world is coming to an end.

Yes but we don't want to follow in Houston's footsteps. We like to think we've learned from our older sibling.

I see so many out of state plates now and it is scary. 5 years ago all I saw were CA (normal), LA (Louisianians have been moving to TX for 25+ years in great numbers), and OR/WA plates (for some reason people move to and from the polar opposites of Austin:Seattle/Portland). Then I started seeing NY, OR, MA, AZ, MN, FL, and NV plates. Then as the economy tanked I saw OH, MI, IN plates. Now I'm seeing plates from places like NC, SC, GA, and other southern states as their economies falter too. I'm also seeing KS, MO, and IA plates. I even saw an AK plate the other day. It's like the whole US is converging on Austin now.

I don't mind this migration but I like it more spread out. Otherwise the newcomers will take over the culture by sheer numbers. I feel like when I moved my neighbors were able to assimilate me into the culture of Rudy's, Barton Springs, taco trailers, ACL, SxSW, the Pecan Street Festival, and other fun things. They insisted it was very important I understood the Austin culture and way of life. I'm worried these newcomers won't get the same indoctrination.

[N. Olikee]

Wow......times have changed, and Austin is "behind." No need to be "scared." Change is good, and usu. impending. Better to embrace it than to shun it.

Hey, I went through tons of change in Houston, lived in Dallas when it was going through the same kinds of changes 10 Years Later, and Now Austin is going through the same kind of "growing pains." It happens.

Austin has really changed in a Big Way in the past 15 years, and there is much to like about it. There's no going back.....never will be that town I remembered in my youth, but that's they way it is.

My biggest gripe.........the Panhandlers! Where did they come from? Why are they here? Why aren't they fined? They were not here not so very many years ago.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by N. Olikee

Wow......times have changed, and Austin is "behind." No need to be "scared." Change is good, and usu. impending. Better to embrace it than to shun it.

Hey, I went through tons of change in Houston, lived in Dallas when it was going through the same kinds of changes 10 Years Later, and Now Austin is going through the same kind of "growing pains." It happens.

Austin has really changed in a Big Way in the past 15 years, and there is much to like about it. There's no going back.....never will be that town I remembered in my youth, but that's they way it is.

My biggest gripe.........the Panhandlers! Where did they come from? Why are they here? Why aren't they fined? They were not here not so very many years ago.

I just want all the new people to respect the culture and the way of life here. I moved here for it and I wish people would respect it. I don't want to hear another New Yorker complaining about how they have so much better pizza in Little Italy (or Brooklyn or Queens or wherever) than here.

[TexasHorseLady]

cBach, I agree, assuring us that Dallas and Houston handled it just fine and we'll be just like them someday is NOT reassuring! And you make a good point of newcomers being "shown the ropes" by those who were here before them (assimilated, if you will: "Resistance is futile!"). Once the newcomers do know the ropes, and have experienced them, THEN they can make a meaningful contribution and, yes, introduce some change, but only once they know what's already here and how it works and why. But with massive numbers arriving, that's going to be more difficult. Especially as the wonderful events get so crowded that no one wants to go any more (remember the first Food Trailer event this past year?).

Both Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio are fine cities, but if that's what I wanted, that's where I'd live. We need to NOT have all of our cities be clones of each other (or of cities in other states), else what's the point?

N. Olikee, I've known of panhandlers in Austin since shortly after I first arrived here in 1969.

[N. Olikee]

Again...Wow....heads in the sand. It's Changed Already...no going back....sorry.

I've experienced the deluge of foreigners.....the complete relocation of "intact" villages from certain foreign countries...... that forever changed the "culture" of Houston.

You are just talkin' about people moving from different parts of the U. S.

And, no......there were NO panhandlers ever, ever, ever at the locations I've experienced all over Austin back in the '60's - '80's.