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I agree. It has turned into a bunch of s***posting with a lot of extremely biased opinions and very little facts.
However, from what I have gathered, both cities are great cities that appeal to different groups of folks.
I live in Austin. It is a great city with a lot to offer as far as food, nightlife, outdoor activities, shopping, and low crime rate. I love what I have seen as far as what KC has to offer and honestly, I would love to visit one of these days.
How "weird" is Austin still? Has it gone full corporate? I heard Alamo Drafthouse and SXSW have gone full commercial and aren't what they used to be. Does downtown or wherever else still have a lot of local flavor, stores, restaurants, etc or is Austin being overrun by Starbucks, Chipotle, and the usual gang?
That was one thing that bummed me about DC. A bit too much shiny commercialization, especially in a neighborhood like Chinatown. Slowly happening to Charleston too. How commercial is Austin now? With the 50 foot wave of transplants and the rising rents, I'd be amazed if much hasn't changed much from it's perceived glory days.
I don't mind commercial at all, I eat at chains, I just hate to see special neighborhoods lose their quirks.
How "weird" is Austin still? Has it gone full corporate? I heard Alamo Drafthouse and SXSW have gone full commercial and aren't what they used to be. Does downtown or wherever else still have a lot of local flavor, stores, restaurants, etc or is Austin being overrun by Starbucks, Chipotle, and the usual gang?
That was one thing that bummed me about DC. A bit too much shiny commercialization, especially in a neighborhood like Chinatown. Slowly happening to Charleston too. How commercial is Austin now? With the 50 foot wave of transplants and the rising rents, I'd be amazed if much hasn't changed much from it's perceived glory days.
I don't mind commercial at all, I eat at chains, I just hate to see special neighborhoods lose their quirks.
It's more of a mix between corporate and local businesses, you know -- like most major cities. When you bring in more people you do bring in more chains; however, the flipside to that is that the new people do bring in new ideas. Old forgotten neighborhoods breathe new life with the inflow of new residents. The "weirdness" either relocates to another neighborhood or is more mixed in with the new.
As Austin diversifies and grows, it will become more neighborhood-centric. People will begin to talk about certain neighborhoods that have a "local flavor" as opposed to the entire city in general. In many ways, that's happening today. NYC, Dallas, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, etc. all have very distinct neighborhoods with varying degrees of local flavor and commercialization.
As Austin diversifies and grows, it will become more neighborhood-centric. People will begin to talk about certain neighborhoods that have a "local flavor" as opposed to the entire city in general. In many ways, that's happening today.
NYC, Dallas, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, etc. all have very distinct neighborhoods with varying degrees of local flavor and commercialization.
Kansas City is and has been one of those cities that has very distinct, well-established commercial districts/neighborhoods with their own local flavor. And they've had those distinctions for many decades. (River Market, Crown Center, West Side, Westport, West 39th, the Plaza, Brookside, Waldo, North KC, and Argentine and Mission on the Kansas side)
People have been saying that Austin is arrogant, but based on some of the posts I've seen here, KC is not far behind. These are both great cities. I voted Austin because I think KC has one of the worst locations in the US. The cultural amenities are great but you could find most of them in another city at a similar price but in a better location.
People have been saying that Austin is arrogant, but based on some of the posts I've seen here, KC is not far behind. These are both great cities. I voted Austin because I think KC has one of the worst locations in the US. The cultural amenities are great but you could find most of them in another city at a similar price but in a better location.
When you say "worst location" what do you mean? In terms of other cities close by? It's great to fly out of because flights are rarely expensive and nowhere in the continental US is more than about a 3.5 hour flight. There isn't much within a couple hour drive but 8 hours can get you to Dallas, Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis. Not exactly close but I've done some of those cities in a long weekend.
When you say "worst location" what do you mean? In terms of other cities close by? It's great to fly out of because flights are rarely expensive and nowhere in the continental US is more than about a 3.5 hour flight. There isn't much within a couple hour drive but 8 hours can get you to Dallas, Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis. Not exactly close but I've done some of those cities in a long weekend.
At 8 hours, I feel it's more prudent to fly than drive, and flying isn't always cheap. I wouldn't consider Denver or Dallas close to KC, and probably not Chicago either. Austin is also within 5 hours of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, and South Padre also isn't too far for a weekend trip. I personally prefer to be within 5 hours driving distance from a beach, so Austin beats out KC in that regard. The weather also isn't a plus for KC (though somewhat similar to Austin) and the landscape is nothing too fancy. Can you float the river in KC like you can in Austin?
It's all personal preference though, mainly because I like warmer weather and proximity to beaches. Someone else might not consider those top priorities.
At 8 hours, I feel it's more prudent to fly than drive, and flying isn't always cheap. I wouldn't consider Denver or Dallas close to KC, and probably not Chicago either. Austin is also within 5 hours of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, and South Padre also isn't too far for a weekend trip. I personally prefer to be within 5 hours driving distance from a beach, so Austin beats out KC in that regard. The weather also isn't a plus for KC (though somewhat similar to Austin) and the landscape is nothing too fancy. Can you float the river in KC like you can in Austin?
It's all personal preference though, mainly because I like warmer weather and proximity to beaches. Someone else might not consider those top priorities.
No disagreement there. Austin is clearly in closer proximity to bigger cities. Whether or not 8 hours is too far of a drive is a matter of preference though. Interesting fact: KC is actually closer to Dallas than it is to Chicago.
I agree about flying as well, and KC is a easy place to fly out of and into to/from anywhere in the cont. US. Sure not always cheap but pretty quick and painless.
Only on CD would people chose KC over Austin. Austin is the capital of the second largest state and is growing rapidly. KC is struggling to stay relevant.
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