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Old 11-25-2009, 02:54 PM
 
Location: Hutto, Tx
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"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!"

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#19 Add to HappyTexan's Reputation Report Post
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In defense of the exurban sprawl, every town surrounding Austin actually has a past history almost as old as Austin itself, with their own little town centers and 100+ yr. old homes and histories as well.
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Old 11-25-2009, 03:05 PM
 
Location: Austin
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Originally Posted by love roses View Post
"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!"

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Unread Today, 03:35 PM


In defense of the exurban sprawl, every town surrounding Austin actually has a past history almost as old as Austin itself, with their own little town centers and 100+ yr. old homes and histories as well.
This is true, especially for those with old village squares intact like GT... Unfortunately, the developers, especially in CP and RR, overwhelmed much of that ambience. Let's say we are lucky they left some of the old stuff intact, and that some developers have tried to emulate the older look, as, again, in Georgetown.....

To be honest, prob the ugliest sprawl would be in NW Austin proper....all the neighborhood had I first moved in was a Walgreens on the Mopac exit with McNeil(Walgreen Drug Stores - Austin, TX), plus tons of ugly strip malls, mega apartment buildings, car washes, and H-E-B mega strip malls....and no public parks, meeting places, or neighborhood bars...

Yucchh! Suffice it to say I broke my lease and got the hell out of there quick.....and have never even driven near there in two years...
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Old 11-25-2009, 03:17 PM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX
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The "Old Austin" city and culture is long gone. Westlake has been just ruined by it all, but, what could be done...? Frankly, as I get older, I don't mind the new Austin, except for the traffic, and that it has become increasingly hotter and more humid in the now longer summers.
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Old 11-25-2009, 04:32 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
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Originally Posted by inthecut View Post
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!
What is most unhip of all is people that think we should all live nice and cozy together surrounded by concrete, noise, steel and businesses.

I very much like living a bit removed from all of that. I believe we have freedom of choice and for "progressives" to think that urban living is THE ANSWER are simply dictating their view of life.
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Old 11-26-2009, 02:02 AM
 
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It has definitely changed over the years as there is more influx from areas where those values are common.

On another matter, why do some folks blame "tech" for everything? Many of the wealthiest people moving here do not work in high tech. How much money flows through the real estate and medical professions? Don't confuse a handful of flashy sales executives for thousands of rank-and-file employees. The average "tech" worker is not wealthy.

There is a lot more to technology than a few companies focused on consumer electronics and cheap high-volume trinkets. Think about that the next time you start your car engine, get an MRI, or look at the weather radar. It's ironic that people will use a PC, internet connection, servers, and complex infrastructure to complain about high tech.

Greed runs in every occupation, to constantly bash one specific sector is shallow. If you want see an entire city of people waiting tables and tending bars, move to a tropical island.

Last edited by nomore07; 11-26-2009 at 02:24 AM..
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Old 11-26-2009, 07:13 AM
 
Location: Central Texas
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nomore07, I didn't really see tech being singled out except for the mention that Dell seemed to be the point in time when the "nouveau riche" hit town. (There's always been money in Austin, of course - it is, after all, the state capitol and this is Texas, an oil state.)
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Old 11-26-2009, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Austin
2,522 posts, read 6,038,319 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomore07 View Post
It has definitely changed over the years as there is more influx from areas where those values are common.

On another matter, why do some folks blame "tech" for everything? Many of the wealthiest people moving here do not work in high tech. How much money flows through the real estate and medical professions? Don't confuse a handful of flashy sales executives for thousands of rank-and-file employees. The average "tech" worker is not wealthy.

There is a lot more to technology than a few companies focused on consumer electronics and cheap high-volume trinkets. Think about that the next time you start your car engine, get an MRI, or look at the weather radar. It's ironic that people will use a PC, internet connection, servers, and complex infrastructure to complain about high tech.

Greed runs in every occupation, to constantly bash one specific sector is shallow. If you want see an entire city of people waiting tables and tending bars, move to a tropical island.
Actually, Austin itself has a lot of people waiting tables and tending bars....far more than your average resort island..I would say that, per large metros, we might have one of the largest % of people working in the entertainment/service sector.....not a bad thing....this is just party central, and UT has a not negligible influence in the same....
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Old 11-26-2009, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Austin
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Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady View Post
nomore07, I didn't really see tech being singled out except for the mention that Dell seemed to be the point in time when the "nouveau riche" hit town. (There's always been money in Austin, of course - it is, after all, the state capitol and this is Texas, an oil state.)
Question for THL...wasn't the Austin 80's money based on oil-related biz?
Thought I read somewhere that it was, and after the late 80's crash they intentionally got into tech to diversify, so it would not happen again.
I never understood that, far as Austin is from Houston, though perhaps it was oil lobbyists per the state capitol, and back-office financial jobs...
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Old 11-27-2009, 03:54 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX!!!!
3,757 posts, read 9,062,834 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inthecut View Post
Question for THL...wasn't the Austin 80's money based on oil-related biz?
Thought I read somewhere that it was, and after the late 80's crash they intentionally got into tech to diversify, so it would not happen again.
I never understood that, far as Austin is from Houston, though perhaps it was oil lobbyists per the state capitol, and back-office financial jobs...
How do "they" intentionally get into tech to diversify? We are not a centrally planned economy. Were there incentives given to technology companies to relocate here? I thought Motorola has been here since the late seventies.

To address the original question, when we moved here in '99 there seemed to be far more luxury vehicles on the road then than I see now. Because of the dotcom bubble then, there were all sorts of twenty and thirty somethings that were wealthy on paper, but within a year, their "fortunes" were wiped out. We left in 2001 and since our move back in January of this year, it seems much less pretentious than the last time. Or it could be I am old now, so I don't really care what's going on, consequently, I just don't notice.
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Old 11-27-2009, 10:46 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,519,997 times
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Originally Posted by Jennibc View Post
How do "they" intentionally get into tech to diversify? We are not a centrally planned economy. Were there incentives given to technology companies to relocate here? I thought Motorola has been here since the late seventies.

To address the original question, when we moved here in '99 there seemed to be far more luxury vehicles on the road then than I see now. Because of the dotcom bubble then, there were all sorts of twenty and thirty somethings that were wealthy on paper, but within a year, their "fortunes" were wiped out. We left in 2001 and since our move back in January of this year, it seems much less pretentious than the last time. Or it could be I am old now, so I don't really care what's going on, consequently, I just don't notice.

It was the Dot-com and the venture capital money, not the already established big Corp companies. That's what sprouted all the "tech".
Even the Statesman went along and each Monday their was a "tech" section of the paper..anyone remember that ?
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