Are people in Austin"scared" of going into San Antonio and further south? (Houston: cheap house, college)

[ScoPro]

There is no removal of background checks, just the license requirement for law-abiding eligible citizens to carry a handgun around in permitted places.

[walker1962]

I disagree Austin isn't a touristy destination. Yes it doesn't have the Riverwalk, Seaworld and Six Flags but does have:
1. The lakes and swimming holes
2. Golfing:
3. Spas,
4. Kalahari resort
5. Biking;
6. SXSW
7. ACL Musicfest
8. Foodie culture/bbq
9. Formula 1 Grand Prix/music.
10. scenery of the hills.
11. MLS Soccer.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Racism. White Chads and Trixies (now Karens) are afraid of leaving their white bubble of Austin. Heavily Hispanic San Antonio is pretty foreign to White Anglo-Saxon Protestants; the Spanish language, Catholic culture, and spicy (Tex-)Mexican food evokes xenophobia.

Also the reason the tech bros decided to set up in Austin instead of San Antonio, despite comparable cheap electricity, cost-of-living, population, etc.

This I disagree with. A big reason Tech came to Austin and not SA or Houston or DFW or many other cities is IBM first came here and government contracting. Also Rear Admiral Bobby Inman led a IT incubator back in the late 1980s. Then you had UT Student Michael Dell start his fledging company here. I think SA is a good city but ATX is the state capital and imo has better scenery. San Antonio hasn't always been as heavily Latin as can been seen in the names of several streets. Also, SA has a lot of military based economy and doesn't have a flagship, wealthy, world-known State University.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by walker1962

I disagree Austin isn't a touristy destination. Yes it doesn't have the Riverwalk, Seaworld and Six Flags but does have:
1. The lakes and swimming holes
2. Golfing:
3. Spas,
4. Kalahari resort
5. Biking;
6. SXSW
7. ACL Musicfest
8. Foodie culture/bbq
9. Formula 1 Grand Prix/music.
10. scenery of the hills.
11. MLS Soccer.

And occasionally, every other decade, a pretty good Longhorn football team.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by walker1962

This I disagree with. A big reason Tech came to Austin and not SA or Houston or DFW or many other cities is IBM first came here and government contracting. Also Rear Admiral Bobby Inman led a IT incubator back in the late 1980s. Then you had UT Student Michael Dell start his fledging company here. I think SA is a good city but ATX is the state capital and imo has better scenery. San Antonio hasn't always been as heavily Latin as can been seen in the names of several streets. Also, SA has a lot of military based economy and doesn't have a flagship, wealthy, world-known State University.

Government contracting is alive and well in San Antonio. People retire to San Antonio for government contracting jobs. It’s federal contracts, not state though. Good point on IBM, though. It only takes one company. SA thought Rackspace would do that for SA. It clearly didn’t work. SA also has USAA as headquarters and H‑E‑B.

[cheeva]

UT + State Capital = Austin > San Antonio.

Everything else cascaded from there. Demographics is destiny.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by cheeva

UT + State Capital = Austin > San Antonio.

Everything else cascaded from there. Demographics is destiny.

yeah whatever. to an austin homer, perhaps. i like san antonio more, along with its "demographics"...

[Need4Camaro]

Austin is 'different' than San Antonio is how it is better put. San Antonio does have advantages over Austin (and similarly vice versa). They have way better infrastructure than we have, no toll roads, it is not as politically incited, has more culture, and more venues for recreational/touristic getaways.

Austin is mainly focused on high-end development & high-end income classes as well as the tech sector and this is good stuff but it doesn't necessarily make us 'better' than the people in San Antonio by any margin.

[whereiend]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Austin is 'different' than San Antonio is how it is better put. San Antonio does have advantages over Austin (and similarly vice versa). They have way better infrastructure than we have, no toll roads, it is not as politically incited, has more culture, and more venues for recreational/touristic getaways.

Austin is mainly focused on high-end development & high-end income classes as well as the tech sector and this is good stuff but it doesn't necessarily make us 'better' than the people in San Antonio by any margin.

How does San Antonio have "more" culture?

Austin's culture is pretty much unique in Texas, outside of a few much smaller places like Marfa, maybe Denton. The culture and the (also unique within Texas) geography are literally the only two reasons Austin has grown the way it has. For 50+ years various students came to Austin from other cities in Texas, decided they liked Austin more, and then chose to stay in Austin despite lesser economic prospects in comparison to DFW and Houston. To the point that Austin has been pretty much the nation's very fastest growing major city for 30 years running. There is no way that happens if Austin does not have a unique culture.

But yes, Austin is much more white-collar than San Antonio, and always has been. I don't see that ever changing.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by whereiend

How does San Antonio have "more" culture?

Austin's culture is pretty much unique in Texas, outside of a few much smaller places like Marfa, maybe Denton. The culture and the (also unique within Texas) geography are literally the only two reasons Austin has grown the way it has. For 50+ years various students came to Austin from other cities in Texas, decided they liked Austin more, and then chose to stay in Austin despite lesser economic prospects in comparison to DFW and Houston. To the point that Austin has been pretty much the nation's very fastest growing major city for 30 years running. There is no way that happens if Austin does not have a unique culture.

But yes, Austin is much more white-collar than San Antonio, and always has been. I don't see that ever changing.

I don't know about 'more', but the city's Tex-Mex culture defines it and is very strong, with a hint of German.
The city reminds me of New Orleans and I'd consider it unique.

San Antonio is rapidly growing as well and always has been. It is not a city on the decline. You act as if Austin is the diamond city of Texas when it isn't. Texas a whole is growing rapidly.

And generally speaking, this SA vs. Austin thing is flat out silly. They are sister cities as far as I'm concerned. and many others as well. All Texas cities are great in their own right. Austin is not the diamond city of Texas, Texas as a whole is growing.

Wish this city vs. city thing would die already.