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Also, like this poster I'm quoting, I've lived in other parts of the world including Europe and Asia, and although people in Austin will never admit it, it's not as amazing as everyone there claims it is. Expect all criticisms of Austin to fall on deaf ears, because most people who live there are reveling in how cool they think they are because they live there.
I think very few people here on C-D say Austin is amazing. Austin isn't as good as the media portrays it. But almost nothing is as good or as bad as the media portrays it.
For lots of people though, Austin has a very good combination of qualities that depending on one's prioirities - make it a very good place to live.
Some here seem to have a visceral distaste for Austin, and they focus more on whether Austin lives up to the media rep rather than whether on its own merits it is a good place to live and play.
Very few "facts" about Austin end up discussed here. About the only facts that generally get agreement:
- our weather is very warm/hot in the summer.
- we don't have any major league sports
- we don't have any major traditional cultural assets like museums
- violent crime rates are low
- lots of people are moving here from all over
- we are in a terrible drought
I think very few people here on C-D say Austin is amazing. Austin isn't as good as the media portrays it. But almost nothing is as good or as bad as the media portrays it.
For lots of people though, Austin has a very good combination of qualities that depending on one's prioirities - make it a very good place to live.
I think another way to look at Austin, for me personally, is to ask: what could I gain from leaving?
Or, put another way, is the grass greener somewhere else?
As I approach my 50s, within striking distance, or one more real estate up-cycle from retirement, what would compel me and my wife to leave Austin and plant roots in another city? Not much, honestly. Everything I need and want is here.
I can think of one possibility, if my kids live elsewhere, seem settled, and produce grandchildren. That's what brought my Mom and Dad to Austin in 1992. So, "Family" is a big reason, and a valid one to both come and go from Austin. We see that a lot in talking to people.
The other big reason would be forced economic migration. We saw a lot of job loss in Austin after the Tech bust in 2000/2001. For those workers, even if they loved Austin, if the jobs were elsewhere, they had to leave. For those of us who are self-employed, that's less of a factor.
If I ever became unable to cope with the summer heat, I might look elsewhere. But that's a catch-22. Where? San Diego has near-perfect weather, but I don't want to live in California, ever again. Sorry.
To the OP, is the grass greener in Austin? Or does it seems to be greener than Philadelphia? If so, come on in, the water is great! If not, maybe it's not a good fit. Most people see green grass and "opportunity" in Austin, and a better than average set of lifestyle amenities. It's really that simple.
Steve
Last edited by austin-steve; 11-13-2011 at 10:02 AM..
Reason: typo
Why is it laughable that some Hispanics from San Antonio don't speak Spanish? This is an English speaking country after all, right? English was my first language and I'm not going to apologize for it.
Besides, if you did your homework, you'd know that it was only a short time ago when Spanish speaking was not allowed and people were punished for doing so. So it was against our will. My parents, only one generation ago, can attest to that.
So you believe everything a magazine says? I suppose you believe everything on TV as well. For me, there was a point in my life when I started to think for myself.
Your arrogant assumptions about what I know explains to me perfectly why you like and fit into Austin. Typical pedantic Austinite. You're only validating our claims here about "Austitude".
Although, I don't speak Spanish fluently, I did understand your post about 80-90%. I studied it for 2 years as well as learning some growing up. I also speak French and Czech as well. I think I just had the last laugh.
Do predele vole!
Moderator cut: non-english words you miss the point entirely! I don't care if you do not speak Spanish at all. It's just sad - no, funny! - when you seem completely entitled to speak for the entire Hispanic community and say that Hispanics are not welcome in Austin, when you can't even speak Spanish. I'm not trying to belittle you for it, but I am trying to make you question your own reasoning.
You're a chicano, and that's all. San Antonio is more suitable for chicanos. I feel Austin better caters to a wide range of latinos, as I have met more people from Monterrey, DF and Spain than I have in San Antonio. Maybe what you meant was that Austin caters more to the upper classes in all walks of society. But when you say that Austin is racist??? Come on... learn to speak Spanish first and then feel free to consider yourself the proudest Latino, or at least enough to know what cities are best for Mexicans.
This is the kind of annoying attitude I get from my fellow latinos. They think they've been discriminated but its probably just the white folks questioning their authenticity. There are some real white folks who question nonsense and just because they're white and have their own communities it doesn't mean they're racist. Everyone is free to join on the fun, but Austin is pretentious in the sense that if you're just talking the talk you'll be devastatingly ridiculed. That's what's true about Austin!
And no I don't care about what magazines say, but it is pretty funny that after you make such claims, some magazine called of all things "Hispanic Magazine" makes Austin a top city for hispanics, even over San Antonio.
I wouldn't call myself suffering from "Austitude" maybe its Mexican Realism, I dunno, but at some point you have to wake up and smell the coffee. If you are American as you say you are, then don't come with the Mexican Inferior Mentality when you can't even speak Spanish making everyone feel sorry for you because you were discriminated. No one is buying that. Not even me, who is also a fellow Hispanic. You simply couldn't fit in Austin, because you simply couldn't fit in. I don't fit in San Antonio, does that mean people in San Antonio are racist against Mexicans too? Get real dude.
This behavior of yours is like what my friend in Austin said some time ago. Now this guy was born AND raised in San Antonio and this friend of mine said that whenever he hears San Antonioans talking about Austin thinking their this or that and that they think they're better than San Antonio, he asks them, "you know what Austin thinks about San Antonio?? Nothing."
Or its more like the situation that happened with SXSW trying to be moved by some lame San Antonio official to San Antonio. Then after people in Austin rightfully responded in anger, some guy wrote an article and said, "oh, see? See? They're arrogant like we always said they were." I mean, its like any hand gesture Austin makes, its called "Austintude". Or any slight remark anyone makes in Austin, they're being "arrogant." How convenient!
Go do something valuable with your time instead.... like learning to speak Spanish. You are a proud mexican after all, right?
Posts above were deleted. This is a relocation thread. The most important thing in a relocation thread is to make YOUR posts HELPFUL. Focus more on making posts that will help the OP and STOP discussing the extent to which some posters like or dislike Austin.
Hmmm, lets break this down shall we? Austin, a horibly overgrown college town superior in WHAT to Dallas??
Crime--Dallas is a much larger city, so off course it's going to have more crime than Austin. Especially since it doesn't build a freeway specically to keep the blacks and hispanics on one side!
Obesity--Obviously those that feel this way have never left Austin. There are TONS of fat people walking around Austin, far more than Dallas. Houston is probably about the same in my opinion.
Sprawl--Again, dallas and Houston are far bigger cities, so of course they are going to sprawl more. Austin sprawls like CRAZY for a smaller city of it's size.
Plainness of city--Are we talking about the hillbilly country again? Yes Austin does have some hills west of it, but other than that, Austin is a flat, extremely boring city. Many SUBURBS of Dallas and Houston offer more than Austin.
Pollution--Once again, Dallas and Houston are much larger metro areas so the pollution will be worse. Austin does a TON of polluting (of course, all hidden by the media campaigns) Nothing pollutes more than giant SUV's sitting and traffic and no city in this state does it better than Austin.
Lack of Education--Dallas and Houston for many universities and colleges throughout the metro area. Austin has ONE of any significance. University of Texas.
Traffic- Austin has the worst congestion of any medium size metro area in the country. Neither Dallas NOR Houston ranks at the top of large metro areas with regards to traffic congestion.
Climate- That really depends upon what you consider to be nice. Houston is FAR milder in the winter than Austin or Dallas, but also more Humid in the summer. All three cities have among the most miserable climates in the country without a doubt.
Educated population? Most North Dallas suburbs have and over 40% college graduate percentage. (greater than austins 35%) Both Houston and Dallas have significantly more wealthy residents than Austin does (mainy west Houston, and north dallas)
Austin is more scenic? How? Because of the hillbilly country and some hills to the west?? Oh man, the amount of mileage people in this area get off of the "hillbilly" country.
Once again, this is the "Austinude" talking again. The arrogance and denial of the people in this area never ceases to amaze me!! Thats ok, just keep wearing your orange shirts and your #4 = #1 shirts!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by atxcio
Seriously? You don't know what Houston and Dallas get a bad rap for?
Dallas and (esp) Houston get a bad rap for: Crime, obesity, sprawl, ugliness/plainness of city, pollution, lack of education, traffic, climate (mainly Houston), and generally conservative republican voting patterns.
Austin is clearly superior in: Lower crime, better fitness, less pollution, more highly educated population, more scenic, better outdoor activities, better live music*. Austin is slightly better in: traffic, sprawl, and climate* (compared to Houston at least). *=opinion
But to be fair:
Dallas and Houston are clearly superior in: Pro sports, museums, air travel, shopping and restaurants. And political climate if you are conservative.
Hmmm, lets break this down shall we? Austin, a horibly overgrown college town superior in WHAT to Dallas??
I think I've broken it down pretty fairly and accurately. I notice that other than silly anecdotes, you really don't dispute any of the facts I listed. So I think you actually do understand why Houston and Dallas get such a bad rap and those areas where Austin beats them. But feel free to post links if you actually believe Dallas or Houston is more fit than Austin, higher educated, less polluted, or lower in crime, etc... bet that you won't, though.
So the following is still true:
Dallas and Houston get a bad rap for: Their higher crime, obesity, sprawl, ugliness/plainness of city, pollution, lack of education, traffic, climate (mainly Houston), and generally conservative republican voting patterns.
Austin is clearly superior in: Lower crime, better fitness, less pollution, more highly educated population, more scenic, better outdoor activities, better live music*. Austin is slightly better in: traffic, sprawl, and climate* (compared to Houston at least). *=opinion
But to be fair:
Dallas and Houston are clearly superior in: Pro sports, museums, air travel, shopping and restaurants. And political climate if you are conservative.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
5,429 posts, read 14,844,510 times
Reputation: 3672
Quote:
Originally Posted by migol84
Or its more like the situation that happened with SXSW trying to be moved by some lame San Antonio official to San Antonio. Then after people in Austin rightfully responded in anger, some guy wrote an article and said, "oh, see? See? They're arrogant like we always said they were." I mean, its like any hand gesture Austin makes, its called "Austintude". Or any slight remark anyone makes in Austin, they're being "arrogant." How convenient!
Some people might be overusing or generalizing. To my knowledge, Austitude is something more extreme and even insular, rather than a righteous indignation as in the SXSW example. Urban Dictionary: Austintude
Where I'd disagree is that Houston is just flat out ugly everywhere. This is just untrue really, or only based on an individuals opinion. Yes, I think there are some parts of Houston that are ugly, but they aren't numerous. I think the tall pine trees from the Woodlands on up to Conroe and beyond are very pretty. It's also not board flat out there. Even the Tomball area is pretty with all the tall pines. Along the coastal areas and a bit inland there are just so many oaks. There just aren't the impressive Oak trees with Spanish Moss hanging from them in Austin. I guess the closest I've seen to that would be some parts of Dripping Springs, but I'm talking tons of very large oaks with hanging moss. And what's very pretty and serene as well is when that scene also is early morning with a mist in the air, just beautiful. I don't see that in Austin. I loved going to Challenger 7 park in Clear Lake. Hiking along the creek, watching kayakers and picking blackberries (dewberries). It's a very large park and has tons of trees. I love the humidity, and how it keeps everything so green, much greener and lusher than anything in the Hill Country. Another thing I enjoyed was sitting at a restaurant with friends in Seabrook, watching the sailboats and yachts and hearing the seagulls. I could go on and on.
Austin is also a nice town. I like that when there is development, more greenspace is saved(especially in the denser areas of town). It's dustier and drier than Houston or Dallas, but I find that nice too. I like the more rugged flora People are equally friendly in each city, and also lots of other smaller cities and towns. Austin doesn't hold the trophy for that. I sometimes wonder if Austitude comes from people who really haven't spent a significant amount of time in other texas areas. A small group probably has and just really likes Central Texas more than the others.
I kinda do find it interesting that Austin would be considered more hispanic/latino friendly than San Antonio. Yes, Austin does have a Spanish influence, but San Antonio just oozes it. It's in the architecture and the large markets, etc...
Hmmm, lets break this down shall we? Austin, a horibly overgrown college town superior in WHAT to Dallas??
Crime--Dallas is a much larger city, so off course it's going to have more crime than Austin. Especially since it doesn't build a freeway specically to keep the blacks and hispanics on one side!
Obesity--Obviously those that feel this way have never left Austin. There are TONS of fat people walking around Austin, far more than Dallas. Houston is probably about the same in my opinion.
Sprawl--Again, dallas and Houston are far bigger cities, so of course they are going to sprawl more. Austin sprawls like CRAZY for a smaller city of it's size.
Plainness of city--Are we talking about the hillbilly country again? Yes Austin does have some hills west of it, but other than that, Austin is a flat, extremely boring city. Many SUBURBS of Dallas and Houston offer more than Austin.
Pollution--Once again, Dallas and Houston are much larger metro areas so the pollution will be worse. Austin does a TON of polluting (of course, all hidden by the media campaigns) Nothing pollutes more than giant SUV's sitting and traffic and no city in this state does it better than Austin.
Lack of Education--Dallas and Houston for many universities and colleges throughout the metro area. Austin has ONE of any significance. University of Texas.
Traffic- Austin has the worst congestion of any medium size metro area in the country. Neither Dallas NOR Houston ranks at the top of large metro areas with regards to traffic congestion.
Climate- That really depends upon what you consider to be nice. Houston is FAR milder in the winter than Austin or Dallas, but also more Humid in the summer. All three cities have among the most miserable climates in the country without a doubt.
Educated population? Most North Dallas suburbs have and over 40% college graduate percentage. (greater than austins 35%) Both Houston and Dallas have significantly more wealthy residents than Austin does (mainy west Houston, and north dallas)
Austin is more scenic? How? Because of the hillbilly country and some hills to the west?? Oh man, the amount of mileage people in this area get off of the "hillbilly" country.
Once again, this is the "Austinude" talking again. The arrogance and denial of the people in this area never ceases to amaze me!! Thats ok, just keep wearing your orange shirts and your #4 = #1 shirts!!
As usual, your poor understanding of totals vs. rates makes your post inaccurate.
Austin has lower crime RATES (per capita). It doesn't matter how large or small a city is. The crime rates, not total crimes, tell the story. Austin is far safer than most similar or larger cities.
Regardless of the number of actual universities in the area, Austin has a more educated population. The higher per capita income is a clear indicator of this. Add up the enrollment of universities in Dallas and I bet per capita Dallas is under-represented. You have SMU, TCU, UT-D, UT-A, and what else? Houston has 6000 students at Rice, and 40K at U of H. Are you going to brag about Texas Southern?
Why do you justify more pollution for Dallas and Houston because they are larger? Why are so many smaller cities in California more polluted? What matters is ONLY that Austin air quality is pretty darn good, measured by reputable sources.
You cherry pick to justify your opinions. It is funny to me that you think north Dallas suburbs have more to offer. More what? Are you going to tell me that Southlake or Frisco or Highland Park are somehow clearly superior to West Lake, Steiner, or Lakeway?
What about schools? Dallas ISD may be the worst big school district in Texas. Houston ISD is right behind. AISD has many problems too, but it hasn't committed financial fraud, fired superintendents or tried to lower testing standards.
Dallas and Houston are great for some people, and Austin is great for others. But ignoring or distorting the data does no one any good at all.
Some people might be overusing or generalizing. To my knowledge, Austitude is something more extreme and even insular, rather than a righteous indignation as in the SXSW example. Urban Dictionary: Austintude
either way it all sounds pretty ridiculous to me.
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People are equally friendly in each city, and also lots of other smaller cities and towns. Austin doesn't hold the trophy for that. I sometimes wonder if Austitude comes from people who really haven't spent a significant amount of time in other texas areas. A small group probably has and just really likes Central Texas more than the others.
