Most overhyped US City? (Houston, Austin: homes, employment, neighborhoods)

[coog78]

Is Austin the most overhyped city in America?

Austin has a world class university with the University of Texas and an extensive live music scene and many huge music festivals (SXSW, Austin City Limits).

The media gives Austin great coverage and it is ranked highly in many publications.

Some say it is overhyped and not everything it is made out to be.

What is your opinion of Austin? What do you love/hate about it? What does it not have you wish it did?

[HappyTexan]

It's a nice place but it's not the utopia that all the magazines make it out to be.
I take those "top 10" with a grain of salt.

[atlanta hope]

Apparently it isn't the "Silicon Valley of the South" that I thought it was. I wish it had more jobs that paid better.

[Biscuits]

Originally Posted by atlanta hope

Apparently it isn't the "Silicon Valley of the South" that I thought it was. I wish it had more jobs that paid better.

It is a simple supply and demand issue regarding your skill-set. What can you offer an Austin employer that a thousand other local techies can not?

[sallyransom]

My opinion is that Austin is not all people try to make it out to be. I love the nature and how active people are but can't stand how hard it is to make genuine friendships here. Too many people want to party with extremely large crowds and get drunk out of their skulls...Seems like this is the activity of choice. I also wish there were better paying jobs, more jobs available, more diversity, cheaper homes near Zilker.

[Mckellyb]

Like any other list, it focuses on things which may or may not be important to you.

Any place on the planet, cannot be the 'best place' because that place differs from person to person.

Love to ski? You're not going to dig on Hawaii. Love the coast? Avoid Colorado. Love the mountains? Georgia's southern hospitality isn't going to cut it.

[jread]

Originally Posted by atlanta hope

Apparently it isn't the "Silicon Valley of the South" that I thought it was. I wish it had more jobs that paid better.

Not sure what would be the Silicon Valley of the South. To me, the "South" (culturally) ends somewhere around Houston. Austin has a lot more in common with the Southwest.

[mlassoff]

Austin is definitly the most overhyped city in the country. If world class universities is the baseline, many cities have MORE than 1 world class university. And many cities that would never make a top anything list have them as well (New Haven)...

Those lists are designed to increase circulation in cities with desirable demographics.

[jwb123]

Apparently it isn't the "Silicon Valley of the South" that I thought it was. I wish it had more jobs that paid better.

Didn't you say you wouldn't look at Dell, and other similar employers because you wanted to live in a particular area? Maybe you are limiting yourself too much? Dell is a huge employer here.

[america_dude]

I don't know if it's the most overhyped city in America, but I have to agree with what some people have already said. There are many pluses to this city (music, food, nature and relatively low cost of living rank high on the list), but among the minuses:

- Often hard to find employment because you're competing with 50,000 UT students (not to mention the graduates)
- Lower pay (see above), especially in media because this is Neilsen market #51.
- No real walking neighborhoods, at least non on par with East Coast. Which means it's...
- ...harder to meet people because everyone goes from home to car to destination to car to home. Repeat.
- Hard to have drinks at a show unless you live downtown, pay big bucks for a cab, take forever on the bus, or drive drunk (Obviously stupid, and way too many people do this).
- Unimpressive public transit system.
- Painfully oppressive summer heat that never seems to let up.

But hey, this is Austin. It's still a cool city. And it's got a lot going on for it. Never buy into the hype. It's what you make of it, and Austin gives you a lot to work with.