Range Rovers, Bottle Service, and Plastic Surgery, Is Austin Changing? (Houston: sales, real estate)

[love roses]

It does have an opposite reputation from those other cities and before Dell was here it truly was that way. It's changing a lot in how many very wealthy people are moving here and building mansions all over the hill country, putting extremely large cruisers in Lake Travis (or small yachts). I hear that even Kerrville is getting pretty expensive. I think maybe Austin needs to change its motto. It's still a bit more laid back than the others, but not by very much. I've noticed a lot of things happening here that happened in Houston while I was in High School as far as....living in the "best" school district (which for here is Eanes/Lake Travis) which are extremely wealthy areas, Everyone just HAS to live West (Houston is very big on "I have to live on the right side of the tracks"), If you live East of 35 you are trashy, redneck, poor, inbred but if you live West of 35 somehow you are enlightened, cosmopolitan, living genius, cooler than everybody, amazing, etc....Sort of like in Houston, if you live in River Oaks, Memorial, some parts of Clear Lake then you are a cut above people in Pasadena, Pearland, Lamarque, etc...(Can't associate with the blue collar working man...) I'd say that about 10 yrs ago and back this didn't happen but I see it frequently now or at the least hear it a lot on these boards. I know not everyone thinks that way, but it does happen more and more.

[jdevelop2]

Just noticed they are building a Ferrari dealership on Lamar.

[orngkat]

I have been here 25 years and YES it has become more pretentious and markedly so. We always used to talk about Dallas being that way but I can't tell much difference anymore. I can recall when many central Austin neighborhoods were full of rental houses inhabited by UT students. Those houses have been torn down or remodeled into show-off houses. There are still plenty of "just folks" but it's just not as comfortable as it used to be.

[TexasHorseLady]

Well, let's put it this way. 20 years ago, the Domain would have been protested. Now, it's just giggled at for how out of place it is in a city like Austin.

Same thing with the huge tall buildings (condos included) downtown. Time was, anyone who lived in Austin or wanted to would understand how pretentious they are, and how out of place. Now, enough people who don't "get" Austin and why it was so desirable in the first place live here and think because it's like that where they came from that it's suitable here, that they exist.

So,yes, in that sense, Austin is being changed by those who come here because they love what the city is and then proceed to try to turn it into something else entirely (as opposed to improving it to make it more like itself, say).

[verybadgnome]

The notion that condos and high rises are inherently pretentious is laughable. That condos are more green than traditional far flung subdivisions is without doubt so in that way they are more "progressive." Yes they bring a more cosmopolitan feel that is less suburban and less traditional Texas, but Austin never wanted to be like the rest of Texas anyway. And yes they do cost a lot but it is hard to fault people just for having a lot of money.

Actually a lot of the redone homes on the east side of town in places like Rosewood and 2nd St. are more tastefully done that anything modern selling for roughly the same price. I agree the large modern architecture homes are out of place but they are the minority is most Central Austin neighborhoods.

[TexasHorseLady]

I don't fault people for having a lot of money. I fault people for not really looking at the city they purport to love and putting things that don't fit, or buying things that don't fit and thus encouraging the building of them. Condos have always been in/near downtown, but they were not "in your face" condos that destroyed the skyline and towered over the city. Four, five, even six stories? Not a problem, well in keeping with the Austin that is laid back and unpretentious. Competing with neighboring skyscrapers (that shouldn't be there, either, blocking the views ot the Capitol - that used to be illegal, but money talks, I suppose)? Not appropriate.

I also have no problem with bringing homes back to their former glory with some updating for comfort (don't expect anyone to live with an outhouse, for example, though I do like to see renovations done with the original period of the house in mind rather than putting a "modern" house inside an historical shell). Gutting neighborhoods and rebuilding condos that the people in that neighborhood couldn't dream of affording to live in? Something else entirely.

As for Austin never wanting to be like the rest of Texas anyway, first, Austin is Texas! Anyone who says otherwise is engaging in wishful thinking. Second, the condos remind me of nothing so much as Dallas or Houston, so your argument fails on that point, as well. The Domain, as well, reminds me of Houston, in particular - it would be right at home there, and I'd have absolutely no problem with it in its native habitat.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by love roses

It does have an opposite reputation from those other cities and before Dell was here it truly was that way. It's changing a lot in how many very wealthy people are moving here and building mansions all over the hill country, putting extremely large cruisers in Lake Travis (or small yachts). I hear that even Kerrville is getting pretty expensive. I think maybe Austin needs to change its motto. It's still a bit more laid back than the others, but not by very much. I've noticed a lot of things happening here that happened in Houston while I was in High School as far as....living in the "best" school district (which for here is Eanes/Lake Travis) which are extremely wealthy areas, Everyone just HAS to live West (Houston is very big on "I have to live on the right side of the tracks"), If you live East of 35 you are trashy, redneck, poor, inbred but if you live West of 35 somehow you are enlightened, cosmopolitan, living genius, cooler than everybody, amazing, etc....Sort of like in Houston, if you live in River Oaks, Memorial, some parts of Clear Lake then you are a cut above people in Pasadena, Pearland, Lamarque, etc...(Can't associate with the blue collar working man...) I'd say that about 10 yrs ago and back this didn't happen but I see it frequently now or at the least hear it a lot on these boards. I know not everyone thinks that way, but it does happen more and more.

Funny, the old split, pre-south congress gentrification, was yuppie north and "bubba" south. Now that the south has gone high rise condo and botique-y, I guess the demarcation line woule be I-35...or perhaps Parmer/Lamar? from north to south...regardless, the demarc now is definitely east-west, rather than north-south!

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I don't fault people for having a lot of money. I fault people for not really looking at the city they purport to love and putting things that don't fit, or buying things that don't fit and thus encouraging the building of them. Condos have always been in/near downtown, but they were not "in your face" condos that destroyed the skyline and towered over the city. Four, five, even six stories? Not a problem, well in keeping with the Austin that is laid back and unpretentious. Competing with neighboring skyscrapers (that shouldn't be there, either, blocking the views ot the Capitol - that used to be illegal, but money talks, I suppose)? Not appropriate.

I also have no problem with bringing homes back to their former glory with some updating for comfort (don't expect anyone to live with an outhouse, for example, though I do like to see renovations done with the original period of the house in mind rather than putting a "modern" house inside an historical shell). Gutting neighborhoods and rebuilding condos that the people in that neighborhood couldn't dream of affording to live in? Something else entirely.

As for Austin never wanting to be like the rest of Texas anyway, first, Austin is Texas! Anyone who says otherwise is engaging in wishful thinking. Second, the condos remind me of nothing so much as Dallas or Houston, so your argument fails on that point, as well. The Domain, as well, reminds me of Houston, in particular - it would be right at home there, and I'd have absolutely no problem with it in its native habitat.

I didn't want to comment again, but I've seen THL make these comments many times before, and I think they are very well put.

My spin on her comments is that, yes, you can't come here expecting to change the city to your preconceptions, but, with so many new people from so many new places, Austin will never, and HAS never, stayed the same, nor would we want it to.

As much as some glorify the funkier "old" Austin, let's be honest, it sounds like it was a little bit redneck, at least in the south side, and sort of stuck in a "Cheech and Chong-ish" time warp. How long could it honestly have maintained that, and kept up with the times as well? Indeed, every large metro has a condo belt in the central area. Heck, even beer swilling Milwaukee has the "third ward", with a decent swath of reconverted low rise factories and new high rise condos.

Historic Third Ward

Take a look at that link, and realize that Mil is the quintessential blue-collar city(think Laverne and Shirley/Blatz beer)....now, if Mil can go yuppie, why not Austin, a far more progressive city to begin with?

Now, what is most UNHIP is the sub- and exurban sprawl all over the margins of the Austin metro, not to mention a grand waste of energy.
I'll take high-rise condos anyday over a massive spill of ugly bigbox/strip mall/cookie cutter factories!

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by inthecut

Funny, the old split, pre-south congress gentrification, was yuppie north and "bubba" south. Now that the south has gone high rise condo and botique-y, I guess the demarcation line woule be I-35...or perhaps Parmer/Lamar? from north to south...regardless, the demarc now is definitely west-east, rather than north-south!

Yeah..that's right about the "south of the river". I guess that doesn't apply anymore these days. Been some time since I heard/read that phrase

[love roses]

"The notion that condos and high rises are inherently pretentious is laughable. That condos are more green than traditional far flung subdivisions is without doubt so in that way they are more "progressive." Yes they bring a more cosmopolitan feel that is less suburban and less traditional Texas, but Austin never wanted to be like the rest of Texas anyway. And yes they do cost a lot but it is hard to fault people just for having a lot of money."

It's getting more and more of a Houston vibe in town everyday. Houston isn't necessarily like "traditional" Texas either, whatever "traditional" Texas means since it's such a big state and EVERY city here is different.