Are TOO MANY people moving to Austin? (Houston, Dallas: neighborhood, college)

[AK123]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

God I hope not. I honestly was looking forward to seeing Houston again after all the hoopla about how it's the "new LA" of the South, and how it's changed for the better from what my friends back home told me over the phone.

I get there and it's a plastic city, a Dallas 2.0. The city wasted it's wealth on master planned communities, multi-use development town centres (spelled the Queen's English way), and more luxury BS to make it a mix of Dubai, Vegas, and Dallas.

This makes no sense. First of all, cities don't pay for masterplanned communities; developers do. And these are all on the outskirts or suburb towns, not inside Houston. Most of the new "town centres" are in the suburbs as well.
Basically, what you are describing as "plastic" is all way outside of central Houston, e.g. not in the Loop. There's still lots of "real" and "quirky" in there.

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by AK123

This makes no sense. First of all, cities don't pay for masterplanned communities; developers do. And these are all on the outskirts or suburb towns, not inside Houston. Most of the new "town centres" are in the suburbs as well.
Basically, what you are describing as "plastic" is all way outside of central Houston, e.g. not in the Loop. There's still lots of "real" and "quirky" in there.

Well would I be confined to the inner loop? Because that is essentially what I felt like I would have to do to live in Houston; get a place inside the loop and just stay within that area because I found literally nothing at all that redeeming outside of it. The burbs in Houston are the pits. At least some of the surrounding towns around Austin like Georgetown are nice and eclectic.

I also didn't mean that that city paid for master planned communities just that the city doesn't seem to be more than the administrative arm of the major companies that run it like a fiefdom.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

Well would I be confined to the inner loop? Because that is essentially what I felt like I would have to do to live in Houston; get a place inside the loop and just stay within that area because I found literally nothing at all that redeeming outside of it. The burbs in Houston are the pits. At least some of the surrounding towns around Austin like Georgetown are nice and eclectic.

Austin's suburbs are full of masterplanned communities, hate to break it to you. These are very popular with families. Outside of Georgetown, I doubt you'll find many of the suburbs any more interesting than Houston's suburbs -- Round Rock (similar to Sugar Land or Plano), Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Circle C, etc. So if you find Houston's suburbs "the pits" you'll probably want to stay away from those places as well.

And with the disparaging remarks you've made of the "whiteness" or what not of Richmond/Fulshear, you might be in for something of a shock with parts of Austin.

I'm not telling you not to move there at all... it just seems there may be a little disconnect with reality.

[ericsami]

Originally Posted by scm53

False narrative, mostly spread by charlatans. First, energy, of any kind, is a capital intensive business, not labor intensive. The expensive part is the drilling, not the driller. Energy jobs only account for about 13% of the jobs added in the state in the last decade. Texas' job growth is MUCH more broad based than that.

Second - the weather attracts folks? Have you been here in August?

you evidently don't under the true meaning of some.
a word that does not quantify a number simply suggests that it is greater than zero.

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by AK123

Austin's suburbs are full of masterplanned communities, hate to break it to you. These are very popular with families. Outside of Georgetown, I doubt you'll find many of the suburbs any more interesting than Houston's suburbs -- Round Rock (similar to Sugar Land or Plano), Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Circle C, etc. So if you find Houston's suburbs "the pits" you'll probably want to stay away from those places as well.

And with the disparaging remarks you've made of the "whiteness" or what not of Richmond/Fulshear, you might be in for something of a shock with parts of Austin.

I'm not telling you not to move there at all... it just seems there may be a little disconnect with reality.

I didn't find cedar park to be all that plain jane. It was a typical burb but it had some different stuff. It certainly wasn't a cinco ranch.

Either way I'm not a burb hater. I actually find Sugar Land and the Woodlands interesting places in Houston.

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by AK123

This makes no sense. First of all, cities don't pay for masterplanned communities; developers do. And these are all on the outskirts or suburb towns, not inside Houston. Most of the new "town centres" are in the suburbs as well.
Basically, what you are describing as "plastic" is all way outside of central Houston, e.g. not in the Loop. There's still lots of "real" and "quirky" in there.

The city isn't "paying" for it - the city mandates them and then mines them for tax dollars.

The claim that they are "popular" is completely erroneous. Numerosity does not equate to popularity regardless of whether you are talking about cockroaches, epidemics, or HOAs. Local government mandates ensure that this is the only form of housing allowed. Even worse, the city of Houston attempts to impose HOAs in areas that are not currently burdened with them. Their planning department will provide "pro bono" industry attorneys ready to turn the neighborhood you live in into a dystopian HOA environment complete with totalitarian rule, foreclosure powers, etc.

[kallenfranchise]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

Perhaps we could respectfully request that you take the rest of the uber-trendy hipster trash with you on your way out the door, now that Austin is played out?

I am with you. I have been discouraging people from moving there. Still stuck with the one problem... Texas has been the #1 state for transplants in the past decade.

I would have stayed in Austin if it didn't lose its Southern culture. I don't know what Austin is now.

In the meantime, I'll keep test driving other cities to see if it'll be a good fit for a Southern boy like me.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by kallenfranchise

In the meantime, I'll keep test driving other cities to see if it'll be a good fit for a Southern boy like me.

Short answer: Chattanooga!
(slightly longer answer, OKC)

[RoadWarrior12]

Originally Posted by kallenfranchise

I am with you. I have been discouraging people from moving there. Still stuck with the one problem... Texas has been the #1 state for transplants in the past decade.

I would have stayed in Austin if it didn't lose its Southern culture. I don't know what Austin is now.

In the meantime, I'll keep test driving other cities to see if it'll be a good fit for a Southern boy like me.

Austin was never "Southern". Could have been one of the problems you had.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by kallenfranchise

I would have stayed in Austin if it didn't lose its Southern culture. I don't know what Austin is now.

It's definitely NOT southern, and never was either.