Austin beats Dallas/Fort Worth. Dallas/Fort Worth beats Austin. Your call. (Houston: university, living in)

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

If you are annoyed by the mindset of many liberals, then Austin is going to really irritate you. Many Austinites wear their liberalness and Democratic pride on their sleeves and aren't afraid to show it!

Being a fiscal conservative will bring some polite nods from the locals, but don't be surprised if (at side glance), they give you a cross-eyed look. If you come to Austin, I'd suggest you get new people and prospective friends to get to know you as "whole persons", before you drop the 'conservative' bomb on them. LOL !!

I dont know about that. I have friends who live in Austin and are conservative and love it. They have lots of friends and get along great.

I think you can be conservative or liberal and live in any of the Texas major metro areas and be very happy.

[ImOnFiya]

I dont know about that. I have friends who live in Austin and are conservative and love it. They have lots of friends and get along great.

I think you can be conservative or liberal and live in any of the Texas major metro areas and be very happy.

And tell their liberal friends they are conservative?

You know, I haven't heard about the wonderful conservative reputation Austin has? Why don't you tell me about it??

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

And tell their liberal friends they are conservative?

You know, I haven't heard about the wonderful conservative reputation Austin has? Why don't you tell me about it??

Yes, they have liberal friends. Yes, their liberal friends know they are politically conservative.

Even though Austin has a liberal tone to it, that doesnt mean that they cast out their conservative residents. I think you can be either liberal or conservative in any of the major Texas metro areas and be happy and have friends. I personally find people dont seem to care all that much what your political beliefs are.

[catman]

ImOnFiya: Austin is only 'liberal' in comparison to most of the rest of Texas. It has plenty of conservatives in it. It may have a 'liberal' "reputation", but that is overstated. You don't think the state goverment is 'liberal', do you?

I wouldn't worry about being out of place in Austin dues to one's conservatism.

[diablo234]

If Austin does not work out for you, it might be worthwhile to also look at San Antonio since they also have outdoor activities. That being said I doubt you will have problems in Austin especially the surrounding suburbs.

[ImOnFiya]

Austin is only 'liberal' in comparison to most of the rest of Texas. It has plenty of conservatives in it. It may have a 'liberal' "reputation", but that is overstated. You don't think the state goverment is 'liberal', do you?

The Republican-controlled state house and senate, no. But, the legislative session only occurs over 3 months every 2 years. Then, the legislature are back in their own conservative districts and (gladly) out of liberal Austin.

As for the 50,000 + State of Texas career professionals* - "HELL, yeah!" They live off the government dole and they are the working-class source of liberal Austin. And making sure the Republicans cut taxes 'correctly', requires more work and more personnel to verify that work!

I have plenty of relatives who joined the State because it is (once you're past the 90-day probationary period) extremely hard to get fired. The state job is still one of those career paths which still can be secure until retirement.

Believe me, state workers have no problem with conservatives who want to cut state taxes, but if those conservatives want to cut the State of Texas workforce. Well, that's going to make them "enemies of the state"! LOL !!

*Source: Texas Politics http://www.laits.utexas.edu/txp_medi...02/slide3.html

[Metro Matt]

The problem with Austin is that it thinks & tries to be more liberal than it really is.

Dallas doesn't try to lean either way, it just does what it does naturally & that is move more to the left each passing year. The city used to be pretty darn conservative too just 15-20 years ago.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

The problem with Austin is that it thinks & tries to be more liberal than it really is.

I'm curious, how does an area "think and try" to be more liberal than it really is? Do they try voting for more democrats? Put more liberal bumper stickers on their cars? Pass resolutions boycotting Arizona?

The point being, how can "thinking and trying" to be more liberal not in itself mean actually being more liberal?

[Melissa78703]

I don't know the OP, so I can only say why I choose to live in Austin over all other cities in Texas. I like the rolling green spaces. I like that a five-minute drive or 15-minute walk puts me at the docks of Lady Bird Lake. I enjoy not having clusters of big highways and toll roads all over the place. I like the lower crime rate. The historical aspect–Austin is the state capital–is reflected in her graceful architecture, both downtown and in the surrounding historical district. Even downtown and close to downtown, everything's green, green, green and green ... it's not a concrete jungle, a la Dallas/Ft. Worth. It's also far less polluted.

Austin has a boring, ugly side. We don't have impressive neighboring cities, unless you drive out of the city into the hill country (south), which is absolutely gorgeous and gobsmackingly charming. The neighboring towns to the north are a wash. Cedar Park and Round Rock look a lot like the identity-less, cookie-cutter, Anywhere, U.S.A. towns that are more characteristic of Dallas. Identical McMansions, Big Box stores, chain restaurants, planned communities, and outler and strip malls prevail. However, Round Rock and Cedar Park are in Williamson County, which is b*tt-stiff conservative compared to Austin. You won't experience the charm of living in Austin, but it's close enough so you can drive in a few times a month. It might be worth looking into these towns. I don't see the allure, personally, but a lot of people really seem to like living in them.

If I didn't live in Austin, I wouldn't live in Texas at all. I'd live in Raleigh, New Orleans, Memphis or Nashville. I sometimes visit friends in "Dullest" (what it's called by people who grew up there), but there's nothing earthshaking to do there. It sort feels like a less humid, less vibrant, far less diverse version of Houston. Not a horrible place, but not exactly inspiring.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

I dont know about that. I have friends who live in Austin and are conservative and love it. They have lots of friends and get along great.

I think you can be conservative or liberal and live in any of the Texas major metro areas and be very happy.

I agree with this.

The majority of my friends and acquaintances in Austin are conservatives. Although there a lots of Obama stickers (still) in Austin, I think a high percentage of people living in the Austin area are fiscal conservatives. They are not shy about it.