NY Times article on growth of Austin from 1983 (Dallas, Beverly Hills: real estate market, homes)

[psu2pgh]

I came across an interesting article from 1983 on the concerns about the growth of Austin that sounds similar to the same things being said today. Except they were dealing with population growth from 250k to 350k! There seemed to be so much more fear about "keeping things the way they are".

How closely do we resemble what was being feared and predicted at that point?

BOOMING AUSTIN FEARS IT WILL LOSE ITS CHARMS - NYTimes.com

[Antny12]

I just can't wait to stop hearing about Austin loosing its charms. Austin has its quirks but let's be real- and before that I love austin and the austin metro.. not even close to being perfect to "me" however i love it. Austin is another mid sized city. It's location on the map.. in Texas.. it's natural environment will never change. Every city has quirky stores, or places to eat, or was once not as congested, yada yada. Has happened and will continue to happen to every city, town or area that a large number of people think is desirable. Move forward.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by psu2pgh

I came across an interesting article from 1983 on the concerns about the growth of Austin that sounds similar to the same things being said today. Except they were dealing with population growth from 250k to 350k! There seemed to be so much more fear about "keeping things the way they are".

How closely do we resemble what was being feared and predicted at that point?

BOOMING AUSTIN FEARS IT WILL LOSE ITS CHARMS - NYTimes.com

Great find. Thanks for posting. I got here 19 months after the article was written, right before the big real estate market crash in 1986. That slowed growth until around 1992. It's been on a tear ever since.

Steve

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by psu2pgh

I came across an interesting article from 1983 on the concerns about the growth of Austin that sounds similar to the same things being said today. Except they were dealing with population growth from 250k to 350k! There seemed to be so much more fear about "keeping things the way they are".

How closely do we resemble what was being feared and predicted at that point?

BOOMING AUSTIN FEARS IT WILL LOSE ITS CHARMS - NYTimes.com

Thanks for this. That was the year before my daughter, a native Austinite, was born. (Her brother was raised here but was born in Dallas.) Interesting to think back - it was, indeed, going and blowing and losing charms but it was still more Austin quirky than Anywhere, USA. There wasn't as much of a push to make it like every other big city in the country then; people appreciated what they had and didn't want to lose it and wanted to integrate any growth so as to be able to do that. But mammon always speaks loudest, doesn't it?

[austin-steve]

Just for grins, here is an MLS map of all MLS activity for homes built in the year 1983.

Of course it will include a lot of duplicates (if a home sold more than once in the past 20 years), but it's still interesting to see the concentration in South Austin of 1983-built homes. The city actually imposed a moratorium on new builds for a while in the 1980s, and I think it was in 1983.

MLS Search: City=Austin, Status=Any, YearBuilt=1983

[DTXman34]

Originally Posted by Antny12

I just can't wait to stop hearing about Austin loosing its charms. Austin has its quirks but let's be real- and before that I love austin and the austin metro.. not even close to being perfect to "me" however i love it. Austin is another mid sized city. It's location on the map.. in Texas.. it's natural environment will never change. Every city has quirky stores, or places to eat, or was once not as congested, yada yada. Has happened and will continue to happen to every city, town or area that a large number of people think is desirable. Move forward.

Exactly. It's not like certain neighborhoods or areas of the city can't maintain their charm, quirkiness, or personality. Austin as a whole is growing and diversifying. Not every square inch is going to be funky and cool. But keep this in mind: Not all of NYC is defined by Manhattan. Not all of Dallas is defined by Uptown. Not all of LA is defined by Beverly Hills. There are quirky areas, bland areas, ghettos, etc. in every major city. If you really want people to stop moving in, then drop the constant circle jerk of "Austin is the best of the best" and maybe people will stop moving in. Scare off SXSW, ACL, and every other major event. Praise the virtues of other cities and focus on Austin's negatives -- rising COL, horrendous traffic, etc.

You can thank me for being critical of you "shining city on the hill." I've discouraged quite a few very misguided people in real life who wanted to move there. They had NO job lined up or any idea on what to do when they were there. I'm like, "what do you want out of the city?" "What do you plan to do when you're there?" It's not cheap to "find yourself" there anymore! You're welcome.

[pop251808]

Austin, without Austintacious growth, wouldn't be Austin. It would be a hot, bland city in the middle of a hot, flat state in the middle of a large, flat country.
The best thing Austin has going for it are its people, newcomers included. I try to never talk it down to people thinking of moving here. No telling what they'll bring to the table and they're going to make it. Maybe not as cheaply as I did, but they'll make it. Austin is a welcoming place and I hope that never changes.

[Austinite76]

Originally Posted by DTXman34

Exactly. It's not like certain neighborhoods or areas of the city can't maintain their charm, quirkiness, or personality. Austin as a whole is growing and diversifying. Not every square inch is going to be funky and cool. But keep this in mind: Not all of NYC is defined by Manhattan. Not all of Dallas is defined by Uptown. Not all of LA is defined by Beverly Hills. There are quirky areas, bland areas, ghettos, etc. in every major city. If you really want people to stop moving in, then drop the constant circle jerk of "Austin is the best of the best" and maybe people will stop moving in. Scare off SXSW, ACL, and every other major event. Praise the virtues of other cities and focus on Austin's negatives -- rising COL, horrendous traffic, etc.

You can thank me for being critical of you "shining city on the hill." I've discouraged quite a few very misguided people in real life who wanted to move there. They had NO job lined up or any idea on what to do when they were there. I'm like, "what do you want out of the city?" "What do you plan to do when you're there?" It's not cheap to "find yourself" there anymore! You're welcome.

You're literally the only one pushing this theory that Austinites are constantly saying it's the "best of the best". Seriously, take the chip off and read any of the threads on the first page.

Oh, and thanks for keeping those folks in DFW. Moving here without a job or some serious savings is not a great plan.

[DTXman34]

Originally Posted by Austinite76

You're literally the only one pushing this theory that Austinites are constantly saying it's the "best of the best". Seriously, take the chip off and read any of the threads on the first page.

Oh, and thanks for keeping those folks in DFW. Moving here without a job or some serious savings is not a great plan.

They weren't from DFW. PA, OH, & MD.

[Austinite76]

Originally Posted by DTXman34

They weren't from DFW. PA, OH, & MD.

Dang. We don't have enough people from OH and MD. Strange that not many emigrate to TX from there.