Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm with hoffdano, in that I don't get where folks are thinking that Austin puts itself out as a world class city. I've always thought of it, and heard it described as, something completely different from that, and don't think it's aspired to anything like that, quite the contrary, in fact, that would be anathema to the kind of "vibe" Austin's been known for, which is much more relaxed and laid back than a "world class city" (at least, as that term brings to mind for me) could manage to be.
It's always seemed more a place to get away from that kind of hype ("world class city"). So where are people getting this? Who is spreading this canard about Austin? How can we stop them?
Anyone that eats at a Chinese buffet does not deserve to know where the actual Chinese restaurants are. Please stay away from them and keep your General Tso chicken with you.
Good one…and keep the soy sauce that you would pour on your rice.
*sigh* ive been living in san antonio for 35yrs not to mention the few yrs i lived in the rio grande valley,and in san antonio,ive never had a problem and the many times ive visited austin, i can recall once or twice having a few small problems, hmmm...im just saying
Please understand, that most people on this board aren't interested in facts such as the one you just stated. SA has a larger student population than Austin. That is a fact. But the only TRUE party is on 6th street because there could never be anything to do in SA for all these college kids!!
true party on 6th st LOL,i went once and was bored,tell me why do the austin college kids come "party" in san antonio?
I know that CatoTX has probably made up their mind by this point but I wanted to add my own 2 cents since there will probably be more people making the move to TX in the next few years and might be trying to decide where to go. I currently live in SA (been here 3 1/2 years) but will be moving to Austin very soon.
1. Politically you will definitely see eye-to-eye better with people in Austin. I wouldn't exactly say that San Antonio is redneck, though. I think a lot of people are tying to be politically correct, but I think it's pretty obvious hispanic culture is the FAR dominant culture here and it's really the one that shapes the town. As far as guns, SA does have a better shooting range, try The Bullet Hole off of hwy 90.
2. I agree with what everybody says. SA is more Catholic religious but Austin is more religious than their reputation would say. Far more evangelical Christians than in SA.
3. I 100% agree. I am fat myself and being here doesn't help at all. People here have a mindset of "let's sit around and drive everywhere we need to go". Austin is very fitness oriented and you always see people running or being active.
4. I think it's about equal, except for the fact that in SA no one seems to know how to use turn signals!!! I do like the SA freeway system better. Always alternate routes and it usually takes no more than 20-25 minutes to get where you're going. Austin: I-35 and Mopac. Nuff said.
5. Actually this has changed a lot recently. If you go to the Stone Oak area or downtown (as long as you stay off the riverwalk) you can find some pretty decent Higher end places. Then again everyone's definition of higher end differs a bit, but try Bohanan's, Pesca and la reve downtown and Wildfish, roaring fork, and such around stone oak.
6. The city's not much older but it sure feels like it sometime. Has a lot to do with the San Antonio attitude (more below)
7. I think both cities have a lot of Texas friendliness and people are easy to talk to.
All this being said, I've lived in both cities and I always would have to say Austin over SA.
There's a good reason why we're going to move to Austin.
My main complain about SA has to do with the overall attitude of the SA culture. IMOHO SA is very complacent, and a lot of the people here have no drive to improve themselves or make something of themselves (to give you an example, I can't count how many people i've met that have a "no college, no problem" attitude). A lot of people seem to think that High School eduaction is all they need, even when they have the means and resources. Sometimes it seems like mediocrity is an acceptable way of life here. Please understand that I'm saying this about San Antonio as a city, not individuals.
Because of this we prefer the school system in Austin, and we want our kids to grow up in a place that has a little more drive and ambition than SA.
Plus the lakes and green areas are better in Austin. Austin inspires you to be outside more.
San Antonio is a little bit older and more run down, and has more ghetto areas than Austin, but this is no big deal for me as I know what parts of town to stay away from, but it might be helpful to someone making a decision here.
no college no problem? tell me, do all people living in austin have a college degree? i know one right off hand that has that attitude who was born n raised in austin,comes to san antonio ALOT comes for fiesta,cruising the streets and what not,and takes his no college no problem attitude back home to austin along with his no college no problem buddies.
im going to b all over the place with this,san antonio redneck? hmm not,it says it in the name "san antonio".. so not redneck. 3 million dollar homes in nw san antonio? r u sure its san antonio texas? i love austin even wanted to move there but hubby said why would we go pay for a 1,600 sq ft house for about $300,000 when we can get at least a 3,000 sq ft home for about $200,000...why would anyone pay $1400 for a one bed room apt when u can get a 2-3 br for about $800. austin and festivals? which ones? san antonio is filled with them,we always have a reason to party. we went to austin about 3yrs ago on black friday, just to get away, BIG mistake there wasnt crap to do,when san anto had the lighting of the tree,the river parade and many more things we deffinatley missed out on that yr.i read on a website that austin had a st with xmas lights,that people hung from house to house,sorry they wasted our time,couldnt find it and when we asked 2 girls walking down that very street where the xmas lights were supposed to be,they both said what? we never heard of that... i could never live in houston,drivers there r rude stupid ignorant to say the least...dallas? NO WAY!!!! i hate the mavericks!!! san antonio has the most user friendly freeway system in all the land of corse i havent been to all the land but the many places i have visited,i say the samething... austin freeways suck!!! if i miss an exit,im f**ked for life,there is no way im finding my way back,even with a gps. also san antonio runned down? maybe,its still beautiful has it ever occured to any of u austinites that austin has to be beautiful for a reason? hello...capitol of texas! of corse they have to keep up with the scenery.and someone mentioned no pretty girls in san antonio? HA!!! thats very offensive to me cuz im quite a looker.born and raised here in san antonio.we r pretty damn hot,and austin is an hr away its not like san antonio is a foreign country,its not that there r no good looking people here,maybe the good looking people you saw in austin were from san antonio. since i was young my sister worked at the hyatt and she always told me how people come to visit san antonio and make it their home.as a grown woman i know that to be very true.my hubby for example made san antonio his home,his sisters,brothers, cousins...etc my friend from los angeles,stayed.my friend from dallas,my friend from colorado...all loved san anto soo much they made it their home. and the spurs? omg!!! the most classiest team in the n.b.a good wholesome men. yes san antonio comes to a hault when we r in the playoffs or win a championship. but at least we celebrate with class not causing riots in our city not setting things on fire not shooting people just cuz our team wins. few maybe what some have called ghetto or lower class, but we never forget where we came from,and are very proud of our city and people.oh before i forget...many people have mentioned that san antonio has its runned down parts. yeah and austin doesnt? come one shall i give you street names? i know some people who live on those sides of town. i wont stop visiting austin i love going into the city when i reach onion creek pkwy,its beautiful.but san antonio is hands down better.
We trully enjoy visitors to San Antonio..We love hanging out with other San Antonionians...People that come to San Antonio adjust to us, they take on our flow. I dont think Texans really worry about the ranking of cities, because we enjoy visiting our sister cities, enjoying a weekend, and comming home...thats Texas style.
Wow... this thread is awful with some of these quotes.
Austin vs San Antonio
I like both cities a lot.
I love San Antonio.
I don't find San Antonio worthless at all (like some previous poster said).
But then again, I am part Hispanic, but I know a lot of non-Hispanics that love it too.
I also love Austin too... what can I say?
Austin kicks ass.
Surrounding Areas
I also love the whole area (Hill Country, Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Gruene, etc.), and I enjoy Matagorda Island and Padre Island, and places like Rockport and Corpus. Heck I even enjoy visiting friends in Laredo. I enjoy visiting family in El Paso, too.
Country vs Hippie Culture/Texan Friendliness
And this thing about Texans being only somewhat friendly? That's so strange, because they are some of the most friendly people I've ever met.
It reminds me of the time when I was still in school, spending a summer in Texarkana, going to a country music festival with my girlfriend, meeting these redneck/cowboys and their girlfriends and all going back to their trailer home in the woods and smoking pot and drinking whiskey listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Texas practically invented redneck hippies, no? I have countless examples of Texas friendliness all over the state.
My opinion about the OP
I think the OP needs to try a little harder in SA.
Rednecks/Cowboys
What's wrong with rednecks? or cowboys?
I (still) wear cowboy boots and speak several languages fluently, and have a Master's degree and work in the Finance field, and traveled all over the place... am I a redneck cowboy too? I love country music (and jazz too).
How about diversifying your friend base a little to include those who may be different from you? You MIGHT (just might) learn something useful.
Church/Religion/Spirituality
What's wrong with going to church? Nothing!
I was raised Catholic and left the church and even was anti-church for a while, a little older now I am quite happy hangin with my church-going friends. Why not EXPAND the types of people you hang with? Do they all have to be secular-based? Spirituality can be a positive.
Fat/Obese People
What's wrong with accepting people who may be fat? I'm a fitness freak myself (with the body to show), but my "fat" friends and I exercise together. They appreciate it very much. My parents could lose about 20-40 pounds, but I love them anyways!
Oh, I get it... if they are fat and strangers, then it's not good. But family members, it's OK?
Brilliant comment - you go it all !
And one of the best parts of San Antonio is the wonderful melding of the cultures....... I love the Hispanic heritage as much as the Texas one. One of a kind place. Wonderful place to call home.
If you check out the San Antonio threads here on City-Data, you will find that they very much love their city, but have a mostly live and let live attitude.
Or maybe they just don't defend as vehemently in order to give the impression, false IMHO, that the city is not for everyone... so stay away. That is one way to keep the growth in check... although it isn't working there either.
As for industres, San Antonio's primary have been tourism and military. Beyond that, they have or have had a company or two in everything (so yes, a bit of an identity crisis):
at&t (now in Dallas) -- telecom
Valero/Tetco -- energy
USAA/Frost Bank -- financial
South Texas Medical Center and surrounding biomed -- health
HEB/Whataburger -- retail/restaurant
Rackspace/Maxim/Microsoft -- IT
and so on...
Pretty out of touch with these comments - alot more than that:
Two years ago Caterpillar Tractor Company moved their engine division to Seguin, neighborhood of San Antonio, NE side. This year, in July, they announced another major division will move to San Antonio proper soon. One of the BB stores, can't remember which, is moving a huge operation to San Antonio from So. CA. Toyota is building their Tundra's right here in SA......(and I bought one, made in Texas)......and the list is growing. Great business climate, low cost of living, great weather...... wonderful mix of cultures......wonderful food....... low cost housing.
Come on. Compared to Austin, which I really like alot, San Antonio does not have the horrible traffic problems........the yuppie problems....... etc.........
But anyone who says SA is short on industry needs to pay more attention. Many companies here already and many more moving in.
Austin is a nice city with a great skyline but it is hugely overall San Antonio is a much better city
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That is one way to keep the growth in check... although it isn't working there either.
