I can't read the article because it's paywalled but I've lived in NYC and SF for several years each, and have now been in Austin for 2. I'll just say one thing

I can't read the article because it's paywalled but I've lived in NYC and SF for several years each, and have now been in Austin for 2. I'll just say one thing which I like about it a lot. Being a blue city in a red state, the public's approach to policy seems more reasonable than in a lot of other places where it only goes one way. For example, a few years ago they had a ballot measure to allow homeless camping on the streets more easy to do and less punishable. In short order, the city became swamped with it. At one point city hall downtown was even entirely surrounded with tents. I mean straight lines down all four sides of the block. It looked like somebody had gone to Walmart and bought 100 of the same 3 tents. The situation wasn't very good. So 2 years later it was put back up for vote and people voted to undo it, and now the city is much cleaner than it was before. Yes, there are still homeless, and I bet lots of people are gonna have opinions about whether undoing it actually helped homeless people as that's a hot topic today, but having lived in NYC and SF, that was something I'd almost never seen before. Vote to try something, and then actually vote to undo it when the results are not good? It was incredible to me. In the other cities things only ever go one way, which seemed to be doubling down. I admire Austin for its ability to experiment and undo when things don't work out, it seems rational. Other than that, well, it's a medium-sized city in Texas. That means it's very hot in the summers and it is not as connected as the continuous coastal sprawls of the east and west coasts. If you don't like heat or simpler cities, come say hi and have fun for a week, but it might not be for you for living. You don't have to throw shade on it though to decide it's not a fit for you for the long term. It's a great place to be.