Lots of bashing... Strange reasons?

[CarnivalGal]

To me, character means diversity. Houses that don't all look the same (or very similar), many ethnic groups celebrating their heritage, etc. I think Austin lacks a lot of that. Part of that is due to the fact that it's just not a very big city. It's also not a very old city, relatively speaking. Cities on the east coast have been largely populated for a much longer time, and therefore have had a longer time to develop.

And although there is a large minority population in Austin, much of it is made up of the SAME minority. Not very diverse. Even the white population up north is more diverse - there are large Polish, Italian, Russian, German, etc. populations, all with their traditions, food, music etc. You don't have a lot of that here.

[CarnivalGal]

And I also wanted to add, I lived in Philadelphia for nearly 20 years, and I never, ever saw or heard a tornado warning until I moved to Texas. And the first time I did, I was scared to death. I pictured the Wizard of Oz. I thought for sure I was going to die. And of course I didn't have a basement, so I started panicking because I didn't know where to go.

So, yes, they may get a tornado here or there in the Northeast, but they are pretty rare, and much rarer than the states in the middle of the country. That's like saying it snows in Austin. Well, yes, every decade or so, we'll get an inch, but it's not the blizzards they get in the Northeast.

[love roses]

There's a thread over in the Texas forum about this. Most Overhyped City...Dallas, Houston, Austin, or San Antonio? Austin is winning, hands down.

[newlyweds_dfw]

I left Austin in 2002 and doubt I would ever return because of the negative changes so many people have mentioned, that I witnessed in action. Currently my husband and I are looking for housing near downtown Fort Worth, a much more well-rounded downtown than that of Austin (and not overrun with drunk college kids), with the following close by: world-class museums, botanical gardens, park-like zoo, university arts and the Stockyards. The housing in central Fort Worth was threatening to become a bubble but the current recession has put prices in check. A very worthwhile area to check out.