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Like I said before, some people have no other choice to stay where they are because they cannot afford to move anywhere else. They are economically locked into the city they live in and don't have a viable alternative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasGirl@Heart
Because I do think that Austin is a great place to live--MY OPINION! If you don't think it is, then move! It's really that simple.
I don't present myself as someone who does/deals drugs. I've never used drugs in my entire life! I mean, I smoked the occasional joint when I was a teenager, but that was over 30 some years ago! I have plenty of friends in Austin who do not do or deal drugs.
You really sound unhappy there in Austin. Why do you stay?
Location: Pittsburgh--Home of the 6 time Super Bowl Champions!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thedude72
Like I said before, some people have no other choice to stay where they are because they cannot afford to move anywhere else. They are economically locked into the city they live in and don't have a viable alternative.
But I would think that you could move somewhere else in Texas that would not be so expensive. Austin can be expensive. It's really sad that you are so unhappy in Austin. I honestly feel bad for you. I am sad living here in Pittsburgh and cannot move unless my house sells. So I know the feeling of wanting to live elsewhere when one can't. I truly hope you find your oasis--a place where you are happy and can build great relationships with others who are more of your mindset.
I honestly do have several friends in Austin who don't do/deal drugs! Maybe you are just hanging out in the wrong places. What is your age range? Are you hanging out on 6th St? Just curious... You don't have to answer if you don't want to.
Last edited by TexasGirl@Heart; 03-11-2009 at 06:25 PM..
Reason: spelling
But I would think that you could move somewhere else in Texas that would not be so expensive. Austin can be expensive. It's really sad that you are so unhappy in Austin. I honestly feel bad for you. I am sad living here in Pittsburgh and cannot move unless my house sells. So I know the feeling of wanting to live elsewhere when one can't. I truly hope you find your oasis--a place where you are happy and can build great relationships with others who are more of your mindset.
I honestly do have several friends in Austin who don't do/deal drugs! Maybe you are just hanging out in the wrong places. What is your age range? Are you hanging out on 6th St? Just curious... You don't have to answer if you don't want to.
As long as you don't make a utopia out of Austin, Boulder, San Diego, Portland, or other highly touted places, you can be very happy in them. I wasn't when I first moved to Austin, but I got over my infatuation stage, and was never the same since.....so many pine from afar, thinking places like Austin, like Obi Wan Kenobi, are their only hope. With apologies to George Lucas, you can make a hell of heaven, or a heaven of hell,.... even Pittsburgh...its all a state of mind......
Location: Pittsburgh--Home of the 6 time Super Bowl Champions!
11,310 posts, read 12,372,237 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inthecut
As long as you don't make a utopia out of Austin, Boulder, San Diego, Portland, or other highly touted places, you can be very happy in them. I wasn't when I first moved to Austin, but I got over my infatuation stage, and was never the same since.....so many pine from afar, thinking places like Austin, like Obi Wan Kenobi, are their only hope. With apologies to George Lucas, you can make a hell of heaven, or a heaven of hell,.... even Pittsburgh...its all a state of mind......
Very true. I agree with you. A place is what you make it. I lived happily in Pittsburgh for over 20 years. I just no longer want to live here. The cold winters have taken their toll on me and the older I get the more I want away from cold weather states.
Austin fits my needs and wants at this time in my life. I also know Austin very well--I know her pros and cons. I've been visiting Austin since 1994.
Thanks for your comment and thank you for your service as a police officer. I lived in Austin as a 5th grader at Travis Heights Elementary in 1965 and a a college student in the middle 70s. I worked my way thorugh college and was not an intellectual wantabe. I loved it both times. My wife and I may retire there in a few years. We love to come up from San Antonio to visit on weekends. If people don't like Austin they can do themselves and Austinites a favor and leave.
I live in Austin and I think it's a great place. I lived in Iowa for the first 26 years of my life and I am SO glad to be out of Iowa!
Like any city, Austin has its trade-offs, but overall it's a very nice city.
Austin is not growing at a stupendous rate, but it is growing at a decent pace. The current population of the city itself is around 3/4 million, and if you include the suburbs, it probably is approaching 1 million.
The weather is nice (well, it has been over 100 almost every day for the last month, but that's a Texas summer for ya). It is moderate in the winter and it is often sunny even in winter.
Live music is a big thing here. Most bars on 6th street (one of the main bar areas in town) have live music most nights. Just about any type of music you could want - rock, jazz, country.
Austin has the University of Texas, which has 50,000 students here. I think that's a big reason why Austin stays a nice place. I think UT helps keep the city alive.
We do have a lot of nice parks, but I don't know if we're better than other similarly-sized cities. We have five lakes in the area. We are on the edge of what's called The Hill Country, which is fairly hilly land. The Hill Country is pretty famous for wildflowers in the spring. I have been on many wildflower picture-taking trips and have many photos of fields of wildflowers that extend as far as the eye can see. A good wildflower year is wonderful!
Traffic sucks, big-time. Austin has not planned well for growth over the years and they're playing catch-up now. The 183 overpass, the Ben White overpass, and Mopac all help, but traffic just simply sucks. I don't know that other cities of it's size have a lot better traffic, and as bad as Austin traffic is, Houston traffic is much, much worse just because Houston is a huge city - the city itself has a population of over 2 million, and I'm sure the suburbs add a lot of addition population too.
Austin has a lot of outdoor activities because it is sunny and warm so much of the year. If you like outdoor activies, Austin is great.
Austin is also THE "liberal oasis" in Texas. Texas is very conservative overall - with the exception of Austin. Austin (and all of Travis County) is pretty liberal, but once you get into some of the suburbs in Williamson County, things start to get pretty conservative. If you want a liberal city, Austin is great. Austin does have a pretty large gay population, but doesn't have any gay neighborhoods like Houston or Dallas. If you want a conservative city, Dallas might be a better choice.
Housing in Austin proper is not inexpensive. My property in central Austin has tripled in value over the 12 or 13 years I've lived here. That's good for the homeowner, but not so good for the home buyer. Unfortunately, my property taxes have tripled in that time too! If you want inexpensive housing, the suburbs are the way to go. You pay for the convenience of living in the middle of the city.
I love our parks, the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, I love 6th street (they close it off to cars on the weekends and it becomes "party street" with lots of people all around, having a good time). I love the Hill Country (it's pretty, especially in the spring), I love Fredricksburg (a small town an hour-and-a-half from here that has some interesting shops, restaurants, and a great bakery!). I love Kerbey Lane Cafe - open 24 hours, 365 days a week. I love the Oasis. I love the County Line BBQ - on the Hill and on the Lake. I love listening to live jazz at the Elephant Room. downtown. We have plenty of good to great Mexican/Tex-Mex food - Fonda San Miguel, Curra's Grill, Manuel's, Mangia Pizza, Conan's Pizza, etc. Austin is such a great place a lot of people here say, "don't tell other people what a nice place Austin is - they'll just move here!".
I don't know that we're no. 1, but we probably do deserve to be on the top ten list of mid-sized cities.
I have little, if anything, positive to say about Houston. As far as I'm concerned, the world would be a better place if Houston fell into the Gulf!
I live in Austin and I think it's a great place. I lived in Iowa for the first 26 years of my life and I am SO glad to be out of Iowa!
Like any city, Austin has its trade-offs, but overall it's a very nice city.
Austin is not growing at a stupendous rate, but it is growing at a decent pace. The current population of the city itself is around 3/4 million, and if you include the suburbs, it probably is approaching 1 million.
The weather is nice (well, it has been over 100 almost every day for the last month, but that's a Texas summer for ya). It is moderate in the winter and it is often sunny even in winter.
Live music is a big thing here. Most bars on 6th street (one of the main bar areas in town) have live music most nights. Just about any type of music you could want - rock, jazz, country.
Austin has the University of Texas, which has 50,000 students here. I think that's a big reason why Austin stays a nice place. I think UT helps keep the city alive.
We do have a lot of nice parks, but I don't know if we're better than other similarly-sized cities. We have five lakes in the area. We are on the edge of what's called The Hill Country, which is fairly hilly land. The Hill Country is pretty famous for wildflowers in the spring. I have been on many wildflower picture-taking trips and have many photos of fields of wildflowers that extend as far as the eye can see. A good wildflower year is wonderful!
Traffic sucks, big-time. Austin has not planned well for growth over the years and they're playing catch-up now. The 183 overpass, the Ben White overpass, and Mopac all help, but traffic just simply sucks. I don't know that other cities of it's size have a lot better traffic, and as bad as Austin traffic is, Houston traffic is much, much worse just because Houston is a huge city - the city itself has a population of over 2 million, and I'm sure the suburbs add a lot of addition population too.
Austin has a lot of outdoor activities because it is sunny and warm so much of the year. If you like outdoor activies, Austin is great.
Austin is also THE "liberal oasis" in Texas. Texas is very conservative overall - with the exception of Austin. Austin (and all of Travis County) is pretty liberal, but once you get into some of the suburbs in Williamson County, things start to get pretty conservative. If you want a liberal city, Austin is great. Austin does have a pretty large gay population, but doesn't have any gay neighborhoods like Houston or Dallas. If you want a conservative city, Dallas might be a better choice.
Housing in Austin proper is not inexpensive. My property in central Austin has tripled in value over the 12 or 13 years I've lived here. That's good for the homeowner, but not so good for the home buyer. Unfortunately, my property taxes have tripled in that time too! If you want inexpensive housing, the suburbs are the way to go. You pay for the convenience of living in the middle of the city.
I love our parks, the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, I love 6th street (they close it off to cars on the weekends and it becomes "party street" with lots of people all around, having a good time). I love the Hill Country (it's pretty, especially in the spring), I love Fredricksburg (a small town an hour-and-a-half from here that has some interesting shops, restaurants, and a great bakery!). I love Kerbey Lane Cafe - open 24 hours, 365 days a week. I love the Oasis. I love the County Line BBQ - on the Hill and on the Lake. I love listening to live jazz at the Elephant Room. downtown. We have plenty of good to great Mexican/Tex-Mex food - Fonda San Miguel, Curra's Grill, Manuel's, Mangia Pizza, Conan's Pizza, etc. Austin is such a great place a lot of people here say, "don't tell other people what a nice place Austin is - they'll just move here!".
I don't know that we're no. 1, but we probably do deserve to be on the top ten list of mid-sized cities.
I have little, if anything, positive to say about Houston. As far as I'm concerned, the world would be a better place if Houston fell into the Gulf!
Austin indeed is a great mid-sized city....so is Indianapolis, Nashville, Portland, Charlotte, and a few others......I like it because it skews young age-wise, and derives much of its energy/creativity from the same....note the others have better traffic flow and at least one major-league sports team.......still debatable if Austin can get much bigger relying solely on UT for its sports....no metro even close to its size relies on its university solely.....Columbus comes closest, but even they have an NHL team....
Now, per traffic, could be Austin's achilles heel growth wise....and I'm talking about the main road arteries, not the interstates..Austin just ranked near the bottom for per capita accidents.....when the buzz gets out about such "growth issues", it may not gleam so good for relos .....
Good to great buzz is very hard to create.....hard to destroy once created...but very hard to build back up once ruined....
Austin indeed is a great mid-sized city....so is Indianapolis, Nashville, Portland, Charlotte, and a few others......I like it because it skews young age-wise, and derives much of its energy/creativity from the same....note the others have better traffic flow and at least one major-league sports team.......still debatable if Austin can get much bigger relying solely on UT for its sports....no metro even close to its size relies on its university solely.....Columbus comes closest, but even they have an NHL team....
Now, per traffic, could be Austin's achilles heel growth wise....and I'm talking about the main road arteries, not the interstates..Austin just ranked near the bottom for per capita accidents.....when the buzz gets out about such "growth issues", it may not gleam so good for relos .....
Good to great buzz is very hard to create.....hard to destroy once created...but very hard to build back up once ruined....
Austin doesn't rely solely on the Horns for sports.
Austin is big-time Spurs country and big-time Cowboys country. It's too close to SA to ever get an NBA team and too big a market to Jerry Jones to ever get an NFL team (unless he lets SA get a team, in which case it would split between the Cowboys and SA).
Baseball is mostly Astros country (less than 3 hours away) + Triple A ball in the Express and Horns baseball--seems like plenty.
Hockey is largely irrelevant in Central Texas, but the Dallas Stars are 3 hours away and the Cedar Park Stars are starting off next season.
Austin doesn't rely solely on the Horns for sports.
Austin is big-time Spurs country and big-time Cowboys country. It's too close to SA to ever get an NBA team and too big a market to Jerry Jones to ever get an NFL team (unless he lets SA get a team, in which case it would split between the Cowboys and SA).
Baseball is mostly Astros country (less than 3 hours away) + Triple A ball in the Express and Horns baseball--seems like plenty.
Hockey is largely irrelevant in Central Texas, but the Dallas Stars are 3 hours away and the Cedar Park Stars are starting off next season.
Watch local Austin sports news on cable/tv......almost ALWAYS, it is on something UT orientated.....I'm talking about something IN the city with an Austin name on it, where you can locally attend as well...and something the city can get behind and bond with...which will also make it far easier for outsiders without Texas roots to bond with(re all the teams you mentioned are Texas ones)......
Do we really need a pro team? NO........BUT, as sports crazy as most men under 35 are, and the huge demographic of the same in Austin, perhaps it is unfair not to give them collectively something local to root for besides the horns.....again, particularly if they are not from here, and didn't go to UT......
Otherwise, we are simply the largest "College Town" in the US....
Dallas isn't really conservative. If it was so very conservative why would it have a gayborhood and events and festivals for liberals?
In Dallas and Houston people are far more independent which is the good thing about having some levels of conservatism and their lives don't center around the big huge burnt orange brick factory. Statism comes to mind for some reason when I think of Austin. Good ole' statism.
Also in any major city you can do outdoors activities, it's not exclusive just to Austin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdevick
Austin has a lot of outdoor activities because it is sunny and warm so much of the year. If you like outdoor activies, Austin is great.
Austin is also THE "liberal oasis" in Texas. Texas is very conservative overall - with the exception of Austin. Austin (and all of Travis County) is pretty liberal, but once you get into some of the suburbs in Williamson County, things start to get pretty conservative. If you want a liberal city, Austin is great. Austin does have a pretty large gay population, but doesn't have any gay neighborhoods like Houston or Dallas.If you want a conservative city, Dallas might be a better choice.
Last edited by artsyguy; 07-12-2009 at 12:04 PM..
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I've been visiting Austin since 1994. 
Re: Is Austin as great as the top 10 lists say?
