New data suggests Millennials prefer San Antonio & Houston over Austin & Dallas (San Marcos: job market, school)

[Trae713]

San Antonio also has easier traffic and a better layout in general.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by Philosophizer

Austin has become too trendy. It's been the "it" place to be for quite some time. I could recognize it as a kid growing up in Dripping Springs. I'd gladly take San Antonio over Austin. Still right on the edge of the hill country, just as many big city amenities, a professional sports franchise (ok, UT football might as well be, but they've been down in the dumps for several years now), and I feel lots more potential/economic opportunity with the Eagle Ford booming.

Houston is just kind of "meh" to me. No doubt it's a phenomenal city and economic powerhouse in its own right. It's just too expansive for my tastes. I mean, from Kingwood to Rosenburg, Conroe to damn near Galveston Island, Katy to Baytown, it's all sprawl. The last undeveloped area anywhere near the city of Houston itself is on 90 heading out towards Crosby.

Okay so live near the core and you'll be virtually blind to all of that expansiveness.

And when you say too expansive I'm assuming you mean too big, since Houston's rate of sprawl is no worse than any other Sunbelt metro except Miami.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by mega man

Okay so live near the core and you'll be virtually blind to all of that expansiveness.

And when you say too expansive I'm assuming you mean too big, since Houston's rate of sprawl is no worse than any other Sunbelt metro except Miami.

I think this post is illustrative of Houston culture-- The idea that you live near the core (which BTW is extremely expensive for a good area that's still adjacent to seediness strip mall sprawl) and you're blind to the "expansiveness". Because Houston isn't an outdoorsy city like Austin, Denver, Santa Cruz, Portland, etc. In more compact cities, the lack of sprawl and closeness of outdoors activities is a huge amenity

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

I think this post is illustrative of Houston culture-- The idea that you live near the core (which BTW is extremely expensive for a good area that's still adjacent to seediness strip mall sprawl) and you're blind to the "expansiveness". Because Houston isn't an outdoorsy city like Austin, Denver, Santa Cruz, Portland, etc. In more compact cities, the lack of sprawl and closeness of outdoors activities is a huge amenity

I don't live in Houston. There's one of the holes in your logic.

And Houston is denser than Austin. He said nothing of proximity to outdoor recreation but merely alluded to the idea that Houston was too large for him. This is why I suggested living in the loop. Most of everything you need is right there and you're rarely bothered with the expanses of the rest of the metro. If you can't afford it then you can't afford it.

So yeah you make absolutely no sense.

[rynetwo]

^^^Austin doesn't have sprawl???

Georgetown down to San Marcos is 51 miles of sprawl and strip centers.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

^^^Austin doesn't have sprawl???

Georgetown down to San Marcos is 51 miles of sprawl and strip centers.

Yeah it's funny how people tend to leave out these facts when they're so busy gushing over how awesome Austin is

[TXEX06]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

It is silly to think that Millennials might move to San Antonio because of the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and Sea World. But they will move there if there are jobs and they can afford to live there.

It is silly to think Millennials might move to Austin because of the capital, 6th street, and Town Lake.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by TXEX06

It is silly to think Millennials might move to Austin because of the capital, 6th street, and Town Lake.

My guess is Millennials are going where the preceding generations aren't. Austin and Dallas will be dominated by baby boomers for a long time to come. Baby boomers vacated San Antonio for Austin and Houston is wide open so they are gravitating to those places. In other words the path of least resistance.

Generational winds have been shaping Texas cities for a long time. Baby boomers migrated out of Houston to Austin by the groves in the late 20th century now it looks like those same winds are blowing many of their children back

This is probably happening in a lot of places though

Here is a good article from psychology Today comparing the various attitudes of three Gemerations, Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials..

Why Gen-X Doesn't Get Millennials...or Boomers | Psychology Today

[Bobloblawslawblog]

Originally Posted by mega man

This is why I suggested living in the loop. Most of everything you need is right there and you're rarely bothered with the expanses of the rest of the metro. If you can't afford it then you can't afford it.

I have no dog in this fight, but I've gotta say, this is a very good point. I grew up inside the loop (West U and Montrose), granted it was back in the 70's and early 80's before it was expensive... but we never had any reason to go outside the loop and rarely ever did. And yes, Houston was extremely 'sprawly' and vast back then as well. Everything we needed or wanted to do was pretty much all within a 2 mile radius. The burbs might as well have been on the other side of the planet.

[Craziaskowboi]

When I traveled to Texas six years ago, I enjoyed Houston and San Antonio more than Dallas and Austin, and I'm no "Millennial" either. Houston and San Antonio seemed more genuine to me, whereas Dallas and Austin seemed more snobbish, albeit in very different ways.

Originally Posted by Jack Lance

My guess is Millennials are going where the preceding generations aren't.

I get that sense too. In Pittsburgh, there's a big schism between people over 45 and people under 45, with people under 45 generally having more positive opinion of it. Pittsburgh was the first major U.S. city to be thrown away, and it was the Baby Boomers who did it. Now the Millennials are recycling it.