Future Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin: chapel, hotel, buying)

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

Complete bull, and you know it.

And tell that to Houston, the largest city in the US to have elected an openly-gay mayor.


I stated the reasons why -- it almost all has to do with good marketing vs poor marketing, both from inside and outside.

A grain of truth but not the whole story. To shorthand it: The Houston Rodeo is the most financially lucrative event in Houston. The Texas State Fair is the most financially lucrative event in DFW. SxSW is the event for Austin. Which one do you think has the most national and global cultural reach? While Houston and DFW are MUCH more important centers of commerce, Austin remains the intellectual and cultural capital of Texas.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

A grain of truth but not the whole story. To shorthand it: The Houston Rodeo is the most financially lucrative event in Houston. The Texas State Fair is the most financially lucrative event in DFW. SxSW is the event for Austin. Which one do you think has the most national and global cultural reach? While Houston and DFW are MUCH more important centers of commerce, Austin remains the intellectual and cultural capital of Texas.

How is Austin the intellectual and cultural capital of Texas because of SXSW? Maybe Central Texas. Houston and dfw dont look up to Austin.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

A grain of truth but not the whole story. To shorthand it: The Houston Rodeo is the most financially lucrative event in Houston. The Texas State Fair is the most financially lucrative event in DFW. SxSW is the event for Austin. Which one do you think has the most national and global cultural reach? While Houston and DFW are MUCH more important centers of commerce, Austin remains the intellectual and cultural capital of Texas.

What? You are only talking about events, which are only one aspect of a city and have little to do with the idiotic comment I was replying to.

Besides, I'm sure Houston and DFW have other events besides those. Houston has an awesome museum district and I've gone there just to go see some of the traveling exhibits that only go to a few cities in the country, but the permanent exhibits are good too. As far as intellectual capital, Austin may be in some ways but certainly not in medical research, healthcare, and other industries and areas in which Houston dominates. Texas Medical Center and Rice University would beg to differ with your assertion.

This is the Austintude that is so embarrassing sometimes....

[dallasboi]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

What? You are only talking about events, which are only one aspect of a city and have little to do with the idiotic comment I was replying to.

Besides, I'm sure Houston and DFW have other events besides those. Houston has an awesome museum district and I've gone there just to go see some of the traveling exhibits that only go to a few cities in the country, but the permanent exhibits are good too. As far as intellectual capital, Austin may be in some ways but certainly not in medical research, healthcare, and other industries and areas in which Houston dominates. Texas Medical Center and Rice University would beg to differ with your assertion.

This is the Austintude that is so embarrassing sometimes....

Originally Posted by Trae713

How is Austin the intellectual and cultural capital of Texas because of SXSW? Maybe Central Texas. Houston and dfw dont look up to Austin.

I let him make it...but you guys did the job...

[JJG]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

A grain of truth but not the whole story. To shorthand it: The Houston Rodeo is the most financially lucrative event in Houston. The Texas State Fair is the most financially lucrative event in DFW. SxSW is the event for Austin. Which one do you think has the most national and global cultural reach? While Houston and DFW are MUCH more important centers of commerce, Austin remains the intellectual and cultural capital of Texas.

I'm insulted.

[llmrkc07]

Originally Posted by JJG

I'm insulted.

Me too.

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by JJG

I'm insulted.

Don't be so easily insulted. DFW and Houston and San Antonio have many fine cultural institutions. And yes, I exaggerate, there is no cultural capital of Texas. I just get irritated with posters who claim Austin's reputation is simply based on good marketing, when the City of Austin and the Austin Chamber of Commerce spend considerably less than their other Texas city counterparts.

Austin is hyped in the national and increasingly international media, and some of it is just hype, but it is a fact that more independent film, music, art, theater, writing, publishing et al happens in Austin. If you wanna buy or see things, Houston and DFW are better, if you wanna be involved in making something, Austin and yes for the fine arts San Antonio.

Intellectual and cultural production is central to Austin's city identity in a way that it is not for DFW and Houston - which is not to say those activities don't happen there. Austin has on average a more highly educated population and consistently scores higher on "creative class indices."

My point about the big events is that they tell you something about the history, identity and values of a place, not to say that they are the measure of everything. DFW's biggest event is a state fair, Houston's is a rodeo, San Antonio's is a fiesta and Austin's is a music, film and interactive media convention. That's all.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Don't be so easily insulted. DFW and Houston and San Antonio have many fine cultural institutions. And yes, I exaggerate, there is no cultural capital of Texas. I just get irritated with posters who claim Austin's reputation is simply based on good marketing, when the City of Austin and the Austin Chamber of Commerce spend considerably less than their other Texas city counterparts.

Austin is hyped in the national and increasingly international media, and some of it is just hype, but it is a fact that more independent film, music, art, theater, writing, publishing et al happens in Austin. If you wanna buy or see things, Houston and DFW are better, if you wanna be involved in making something, Austin and yes for the fine arts San Antonio.

Intellectual and cultural production is central to Austin's city identity in a way that it is not for DFW and Houston - which is not to say those activities don't happen there. Austin has on average a more highly educated population and consistently scores higher on "creative class indices."

My point about the big events is that they tell you something about the history, identity and values of a place, not to say that they are the measure of everything. DFW's biggest event is a state fair, Houston's is a rodeo, San Antonio's is a fiesta and Austin's is a music, film and interactive media convention. That's all.

The "cultural" part of that I have little problem with (still pretty arguable).... it's the "intellectual" part of that I and several others have a problem with.

Like what's THAT supposed to mean?

[llmrkc07]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Intellectual and cultural production is central to Austin's city identity in a way that it is not for DFW and Houston - which is not to say those activities don't happen there. Austin has on average a more highly educated population and consistently scores higher on "creative class."

I understand what you mean.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

I just get irritated with posters who claim Austin's reputation is simply based on good marketing, when the City of Austin and the Austin Chamber of Commerce spend considerably less than their other Texas city counterparts.

Firstly, I don't know what all of these cities spent on self-marketing. But even if Austin did spend much less, I'm not sure that it matters... throwing money at something isn't necessarily correlated to a better outcome. Houston and Dallas (but more so Houston in my opinion) have been victims of targeted negative media and cherry-picked for the "bad" stuff by the news and other writers, much more so than Austin has (in fact, it seems quite the opposite for Austin.) No matter how much money is thrown at something, it's very difficult to overcome or change these attitudes once it's been going on long enough.

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Austin is hyped in the national and increasingly international media, and some of it is just hype, but it is a fact that more independent film, music, art, theater, writing, publishing et al happens in Austin. If you wanna buy or see things, Houston and DFW are better, if you wanna be involved in making something, Austin and yes for the fine arts San Antonio.

Outside of music and independent film, I'm not so sure that I totally agree with that.

As far as educational attainment, much of that comes from being a college town. The percents may be higher, but numerically, I'm not sure. Austin's population is definitely more homogeneous.