Moving to Austin from San Antonio (Howe, Spur: neighborhood, buying, living)

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by L3XVS

but in Texas atleast, I think Austin proves to be very diverse in many ways excluding racial.

- Racially it's diversifying too.

And you think San Antonio is diverse? The city is sixty five percent Hispanic, and the the rest is white, with a small smattering of black and Asian residents. In San Antonio it seems as though you're either a "Jose six-pack" or a "King of the Hill country-fed Bubba".

Part of the reason may be that most of the San Antonio Metropolitan Area is in the City of San Antonio; the city is now the second largest in the state after Houston - But that is because it annexed lots of land.

L3: Do you think the presence of the military encourages homogenized culture in San Antonio?

[L3XVS]

Yes, I do. That and the fact that a lot of San Antonio is made up the same people who are born there, live there their whole lives, and die there without ever experiencing anything outside of San Antonio. It's the weirdest thing.....

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Sadly, Hamiltons Pool like most natural pools, even Lake Travis, is often polluted after any heavy rain to the point where it is not considered safe for swimming. Heavy rain carries pollution and bacteria in its run off into the creeks and streams which pollutes the swimming holes. It usually clears up after a week or so.

Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve, Travis County, Texas

Lake Travis is rarely remotely close to unsafe. Only during FLOODS has its water quality dropped to a point of concern.

I have lived in the LT area since 1985 and pay a lot of attention to the water quality.

Hamilton Pool is definitely affected by heavy rains.

[artsyguy]

Are you really talking about Austin because everybody there dresses in regular clothes. I didn't see anybody trying to be different. You see a lot of white people with the exact same interests and appearance.

Mom N' Pop restaurants and music isn't unique sorry. It could be for you since you were stuck in a city that resembles a city in Mexico.

Originally Posted by L3XVS

I don't see a same-ness among many Austin residents, though. Rather I see a community of people trying to be DIFFERENT, and reject media-fed popular trends...it's everywhere. The music, the style of dress, even the success and large following of non-chain mom n' pop restaurants and grocery stores. It's truly one of the most unique cities in this country.

[citizen000483]

dude we get it, you are a freak and everyone who seems 'normal' you bash... san antonio and austin are both great cities

[love roses]

I'm starting to think he has a point. It's more and more common for people here to say "East of 35 is bad, West is best" moreso than I've ever heard, even when I lived in Houston and vacationed here. There are a lot of people who dress the same, but there is a decent mix even outside of Austin. I can go to any of the little towns around here and find yuppy types, goths, punks, tattooed and pierced moms, etc...same as I could in Austin. The Mom and Pop angle isn't unique either, you can find lots of mom and pops throughout the state. The music angle isn't really unique per se because Memphis and Nashville are also music capitals, but I do enjoy all the great musicians and bands that come through here and I'm glad it's a "music based" city. One of the things that I think does make it stand out, even from Houston and Dallas, is how much green space is kept even when building things...or at least is fought to keep. I get concrete glare when I go visit the in laws in Katy because they literally raze everything green and dump concrete on it. Here they leave trees in parking lots and property perimeters and in the medians when possible.

[SweethomeSanAntonio]

Another one of these threads, one I won't even bother with.

[TPSpecialist]

sorry - accidental post

[adtobias]

L3X you are better off in austin

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Lake Travis is rarely remotely close to unsafe. Only during FLOODS has its water quality dropped to a point of concern.

I have lived in the LT area since 1985 and pay a lot of attention to the water quality.

Hamilton Pool is definitely affected by heavy rains.

That is what I was trying to say but perhaps was not clear.

Heavy rains wash fecal choliform and other contaminants off of the land and into the creeks, polluting them. That same water runs downt he creeks and into the lakes, polluting them. Heavy rains over a large area can result in flooding and concentrations of these contaminants in the Lake Travis

I have had a sailboat on Lake Travis since 1981, so I too pay attention to what is happening out there with the water levels and safety advisories. I have gotten several ear infections and a badly infected cut on my foot from swimming in Lake Travis. Regardless, most of the time I consider it safe.

However, when you have parties like this photo in Devils Cove July 4, you can pretty much count on the water being polluted and unsafe.

Water recreation and safety