On a general note, you guys really need to do a little more elaboration on why you pick Austin. The OP mentioned he/she was from Italy, so there some general information that most Americans know but he/she probably doesn't. Just saying Austin is a better city or has a better culture isn't very helpfully if you only give a very vague explanation, especially since he's from another continent and brings very little knowledge about either city to the table.
In a case for Austin, as I mentioned in the earlier post, the IT industry either the first or second biggest employer in the city. The city is the headquarters of one of the largest computer companies in the world, Dell based out of Austin as well as some very innovative and "up-and-coming" companies like Zebra Printing (check out
this video if you've never heard of Zebra Printing they're a really cool company who's developed a way to print 3D holographic images onto paper based on drawings and surveys). Also, companies like Intel and Motorola have some of their largest plants in the country located in Austin.
As far as the cultural of Austin, it's very much centered around it's very reputable and expanding creative class, particularly the cities music scene. The city has been nicknamed "The Live Music Capital of the World" because it has more music venues per capita then any city in the world... or something like that. You also have South by Southwest, which is an annual film, music, and interactive (which is basically a large IT/techy/web junkie conference), and it's a HUGE deal in all three of those industries, although the music is the most reputable and attracts the most tourist of the three. In addition, you also have Austin City Limits (the TV show and the music festival), Austin Film Fest, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and many many other music and film fest that take place through out the year. Of course, you also have a very lively downtown which pretty much the center of the night life in the city. The most famous street is 6th Street which is basically a two mile stretch of nothing but bars, clubs, music venues, restaurants, shops, etc. At any rate, there's lots more to tell, but that's basically the Austin cultural appeal in an nutshell and it will give you some stuff to google later on.
IMO, Austin is really one of the countries best kept secrets. You really should try and make a visit sometime. I'm sure it's quite different from Italy, but everyone I've talked to from abroad, or even just outside of Texas, seems to have really liked their experience in the city.
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