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 think Nashville and Raleigh have potential. Both great economies. Nashville has mountains nearby so there must be outdoor potential. I just visited Nashville and it seem very hip and fun. Never been to Raleigh but I hear it has that it is very educated and liberal. It must be scenic with outdoor actives. All of the Southeast has a lot of natural beauty.
I think Nashville and Raleigh are already on the level of Austin...so maybe Austin is the next Raleigh.
Austin is pretty well known in the US now and it seems that the whole country is moving in droves, so it isn't the undiscovered gem that it once was. Quality of life is drastically reducing with the overdevelopment of the western hills, insane traffic, and skyrocketing COL.
Are there any other US cities with great economies, focus on the outdoors, and a young, educated population?
Tell me where the next innovator with the same impact as a Michael Dell in an industry that will attract young tech smart people from the high population coastal cities, and I can answer your question.
The problems you speak of are because of lack of planning, or the lack of desire to plan. It is a "liberal" city subject to many of the "afflictions" that plague the big centers on the coasts.
I think Richard Linklater had nearly as much to do with Austin's growth as Michael Dell, honestly.
And the city itself and natural environment really are unique. People haven't moved to Austin simply because of tech jobs.
Some people are leaving Austin because of all of the growth. My little family chose Fayetteville although my parents remain in Austin. I have friends who moved to Boulder/Fort Collins for similar reasons. Not everyeone wants to live in a huge city.
I honestly don't know, but does anyone think Northern Florida (Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola) has any potential. If not, what's stopping it? That's one of the few parts of the country where I've never been.
Absolutely Jacksonville has potential. It's the city of potential. The question becomes will Jax ever live up to its potential?
I can make a case for Jacksonville in this thread. I decided not to when the thread was first started but because of this question I'll go ahead. At the end of the day it's really anyone's guess what will really happen. The urban community in Jacksonville has got a similar vibe to Austin's. The startup scene has exploded (from non-existent) in the last several years. By most measures we have the strongest economy in FL, fwiw. The urban core neighborhoods adjacent to downtown have come an incredibly long way in just the last five years. Downtown will be transformed in the next five. But it's not past the tipping point yet. All this momentum could evaporate at some point and we'd be left with the mediocrity that we've grown accustomed to.
There are a lot of reasons why the future is looking bright for this city. But thats been true for awhile now...so you have to wonder will Jax ever live up to its potential?
I'll add that from an outsider's perspective, some of the cities I think about as a budding Austin are Louisville, Richmond, and Madison. Dont know much about the dynamics of these cities and whether they could handle explosive growth like Austin has the past couple decades, but they all offer some similar characteristics. Jacksonville (the physical city, not the government entity) definitely could handle explosive growth. You could double the population just by rebuilding all the demolished buildings, so from a geographic perspective the infrastructure is already somewhat in place. The city government though? Kind of a mess.
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.
