Austin's population generally do see themselves as having a lot in common with other major urban areas, like San Francisco or Boston. Austonians by and large do

Austin's population generally do see themselves as having a lot in common with other major urban areas, like San Francisco or Boston. Austonians by and large do not like the policies that the state they happen to be ensconced within enacts. Texas is generally right-leaning, but Austin is pretty liberal, and would choose very different policies if they had the power to do so. That indicates one issue with splitting political power into states: most American political differences are urban/suburban/rural, not regional. Austonians and San Franciscans have more in common with each other than they do with other areas of their own states, and California's Central Valley would get along fine with West Texas. But SF and the Central Valley don't get along, and West Texas and Austin don't get along.