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They are different cities. Houston and Dallas went through long periods of trying to become gigantic cities with all of the amenities of such a city. Austin on the other hand spent most of its life trying to resist growth and preserve the natural environment and local culture. That difference has created some distinct places and reasonable people can disagree on which they prefer.
However, Austin being more of a tech hub than Houston is not a subjective quality, it is a fact. There is nothing "fleeting" about it.
Houston's local culture is strongly preserved. I'd argue moreso than Austin because Austin has become very commercialized. The culture isn't so much local anymore, but instead a bite off of other cities (Art Car Parade was a copycat of the one held in Houston for decade, Eeyore's birthday a copy of the one in SF, etc.). On top of that, the growth came anyway and the city did not prepare for it. This goes against other areas it tries to emulate, like Portland, the Bay Area, Seattle, etc., that put forth much better growth plans.
When I moved out to California, literally everyone I met when discussing Texas believed Austin was the only city that's "tolerant". The only ones that didn't were the Black people, who already saw Houston and Dallas as cool cities. It wasn't until after meeting me that they all saw Houston and Dallas as being just as tolerant/open as Austin. We went on a trip to Texas and they were surprised at the diversity. Texas in general doesn't market itself all that well because people have some pretty outdated stereotypes.
I agree, Austin gets the hype because of the industry that dominates it (tech, innovation) and the fact it has successfully marketed itself as Texas' only liberal area (despite that not being true). The geography/scenery being the icing on top.
When I moved out to California, literally everyone I met when discussing Texas believed Austin was the only city that's "tolerant". The only ones that didn't were the Black people, who already saw Houston and Dallas as cool cities. It wasn't until after meeting me that they all saw Houston and Dallas as being just as tolerant/open as Austin. We went on a trip to Texas and they were surprised at the diversity. Texas in general doesn't market itself all that well because people have some pretty outdated stereotypes.
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There is so much truth in that statement. Austin is the city that whites in California think is the only livable place in Texas. Hispanics and Asians seem to have a more varied opinion of the Texas cities and their preferences are scattered. African Americans in California or anywhere else seem to prefer Houston and Dallas in Texas.
But back to the topic, which city has the most bright future in the 2020's. IMO, DFW. DFW's economy is super diverse where as Austin and Houston dont have that level of diversity. The only way Id say Houston is if the national economy crashes. Then Houston might come out on top because it depends less on the national economy. Austin will ride or die by tech and if it holds strong but the national economy and energy slump, it will come out on top. But if Im a betting man, DFW.
DFW: Reaching it's full potential due to economic diversity across so many industries that are booming at the same time. DFW probably has the best continuous sections of suburbs in America, so as long as it's a relatively cheap place to relocate, I think it'll continue to be a popular place for families.
Austin: Booming due to the increasingly large tech bubble, but how large is the bubble really? The 4th industrial revolution is all about tech, so we might just be getting started. Austin is also at less of a risk to automation than the other large Texas metros.
Houston: Has the most untapped potential due to being an energy city with some supporting industries (like healthcare/medical, manufacturing), but it still able to match the economic might of areas with more diverse economies (DFW). Houston will become a biotech hub in the future, and innovation is strong in Houston due to the energy industry and what they've come up with. All Houston needs to do is keep trying to attract companies outside of energy because it has the urban makeup that can keep a creative class. It just needs more of those creative class industries to come to town.
San Antonio: Will be constant like it has always been. Tourism, the military, and the service economy will continue to run San Antonio. Definitely some potential in its urban core, but SA is very suburban dominated still, which is fine because it's a great place for families.
I agree, Austin gets the hype because of the industry that dominates it (tech, innovation) and the fact it has successfully marketed itself as Texas' only liberal area (despite that not being true). The geography/scenery being the icing on top.
I don't think it's so much that Austin marketed itself as liberal, but that it embraced and promoted its countercultural nature. After all, it's still a university town at its heart but rapid growth will definitely impact local culture, no matter where you are.
Houston: Has the most untapped potential due to being an energy city with some supporting industries (like healthcare/medical, manufacturing), but it still able to match the economic might of areas with more diverse economies (DFW).
Definitely agree with Houston having a good bit of untapped potential, but it's due to two sectors that could produce a lot of dividends down the road: higher ed (in the sense of leveraging its colleges and universities for greater economic development purposes) and tourism. I know that Houston is a low key, humble city by nature but there's nothing wrong with blowing your own horn sometimes. It tends to pay off more often than not.
There is so much truth in that statement. Austin is the city that whites in California think is the only livable place in Texas. Hispanics and Asians seem to have a more varied opinion of the Texas cities and their preferences are scattered. African Americans in California or anywhere else seem to prefer Houston and Dallas in Texas.
It's like transplants coming to a city and staying only in the areas recommended to them by the previous iteration of transplants and ending missing out on %80 of the actual real culture/history of the place.
Yeah I get that. Austin has culturally promoted itself in various ways over the years in a way that Houston hasn't. So in the absence of much/any knowledge about Houston, I guess I can see why an association with state stereotypes would take hold by default.
Even though Austin offers the least culture outside of hipster vice watching avocado sandwich eating white millennial type subculture. Houston and Dallas definitely would offer more in that department. And I say this as a fan of Austin.
That's a bit misleading. Austin has more economic overlap with Seattle so no surprise that folks there are more familiar with it. We all know the tech sector in general isn't known for diversity but race isn't a primary factor when it comes to branding and self-promotion. Houston just sucks at that.
Race might not be a factor to White people but it definitely plays a part with other ethnic groups. Hell, just google Black and Austin and look how impactful race is to Black transplants who move to Austin or think about moving. To Black America, Houston and Dallas and especially Houston would be considered a top choice for them to move over Austin. Houston does a pretty good job branding itself as a diverse city. But the dominant society in America considers that an afterthought when looking in qualities for a city. So Austin checks a lot of those boxes on a national level. The other 2 not as much but I believe more people nationally are more receptive to the idea of moving to Houston and Dallas. Both cities were the fastest growing regions in the nation. Austin might be more of the national media darling but you can find Houston and Dallas in a positive light on some of the same media platforms nowadays. That wasn’t the case in the 90s and early 00’s.
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