These policies may eventually find their way to Austin. I don't think the people who fled them will advocate them, but keep in mind what "fleeing" means - some

These policies may eventually find their way to Austin. I don't think the people who fled them will advocate them, but keep in mind what "fleeing" means - somebody is pursuing you. These folks may eventually catch up. One big difference between San Francisco and Austin is that SF has been a wealthy city for a while now, whereas Austin is still on the way up. The more money there already is, the more incentive people have to focus on getting that money than creating new wealth. As Austin gets bigger, wealthier, and more established, it's hard to believe that some people won't see jobs, benefits, apartments, and vacations as things people "get" rather than "create." SF, while unimpressive in this regard, really isn't that different from any other old city (Boston, NY come to mind). The advantage these old cities have is they are, well, much more interesting places to live than most of the new cities. It sounds like Austin is in that magical spot where it is both new and interesting, a rising star that doesn't have the baggage yet.