Impressions of Austin

Rest assured that Dallas is indeed the sprawling suburban nightmare of legend, and the rest of the Metroplex ain't much better. And it seems the longer I live here, the worse it gets. Still, small price to pay for no state income tax, right?

I went to Dallas last year, and my first thought was, "Gee, this reminds me of Atlanta in the 80's" . There was a lot of building and works projects going on, but it was a nice city. I actually found a couple of places that were nice and cheaper to live, than the Atlanta area. I liked the whole Turtle Creek area in dallas.

Yeah, well, Austin's getting worse and worse every year. You SXSW attendees see the best of it, both weather-wise and geography-wise. Drive a mile in any direction from downtown and you won't see much of the stuff you're describing. We have endless strip malls, ugly McMansions, and fewer and fewer unique local places, just like the rest of the US.

South Congress Ave is pretty much the _only_ walkable, livable neighbourhood left (and there's no grocery store), and to live there you're looking at $300,000+ for a small house. Other attractive areas have been viciously and greedily gentrified by nouveau-riche idiots and their SUVs, most of whom are trying to unload their houses with the silicon-boob-job renovations.

Visitors come here and remark how "funky" it is and how Austin seems to be doing such a great job of preserving its character. Everyone I know who lives here thinks the opposite, and can rattle off half a dozen of their favorite places now replaced by Starbucks or luxury condos. Despite the "live music capital of the world" nickname, musicians can't afford to live here and have fewer places to play then two years ago.

Welcome to our fine city. I’ve spent most of my life here and love it. Unlike the downtown folks, I grew up in the ‘burbs and still live there. I rarely get to downtown, but when I do, it’s always a good time.

I enjoy Austin for what it still offers, not what it has lost. Everything changes. Everything. Your "Impressions of Austin" piece is accurate in every way. Things change over time, but obviously our culture still rings true.

Austin is still a mighty fine place to grab a cold beer, eat some tender BBQ, and listen to some home-grown tunes.

If you’re looking for a local tour guide who lives his life on the edge (of the ‘burbs) drop me an email. I’d be happy to show you around our town.

For the record, it's "y'all". It's a perfectly cromulent contraction.

Thanks for the tip Eamon - you'd think a Southerner like me would remember that. :)

I don't see what everyone hates about Dallas. I have lived here my entire life, and while it is no NYC or Austin, its a lot better than LA or any Florida town in my opinion. Great weather, great people, cheap living, and downtown isnt THAT bad. There are plenty of jobs to go around, and plenty of TexMex :) Atlanta is probably one of my 3 favorite cities I have visited, although NYC is by far #1. I think Dallas is in that top 3 as well, but I might have some bias... just my 2 cents

Well, I live in San Antonio, and if you want to see a less homogonized view of Texas, you'll have better luck here than in Austin.

When I moved here about 2 years ago, I really was struck by how much character SA has. It's more provincial, but it's got more flavor.

Run out to the Hill Country if you can. It's really beautiful out there.

i don't know Atlanta or Dallas, so I won't launch into an ignorant discussion comparing them, but i will point out that i am from L.A. and like it a lot. yeah, it's got some pretty frustrating negatives, like trying to drive anywhere and the fact that you have to. it still has some impressive things, most of which previsously reading dooce.com could fill you in on. i liked austin (i attended sxsw as well), but i couldn't live there. i hated knowing that i was walking through a coupe mile oasis in a seemingly dry, flat, barren city. maybe i just needed more time. as i am finding out the more i travel, that no matter how much i like or dislike a city, i'll always appreicate something about it, and appreciate something about home that much more.

Mmm unsweeted iced tea. The best kind.

D'oh! I hate comment typos.

i've lived in san antonio all my life and i can vouch that it's full of culture. but i myself like austin better, maybe it's just cause i've lived in the burbs and austin has a seemingly nice downtown area and actually looks like a city!

on the other hand san antonio seems so boring and stretched out. we have this renouned "river walk" but after you go there a few times you realize it's too pricey for locals to just hang out at. thats what we're really lacking

i think austin has done a good job of that with places like lake austin and 6th st, which i'm sure is expensive but probrably has a better spread than a river.

anyhow... of course we don't have accents... you must be thinking alabama.

i've lived in san antonio all my life and i can vouch that it's full of culture. but i myself like austin better, maybe it's just cause i've lived in the burbs and austin has a seemingly nice downtown area and actually looks like a city!

on the other hand san antonio seems so boring and stretched out. we have this renouned "river walk" but after you go there a few times you realize it's too pricey for locals to just hang out at. thats what we're really lacking

i think austin has done a good job of that with places like lake austin and 6th st, which i'm sure is expensive but probrably has a better spread than a river.

anyhow... of course we don't have accents... you must be thinking alabama.

Argh! Todd, I wanted to meet you but couldn’t make it to your panel. Hope you had a good time at SxSW!

Having grown up in Austin, I sorely miss SXSW. Thanks for the recap.

I had the opportunity to also visit the SXSW Interactive experience this year. My take was a liitle different however, I grew up in Dallas, went to school in Austin, then moved away to live in Fort Worth(less).

As a personal bias, I LOVE Austin, and tend to refer to it as my soul city (stole that phrase).

Austin is not great for the people that live there, the music that plays there, or bums that cruise the streets just wanting a cigarette and a BigMac.

Austin is great for the surroundings!! Because of the political/social nature of Austin, and being the state capitol, you get a lot of environmentally concious advocates. Austin has beautiful rivers, ponds, lakes, green areas, parks, dog-parks, natural swimming holes, and beautiful rolling hills. And yes those crappy little suburban areas of Austin do exist, at least they are nestled into the green hills, where the mist in the morning can soothe any soul.

So although you can drive 2 miles outside of downtown and see the suburban town, just like many other cities, what makes it unique is that you can also drive 2 miles from downtown and find the best little unknown swimming hole and hiking trail, free to explore!

Enjoy the nature that Austin has to offer if you ever have a chance to visit!!

Jason - I just wanted to say that I love your “Fort Worth(less) ” remark. After going to school in Austin, then moving to Fort Worth, it is the most dead-on description of this town I have ever heard.

Dallas as a sprawling suburban nightmare is the farthest from the truth. You want a nightmare of a city to live in, go to LA, though I’ll give LA credit for having the most to do and see in a gorgeous though somewhat hidden natural surrounding. SA as less homogenized is defintely a good description. I’ve never been to Atlanta but I hear its dirty and scary. You want a smaller and cleaner version of Dallas, go to Phoenix. I’m a born Dallasite, just turned Phoenicien 2 months ago. I love AZ but no way it’ll ever tear my loyalty from Dallas. I was born there, I will die there. Phoenix is too homogenized for me and like Austin, just too damn preppy. Yes, y’all is a word and not at all specific to TX.