5 ms·
Frankly, I'm surprised that the Austin region's notable decline in quality of life hasn't already begun to act as a feedback mechanism limiting investment and p
by sithadmin 6y ago
Frankly, I'm surprised that the Austin region's notable decline in quality of life hasn't already begun to act as a feedback mechanism limiting investment and population growth.
Austin was plagued by decades of nimbyism and poor urban planning that prevented sufficient infrastructure development before it was a tech hotspot. ~10 years ago, things like traffic and public transport had already become borderline unbearable relative to comparable cities. It has only become much, much worse in recent years. I imagine that it might still seem livable to tech folks arriving from west/east coast megacities, but to us locals...not so much.
Nearby San Antonio has done a much, much better job in terms of infrastructure development, but of course nobody wants to set up shop there because it doesn't have the (fading, imo) cultural cachet that Austin has.
- throwaway0a5e 6y agoDecline is relative. Despite being a crappy deal Austin is still a better deal than the options where a lot of the new people are coming from.
- medium_burrito 6y agoYeah, comparing with San Francisco/CA (massive income tax, possible wealth tax, absurd real estate, dysfunctional schools, etc) and Seattle (merely very expensive real estate, insane city council, famously unfriendly people, depressing weather, and possibly way more taxes and soon as our legislature can figure out how to get around them being unconstitutional)... Austin is definitely still a good deal. Sure, the weather isn't as good as California (but better than southern Nevada), and the scenery isn't as pretty or geographically interesting as the Pacific Northwest (but better than Oklahoma), but there are jobs, a good university and Texas doesn't appear to have lobotomy patients as local government.
- jedberg 6y agoThe main problem with Austin is that it's in Texas. Which means you're still subject to Texas laws and Texas schoolbooks. Some of those schoolbooks still teach that, "slaves were treated well because they were expensive property". Which makes me think, maybe there is a business opportunity to open a private school that uses California or Massachusetts/New York text books.
- whycombagator 6y agoIs that particularly common/exist at all in good Austin area schools? Or are you just generalising based on some Texas schools (genuinely curious as I have no idea myself)
- borramakot 6y agoMy understanding is that the Texas state requirements used to be borderline insane, but that they have improved over time. Skimming http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/index.html http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/index.htm... , I actually found much less objectionable than I expected to.
- mensetmanusman 6y agoThis is a meme that may require updating
- jedberg 6y agoPossibly, I haven't looked in a few years.
- usefulcat 6y agoIn general I don't disagree about bass-ackwards public school curriculums in TX. However, for those who are willing and able to pay for private school, that's not really an issue in Austin, especially considering how liberal it is compared to literally any other city in Texas.
- hardolaf 6y agoSo basically just screw the poor by letting them suffer through Republican pushed indoctrination and lies?
- claytongulick 6y ago> better than Oklahoma That's a broad brush. Currently sitting in a log cabin in an old growth forest on a stunning lake near Broken Bow, OK, with pretty hills / small mountains all around. Interestingly, one of the few (maybe only?) place in the world that has both black bears and alligators. Mountains, lakes, swamp, pasture... McCurtain County is a treat.
- notional 6y agocaveat to enjoying a wondrous life in OK of course is don't be a BIPOC
- totalZero 6y agoOf Oklahoma's five Congressional districts, one is represented by a Chickasaw, another is represented by a Cherokee, and a third is represented by an Iranian.
- chasd00 6y agoI’m closing on 20 acres near talahina in a couple weeks. SE Oklahoma is very underrated.
- claytongulick 6y agoThat's a great place to invest right now. I'm buying a cabin in Broken Bow, the owner is selling and reinvesting in some land very close to where you are buying.
- gautamcgoel 6y agoSeems to me plenty of places have both gators and black bears. GA and FL for starters...
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- cjtoth 6y ago> nobody wants to set up shop there because it doesn't have the (fading, imo) cultural cachet that Austin has .. and has a public ivy college, the Texas legislature, and decades of semiconductors in the area. There's still NIMBY & traffic in the city, but to sum Austin up as simply a cultural hub feels dishonest
- mech422 6y agoI'd say Phoenix gives it a good run for its money :-)
- tick_tock_tick 6y agoAustin is the "new" SF and it's happening on a shorter timescale which is probably going to create an even more dysfunctional local political system. I know so many friends and colleagues that have moved to Austin from SF over the years to escape the issues they have with SF (mostly around trying to raise a family, poor schools, high coast of homes with any real space, etc) but it seems like Austin might just slingshot past SF in terms of issues.
- DebtDeflation 6y agoThere's always Denver and RTP.
- breischl 6y agoShhhhh, no there's not. These are not the metro areas you're looking for. Nothing to see here. Move along.
- oblio 6y agoRTP?
- pchristensen 6y agoResearch Triangle Park, NC
- MengerSponge 6y agoI absolutely love the Triangle, but public transit there is a joke. My favorite tinfoil hat conspiracy theory is that Duke Parking killed the light rail system.
- gautamcgoel 6y agoCan you comment a bit on why you love the triangle?
- jdhn 6y agoAs a Michigander, I find it funny to see people argue over growing cities and whether their cultural cachet is growing or fading. People here would kill to have the problems that Austin has.
- sithadmin 6y agoHaving just lived there for a couple years, I would argue that Ann Arbor has all the same issues as Austin: Strong nimbyism; general under-development of public infrastructure; a university that keeps the local government on a leash; absurd housing prices subsidized by student loans and tech workers; trademark 'hippie'/counterculture mentality that's increasingly marginalized; increasing presence of cookie-cutter chain establishments...
- whycombagator 6y agoBut does Ann Arbor have a massive influx of homeless?