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View Poll Results: Which city has the best all around quality of life?
Houston 25 36.23%
Austin 20 28.99%
Pittsburgh 16 23.19%
I refuse to participate. CD polls are pointless. 8 11.59%
Voters: 69. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 11-27-2009, 02:17 PM
 
Location: Surprise, AZ
8,566 posts, read 10,084,573 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TelecasterBlues View Post
Nice effort in trying to answer back. Personally, I don't see how you can even begin to compare both cities. They each offer things that the other can't and are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of "culture". Pittsburgh's "culture" is based around the past and everything that came to be "Pittsburgh", Austin's is based around the present and creating everything that is "Austin". Point in case...If you want to live in a rowhome, browse the Warhol Museum, be annoyed by middle-aged folk decked out in Steelers garb, eat fattening sandwhiches with french fries on it, listen to disgruntled old timers complain about the fall of the steel industry and how things were "better" in their time, and also be in a unique city with its own atmosphere..then Pittsburgh is for you. If you want to live in a loft, catch a hot touring act in concert, be annoyed by college kiddies decked out in UT garb, eat fattening Tex/Mex with barbeque sauce on it, listen to saddened Texans tell tales of what Austin was like before its boom, and live in a unique city with its own vibe..then Austin is for you. Aside from their natural settings being similar, there's really no way that you can compare either city's "culture" and decide that one is ahead of the other simply beause they're both so different. It just comes down to personal preference and what the individual is looking for.
Yet, Austin was a unique city with its own vibe over 20 years ago. I'd say that even with its boom, it has become a more watered-down version of its past.
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Old 11-27-2009, 03:19 PM
 
331 posts, read 671,651 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wpmeads View Post
Why are you bringing up Philly? If you want a Pennsylvania vs Texas thread start your own! Don't hijack mine.

Also your talking about historical culture vs current culture. Like TelecastorBlues said, that comes down to personal taste.

As far as "natural setting," how are they so different? I've been to Austin, but I don't know much about Western Pennsylvania besides it's very green and there are a lot of hills.
You want to compare two cities in Texas, well I'm going to compare two cities in Pa with them then!...

As far as the natural setting, it's obvious you've never been to Pa!
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Old 11-27-2009, 11:02 PM
 
Location: Morgantown, WV
17 posts, read 36,526 times
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I lived in Austin for 15 years in the seventies and eighties. Spent 5 years in Dallas making frequent business trips to Houston, now living near Pittsburgh, so you can guess I'm currently middle-aged. When I was a party-hearty college kid at UT, Austin was heaven. In my corporate days, Dallas/Houston fit the bill. Now that I like calmness and predictability, Pittsburgh seems about right. Obviously there are party kids in Pittsburgh and boring Lawrence Welk fans in Austin, too. Just saying that each of these cities has served me well at different stages of my life. I have no desire to return to Austin at this point--I no longer recognize a single building in the skyline pictures. Too big for me, given the road network I remember.
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Old 11-27-2009, 11:45 PM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,831,056 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by swmdal View Post
I have no desire to return to Austin at this point--I no longer recognize a single building in the skyline pictures. Too big for me, given the road network I remember.
Totally agree, Austin's road infrastructure is not suited for anymore coming in (or even those who are already here!). Plus, all the good real estate is taken and the prices haven't come down like they should given the recession.
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Old 11-28-2009, 04:44 PM
 
Location: ITL (Houston)
9,221 posts, read 15,905,184 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthmoreAve View Post
True, we dont have rolling terrain or hills. But we have scenic beauty of our own.
We have some. Not a lot though and definitely not on Pittsburgh/Austin level. There is some small rolling terrain in Fort Bend County (around the Seven Meadows and Cinco Ranch SW development), but most of the bigger ones start in the Woodlands on up.
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Old 11-29-2009, 07:50 AM
 
Location: Pasadena
882 posts, read 2,239,843 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Angel713 View Post
We have some. Not a lot though and definitely not on Pittsburgh/Austin level. There is some small rolling terrain in Fort Bend County (around the Seven Meadows and Cinco Ranch SW development), but most of the bigger ones start in the Woodlands on up.
Yeah, the farther west(or north?) you go its more rolling terrain, but i wouldnt say that, because then people are going to expect Hill Country hills.
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Old 11-29-2009, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Houston
2,023 posts, read 4,175,829 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worldwanderer View Post
You want to compare two cities in Texas, well I'm going to compare two cities in Pa with them then!...
It's not a Texas vs Pittsburgh thread. It's a Houston vs Austin vs Pittsburgh thread. Like I said, if you want a Pennsylvania vs Texas thread, start you own.

Quote:
As far as the natural setting, it's obvious you've never been to Pa!
I might ask you the same about Austin and Central Texas. There's one poster saying the Texas Hill Country and SWPA have very similar topography and your saying they're nothing a like. Who am I supposed to believe?
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Old 11-29-2009, 10:29 PM
 
Location: ITL (Houston)
9,221 posts, read 15,905,184 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthmoreAve View Post
Yeah, the farther west(or north?) you go its more rolling terrain, but i wouldnt say that, because then people are going to expect Hill Country hills.
Yeah, this is true. I'd probably say more like the terrain you see in the North Dallas suburbs (kinda).
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Old 11-29-2009, 11:30 PM
 
Location: roaming gnome
12,384 posts, read 28,432,009 times
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hrrm... that video driving in austin landscape doesn't seem that impressive... only mildy curvy and nothing dramatic... nothing like out here or even stuff I've driven in TN for instance, and in western PA, no offense but looks kind of boring. my daily drive to work is much windier/elevation/scenic. I've driven a good bit in TX and don't remember much dramatic driving until west of san antonio
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Old 11-30-2009, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Morgantown, WV
17 posts, read 36,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atxcio View Post
Totally agree, Austin's road infrastructure is not suited for anymore coming in (or even those who are already here!). Plus, all the good real estate is taken and the prices haven't come down like they should given the recession.
I have to admit that people were saying exactly the same things when I first moved to Austin in 1977. Austin has been on the verge of being permanently spoiled by developers and losing all its character since at least the 1960s, depending on who you listen to. Runoff from Barton Creek Square was going to destroy Barton Springs Pool. Double-decking The Interregional was going to bring 18-wheelers into people's living rooms. Moving the airport to Manor was going to destroy some lizard's habitat. On the other hand, South Congress was a dead slum instead of the vibrant bohemia it has become, and jetliners no longer take off a few hundred feet above Hyde Park (I could look out a plane window and identify my neighbors in their parking lot.) So maybe Austin will become the biggest "wierd" city in the country.
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