Forbes: Austin is #1 on the "Next Big Boom Towns" list (Houston: sale, apartments)

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by atxcio

I'm still holding out for when they actually will pay people to move there, like in Alaska. Then maybe I'll go. Can you enter negative numbers into Zillow yet?

Atxico, you should read the NYT article! http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/fa...Detroit&st=cse If I was younger and especially if I was from the NE, I would give Detroit a seriously look. There are grants and partnerships and what sounds like a great environment for smart young people who want to do things! If you are smart and talented, you can be paid to move there!

[MtnLion512]

Originally Posted by eepstein

Austinite's tax dollars at work! And which is the only college town on this list?

Yep. Our marketing guys must have bid the highest at Forbes' top secret auction for that #1 spot! Thanks, team.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Atxico, you should read the NYT article! http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/fa...Detroit&st=cse If I was younger and especially if I was from the NE, I would give Detroit a seriously look. There are grants and partnerships and what sounds like a great environment for smart young people who want to do things! If you are smart and talented, you can be paid to move there!

Actually, in some Northeastern cities, you can find cheap homes for artists. Here an example in my area: Syracuse Art, Life & Tech SALT District « Near Westside Initiative

[capcat]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Over the next 20+ years the Sunbelt will fade and the places that conventional wisdom says are "done" will boom.

I think you're right, and I'd like to see it happen.

[jr1038]

Originally Posted by eepstein

Austinite's tax dollars at work! And which is the only college town on this list?

For the upteenth time, a city of 1.8 million people =/= college town...a little sense seems to be lacking here, but it could go a long way for you...

[cBach]

If I wanted to live in an older city, I'd probably live in New Orleans, it is undergoing a similar renaissance to Detroit. I lived in the upper Midwest before and the cold, cloudy weather and lake effect snow gets to you after a while, if the crime doesn't.

[cBach]

Unfortunately a few hipsters moving to downtown Detroit cannot help a city that is dependent upon an industry that is declining in an area that is declining. Detroit used to be the 4th largest city in the US, with a very active community. It had immense cultural amenities and was thriving. Nowadays there are old synagogues and other ruins from a previous time. See this site:

Model T Plant - Highland Park - The Classic Tour

Click Express and go through all the wonderful buildings Detroit used to have. It will NEVER have the grandeur it used to have. Detroit should have and needs to diversify.

[sagewithaflaw]

Originally Posted by jr1038

For the upteenth time, a city of 1.8 million people =/= college town...a little sense seems to be lacking here, but it could go a long way for you...

Well, to be entirely accurate, the city of Austin has a population of less than 800,000. The 1.8 million number is for the Greater Austin area which comprises 5 counties. I know most people use the city vs. metro area interchangeably, but there is a big difference between the two (over 2x the people).

At any rate, I don't see what's wrong with being known as a college town anyways -- it's not a derogatory term and doesn't mean that there is nothing else going on, it just means the college figures heavily into the scheme of the city. Austin is rapidly outgrowing it's college town heritage, but it still meets many of the stereotypical criteria of a "college town":

• the students + faculty make up nearly 10% of the city's population
• the campus occupies a large chunk of the real estate
• highly educated population
• high number of people living in non-traditional lifestyles and subcultures
• high tolerance for unconventionality in general
• unusually active musical or cultural scene
• left-wing politics
• presence of the educational institution pervades economic and social life

UT for many years had the largest enrollment of any U.S. university, and it's still the largest campus in Texas. Austin obviously has more going on than just the college and state government, but both still factor pretty heavily into the economy. I don't think the city has quite shaken off that mantle just yet, but it's definitely heading in that direction with the urbanization, sprawl, and continuing influx of Texans and out-of-staters. Some are welcoming that and enjoying the changes, but I'm not so sure it's necessarily a good thing. Austin "feels" a lot different these days than it did even a decade ago. It's still a great place, but I think it's losing some of its old charm along with the growth.

[sagewithaflaw]

Originally Posted by cBach

Unfortunately a few hipsters moving to downtown Detroit cannot help a city that is dependent upon an industry that is declining in an area that is declining. Detroit used to be the 4th largest city in the US, with a very active community. It had immense cultural amenities and was thriving. Nowadays there are old synagogues and other ruins from a previous time. See this site:

Model T Plant - Highland Park - The Classic Tour

Click Express and go through all the wonderful buildings Detroit used to have. It will NEVER have the grandeur it used to have. Detroit should have and needs to diversify.

I grew up in Michigan and I can relate to this post a lot. When I was born, Detroit was still the 5th largest city in the country, but it seemed to slip a spot or 2 every decade, and sometime between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, San Jose knocked it out of the top 10. Obviously the fall of the U.S. auto industry and manufacturing led to this slow decline and eventual near-collapse. I don't get back too often, but it has been sad to fly into Detroit and see it continue to decay over the years. At one point, the city was offering free houses as an incentive to bring in new police recruits. After a long stretch where the city continued to lose people in droves, it appears to be getting back on its feet a bit. I saw a documentary where a lot of folks have started up "urban farms" as a response to a lack of grocery stores. Still, it has a long uphill battle to climb and I am sure, as you say, it will never have the same grandeur it once enjoyed.

[lemonlime22]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Atxico, you should read the NYT article! http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/fa...Detroit&st=cse If I was younger and especially if I was from the NE, I would give Detroit a seriously look. There are grants and partnerships and what sounds like a great environment for smart young people who want to do things! If you are smart and talented, you can be paid to move there!

One thing's for sure--the food's a hell of a lot better!