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This is the best post! I love it that you love the state and its people. That's what I'm getting at. It doesn't have to do with native vs transplant but if people adapt to the ethos of keeping things chilled and less pretentious. I think the conditions in NYC make ppl behave a bit jerkish and then a culture of jerkish behavior gets ingrained as being "real" while being nice in a city like NYC is considered suspicious.
I think what makes Austin so friendly (and most of Texas) is the less of a rat race conditions and more space afforded to the residents.
It isn't really a "cultural" thing per se because many many immigrants and transplants love it there and acclimate easily.
I think the paranoia of having Austin and Houston turn into LA and NYC just gives people the willies. Don't take it to heart
Honestly, the stereotype of NY'ers I find is always off. Lived there 20 years, and I count so many as good decent people and friends.
BUT, behavior is contagious, and you can't help take on some of the region's characteristics. And the anonymity of the city, and lack of community encourages people to act that "Jerkish" way.
In Austin it's the same - it's contagious in a good way - someone lets you out, stops to let you into their lane, opens the door, asks you how you are, waves to you, and lo and behold, you lose the big city tunnel vision and feel like you are back in Dublin again. I love it.
Here's a story - in Austin, I pulled into a school by the exit instead of an entrance. A car was coming out, and it was my fault, and we came close to hitting each other. I got it wrong, as new in town. The guy pulled down his window - in NY or NJ, you might have some kind of a argument about to begin. In Austin, the guy said "Don't feel bad man, I've done it myself a thousand times!" and he laughed, as I did too.
Everyone is human down here; and believe me it makes life so much easier.
Honestly, the stereotype of NY'ers I find is always off. Lived there 20 years, and I count so many as good decent people and friends.
BUT, behavior is contagious, and you can't help take on some of the region's characteristics. And the anonymity of the city, and lack of community encourages people to act that "Jerkish" way.
In Austin it's the same - it's contagious in a good way - someone lets you out, stops to let you into their lane, opens the door, asks you how you are, waves to you, and lo and behold, you lose the big city tunnel vision and feel like you are back in Dublin again. I love it.
Here's a story - in Austin, I pulled into a school by the exit instead of an entrance. A car was coming out, and it was my fault, and we came close to hitting each other. I got it wrong, as new in town. The guy pulled down his window - in NY or NJ, you might have some kind of a argument about to begin. In Austin, the guy said "Don't feel bad man, I've done it myself a thousand times!" and he laughed, as I did too.
Everyone is human down here; and believe me it makes life so much easier.
Love it! That's why I can't wait to get back to Texas.
I know tons of NYers here in LA and they're all wonderful. I didn't mean to generalize it's just I know that the conditions in cities like NYC and LA easily cater to make anyone transplant or not a bit peeved. I don't really blame the people, never have and never will. I was just hoping that wherever LA and NYC went wrong with managing their cities I hope Austin doesn't do it too.
I have to say that I am so tired of people on this forum badmouthing out of state residents. It seems to me that the real problem is that Austin is growing like crazy, and has been for years, and growth like that brings both people and change. Some Austin residents don't like change, and it is so easy to blame the newcomers. Obviously, newcomers are no more perfect than anyone else, but they do not move for the purpose of destroying places. So blame the rampant growth of the population, which has to live somewhere. Or blame laws that give developers free reign. Or blame capitalism, which counts growth as only good if it brings profit. There are lots of things you could blame, but all of it is just complaining about change. So if you don't like it, elect people who will advocate no growth and getting back to how it used to be. See how that goes over. But I suggest that you find a nice little town that isn't growing at all, if that's what you like. The pattern for Austin is set; it's going to grow like topsy and people are going to move here to get in on the action. And they will bring their own attitudes and preferences with them. And Austin will continue to change.
Why be anti-growth? I don't know about others on here but I'm not anti-growth. I'm against a certain type of growth that will lead to Austin turning into a bloated mismanaged city. Does the trajectory for all cities have to be San Francisco? Dallas and Houston have been and continue to be low cost big cities with high growth. Things have only marginally gotten higher in prices. It doesn't help that Austin is the most desired spot in Texas because of the hype that it's the liberal oasis in the conservative desert.
Developers will do what is good for the bottom line, not what is good for the city. When you let them do basically whatever they want, there is no control on the kind of growth that happens because there isnt regional planning for infrastructure. Just look at the freeways in Austin, and you will see that planning has been minimal. I have no special insight into how to steer a city toward the "right" kind of growth. I'm just saying that wishing out-of-state people will stay away and resenting them when they do come is ineffectual and degrades the culture of Austin even further.
Developers will do what is good for the bottom line, not what is good for the city. When you let them do basically whatever they want, there is no control on the kind of growth that happens because there isnt regional planning for infrastructure. Just look at the freeways in Austin, and you will see that planning has been minimal. I have no special insight into how to steer a city toward the "right" kind of growth. I'm just saying that wishing out-of-state people will stay away and resenting them when they do come is ineffectual and degrades the culture of Austin even further.
This is so confusing. Which is it? The developers doing what they want without planning or the planners doing too much to restrict the market? I don't get which ruins a city more?
I'm ashamed of the low mentality xenophobia that gets spun at Austin newcomers on this forum. It isn't Texan and it isn't Austin. The people who dish this garbage have either forgotten the ethic of Texas hospitality and Austin's laid back tolerance ... or they never knew it at all because as some others have pointed out, the biggest loud mouthed haters aren't even from here.
We aren't like these bozos and this isn't a representative cross-section. My advice ... log out of this forum and take my assurance that your experiences with real-life native Austinites will be nothing like the garbage you see here on AngryFrightenedBoredPeople.com
I like your post and your attitude. Again ... welcome.
Great post, Wee-Bey. Can you please do me a favor and post it once a week in any random Austin thread (because it will no doubt apply to pretty much all of them)? I promise that I'll Rep it every time.
I have to say that I am so tired of people on this forum badmouthing out of state residents. It seems to me that the real problem is that Austin is growing like crazy, and has been for years, and growth like that brings both people and change. Some Austin residents don't like change, and it is so easy to blame the newcomers. Obviously, newcomers are no more perfect than anyone else, but they do not move for the purpose of destroying places. So blame the rampant growth of the population, which has to live somewhere. Or blame laws that give developers free reign. Or blame capitalism, which counts growth as only good if it brings profit. There are lots of things you could blame, but all of it is just complaining about change. So if you don't like it, elect people who will advocate no growth and getting back to how it used to be. See how that goes over. But I suggest that you find a nice little town that isn't growing at all, if that's what you like. The pattern for Austin is set; it's going to grow like topsy and people are going to move here to get in on the action. And they will bring their own attitudes and preferences with them. And Austin will continue to change.
HA! Nailed it. Drop the mic ... walk away.
People just can't see or accept the big picture. Change is inevitable (unless you prefer stagnation). Some can see that, accept it and roll with it .. others can't so they look for someone to blame. Usually that ends up being the "little people" (in this case the newcomers) who are really nothing more than the effect and not the cause of said change. Austin ASKED for this and I know it because I saw it happen. They begged for it back in the 70s and 80s. Prior to that it was a dusty sun-baked sleepy little college town and seat of state govt. Not a bad thing really but as always people want more prosperity and that means jobs and business growth. In 1982 at the dawn of the micro-computer revolution Austin won the selection process as the site for MCC ... the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation. An R&D consortium and joint venture between major semiconductor players, the military and govt. The objective was for the US to answer the technological threat of the Japanese 5th generation computer. Austin was chosen on the basis of heavy lobbying by city and state govt, the promise of a close research partnership with UT, quality of life etc. It was hoped that MCC would be the seed that would draw high tech to Austin to capitalize on the growing engineering/science expertise at UT and its flow of graduates as well as the brain trust at MCC. It worked. Beyond their wildest dreams. Austin is now a tech mecca second in the US only to the SF bay area.
We got exactly what we wanted and more. Businesses flocked here and along with them came engineers, scientists and other related tech people who made good money. Money that fueled Austin's economy and growth and forever changed the character of the city. This is change based on capitalist market forces set in action almost 50 yrs ago. I want to say to the newcomer and change haters - "You like your nice salaries, low city unemployment, a resilient economy, good schools and an educated populace ... but you resent the newcomers for changing Austin and driving up housing prices?" That's an inconsistent and ignorant point of view. All of those things are in harmony with one another ... all the same ripples from the city's effort to bring prosperity and a new economy to Austin some 50 yrs ago. You can't have your cake and eat it too and money changes everything. Get off the backs of the people who are just riding the ebb and flow of market forces and searching for a good quality of life.
People just can't see or accept the big picture. Change is inevitable (unless you prefer stagnation). Some can see that, accept it and roll with it .. others can't so they look for someone to blame. Usually that ends up being the "little people" (in this case the newcomers) who are really nothing more than the effect and not the cause of said change. Austin ASKED for this and I know it because I saw it happen. They begged for it back in the 70s and 80s. Prior to that it was a dusty sun-baked sleepy little college town and seat of state govt. Not a bad thing really but as always people want more prosperity and that means jobs and business growth. In 1982 at the dawn of the micro-computer revolution Austin won the selection process as the site for MCC ... the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation. An R&D consortium and joint venture between major semiconductor players, the military and govt. The objective was for the US to answer the technological threat of the Japanese 5th generation computer. Austin was chosen on the basis of heavy lobbying by city and state govt, the promise of a close research partnership with UT, quality of life etc. It was hoped that MCC would be the seed that would draw high tech to Austin to capitalize on the growing engineering/science expertise at UT and its flow of graduates as well as the brain trust at MCC. It worked. Beyond their wildest dreams. Austin is now a tech mecca second in the US only to the SF bay area.
We got exactly what we wanted and more. Businesses flocked here and along with them came engineers, scientists and other related tech people who made good money. Money that fueled Austin's economy and growth and forever changed the character of the city. This is change based on capitalist market forces set in action almost 50 yrs ago. I want to say to the newcomer and change haters - "You like your nice salaries, low city unemployment, a resilient economy, good schools and an educated populace ... but you resent the newcomers for changing Austin and driving up housing prices?" That's an inconsistent and ignorant point of view. All of those things are in harmony with one another ... all the same ripples from the city's effort to bring prosperity and a new economy to Austin some 50 yrs ago. You can't have your cake and eat it too and money changes everything. Get off the backs of the people who are just riding the ebb and flow of market forces and searching for a good quality of life.
But how long will that quality of life last? Texas isn't California where you can shrug off the prices and say at least I have the weather, the beach and all the big world class city amenities. If Texas becomes just as expensive it's overpriced.
And for the record I think the paranoia us misdirected at transplants because there is a face to all the complex economic issues that lie underneath.
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