Live music, green hills, dot-coms...& liberal views!
Written: Jul 07 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Hot companies, laid back attitude, lakes
Cons: Traffic jams, rising rents
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| CoolGobi's Full Review: Austin |
I moved from Austin to the San Francisco Bay Area over two years ago. At that time, Austin was booming: the influx of new companies had already attracted bright young people from all over the nation, adding to the huge student population at the University of Texas. Businesses love growing towns, and before you knew it, the big chains like Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and Outback Steakhouse invaded the town, for better or for worse. And so did fancy new restaurants and shops, luxury apartments and condos, and fancy car dealerships.
If Austin was booming then, it's sizzling now. If it ever had any hope of holding on to its fast-fading small town, unhurried attitude, it's gone now. Austin's turning into a hot, happening city - with its share of all the good and bad things that go along with it. Dot-com companies might not have made Austin's real estate insane like Silicon Valley's, but rents have risen steadily over the last five years. Companies like Vignette and Dell (which was also founded here) have supplied Austin with its share of tech millionaires. Being home to one of the best universities in the country have ensured a steady stream of qualified personnel to staff the new economy companies. And University of Texas (UT as it's called locally), has also no doubt contributed to Austin's liberal views in a state well known for its rednecks. It is perhaps the attitude of Austinites that really distinguishes it from the rest of the state. In fact, if someone from Silicon Valley moves to Austin, I doubt there will be much of a culture shock, if any. (Now if the wander outside of the city limits, now that is a different story!)
Of course, Austin is also suffering growing pains. The infrastructure is struggling to keep up with boom - and this is most obvious in the traffic. Austin lacks good freeways criss-crossing the town, making traffic jams look increasingly like the Bay Area's. Rents, as I said before, are already much higher than other Texan cities like Dallas and Houston, and they are continuing their climb. Rapid growth threatens to reduce the greenery that makes Austin so beautiful. And then there is the sub-urban sprawl, but no efficient public transit system to accommodate that. But most importantly, the unhurried, laid back, fun loving Austin attitude is threatened as people try to cope with big city rush and stress.
But overall, Austin is currently a cool place to live in, and a fun place to visit. Downtown Austin's Sixth Street has long been the most happening nightspot in Texas, and now snazzy new clubs and restaurants have made this even more so. Add to this the natural beauty of Austin with its hills and lakes, and warm weather (admittedly hot some months), and the (still) friendly, liberal attitude of its people, and you realize why this city is growing the way it is. Welcome to Austin - the Texan town with just the right amount of California in it!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
CoolGobi
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Location: Coming soon to a city near you
Reviews written: 78
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