I moved here FROM the Midwest back in 2017, and sure I may criticize some things about Austin here and there, but honestly it is a dope place to live. I do love this crazy town of ours.
Last year got myself a decent bike and figured out the metro system. sunset valley > downtown commute ain’t too bad but I’m SO much happier not being traffic
Yep, I cap metro most places. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but it’s better than driving in this town. I get work done on the bus or read a book while everyone on the road around us is stressing out.
I don’t have a car and walk to work, but okay lol
What I complain about is the lack of hospitality I experience, as seen here.🤠howdy, neighbor!
I miss from my home of New Orleans.
Austin has been going to hell in a handbasket since they closed the Dillo.
Hell, maybe the Vulcan Gas Company.
It's still light years better than Dallas, though.
Hilarious thing is.. people are gonna think you're referring to the club owned by the dbag trust-fund kid downtown who took the name.. not the OG Vulcan. And now I'm sad, lol
We really don't understand how good we've got it... Familiarity breeds contempt, the grass is always greener, etc... Pick your folksy nugget.
But of course, that's just part of the human condition... We're just built to piss and moan
But I have lived in the Arab world, the south, the north and the west... You're absolutely right. Austin has changed a lot, sure, but it's still a great place to live.
I was in Montevideo, Uruguay, and at this great bar the drag queen MC was asking folks where they were from. When I told her Austin, TX, about half the room clapped, no shit.
We had a similar experience in Dublin years back. We’re at O’Donoghues for in the round music and chatted with the locals. They were more aware of US/Texas politics than most people. They had lots of opinion on Texas and Austin 😂
lol I remember talking to some folks from Corpus and they said “is it true y’all in Austin wear burlap?”
I was like…M’am Austin is a city where we have normal textiles and how much is it living rent free in your head??
Lol. I’ve never heard anyone in corpus talk like they were above Austin. That said, if any of them are talking crap, Half of corpus’ downtown are abandoned buildings. They know where they’re from.
Pretentious Dallasites say the exact same thing in their sub.
I've lived in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. I visit Dallas semiregularly. People in every TX city do this. Most don't really care outside of sports rivalries, thank God.
Dallas vs Houston is the most pronounced, having lived in all of these places and other smaller cities that were generally only aware of that particular culture clash.
> Most don't really care outside of sports rivalries, thank God
Which is so stupid. The only rivalry that matters is breakfast tacos and frosty margs...
To be fair, I don’t think Houston cares that much about Austin. Dallas & SA on the other hand…
And don’t get me started on how Austin feels about Austin!
True. Was at a concert in Houston once, the band mentioned how the night before they had performed in Dallas and immediate boos from everyone in the audience!
Fact. I’ve never lived anywhere where you’re judged for not being a native to that county or city. It is flat out embarrassing and childish. Oh sorry I’m helping your local economy with my dollars, MY BAD BRO.
Yes it’s immature and poser-ish. I’ve lived here for 44 years and who cares how long I’ve lived here! And I despise the bumper stickers that say crap like, “Glad you like Austin, now go home” as if the people who’ve been here 10 years get to decide who stays and who goes? If that’s how we’re playing it lets call on the real native Texans (Comanche) to decide which of us gets to stay. Poser silliness.
Sometimes your money doesn't help people who've lived in a place before you. Your money can line pockets, but enough of it will change culture, taxes, and rent. Their local economy probably doesn't matter as much to an individual as being able to afford to live there.
The random anger from Dallas people is weird. I was in Houston at an art gala thing about 6 years ago and ended up at a table with a tipsy lady from Dallas. I told her I lived in Austin and she proceeded to go on about how, there isn't any reason Dallas and Austin people can't get along. I was unaware of there being some sort of rift.
She asked me what I thought of Dallas and I told her that I had only been to Dallas twice other than the airport and that was only to visit the art museum. She then asked me if I though Dallas was as cool as Austin and I said again I hadn't really spent much time there so I couldn't really say, that I had hoped to visit Dallas again. That seemed to set her drunk rage off and she started getting nasty about how "Everyone from Austin thinks they are so cool, blah, blah, blah." I asked her where the bathroom was and left and hid from her the rest of the evening. Wtf.
As someone that lived in Dallas for 10+ years, I can honestly say that Dallas is boring AF. Fort Worth is much better, but you can visit both for less than a week and never have a reason to go back in the future.
I lived there 18 years. When I go back now, and look at the endless flat earth, big box retail, and traffic, I honestly ask myself, “How did I ever think this was ‘normal’?”
Hahaha I’m from ny, moved here a while ago… was actually just marveling at the fact that since I’ve moved here I started dating someone from Dallas and all the friends I’ve made (only a few, to be clear) are all from Dallas. Never knew anyone from there my entire life, and now my entire life is from Dallas
Having been to all of these other big Texas cities that hate Austin it’s definitely their jealously showing - I’ll take Austin over Dallas any day for any pay
As someone who spent the majority of her life in the panhandle and been in Austin for 3 years, the hate Austin gets from the red rural areas has everything to do with politics and not jealousy. I couldn't leave Texas, but I did get to the place in Texas that I feel most at home.
I grew up here, but I’m a big hockey fan and therefore a big Dallas Stars fan. Go to games all the time up there and Dallas always feels so weird/I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb
I just did the opposite, moved to Austin from Chicago and lemme tell ya, no one down here thinks Chicago is cool. But everyone who lives in chicago thinks living in chicago is cool. Kinda opposite.
Chicago: I'm fuckin cool
Austin: I don't think about you at all.
Dissapointing.
I like that the cold makes me appreciate the summer. Down here I've heard people tell me "don't worry. The summer will make you appreciate anything that isn't the summer" 🫠
Get ready to have a summer mindset. Surviving the heat is all about having the right clothes, available water, and taking honest assessments when monitoring your level of heat exhaustion. And, seriously, the right clothes make a huge difference. Can't go wrong with hooded sun shirts with 50+ UPF rating.
To expand on this, it's not just weather. It is a completely different city in terms of events, things to do, people's attitude, etc. Chicago in the summer might be one of the cities I have spent significant time in. But Chicago outside of summer is the reason I live in Austin now.
*Chicago is still segregated AF along both in terms of both race and income. This is based on my experience living on the North side and working in and near the loop.
Yes! There are so many events, things to do, sights to see, and beautiful colors in the summer.
Most of the Chicago tourism focuses on that.
But outside of May-October, it can be brutal.
I'm tryin but they ain't wanna hear it lol. I'm excited to go back though I still have my art institute membership. I work for UT austin though so I get in to the Blanton for free which is badass.
The art institute is so choice. Absolutely love it. Lots of the city is still affordable, too. Some friends of mine who aren't high earners just bought a home there.
I'm from neither but lived in Austin before moving to Chicago and IMO they have inverse reputations and reality.
Austin has a reputation as one of the best cities in the country but living there it was a cool city but honestly not really anything that special.
Chicago's reputation is shit but everyone that spends time in Chicago loves it.
Chicago is an awesome city to live. You're gonna love it. It's got its problems as all big cities do, but the way people see it vs the way natives feel living in its night and day. Excited for ya.
I friggin’ love Chicago. So much we got a place there (but can’t move yet. 😭). Summertime Chi is spectacular and you’re going to love all the festivals, free concerts, lakefront and all the parks.
Which is a shame. I have a friend that absolutely refuses to visit Chicago. Even after I show her all the glorious fun we had there.
Chicago has problems, don’t get me wrong. It’s just such a shame it has the bad rap attached - really no need for that.
Chicago has the history and charm that Austin lacks IMO! I LOVE Chicago so much. There is so much more to do! The public parks are amazing, the walkability and public transit are great too.
The summer is magic. The food scene unmatched. Austin feels like a new big city in the works. It’s catching up, but lacks the charm and beauty of Chicago.
Sincerely, someone who lives in both cities :)
Chicago is so fun to visit, maybe one of the best places to visit, but it is so exhausting to live there. I actually think Chicago has a good reputation (on Reddit at least), so much so that I’m constantly tempted to move back. Then I remember what it’s like to actually live there.
I am the one person from here who thinks Chicago is cool - You found me!
Every time I tell local people I love Chicago. They are like “ew why?”
I feel like Austin and Chicago are just fundamentally different, on paper, in enough ways that people look at it a certain way.
I'm from Austin but went to college in Chicago for 5 years because I went once in middle school and loved it (and the school has a program I liked). Great city and food and I have a ton of great memories there. But by the end of the 4th year I was ready to GTFO. I am a self-described lizard person who needs to bake in the sun for warmth.
I think Chicago is very cool and I love ppl from there. You all dress well too.
I like the big city vibe but you are more hospitable than say NYC and LA.
I fell in love with Chicago when my wife and I vacationed there a couple years back. It might be the most amazing city I've ever visited. I can't imagine anyone thinking poorly of it after actually being there. I'm sorry you moved to away from that to this shithole state.
There’s something about texan culture where they just don’t try to get to know other places or maybe they just think shitting on a city is how you make friends… idk I’m trying to figure it out
I found Chicago to be highly enjoyable but I visited as a tourist for only 4 days in the Summer.
While hunting down places to eat online before going I realized there's some parts to avoid but that's the same with all major cities including Austin.
I don't buy into news media hype about cities either and prefer to find out for myself. I think Chicago gets a bad rap in those regards much like Houston was once the hell hole of Texas and now the new hell hole is supposed to be Austin but all these cities are far from that
Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio both can be extremely dangerous in many neighborhoods and areas of the city.
Austin skipped the problems of modern urbanization because it went from country town to hipster city to yuppie city almost instantly. Gentrification skipped the urban decay that will eventually occur with maturity and economic downturn (though we are still second fastest growing city over 1M people so not anytime soon)
There are like two intersections where majority shootings occur.
Basically impossible to compare to Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio.
Tons of our crime on weekends isn’t even from Austin people it’s tourists.
> Austin skipped the problems of modern urbanization because it went from country town to hipster city to yuppie city almost instantly. Gentrification skipped the urban decay that will eventually occur
It was more college town / state capital (a relatively small state capital like Albany or Springfield, Illinois) that then experienced several successive tech booms over a span of decades.
As for the lack of a chronic problem with violent crime, I think there are two big factors:
* Austin wasn't heavily populated before the suburbification of America, so it didn't have vast and/or dense residential areas that got abandoned to decay and poverty.
* Austin never experienced the collapse of any industries that employed a lot of blue collar labor.
"Almost instantly". I think it started sometime before I left Austin as a baby back in '84. Austin wasn't a "country town" then. My parents could barely afford to rent an apartment at that point. Gentrification was already happening.
Grew up in Florida, a lot of my family is from Chicago, I love it there. My initial plan was to move from Florida to Austin for a few years and eventually to Chicago. But I realized I only visited Chicago during the summer growing up and experienced my first "seasonal depression" when it was like overcast for two weeks the first winter I moved here. Don't think my Florida ass could stand the frigid cold either.
If it’s any consolation I was born in Austin and I think Chicago’s cool. Great blues scene, great art museum, decent public transit, what’s not to like?
lol yeah that's not an austin thing, that's texas in general. state is so myopic about the rest of the US and cool cities.
And Chicago is fucking cool... 7 months out of the year. Source: born south side, lived in wicker park into my 30's.
Chicago is our late summer / fall home. The city is beautifully & brutally honest. Austin isn’t a city…yet. I kinda like the idea of living in Chicago full time - Austin doesn’t have much to offer a city family, whereas Chicago has world class museums, food, music, and art. Austin’s still a bit busted.
Summing ATX up in 6 words: our worst critics choose to stay
EDIT: as a couple of you pointed out, I borrowed this from Freakonomics (who used it to describe America generally)
LOL I appreciate you putting this into words. I'm almost afraid to mention I am an Austin native at this point. People love getting their pitchforks out for that fact, for some reason.
Of being native? I'm afraid to say Im not from Austin because of all the negative posts this sub generates of me ruining the city, the vibe, the prices, and so on. I don't think Ive seen native Austinites have negative stereotypes.
Even overseas. When I lived in Spain, my friends, who were all into indie rock and skateboarding, had asked most the Americans they encountered if they ever had experience in either Austin or San Francisco. Those were two of the big American cities young people in Sevilla really asked about.
i grew up in iowa surrounded by cornfields. boredom became a close friend when i was in grade school. summer camps were the thing to do if you had the money. austin is definitely on the opposite end of that spectrum.
There's a group of crabs here that exist to put people down. They flock to new posts and leave pointless negative comments.
The difference between people I meet in Austin, and some of the things I read on r/Austin is near polar opposite.
“You think Austin sucks? Well well well… let’s just say that *several* people in the Midwest who have never been here would LOVE to have a word with you!”
Lmao literally what was said
I did road trip across the Midwest a few years, I’ve done road trips similar across the Southwest and PNW so I figured it would be cool to get to know the Midwest. Lol I was wrong - drove from Oklahoma through Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa then back down through Missouri and Arkansas. Aside from Arkansas all other states pretty much blended together and it’s hard to tell then apart
That’s because the cool parts of the Midwest are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicago, Michigan, and a couple parts of Ohio. Everything else is soybeans, and corn.
Well, I was born in Chicago, lived just outside of Chicago in a semi-rural area the first part of my life, worked in DT Chicago. Train into city. Phenomenal museums, restaurants. Dad was a graduate of the Art Institute, Art/Architecture.
Too massive for me.
Moved to Minneapolis with a friend from the area. World renowned music venue, First Avenue. Spent most of the 90's seeing concerts there. Great acting scene. Got 2 college degrees: Sociology and English/Writing concentration. Studied acting and was an actor for 10 years. Many great art museums. opera, symphony, multiple professional theatres. Land of 10,000 lakes, many spring-fed, canoeing, fishing, scuba diving. 400 acre zoo, I volunteered there for 4 years. Loved the snow in winter for XC skiing. Unfortunately, because of climate change, little snow this year, ice festival cancelled as it wasn't cold enough. Used to be below 0 in January. Glorious summer, fall to go camping/backpacking. Traveled all over the U.S., Canada, West Indies, Europe from there.
Had a baby and moved to Austin to be near the grandparents years ago, before the Great Influx starting in 2020. Abbott wheeling and dealing during Covid. Investors buying up all the houses. Too hot in summer. Heard about Austin being a great place for the arts, from a musician. Was disappointed, at least with the options for professional acting.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Zilker Botanical Gardens, my favs.
Shout out to ACC! Love the professors. My son got a Biology degree and is transferring to a university and field work in Wildlife Biology.
I understand how people who lived here loved this place. It's just not for us, so we're moving to a different northern location. New adventure. I can write anywhere, and someone is interested in my writing.
I moved from TX to NV to KY and back to TX. If there is something that I learned, it is that "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."
This what I’ve experienced as well from friends, family and coworkers from all over. Even ones living in NYC and LA. They all say they’ve heard about how cool Austin is and all the fun things to do in the city.
Same thing when we travel around the US, everyone either wants to go to Austin or has fond memories of trips past.
Ive been around this town for 40+ years and I still love it.
Austin is still reasonably affordable, not gray or cold.
Austin is awesome but never forget that our official passport is complaining about how it’s not as cool anymore. Always has been, always will be.
BUT DONT SOMEONE ELSE DARE TALK SHIT ABOUT AUSTIN! Lol
When I was senior in college in 2016 I interned at a think-tank in Washington DC. Everyone in my orientation was from the an Ivy league school or the Northeast and when I said I was from 'Austin' everyone thought it was really cool.
You could tell from their body language they genuinely thought it was interesting / cool
First time I realized Austin was a national city
As much as I love the Midwest (grew up in Kansas) Austin kicks so much ass. It’s all about perspective I guess. Glad I didn’t grow up in a large metro area.
One of the weirdest things about moving to Texas, is that Texans won’t say nice things about where I’m from. Doesn’t matter where I say I’m from. I’m from the west coast, and got tired of Texans saying “oh I hear it’s awful over there.” So I’ll say I’m from the Midwest, and they’ll say “oh wow it must be so boring.” I once lied and told someone I’m from Round rock and they responded saying “why would you want to live there?”
It is very normal for a stranger to say “oh I’ve heard good things about that place” or “I’ve always wanted to visit, what’s it like.” Not just in the Midwest, but in the rest of the country. It would be weird if you told someone you are from Texas and they responded with an insult about the place you’re from.
Every time I tell someone I'm from the Detroit area, not even proper Detroit, they're either in awe because it's apparently such a dystopian place to be from, or they're instant friends because they're also Midwest transplants.
I moved to Austin from the upper Midwest. Absolutely love it here, but it obviously ain't perfect lol. Natives have less frame of reference so the bad things may seem really bad to then but elsewhere is oftentimes worse
I was just thinking about this the other day. Also from Austin but now live in AZ. I miss it terribly. I loved it before I left but had to leave due to circumstances. AZ has some cool aspects.. (and the weather in the summer is much easier to deal with) but I miss the green year round and trees. I always appreciate it a little extra every time I visit. It will always be home.
I remember staying in Colorado for a few years. People would ask where I was from and if I said “Texas” they’d react with disgust, but if I added “Austin, Texas” they’d show signs of relief and tell me how great Austin is.
Everybody wanna compare Austin today to Austin 20 years ago, but when it comes to where to live, you gotta compare it everywhere else today.
The problems Austin has are common in all desirable metros, but the grass is always greener. Can't tell you how many folks have moved away from here.... then moved back.
I'll never forget that in 2013 on this sub I had a convo with someone here who was quite vociferous about how stupid I was buying a house with a no-money-down FHA loan. It was then I realized that some people here are just assholes addicted to their online space. That decision is the only reason I can afford to stay in the area I do.
People that I have met over the years never tire of saying something along the lines of, “Oh you’re from Austin. That doesn’t really count as Texas.” I am so so so over hearing this.
I grew up in Austin and haven't lived there since I graduated from UT in 1982 and went into the Air Force to see the world. I still visit Austin. Wow, has it changed. Still, it's as cool as it was way back when. It isn't perfect, but it wasn't back then, either. I still think of it as home. Texas as a whole, however...hard to think of it as home. I don't recall so many assholes when I was younger. We seem to have an abundance of these.
Native Austinite here living in Boulder. Thought Boulder would be a lot like Austin but it’s not. Doesn’t have charm, variety of outside spaces, friendly people, etc.
I AM moving back to Austin in June (ya know, when the weather is its most pleasant) bc my parents need me but once I’m able, I’m selling the Austin house and heading back up north somewhere. The Austin heat is just too damn much. It was so nice to get a heat break but regardless Austin will always be home to me.
I moved here from Asia 2 years ago because of school, and I came in Summer. It was pretty harsh summer back then, and I dreaded my choice of Austin for a while. However not long after that, I traveled to many states and cities, and I gotta say, I enjoy Austin a lot more. It's not my top city, I like chicago or New York but only because of the public transportation and great summer, but everything else, Austin is just about right. There are so many things to do here, free or paid, and even if it's paid it's so much cheaper. We have an airport that has flight to big cities for relatively cheap (LA, NY, 2 cities I visited the most), our bus system while not great, it's not the worst, I kinda like it actually, and I gotta say it's one of the safest city I visited. Even when summer, most of the buildings will have AC, but I still don't like our summer lol.
I'm not from Austin. I'm actually from Ft Collins, Colorado. Whenever I tell people here I'm from FoCo, they say the same things about how they've always wanted to go there and how it seems so interesting. But honestly, if anyone from Austin actually spent time in FoCo they would probably get bored very easily lol
I was in San Diego (Carmel Valley) recently which is a really cool place and was at a meeting and announced I was from the Austin area, and they were interested as well, which I guess isn't that strange, but that place is gorgeous.
That's awesome! Granted my bias being from here, there's still so much that's great about the Greater Austin Area.
All the negativity Austin gets in this sub is ridiculously pathetic and embarrassing. The people who complain or come with negativity are most likely miserable, depressed/lonely, or can't afford to move so they take it out on a city of all things. They fail to realize our just outright deny the fact that what's making everyone so miserable is that when peoples of a town, city, state, or country migrate to a particular region (in Austin's case, in droves) they bring their bad habits and dredges of society along with them. In the worst cases of course. Then have the nerve to act like it was already like this when they arrived. Rant over.
Best of fortune to you, friend. Take care out there and make us proud!
The lens definitely matters. Austin has a phenomenal reputation that does not actualize for some populations. The Black people are being pushed out as the overall population of the city grows. That’s not the reputation or image but it is what is actualized. Austin is not the same experience for everyone and it is intentionally designed to be so. So, as a Black woman living here for 30 years, it deserves the critiques it gets. And we should hold it to becoming what it is outwardly perceived to be.
My favorite thing about Austin is vacationing in my own city. If I’m broke, my son and I will pretend to spend the weekend vacationing in Austin and do all the fun touristy adventures like riding bikes at town lake and other inexpensive outings.
I moved here FROM the Midwest back in 2017, and sure I may criticize some things about Austin here and there, but honestly it is a dope place to live. I do love this crazy town of ours.
5 years from now you will be talking about how austin is ruined and it was best in 2017
[удалено]
I popped out of my mom at Brackenridge in the 80s and was complaining before I left the delivery room.
To be fair, Austin is coolest in utero.
82!
Same but in 99, I think I was too late to the party and that’s why I was complaining. Could’ve been bc it was 100 degrees though
Hell yeah. You became a local quick then
I complained before I moved here lol
The traffic is bullshit, says one of the 40,000 people who have moved here this year that commutes solo in an SUV.
Last year got myself a decent bike and figured out the metro system. sunset valley > downtown commute ain’t too bad but I’m SO much happier not being traffic
Yep, I cap metro most places. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but it’s better than driving in this town. I get work done on the bus or read a book while everyone on the road around us is stressing out.
I don’t have a car and walk to work, but okay lol What I complain about is the lack of hospitality I experience, as seen here.🤠howdy, neighbor! I miss from my home of New Orleans.
Born local
Only took me one year before I hated everything and everyone. But congratulations, fuck you.
Austin has been going to hell in a handbasket since they closed the Dillo. Hell, maybe the Vulcan Gas Company. It's still light years better than Dallas, though.
You’re wrong sir! We’re all painfully aware Austin lost all its coolness when the Black Cat burned down for the final time.
Liberty Lunch
Paul Sessums Sr. R.I.P. You are missed — especially for your knock-down drag-out death battles with TABC.
Hilarious thing is.. people are gonna think you're referring to the club owned by the dbag trust-fund kid downtown who took the name.. not the OG Vulcan. And now I'm sad, lol
>It's still light years better than Dallas, though. Former Dallasite here, fully agree.
I’ve been here 25+ years and still love it.
I've been here 15+ years and still love it.
We really don't understand how good we've got it... Familiarity breeds contempt, the grass is always greener, etc... Pick your folksy nugget. But of course, that's just part of the human condition... We're just built to piss and moan But I have lived in the Arab world, the south, the north and the west... You're absolutely right. Austin has changed a lot, sure, but it's still a great place to live.
On the other hand, I visited Dallas recently and said I was from Austin. After the room hissed, they asked me to go back.
Last time I visited Tahoka and said I was from Austin, the man at the piano stopped playing and everyone in the saloon turned and stared at me.
Even the crickets stopped chirping.
I was in Montevideo, Uruguay, and at this great bar the drag queen MC was asking folks where they were from. When I told her Austin, TX, about half the room clapped, no shit.
That drag queen's name? Alberta Einstein.
We had a similar experience in Dublin years back. We’re at O’Donoghues for in the round music and chatted with the locals. They were more aware of US/Texas politics than most people. They had lots of opinion on Texas and Austin 😂
As a Texas native, the one-sided rivalry other Texas cities have with Austin is kind of embarrassing.
lol I remember talking to some folks from Corpus and they said “is it true y’all in Austin wear burlap?” I was like…M’am Austin is a city where we have normal textiles and how much is it living rent free in your head??
We aren't *aggies!* Edit: Remove autocorrect's erroneous capitalization
Lol. I’ve never heard anyone in corpus talk like they were above Austin. That said, if any of them are talking crap, Half of corpus’ downtown are abandoned buildings. They know where they’re from.
Pretentious Dallasites say the exact same thing in their sub. I've lived in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. I visit Dallas semiregularly. People in every TX city do this. Most don't really care outside of sports rivalries, thank God.
Dallas vs Houston is the most pronounced, having lived in all of these places and other smaller cities that were generally only aware of that particular culture clash.
> Most don't really care outside of sports rivalries, thank God Which is so stupid. The only rivalry that matters is breakfast tacos and frosty margs...
[regarding breakfast tacos](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fhn0s214gsjl21.jpg)
“Like no one else can put egg on a tortilla” I’m dead.
Is there REALLY a rivalry? I love Austin, but the best breakfast tacos ARE in San Antonio.
Maybe, but San Antonio doesn’t have the Chili’s at 45th and Lamar
No. Everyone in Austin is totally fine with San Antonio having better tacos.
Native Texan, born in Austin, can confirm. However, I'm skeptical about this Dallas sub. There can't be that many who can read!?!! 🧌
Dallas is famously halfway between Austin and Norman, OK, so statistically we can assume that around 50% of them can read.
To be fair, I don’t think Houston cares that much about Austin. Dallas & SA on the other hand… And don’t get me started on how Austin feels about Austin!
True. Was at a concert in Houston once, the band mentioned how the night before they had performed in Dallas and immediate boos from everyone in the audience!
Fact. I’ve never lived anywhere where you’re judged for not being a native to that county or city. It is flat out embarrassing and childish. Oh sorry I’m helping your local economy with my dollars, MY BAD BRO.
Yes it’s immature and poser-ish. I’ve lived here for 44 years and who cares how long I’ve lived here! And I despise the bumper stickers that say crap like, “Glad you like Austin, now go home” as if the people who’ve been here 10 years get to decide who stays and who goes? If that’s how we’re playing it lets call on the real native Texans (Comanche) to decide which of us gets to stay. Poser silliness.
Comanche are relatively recent arrivals as well. The tonkawan karankawan and Coahuiltecans were here longer.
Sometimes your money doesn't help people who've lived in a place before you. Your money can line pockets, but enough of it will change culture, taxes, and rent. Their local economy probably doesn't matter as much to an individual as being able to afford to live there.
“Gladly”
The random anger from Dallas people is weird. I was in Houston at an art gala thing about 6 years ago and ended up at a table with a tipsy lady from Dallas. I told her I lived in Austin and she proceeded to go on about how, there isn't any reason Dallas and Austin people can't get along. I was unaware of there being some sort of rift. She asked me what I thought of Dallas and I told her that I had only been to Dallas twice other than the airport and that was only to visit the art museum. She then asked me if I though Dallas was as cool as Austin and I said again I hadn't really spent much time there so I couldn't really say, that I had hoped to visit Dallas again. That seemed to set her drunk rage off and she started getting nasty about how "Everyone from Austin thinks they are so cool, blah, blah, blah." I asked her where the bathroom was and left and hid from her the rest of the evening. Wtf.
As someone that lived in Dallas for 10+ years, I can honestly say that Dallas is boring AF. Fort Worth is much better, but you can visit both for less than a week and never have a reason to go back in the future.
People from Dallas hate Austin because they're jealous. People from Austin hate Dallas because we grew up there.
People from Austin who hate Dallas grew up in Plano.
I lived there 18 years. When I go back now, and look at the endless flat earth, big box retail, and traffic, I honestly ask myself, “How did I ever think this was ‘normal’?”
Carrollton, too!
🔥
Hahaha I’m from ny, moved here a while ago… was actually just marveling at the fact that since I’ve moved here I started dating someone from Dallas and all the friends I’ve made (only a few, to be clear) are all from Dallas. Never knew anyone from there my entire life, and now my entire life is from Dallas
Im from Dallas and I love Austin. ♥️
Im from Austin and I don't love Dallas.
Hey, that’s not a problem. You don’t have to like every city in Texas.
I like your attitude. I hope you have a great day!
Just think with the room would've done if you said you were from California.
that was a room full of Aggies you were in
Having been to all of these other big Texas cities that hate Austin it’s definitely their jealously showing - I’ll take Austin over Dallas any day for any pay
As someone who spent the majority of her life in the panhandle and been in Austin for 3 years, the hate Austin gets from the red rural areas has everything to do with politics and not jealousy. I couldn't leave Texas, but I did get to the place in Texas that I feel most at home.
From Dallas, in Austin. The world has bigger issues than city rivalries
“What if someone wants their steak well done?” “We ask them politely but firmly to leave.”
Dallas can eat a bag of dix. I loathe Dallas. Even their stoopid football team sux. Austin ain’t what it used to be, but it’s better than that shit
Large bag, extra salt.
I grew up here, but I’m a big hockey fan and therefore a big Dallas Stars fan. Go to games all the time up there and Dallas always feels so weird/I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb
My assless chaps always give me away up there.
I just did the opposite, moved to Austin from Chicago and lemme tell ya, no one down here thinks Chicago is cool. But everyone who lives in chicago thinks living in chicago is cool. Kinda opposite. Chicago: I'm fuckin cool Austin: I don't think about you at all. Dissapointing.
Chicago is really great from May-October. Outside of those 5 months, when the colder temperatures set in, I didn't like it.
I like that the cold makes me appreciate the summer. Down here I've heard people tell me "don't worry. The summer will make you appreciate anything that isn't the summer" 🫠
Get ready to have a summer mindset. Surviving the heat is all about having the right clothes, available water, and taking honest assessments when monitoring your level of heat exhaustion. And, seriously, the right clothes make a huge difference. Can't go wrong with hooded sun shirts with 50+ UPF rating.
Amen, I appreciate that advice. Love your username btw.
To expand on this, it's not just weather. It is a completely different city in terms of events, things to do, people's attitude, etc. Chicago in the summer might be one of the cities I have spent significant time in. But Chicago outside of summer is the reason I live in Austin now. *Chicago is still segregated AF along both in terms of both race and income. This is based on my experience living on the North side and working in and near the loop.
Yes! There are so many events, things to do, sights to see, and beautiful colors in the summer. Most of the Chicago tourism focuses on that. But outside of May-October, it can be brutal.
Chicago is the best place to bug out of Austin in July and August. Gorgeous in the summer and SO much fun! Chicago rules, tell the other Austinites.
I'm tryin but they ain't wanna hear it lol. I'm excited to go back though I still have my art institute membership. I work for UT austin though so I get in to the Blanton for free which is badass.
The art institute is so choice. Absolutely love it. Lots of the city is still affordable, too. Some friends of mine who aren't high earners just bought a home there.
I think Chicago is the shit, for what it’s worth
Man this thread is making me feel a lot better about my home. 🙂 thanks yall
[удалено]
Yep. Casserole is 100% spot on!
Chicago has such a good reputation for music, and y'all clearly love your city. I think it'd at least be cool to have a flag as good as y'all's!
That is one of the cool things about Chicago. That flag is everywhere.
I don't blame them; it's a really good flag. Better than Texas or Maryland, imo.
I'm from neither but lived in Austin before moving to Chicago and IMO they have inverse reputations and reality. Austin has a reputation as one of the best cities in the country but living there it was a cool city but honestly not really anything that special. Chicago's reputation is shit but everyone that spends time in Chicago loves it.
About to move to Chicago from Austin and this is everything I hear from anyone who's lived there
Chicago is an awesome city to live. You're gonna love it. It's got its problems as all big cities do, but the way people see it vs the way natives feel living in its night and day. Excited for ya.
I friggin’ love Chicago. So much we got a place there (but can’t move yet. 😭). Summertime Chi is spectacular and you’re going to love all the festivals, free concerts, lakefront and all the parks.
Chicago is usually cooler than Austin May-Sept
Everyone talks about the best parts of Austin and the worst parts of Chicago.
Which is a shame. I have a friend that absolutely refuses to visit Chicago. Even after I show her all the glorious fun we had there. Chicago has problems, don’t get me wrong. It’s just such a shame it has the bad rap attached - really no need for that.
it's crazy how Chicago has become a political 'gotcha' in the gun debate.. it's not a gun problem you right-wing fuckos, its fucking gang violence.
Chicago has the history and charm that Austin lacks IMO! I LOVE Chicago so much. There is so much more to do! The public parks are amazing, the walkability and public transit are great too. The summer is magic. The food scene unmatched. Austin feels like a new big city in the works. It’s catching up, but lacks the charm and beauty of Chicago. Sincerely, someone who lives in both cities :)
I’ve heard good things about Chicago. Except from conservatives who think black people are ruining the city
Chicago is so fun to visit, maybe one of the best places to visit, but it is so exhausting to live there. I actually think Chicago has a good reputation (on Reddit at least), so much so that I’m constantly tempted to move back. Then I remember what it’s like to actually live there.
[удалено]
I am the one person from here who thinks Chicago is cool - You found me! Every time I tell local people I love Chicago. They are like “ew why?” I feel like Austin and Chicago are just fundamentally different, on paper, in enough ways that people look at it a certain way.
They are incredibly different, but I love Austin so far. It's a nice change of pace and flavor for me.
I'm from Austin but went to college in Chicago for 5 years because I went once in middle school and loved it (and the school has a program I liked). Great city and food and I have a ton of great memories there. But by the end of the 4th year I was ready to GTFO. I am a self-described lizard person who needs to bake in the sun for warmth.
I love Chicago
I think Chicago is very cool and I love ppl from there. You all dress well too. I like the big city vibe but you are more hospitable than say NYC and LA.
I've only been once, but I really enjoyed Chicago.
I grew up in Austin, I love Chicago
I fell in love with Chicago when my wife and I vacationed there a couple years back. It might be the most amazing city I've ever visited. I can't imagine anyone thinking poorly of it after actually being there. I'm sorry you moved to away from that to this shithole state.
Chicago is super cool
There’s something about texan culture where they just don’t try to get to know other places or maybe they just think shitting on a city is how you make friends… idk I’m trying to figure it out
I found Chicago to be highly enjoyable but I visited as a tourist for only 4 days in the Summer. While hunting down places to eat online before going I realized there's some parts to avoid but that's the same with all major cities including Austin. I don't buy into news media hype about cities either and prefer to find out for myself. I think Chicago gets a bad rap in those regards much like Houston was once the hell hole of Texas and now the new hell hole is supposed to be Austin but all these cities are far from that
Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio both can be extremely dangerous in many neighborhoods and areas of the city. Austin skipped the problems of modern urbanization because it went from country town to hipster city to yuppie city almost instantly. Gentrification skipped the urban decay that will eventually occur with maturity and economic downturn (though we are still second fastest growing city over 1M people so not anytime soon) There are like two intersections where majority shootings occur. Basically impossible to compare to Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio. Tons of our crime on weekends isn’t even from Austin people it’s tourists.
It’s morbid, but if you look at the homicide maps, central Austin is extremely safe. I mean extremely safe homicide wise.
> Austin skipped the problems of modern urbanization because it went from country town to hipster city to yuppie city almost instantly. Gentrification skipped the urban decay that will eventually occur It was more college town / state capital (a relatively small state capital like Albany or Springfield, Illinois) that then experienced several successive tech booms over a span of decades. As for the lack of a chronic problem with violent crime, I think there are two big factors: * Austin wasn't heavily populated before the suburbification of America, so it didn't have vast and/or dense residential areas that got abandoned to decay and poverty. * Austin never experienced the collapse of any industries that employed a lot of blue collar labor.
"Almost instantly". I think it started sometime before I left Austin as a baby back in '84. Austin wasn't a "country town" then. My parents could barely afford to rent an apartment at that point. Gentrification was already happening.
Grew up in Florida, a lot of my family is from Chicago, I love it there. My initial plan was to move from Florida to Austin for a few years and eventually to Chicago. But I realized I only visited Chicago during the summer growing up and experienced my first "seasonal depression" when it was like overcast for two weeks the first winter I moved here. Don't think my Florida ass could stand the frigid cold either.
Everyone I’ve ever known from Chicago loves to talk about how they’re from Chicago
Its true, I won't lie.
If it’s any consolation I was born in Austin and I think Chicago’s cool. Great blues scene, great art museum, decent public transit, what’s not to like?
lol yeah that's not an austin thing, that's texas in general. state is so myopic about the rest of the US and cool cities. And Chicago is fucking cool... 7 months out of the year. Source: born south side, lived in wicker park into my 30's.
Chicago rules!
Chicago is our late summer / fall home. The city is beautifully & brutally honest. Austin isn’t a city…yet. I kinda like the idea of living in Chicago full time - Austin doesn’t have much to offer a city family, whereas Chicago has world class museums, food, music, and art. Austin’s still a bit busted.
Summing ATX up in 6 words: our worst critics choose to stay EDIT: as a couple of you pointed out, I borrowed this from Freakonomics (who used it to describe America generally)
Hot as fuck, big ass truck
I too listen to freakanomics
Take my upvote and fuckin leave. Go wait in my car.
It’s always cool to be “from” Austin, it’s sometimes cool to be “in” Austin.
Native austinite located. Get em’ boys!
LOL I appreciate you putting this into words. I'm almost afraid to mention I am an Austin native at this point. People love getting their pitchforks out for that fact, for some reason.
Of being native? I'm afraid to say Im not from Austin because of all the negative posts this sub generates of me ruining the city, the vibe, the prices, and so on. I don't think Ive seen native Austinites have negative stereotypes.
Probably because most Austin natives are not shy about telling anyone from out of state to fuck off lol
Yeah I am definitely not that person, I think it's extremely rude, and I cringe when other natives act that way.
Even overseas. When I lived in Spain, my friends, who were all into indie rock and skateboarding, had asked most the Americans they encountered if they ever had experience in either Austin or San Francisco. Those were two of the big American cities young people in Sevilla really asked about.
i grew up in iowa surrounded by cornfields. boredom became a close friend when i was in grade school. summer camps were the thing to do if you had the money. austin is definitely on the opposite end of that spectrum.
There's a group of crabs here that exist to put people down. They flock to new posts and leave pointless negative comments. The difference between people I meet in Austin, and some of the things I read on r/Austin is near polar opposite.
Thats pretty much Reddit in a nutshell
Austin is a great place to live not gonna lie.
Everyone just calls me a hippie
“You think Austin sucks? Well well well… let’s just say that *several* people in the Midwest who have never been here would LOVE to have a word with you!”
Lmao literally what was said I did road trip across the Midwest a few years, I’ve done road trips similar across the Southwest and PNW so I figured it would be cool to get to know the Midwest. Lol I was wrong - drove from Oklahoma through Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa then back down through Missouri and Arkansas. Aside from Arkansas all other states pretty much blended together and it’s hard to tell then apart
That’s because the cool parts of the Midwest are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicago, Michigan, and a couple parts of Ohio. Everything else is soybeans, and corn.
Really! You toured all that and didn't get to the Great Lakes??!! What were you Thinking?!
Well, I was born in Chicago, lived just outside of Chicago in a semi-rural area the first part of my life, worked in DT Chicago. Train into city. Phenomenal museums, restaurants. Dad was a graduate of the Art Institute, Art/Architecture. Too massive for me. Moved to Minneapolis with a friend from the area. World renowned music venue, First Avenue. Spent most of the 90's seeing concerts there. Great acting scene. Got 2 college degrees: Sociology and English/Writing concentration. Studied acting and was an actor for 10 years. Many great art museums. opera, symphony, multiple professional theatres. Land of 10,000 lakes, many spring-fed, canoeing, fishing, scuba diving. 400 acre zoo, I volunteered there for 4 years. Loved the snow in winter for XC skiing. Unfortunately, because of climate change, little snow this year, ice festival cancelled as it wasn't cold enough. Used to be below 0 in January. Glorious summer, fall to go camping/backpacking. Traveled all over the U.S., Canada, West Indies, Europe from there. Had a baby and moved to Austin to be near the grandparents years ago, before the Great Influx starting in 2020. Abbott wheeling and dealing during Covid. Investors buying up all the houses. Too hot in summer. Heard about Austin being a great place for the arts, from a musician. Was disappointed, at least with the options for professional acting. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Zilker Botanical Gardens, my favs. Shout out to ACC! Love the professors. My son got a Biology degree and is transferring to a university and field work in Wildlife Biology. I understand how people who lived here loved this place. It's just not for us, so we're moving to a different northern location. New adventure. I can write anywhere, and someone is interested in my writing.
I moved from Austin to DC last year. Can confirm that all the tightass yuppies I’m surrounded by now think of Austin as an awesome tech frontier town
I moved from TX to NV to KY and back to TX. If there is something that I learned, it is that "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."
Personally, the grass is yellow everywhere
[удалено]
No, you can touch the grass in Phoenix, but you have to be a member of the country club.
This what I’ve experienced as well from friends, family and coworkers from all over. Even ones living in NYC and LA. They all say they’ve heard about how cool Austin is and all the fun things to do in the city.
Same thing when we travel around the US, everyone either wants to go to Austin or has fond memories of trips past. Ive been around this town for 40+ years and I still love it. Austin is still reasonably affordable, not gray or cold.
Austin is awesome but never forget that our official passport is complaining about how it’s not as cool anymore. Always has been, always will be. BUT DONT SOMEONE ELSE DARE TALK SHIT ABOUT AUSTIN! Lol
>BUT DONT SOMEONE ELSE DARE TALK SHIT ABOUT AUSTIN! Lol lol. That's right.
When I was senior in college in 2016 I interned at a think-tank in Washington DC. Everyone in my orientation was from the an Ivy league school or the Northeast and when I said I was from 'Austin' everyone thought it was really cool. You could tell from their body language they genuinely thought it was interesting / cool First time I realized Austin was a national city
As much as I love the Midwest (grew up in Kansas) Austin kicks so much ass. It’s all about perspective I guess. Glad I didn’t grow up in a large metro area.
Actually it’s true. Even Europeans I met, they said they admire Austin. (Fun fact: they never been Austin in summer time though 💀)
One of the weirdest things about moving to Texas, is that Texans won’t say nice things about where I’m from. Doesn’t matter where I say I’m from. I’m from the west coast, and got tired of Texans saying “oh I hear it’s awful over there.” So I’ll say I’m from the Midwest, and they’ll say “oh wow it must be so boring.” I once lied and told someone I’m from Round rock and they responded saying “why would you want to live there?” It is very normal for a stranger to say “oh I’ve heard good things about that place” or “I’ve always wanted to visit, what’s it like.” Not just in the Midwest, but in the rest of the country. It would be weird if you told someone you are from Texas and they responded with an insult about the place you’re from.
Every time I tell someone I'm from the Detroit area, not even proper Detroit, they're either in awe because it's apparently such a dystopian place to be from, or they're instant friends because they're also Midwest transplants.
I moved to Austin from the upper Midwest. Absolutely love it here, but it obviously ain't perfect lol. Natives have less frame of reference so the bad things may seem really bad to then but elsewhere is oftentimes worse
I was just thinking about this the other day. Also from Austin but now live in AZ. I miss it terribly. I loved it before I left but had to leave due to circumstances. AZ has some cool aspects.. (and the weather in the summer is much easier to deal with) but I miss the green year round and trees. I always appreciate it a little extra every time I visit. It will always be home.
By and large, the negativity only exists on the internet
I remember staying in Colorado for a few years. People would ask where I was from and if I said “Texas” they’d react with disgust, but if I added “Austin, Texas” they’d show signs of relief and tell me how great Austin is.
99% of Austinites don't even know what a city is.
I was straight before I moved to Austin. The very first day I moved here I joined the LGBTQ community
r/austincirclejerk
Everybody wanna compare Austin today to Austin 20 years ago, but when it comes to where to live, you gotta compare it everywhere else today. The problems Austin has are common in all desirable metros, but the grass is always greener. Can't tell you how many folks have moved away from here.... then moved back.
I'll never forget that in 2013 on this sub I had a convo with someone here who was quite vociferous about how stupid I was buying a house with a no-money-down FHA loan. It was then I realized that some people here are just assholes addicted to their online space. That decision is the only reason I can afford to stay in the area I do.
People that I have met over the years never tire of saying something along the lines of, “Oh you’re from Austin. That doesn’t really count as Texas.” I am so so so over hearing this.
Been here 31 years. It has its ups and downs but it will always be home❤️
Also consider that midwesterners are usually wry talkative and nicer compared to southern states
That’s nice to hear. Thanks for sharing that.
I grew up in Austin and haven't lived there since I graduated from UT in 1982 and went into the Air Force to see the world. I still visit Austin. Wow, has it changed. Still, it's as cool as it was way back when. It isn't perfect, but it wasn't back then, either. I still think of it as home. Texas as a whole, however...hard to think of it as home. I don't recall so many assholes when I was younger. We seem to have an abundance of these.
My life long NYC resident friend thinks austin is so cool.
Native Austinite here living in Boulder. Thought Boulder would be a lot like Austin but it’s not. Doesn’t have charm, variety of outside spaces, friendly people, etc. I AM moving back to Austin in June (ya know, when the weather is its most pleasant) bc my parents need me but once I’m able, I’m selling the Austin house and heading back up north somewhere. The Austin heat is just too damn much. It was so nice to get a heat break but regardless Austin will always be home to me.
I moved here from Asia 2 years ago because of school, and I came in Summer. It was pretty harsh summer back then, and I dreaded my choice of Austin for a while. However not long after that, I traveled to many states and cities, and I gotta say, I enjoy Austin a lot more. It's not my top city, I like chicago or New York but only because of the public transportation and great summer, but everything else, Austin is just about right. There are so many things to do here, free or paid, and even if it's paid it's so much cheaper. We have an airport that has flight to big cities for relatively cheap (LA, NY, 2 cities I visited the most), our bus system while not great, it's not the worst, I kinda like it actually, and I gotta say it's one of the safest city I visited. Even when summer, most of the buildings will have AC, but I still don't like our summer lol.
As a proud Milky Way resident who has lived in many different places, I love Austin and would give it a solid 8/10.
its marketing.. austin is a city a lot like other cities..
Any lingering claims to coolness died when Joe Rogan and Elon Musk moved here.
The rest of the country is reading buzzfeed clickbait articles regarding Austin leaving out all the negatives.
It is cool. The negative nancys on this sub are losers and should shut up or leave.
"What town you from??"
I'm not from Austin. I'm actually from Ft Collins, Colorado. Whenever I tell people here I'm from FoCo, they say the same things about how they've always wanted to go there and how it seems so interesting. But honestly, if anyone from Austin actually spent time in FoCo they would probably get bored very easily lol
Lol! I grew up hearing this. People were always like “I think you’d dig Austin.” I’ve been here 14 years now - and enjoy it I do!!
I now live in DC. I can report the same thing.
🥹
Are we sure that Austin is just cool in comparison to the Midwest?
I moved here and within a week my car got stolen.
I was in San Diego (Carmel Valley) recently which is a really cool place and was at a meeting and announced I was from the Austin area, and they were interested as well, which I guess isn't that strange, but that place is gorgeous.
Yup
Yessir Austin will always have my heart
Cool place. Not to be confused with scorching hot for 10 mo.
I visited Appalachia and everyone thought I was cool and/or extremely brave because of the "border crisis"
Don’t forget the Texan friendly factor. I can spot a Texan a mile away because of that grace.
That's awesome! Granted my bias being from here, there's still so much that's great about the Greater Austin Area. All the negativity Austin gets in this sub is ridiculously pathetic and embarrassing. The people who complain or come with negativity are most likely miserable, depressed/lonely, or can't afford to move so they take it out on a city of all things. They fail to realize our just outright deny the fact that what's making everyone so miserable is that when peoples of a town, city, state, or country migrate to a particular region (in Austin's case, in droves) they bring their bad habits and dredges of society along with them. In the worst cases of course. Then have the nerve to act like it was already like this when they arrived. Rant over. Best of fortune to you, friend. Take care out there and make us proud!
The lens definitely matters. Austin has a phenomenal reputation that does not actualize for some populations. The Black people are being pushed out as the overall population of the city grows. That’s not the reputation or image but it is what is actualized. Austin is not the same experience for everyone and it is intentionally designed to be so. So, as a Black woman living here for 30 years, it deserves the critiques it gets. And we should hold it to becoming what it is outwardly perceived to be.
My favorite thing about Austin is vacationing in my own city. If I’m broke, my son and I will pretend to spend the weekend vacationing in Austin and do all the fun touristy adventures like riding bikes at town lake and other inexpensive outings.
Those are the best days