NYT say affordability is driving the middle class inland (Austin: apartment, home)

[centralaustinite]

Austin is mentioned, of course, but the focus of the piece is Oklahoma City. The last paragraph is priceless!

"Of course, some of the fastest-growing cities, like Austin, may become victims of their own success as new people crowd in. Bill Curtis, an affluent petroleum geologist, has lived there since 1976, when it was known for little more than legislative wheeling and dealing and college football. On a recent day, he was unhappily contemplating traffic from his high-rise apartment. “They’ve screwed this town up so royally, it’s unbelievable,” he said.But Mr. Curtis has a solution. He’s moving to Oklahoma City."

http://nyti.ms/1opGxFH

When we were last in OKC, the kids all mentioned that it felt like Austin.

[gpurcell]

I's definitely consider cashing out and moving home to Kansas City if the right situation presented itself.

[Shredding_Gnar78]

great article. I vaguely remember Warren Buffett saying that the middle of the country would see a great population explosion, fueled by affordability. (not so much fleeing from broken infrastructure tho)

I think that I heard the term "opportunity belt" thrown out there... describing cities in the center of the country.

Austin is obviously showing what it will be like in in the next decade, and I'm sure the downtown will cater to an upper-middle class demographic. The rest of the surrounding area is looking to be maturing in development, and from there it will spread further.

Maybe if we had more business complexes in cities like Leander it would localize some of this expansion

[austin-steve]

Maybe, just as a lot of Okies moved west during the Dust Bowl and inhabited places like Bakersfield CA (and gave us Buck Owens and the "Bakersfield sound"), lots of us Austinites can migrate to OKC fleeing the "Cost Bowl".

It has friendly people, low property taxes (though there is an income tax, and vehicle and other annual taxes), adequate entertainment and recreation, and pragmatic government. I'm not sure I'd want to be exposed to tornado season and the cold snaps that come through though.

But I have to admit, as my wife and I approach retirement age, I said to her before our most recent move back to SW Austin, "you know, if we moved someplace cheaper, like OKC, we could retire right now".

She's not ready to leave Austin. Me neither. But I'm getting ready to get ready, and I'll probably more readier after my property tax visit to TCAD later this month. We're waiting I guess to see where the kids end up after college though, before doing anything drastic.

All my Dad's side of the family is from OK, 9 brothers and sisters, so I have a lot of relatives there and they are all truly the nicest people and don't seem caught up in any sort of rat race.

Steve

[Trainwreck20]

There are some really nice, inexpensive places in Arkansas, as well, that we might consider some day in the future....

[capcat]

I've been hearing a lot about Arkansas. Someplace I'd never considered, but the talk is piquing my interest, one of several places lately.

[orngkat]

I saw that article too and thought the comment in the last paragraph was spot on. We will be leaving too and headed north.
I am counting the days to get out of this congested city....

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

There are some really nice, inexpensive places in Arkansas, as well, that we might consider some day in the future....

Originally Posted by capcat

I've been hearing a lot about Arkansas. Someplace I'd never considered, but the talk is piquing my interest, one of several places lately.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[Eastcoasting]

So let me get this straight everyone complains about outsiders coming here and ruining the place, traffic, sprawl, affluenza, COL, etc...so the obvious response is to pull up stakes and become the very outsiders that you despise?

[scm53]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

Maybe, just as a lot of Okies moved west during the Dust Bowl and inhabited places like Bakersfield CA (and gave us Buck Owens and the "Bakersfield sound"), lots of us Austinites can migrate to OKC fleeing the "Cost Bowl".

It has friendly people, low property taxes (though there is an income tax, and vehicle and other annual taxes), adequate entertainment and recreation, and pragmatic government. I'm not sure I'd want to be exposed to tornado season and the cold snaps that come through though.

Steve

If I were to move to OK, I'd move to Tulsa. Terrain is more interesting, better shopping, better museums - all in all, more upscale than OKC.

But I'm not ever moving back to OK, so there's that. . If we were to leave Austin, it would probably only be for the Florida gulf coast.