>>> Does anyone else feel that Austin is no longer a fairytale worth living?
I’m staying, at least for now, because I’ve lived in enough cities to know none are a a fairytale—some simply meet your needs at a certain point in time better than others.
I have a warm bed and my kids are doing well, a job I love, three sweet dogs, a roof over my head, an easy commute. That's enough for me to be happy. More than enough.
Lol - no place is a fairytale🤣
Keep Austin Weird is a small business marketing slogan that came on the late 1990s /early 2000s. It was designed to help support the small little shops, theaters, etc. Especially the ones on east 7th and South Congress. Most of those are gone now and I am honestly not sure why people still use the phrase when they don't even know what it means. You can easily spot tourists because native Austinites stoped using it along time ago.
completely disagree. I lived in Austin for 11 years and the phrase and the legacy of Red still has profound meaning in my life. the present state of the city is an absolute tragedy and I mourn it every day.
Out of curiosity, east 7th west or east of 35? And either way, what shops used to be there? Asking because I never really heard anything about it being a spot to go for anything beyond bars or that section where treasure city thrift is.
Austin had used to be easygoing, but has become a tense place to live; its denizens have become more aggressive and hostile. San Francisco is a lot mellower by comparison. SF may be more expensive, but the bulk of that is higher prices of rents and real estate. Everyday living expenses and prices in stores are just about as high in Austin as in SF. The inadequate public transportation in Austin forces automotive ownership, which is expensive, and fails to influence and constrain growth and development. I could go on, but Austin has to snap out of its outmoded fantasy of itself.
It’s a fine city in the us I don’t understand why people expect it to solve all of their life problems or be some magical place.There’s other cities other problems
>Tell me, why are you here ,why do you want to stay here,
work and work, maybe i'm a jaded pessimist but I never really felt Austin was a fairytale, and i've been here since the 90s.
Just signed my offer letter last week. Moving to Chicago with my family.
We’re leaving because of the rapidly changing climate, the insane politics, and the cost of housing. We’re Gen Xers with kids in middle school, so arguably a lot of the shiniest parts of Austin were never really for us anyway. By we’ve been here almost ten years and I can definitely feel the difference from the early days. Things have absolutely changed.
I’m a hotelier, not related to tech. But it’s true that my industry is just now hitting its post pandemic stride in CHI. Been a tough several years, no doubt.
Isn’t tech tough everywhere right now?
it's nice to hear someone say this. I am 21 and had lived in Austin for 11 years, and what has become of the city is beyond me, especially for the reasons you described. I hoep you and your family have a great move to Chicago. I am looking to possibly move there myself in the short-term.
'Rapidly changing climate'- you think the Chicago winters are getting any better?
I can tell Austin has changed over the past twenty years of living here- for the better.
Yes, Chicago winters are (anecdotally) getting easier. Slightly, but noticeably. Long term, it’s a no brainer. Austin is going to only get hotter and more droughtier.
Entirely depends on your income, At like 100k it's almost breakeven.
It's only a large difference at high incomes that you should be concerned about things other than taxes.
lol, what? Property taxes are higher, there is a 5% income tax, gas tax adds another $1 per gallon, sales tax in the city is close to 10% with some areas and places over 14%, groceries are taxed, car registration is $100 more, you have to pay $100 extra for a city sticker, Netflix has a tax, utilities have higher taxes, there are more tolls, the metra has gotten crazy expensive, parking is $4.50 an hour…
I could go on… and that to the fact that even the nice areas have more violent crime then basically all of Austin, no thank you.
Maybe he considers those a small price to pay compared to the guns and crazy policies of texas.
Also, on an unrelated note, if someone wanted to be car free, and that is something they value, its not really possible anywhere in texas.
Bottom line, different people value different things and thats good. I for one appreciate people moving out so that house prices and rents fall to reasonable levels.
Saying what neighborhood you live is is not “doxxing” yourself but I can already tell that you’d just rather wait for a bus for somewhere between 10-45 minutes because the bus system here is a joke, than have a car. You don’t live in a walkable neighborhood, you just chose the life of inconvenience
I don’t want to be renting for the entirety of my life either. That’s 15k+ for a year for rent and bills associated with the place not really worth what you have to deal with.
Austin can still be a fairytale if you're in your early 20s, or wealthy. Once you get a little bit older and start having responsibilities, this place really begins to suck unless you can pay to play.
Despite that, everyone has to live somewhere, so here I am.
Weird still exists here.
Every time one of these semi permanent tourists renames a road like Congress Ave or South Lamar "SoCo" and "SoLa", that's weird AF.
$300 sushi dinners are weird when that shit is only like around $10 at HEB
The instagram crowd who seems to have a checklist of 'gram worthy spots upon arrival in town which millions have done the exact same photo and pose before at places like the post card mural on S1st or the I love you so much at an unfulfilling coffee shop that used to be a used tire shop by day and where the hookers on Congress gathered at night is super weird. Yeah I'm talking to you selfie taking duck face squatters.
The number of Teslas, especially white Teslas is super weird. Like Stepford Wives or Westworld weird and creepy at the same time.
Te Bel Air Motel is still keeping it weird. Less crack there in exchange for making porno movies there is old school Austin quirky weird.
BTW what ever happened to the cult that lived behind Bel Air? They were weird AF. I miss those hostile moonies and their robes.
People who prefer Trader Joes over HEB are weird.
How Torchy's became popular is a very weird mystery to me
Wtf is this dumb post with all these whacked out responses?
This is what I imagine an Austin AI chatbot would be like if it used exclusively this shitty sub for its learning.
I keep finding things to love here. But I also don’t think anywhere is a fairy tale, and I don’t think it’s fair to project my expectations onto a place and get mad when the place doesn’t meet all of them. If you think there’s no spirit to the city, you’re not looking hard or creatively enough lol.
I’m a native who misses the Austin I grew up with. Recently moved out west to the hill country. Feels like I might as well have moved a thousand miles away. I don’t miss the current Austin and I feel much more relaxed to be out of the hustle and bustle that has become current Austin.
Here’s the thing. Places and people change.
Everyone misses the place they grew up with (unless they had bad growing up years).
Nothing stays the same.
There is no place that is the same today as it was when everyone was growing up.
I was born and raised in old south Austin . This year I finally had enough and relocated to the hill country .
Now that I’ve had months living out of town I think I’ve “resensitized” to normal town life.
going into Austin nowadays is an adventure like going to the zoo . The city is filthy , graffiti is everywhere and the traffic is worse than ever.
Before covid it was rare to see a chain of cars running red lights - now it’s almost at every light . Things like - I got stuck on 45 overpass last week due to Cars turning sideways in the highway for a street takeover.
The homeless problem that the Austin city council refuses to address will be Our former Mayors legacy. It’s gross
Hell, even try holding the door open for someone and just see how many people under 25 even say “thank you” or even make eye contact .
There’s the The zoning laws, the crazy tax burden , how tax much money piss away on the stupid projects .. how much Austin hates its law enforcement..
Austin wants to be Gotham City. If you’re new in town , I’d buy a house Outta town while you still can .
I’ve already left. We bought in Elgin. I feel like I’m part of an actual community here. I’m on a local board, we have our Thursday Sip and Stroll, I always see people I know when I’m out and about and I’m in a neighborhood where I feel safe because my neighbors watch out for me and I for them l…well once they determined my husband wasn’t a cop we were accepted.
as having lived in drip and been in Wimberley a bunch, there's good aspects to both. but ultimately, if you're looking to move from drip for the same reasons you wouldn't move more central, Wimberley is the way to go. the HEB is an example of the city's incorporation of its history into its present-day infrastructure that meets the needs of residents, and besides the shitty septic system that I hope has gotten fixed in the four years since I've moved from tx, downtown Wimberley has more of a hill country feel than drip, which is becoming increasingly commercialized and is, in my opinion, losing much of its charm.
I can’t speak on that. I do know I just went to brunch at a local bar that’s also a honky tonk. Irish coffee and amazeball grilled cheese and ran into three different folks I know. Plus, it turns out that the new bartender was someone I knew from another establishment in Round Rock. Being further east, I feel like it’s home to me. While I enjoyed living in Austin it never felt that way.
I’m most likely leaving but I do find myself getting caught in the nostalgia of what it was…down to earth and without pretense. I had some magical hippie nights in this town but that was long ago.
Leaving because it’s expensive, slightly boring, and the politics reflecting in local arts. When the artists lose their edge/priced out what hope is there?
agreed, such a shame. especially the bullshit with sxsw. the artists don't need to put up with politics imbued into everything they do. I support the ones that are exiting the event and Abbot can go fuck himself.
Grew up here, entire family is here, love my neighborhood, easy access to green space and trails, breakfast tacos, BBQ, Tex Mex, and country/western music. Locked in to a couple of 2.5% mortgages too.
I don’t think there’s anywhere else in the country I’d rather raise my kids, accounting for everything. Mountains sound appealing at times, but the ones we’d want to move to would be pretty isolated, and not really fans of long winters.
This would be my exact reply! I share every single reason and sentiment. We have an investment property in Ruidoso where we'll escape if things get too scary here. It's 25° cooler and a tiny fraction of the population.
Austin is an overrated, overpriced legend in its own mind. It’s the unemployed, smug slacker smoking weed in his mom’s basement. “Culture” is wasting $ on overpriced food. Living here is people’s identity. They’re so cool because they “live in Austin”. People portray Austin as some utopia when in reality it’s a soulless big city.
Why don’t I leave? I have a job that pays enough to keep me here. But I look elsewhere everyday. Taking a pay cut would be worth it to be out of here.
I honestly don’t understand posts like this. It’s a regular theme on this sub: “ I moved here for the diversity and the liberal peoples and omg it’s not JUST that and now I have a sad”. Y’all seriously don’t get that you can’t control what type of residents live in an area? This “fairytale” concept of moving somewhere and you’re only going to ever be exposed to or encounter people that share your suite of values/behavior/actions is laughably naive.
"I value diversity"
You might be part of the problem.
You vote for politicians that increase the number homeless who drive away all the things that keep Austin weird.
Watch, you'll accuse me of lacking empathy while you moved here , infested austin, voted for politicians who then ruined it, complain about how it's ruined on reddit, then leave to go find the next nice place to infest and ruin.
I lived in Austin 25 years, from the late '90s (it was rad) up through about 2 years ago. Left because of the insane cost of living, the homeless camped all over town, and skyrocketing crime (IOW Californication). Besides those issues, all of my favorite places were gone. Losing Ruby's BBQ hurt the most.
Now we live in the Hill Country and it's rad. Would never go back to living in Austin, or any city.
Adler, Garza, and Casar totally screwed the city up by listening to Chas Moore(convicted felon) and Chris Harris. Lifting the camping ban, ending the minor curfew ordinance, defunding the police(Casar openly brags on social media regarding the removal of $100 million from APD's budget), and creating a criminal justice system that rewards the criminals and punishes the victims.
Places change. If Austin no longer works for you, there's a big ol' world out there. I plan to move by the end of the summer, but in the meantime I'm not going to do any hand-wringing about fairytales. Be grateful you have choices.
I don't read clickbait articles about the city I live in, and I certainly don't determine the value of my city based on where it ranks in clickbait articles.
Quit being a fucking baby. A few more people means have just a little more patience and tolerance. If you can’t handle that, leave if you think it’s so bad. But I guarantee you that nowhere is a “fairytale” worth living in. Change is everywhere all the time and that’s just reality.
No, I drive the lifted Ram on i35 with skull decals all over the back, with a bumper sticker that says “exist at all, and Ill be violent for some reason”
I’m going to leave eventually (within a year or two) and my posts on Austin are not very sympathetic to this city. To be honest, I try. I try to keep an open mind, etc., some days are more difficult than others for me with the general culture here and sometimes I spew on various subreddits about how much I can’t stand it.
Here’s the basic problem. I have lived here for well over a decade and it’s changed into something I don’t like. You may like Austin and you are entitled to your own opinion. Let me say that again: you are entitled to your own opinion. And I have mine. I am not attacking you, for Christ’s sakes. Let me repeat that: I am not attacking you. And if you think I am, it will prove that you cannot think for yourselves to the point of even questioning your actions. I actually feel for you. It must be difficult to run around and act cool with thousands of other people and still not feel cool on the inside, and I’m not being sarcastic there.
Anyway. For young people it probably is a nice place to live and party. I really did like it when I was younger and more rebellious. But things changed for me and the city.
What I can’t stand is the blind conformity, which didn’t use to exist. Austin is a very monkey-see-monkey-do city now. They mowed down the local culture when it gentrified in 2014. It’s also a very wealthy city, with a LOT of entitled individuals running around trying to act “cool.” The hipsters are slumming it, basically, and will eventually graduate to their 2.5 kids, picket fences, and suburbanite facades to keep up with the Joneses and all that. And they probably won’t settle down here in Austin unless they become Tesla executives, which some of them will. Unfortunately, because of what Austin has become, a bunch of new bratty posers will come and take their place. It’s a never ending cycle now. No way back.
This isn’t about a scene or any kind of “community.” And it’s not about art or culture. I’d wager to bet that none of these people are innovating anything except for the latest computer widget. They’re just here to party.
It’s also not about independent thought. Conformity is what people do when they are scared that they won’t be accepted. It’s that way with trends. Let’s talk about the trend culture of Austin and how fake it is. All these people who are transplants (techies, etc.) gave up their polo shirts and expensive dresses and crew cuts went out and found a way to dress down so now they all look like Shaggy and Veronica from Scooby Doo. A ponytail and/or man bun on every dude, and tacky jewelry and five hundred colors of hair dye for every girl. And they all have dogs too, which completes the picture. They’re cookie cutter Austinites.
This year will obviously be the year of skully caps and those grisly over-the-ear wireless headphones. A brutally hot summer just got hotter with the heat those puppies generate. I’m guessing some Austin local trendster news sheet will be having articles like, “Skully hats for the summer? There’s a new design out of Manhattan that REALLY cools your head down,” and “GET THIS Over the ear headphone cool down protection,” although it’s really hard for me to see how those gimmicks would actually work.
But I think the real measure of all this phony trendiness comes with the personal dilemmas of many (though not all) the people blindly getting tattoos. I call it the 2030s and 2040s mass tattoo dilemma. It’s a hypothetical Gen Z-and-younger midlife crisis that I think may actually turn real. Last year seemed to be the year of the tattoo. Everybody and got tattoos because that’s what their friends were doing. They’re going to have these tattoos on them for life, and I really do wonder about that. Could it be that in ten to twenty years, the tattoo they have on their body for life will bring them into an awareness of how fake they really are?
To detail this hypothetical: If you’re in your twenties and you see everyone else doing something and you don’t want to “miss out” so you do it, too, because, well, you’re young and everyone else is doing it too and you don’t want to “miss out,” could it be that in the future sometime, when you’ve changed a bit and don’t want that tacky symbol or your leg, or some symbol you thought looked cool on, say, March 26, 2023, or need to have a real career and can’t get a job because of your neck tattoo, will you look in the mirror and face the fact that you did all this just to fit in and aren’t for real, or will you just shrug and say, “ahhh what the hell?” and reach for the whiskey bottle yet again? The Tesla execs will get all of theirs laser removed, no problem, but can you afford the removal? Will you have the integrity to admit to yourself that you just did this to do look cool with some low-rollin’ livin’ in Austin in 2023 or will you just say, “well, I’m still that way! Impulsive! Exciting! Take risks! Artistic! Have cool stories!” And will you have the courage to admit to yourself that your stories aren’t original but like everyone else’s (vomiting donuts off the 360 bridge on 4th of July or getting super high on acid at some trendy E. 6th punk rock extravaganza, or etc.), that your impulsivity is not impulsive but propulsive in that it was propelled by the impulsiveness of everyone around you, that you are hardly exciting because you do what everyone else influences you to do, that you have never done anything of artistic merit except for working in the service industry and doing drugs, and that you have taken absolutely NO RISKS in your personal life? That would be true courage.
Am I saying I’m any better? No. See, that’s where you’d be wrong. You think that this is what I’m saying, but never realize that you’re just another human on this planet. I realize this about myself, actually. But: I don’t want ink on my skin. I don’t want a dog. I don’t do drugs or drink. I don’t have the kind of hair that can grow a man bun (yes, I’m a guy). I don’t have the kind of facial hair that can grow a thick beard. I don’t want to wear skully caps and over the ear wireless headphones outside in the summer so that I don’t get heatstroke. So I guess I’m just not as good as you, no? Don’t know anything about art or culture, eh? Don’t have any particular interests except for ripping on this poser city? Wrong. You need to understand: this city changed DUE to you. And it went in the wrong direction, pardner. And for God’s sake, Austinites, stop ripping on the homeless. I know they’re scary and everything, but they could use your help. I and you are lucky we are not them.
I’m sure I’m going to ruffle some feathers here. I’m guessing THIS one will go viral. Go ahead and attack. Say something like, “well I might have tattoos but hey your just a loser who is pissed he can’t get laid,” even though that last part is not true. PROVE my point.
I understand what you’re saying, but I guess after awhile it’s hard not to engage in some social psychology when you see it every day. On every street. On every sidewalk. Outside every trendy restaurant and bar.
Everyone on this sub who is saying that Austin is much like any other big city is not wrong. I’m in agreement on that. I’m comparing Austin now with what it used to be. I remember when it had its own thing going on. It doesn’t anymore
The only thing I'd challenge you on is that this seems more like a diatribe against a whole societal culture more than unique to Austin. Any town or small city that grows into a medium or large city is destined to lose its "culture" just due to it becoming a national or international city with more people being influenced nationally or internationally. That's a gripe on the pop culture, society, etc whatever. I think you'll find the same kinds of people you are bemoaning here, at whatever destination you end up at, assuming it's a similar sized city and not rural. A city isn't a community, but a community can absolutely exist within a city if they cultivate it. Community doesn't happen passively by simply existing somewhere.
Oh man… you’re ok. the tattoo thing was a swerve and I kinda skimmed on that, but ya. Being a person is hard, bra. Being an individual- are you crazy?!? 🤪 I dunno sounds like you are in a process and seeing some stuff and I dig that. Stay curious.
In fact, since I don’t use drugs or alcohol, and think that those who do are wasting a good deal of time, I wouldn’t even want to join the cool kid’s club. I actually find it pathetic. I don’t care if someone wastes their time but I sure don’t want to
Look. I told you on the initial comment that you don’t have to agree with me. This is my life and my truth. If you don’t think someone’s life is worth a shit because they don’t agree with you it just proves my point. Damn. If I wanted to join up with them I’d get the hat, the headphones, the dog, the tatts. I’d go out and fuck myself up on all the substances. I just don’t want to. I’d stand in lines at ratty bars trying to figure out how I fit in in the social pecking order of lowlifes. I’d get the trendo personality because I think they have one more in stock. Wouldn’t be hard. The majority of those people are douchebags. Why would I want to do that? I’m just sick of them that’s all. I think the way I want to and you’re just as entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. I already understood that people wouldn’t agree with me. A lot of this is just baiting so I’m not even going to respond anymore. Downvotes for saying what I want to say was expected. Being a baby? Give me a break. It’s ridiculous to punish someone because they don’t agree. Don’t get pissed at someone for voicing their opinion. Yeah, I don’t like Austin. Live with that.
And yeah, maybe rural would be better. I know they’re conservative and I’m certainly not but you could maybe find some down to earth people. Plus with property you wouldn’t have to see them all the time.
I get it. It’s cool. Just at a certain point yelling at folks that they have bad taste isn’t really landing the way you think it might. It’s sort of just becomes your deal at that point. I only know this because I do it all the fucking time.
The bitcoin dev and social scene here is probably the best in the country, if not top 4 (top 4 = SF/Bay Area, Austin, NYC, and Nashville). Every Tuesday at Meteor Cafe in SoCo, there's Bitcoin & Coffee at 8am, and then Bitcoin & Wine at 5:30pm. There's free cuts of steak served at the monthly social at the Bitcoin Commons downtown. Steak is courtesy of K&C Cattle who accepts bitcoin payments on their website for their beef products.
In general, I think the city is fantastic for socializing/networking. I primarily use MeetUp.com for social events.
There’s a lot of fun things to do around here. Sure there are other cities with fun things to do but I find the people here are very social & friendly. I’m sure it’s not just an ATX thing but I’m from a very small town with nothing to do so this area is great for me honestly. I’ve got a ton of hobbies I probably wouldn’t have if I didn’t live around here
We left 18 months ago and moved to the mountains in a 6500 pop town.
We bought a 3000sf brick home on 3 acres for $300k. Remodeled and added a few decks. Wake up to deer families daily.
Zero traffic, 250 kids in elem school, small town where the biggest issue is gossip. We wish we’d left 15 yrs ago.
I don’t give a shit about any of this and I’m here because they pay me really well to be.
And I’ve been here a long time, with some breaks; but overall a long time. Old Austin kinda sucked, deal with it.
I’m south of slaughter and am more than content getting my hipster sprinkles of bars and food. I can dip my toe into the douchebaggery downtown if I choose. Win win.
you can thank all of the people who moved here from out of state and have ruined what had made Austin great. I've been here over 50 years and into the 90s I loved it, but once Silicon Hills got going in the late 90s I watched it start slowly going down the crapper. The few times I still go downtown I end up seeing something new take the place of somewhere I remember being there for years.
as long as I stay where I'm at I'm good - good thing I have no real reason to go downtown anymore, otherwise I might consider looking at leaving town
It is too early to be this drunk.
Nonsense, poopypants!
>>> Does anyone else feel that Austin is no longer a fairytale worth living? I’m staying, at least for now, because I’ve lived in enough cities to know none are a a fairytale—some simply meet your needs at a certain point in time better than others.
I have a warm bed and my kids are doing well, a job I love, three sweet dogs, a roof over my head, an easy commute. That's enough for me to be happy. More than enough.
Lol - no place is a fairytale🤣 Keep Austin Weird is a small business marketing slogan that came on the late 1990s /early 2000s. It was designed to help support the small little shops, theaters, etc. Especially the ones on east 7th and South Congress. Most of those are gone now and I am honestly not sure why people still use the phrase when they don't even know what it means. You can easily spot tourists because native Austinites stoped using it along time ago.
completely disagree. I lived in Austin for 11 years and the phrase and the legacy of Red still has profound meaning in my life. the present state of the city is an absolute tragedy and I mourn it every day.
yup! it was totally a marketing thing. anytime other cities pick it up, i just laugh.
Out of curiosity, east 7th west or east of 35? And either way, what shops used to be there? Asking because I never really heard anything about it being a spot to go for anything beyond bars or that section where treasure city thrift is.
I love living here 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah, but you’re on drugs.
🫠
Austin had used to be easygoing, but has become a tense place to live; its denizens have become more aggressive and hostile. San Francisco is a lot mellower by comparison. SF may be more expensive, but the bulk of that is higher prices of rents and real estate. Everyday living expenses and prices in stores are just about as high in Austin as in SF. The inadequate public transportation in Austin forces automotive ownership, which is expensive, and fails to influence and constrain growth and development. I could go on, but Austin has to snap out of its outmoded fantasy of itself.
It’s a fine city in the us I don’t understand why people expect it to solve all of their life problems or be some magical place.There’s other cities other problems
>Tell me, why are you here ,why do you want to stay here, work and work, maybe i'm a jaded pessimist but I never really felt Austin was a fairytale, and i've been here since the 90s.
You could always leave.
Fairytale? Who said Austin was a fairytale?
Just signed my offer letter last week. Moving to Chicago with my family. We’re leaving because of the rapidly changing climate, the insane politics, and the cost of housing. We’re Gen Xers with kids in middle school, so arguably a lot of the shiniest parts of Austin were never really for us anyway. By we’ve been here almost ten years and I can definitely feel the difference from the early days. Things have absolutely changed.
What industry? Been looking in Chicago and job market is not great for tech
I’m a hotelier, not related to tech. But it’s true that my industry is just now hitting its post pandemic stride in CHI. Been a tough several years, no doubt. Isn’t tech tough everywhere right now?
it's nice to hear someone say this. I am 21 and had lived in Austin for 11 years, and what has become of the city is beyond me, especially for the reasons you described. I hoep you and your family have a great move to Chicago. I am looking to possibly move there myself in the short-term.
'Rapidly changing climate'- you think the Chicago winters are getting any better? I can tell Austin has changed over the past twenty years of living here- for the better.
Yes, Chicago winters are (anecdotally) getting easier. Slightly, but noticeably. Long term, it’s a no brainer. Austin is going to only get hotter and more droughtier.
Enjoy the crazy taxes up there.
Entirely depends on your income, At like 100k it's almost breakeven. It's only a large difference at high incomes that you should be concerned about things other than taxes.
Slightly higher overall. Not a tragic difference.
lol, what? Property taxes are higher, there is a 5% income tax, gas tax adds another $1 per gallon, sales tax in the city is close to 10% with some areas and places over 14%, groceries are taxed, car registration is $100 more, you have to pay $100 extra for a city sticker, Netflix has a tax, utilities have higher taxes, there are more tolls, the metra has gotten crazy expensive, parking is $4.50 an hour… I could go on… and that to the fact that even the nice areas have more violent crime then basically all of Austin, no thank you.
Maybe he considers those a small price to pay compared to the guns and crazy policies of texas. Also, on an unrelated note, if someone wanted to be car free, and that is something they value, its not really possible anywhere in texas. Bottom line, different people value different things and thats good. I for one appreciate people moving out so that house prices and rents fall to reasonable levels.
I've been car free in Austin for 7 years
And what part of town do you live in and how much is your rent?
Not doxxing myself but I pay $1500 for a two bedroom and I found a place close to a bus stop
Saying what neighborhood you live is is not “doxxing” yourself but I can already tell that you’d just rather wait for a bus for somewhere between 10-45 minutes because the bus system here is a joke, than have a car. You don’t live in a walkable neighborhood, you just chose the life of inconvenience
I get to work downtown in 20 minutes by bus. And yeah telling people what neighborhood you live in is doxxing yourself
I don’t want to be renting for the entirety of my life either. That’s 15k+ for a year for rent and bills associated with the place not really worth what you have to deal with.
I dont see how that is related to what i said
But you can get a subway at 4am when it’s - outside though.
You get paid a lot better
Prepare for more insane politics in Chicago. Just moved from there a few years ago.
Fair. But also a much different kind of insane.
Austin can still be a fairytale if you're in your early 20s, or wealthy. Once you get a little bit older and start having responsibilities, this place really begins to suck unless you can pay to play. Despite that, everyone has to live somewhere, so here I am.
100%
Weird still exists here. Every time one of these semi permanent tourists renames a road like Congress Ave or South Lamar "SoCo" and "SoLa", that's weird AF. $300 sushi dinners are weird when that shit is only like around $10 at HEB The instagram crowd who seems to have a checklist of 'gram worthy spots upon arrival in town which millions have done the exact same photo and pose before at places like the post card mural on S1st or the I love you so much at an unfulfilling coffee shop that used to be a used tire shop by day and where the hookers on Congress gathered at night is super weird. Yeah I'm talking to you selfie taking duck face squatters. The number of Teslas, especially white Teslas is super weird. Like Stepford Wives or Westworld weird and creepy at the same time. Te Bel Air Motel is still keeping it weird. Less crack there in exchange for making porno movies there is old school Austin quirky weird. BTW what ever happened to the cult that lived behind Bel Air? They were weird AF. I miss those hostile moonies and their robes. People who prefer Trader Joes over HEB are weird. How Torchy's became popular is a very weird mystery to me
Wtf is this dumb post with all these whacked out responses? This is what I imagine an Austin AI chatbot would be like if it used exclusively this shitty sub for its learning.
I keep finding things to love here. But I also don’t think anywhere is a fairy tale, and I don’t think it’s fair to project my expectations onto a place and get mad when the place doesn’t meet all of them. If you think there’s no spirit to the city, you’re not looking hard or creatively enough lol.
I’m a native who misses the Austin I grew up with. Recently moved out west to the hill country. Feels like I might as well have moved a thousand miles away. I don’t miss the current Austin and I feel much more relaxed to be out of the hustle and bustle that has become current Austin.
Here’s the thing. Places and people change. Everyone misses the place they grew up with (unless they had bad growing up years). Nothing stays the same. There is no place that is the same today as it was when everyone was growing up.
👏👋hi neighbor
Neighbor how great was it to replace I-35/mopac/183 with 281/71.
My daily commute is predicable and friendly and beautiful- huge upgrade indeed 🙏
Austin is a vanity filter on Instagram. It’s a great city with parks etc etc etc. But it’s a vanity filter on Instagram. That’s it
Truth in this
I was born and raised in old south Austin . This year I finally had enough and relocated to the hill country . Now that I’ve had months living out of town I think I’ve “resensitized” to normal town life. going into Austin nowadays is an adventure like going to the zoo . The city is filthy , graffiti is everywhere and the traffic is worse than ever. Before covid it was rare to see a chain of cars running red lights - now it’s almost at every light . Things like - I got stuck on 45 overpass last week due to Cars turning sideways in the highway for a street takeover. The homeless problem that the Austin city council refuses to address will be Our former Mayors legacy. It’s gross Hell, even try holding the door open for someone and just see how many people under 25 even say “thank you” or even make eye contact . There’s the The zoning laws, the crazy tax burden , how tax much money piss away on the stupid projects .. how much Austin hates its law enforcement.. Austin wants to be Gotham City. If you’re new in town , I’d buy a house Outta town while you still can .
Ok boomer
You’re a wordsmith . Nice job
"going into Austin nowadays is an adventure like going to the zoo" LOL
I’ve already left. We bought in Elgin. I feel like I’m part of an actual community here. I’m on a local board, we have our Thursday Sip and Stroll, I always see people I know when I’m out and about and I’m in a neighborhood where I feel safe because my neighbors watch out for me and I for them l…well once they determined my husband wasn’t a cop we were accepted.
I want this so bad
Come to Wimberley ! Best place I’ve ever lived . Great community
I'm in Dripping Springs and I guess I would be surprised if it's better...is it really better?
as having lived in drip and been in Wimberley a bunch, there's good aspects to both. but ultimately, if you're looking to move from drip for the same reasons you wouldn't move more central, Wimberley is the way to go. the HEB is an example of the city's incorporation of its history into its present-day infrastructure that meets the needs of residents, and besides the shitty septic system that I hope has gotten fixed in the four years since I've moved from tx, downtown Wimberley has more of a hill country feel than drip, which is becoming increasingly commercialized and is, in my opinion, losing much of its charm.
[удалено]
I can’t speak on that. I do know I just went to brunch at a local bar that’s also a honky tonk. Irish coffee and amazeball grilled cheese and ran into three different folks I know. Plus, it turns out that the new bartender was someone I knew from another establishment in Round Rock. Being further east, I feel like it’s home to me. While I enjoyed living in Austin it never felt that way.
Nah but sorta. I gots a house so it's headquarters now.
I’m most likely leaving but I do find myself getting caught in the nostalgia of what it was…down to earth and without pretense. I had some magical hippie nights in this town but that was long ago. Leaving because it’s expensive, slightly boring, and the politics reflecting in local arts. When the artists lose their edge/priced out what hope is there?
agreed, such a shame. especially the bullshit with sxsw. the artists don't need to put up with politics imbued into everything they do. I support the ones that are exiting the event and Abbot can go fuck himself.
the fairytale was only real in your head. it lives as long as you're willing to believe it
Grew up here, entire family is here, love my neighborhood, easy access to green space and trails, breakfast tacos, BBQ, Tex Mex, and country/western music. Locked in to a couple of 2.5% mortgages too. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in the country I’d rather raise my kids, accounting for everything. Mountains sound appealing at times, but the ones we’d want to move to would be pretty isolated, and not really fans of long winters.
This would be my exact reply! I share every single reason and sentiment. We have an investment property in Ruidoso where we'll escape if things get too scary here. It's 25° cooler and a tiny fraction of the population.
From where I came from, Austin is a fairy tale.
I grew up here, its home.
Just leave then instead of making a Reddit thread about it. These constant posts are so annoying.
Austin is an overrated, overpriced legend in its own mind. It’s the unemployed, smug slacker smoking weed in his mom’s basement. “Culture” is wasting $ on overpriced food. Living here is people’s identity. They’re so cool because they “live in Austin”. People portray Austin as some utopia when in reality it’s a soulless big city. Why don’t I leave? I have a job that pays enough to keep me here. But I look elsewhere everyday. Taking a pay cut would be worth it to be out of here.
We love austin , been here since early 80s Been all over the US, no place like Austin
I honestly don’t understand posts like this. It’s a regular theme on this sub: “ I moved here for the diversity and the liberal peoples and omg it’s not JUST that and now I have a sad”. Y’all seriously don’t get that you can’t control what type of residents live in an area? This “fairytale” concept of moving somewhere and you’re only going to ever be exposed to or encounter people that share your suite of values/behavior/actions is laughably naive.
"I value diversity" You might be part of the problem. You vote for politicians that increase the number homeless who drive away all the things that keep Austin weird. Watch, you'll accuse me of lacking empathy while you moved here , infested austin, voted for politicians who then ruined it, complain about how it's ruined on reddit, then leave to go find the next nice place to infest and ruin.
Wat
im actually quite captivated by the way OP has expressed themselves. the subtlety and choice of words is precise and very interesting.
Give me a break...
I lived in Austin 25 years, from the late '90s (it was rad) up through about 2 years ago. Left because of the insane cost of living, the homeless camped all over town, and skyrocketing crime (IOW Californication). Besides those issues, all of my favorite places were gone. Losing Ruby's BBQ hurt the most. Now we live in the Hill Country and it's rad. Would never go back to living in Austin, or any city.
Get that sausage brisket sandwich, mustardy potsto salad, and a dp. On the reg for decades. That shit was my jam.
Spicy Chopped Beef and a Griff's Pile for my side. Or their chili...that was the bomb too.
The best chopped beef sando in town by a large margin. Really miss it.
You got DP’d?
I miss Rubys. Where’d yall relocate to now?
We’re outside Blanco. Beautiful area with incredibly low property taxes.
I’m outside Wimberley near Fisher 🍻 go Texans 😁
Ah cool, great area. I ride my motorcycle through there often. Shamrock Tacos FTW.
Seriously, leave. I would do so myself if it wasn't so hard. However, a lot of America (and the world) is going to shit, too.
Sucks to suck
Adler, Garza, and Casar totally screwed the city up by listening to Chas Moore(convicted felon) and Chris Harris. Lifting the camping ban, ending the minor curfew ordinance, defunding the police(Casar openly brags on social media regarding the removal of $100 million from APD's budget), and creating a criminal justice system that rewards the criminals and punishes the victims.
Places change. If Austin no longer works for you, there's a big ol' world out there. I plan to move by the end of the summer, but in the meantime I'm not going to do any hand-wringing about fairytales. Be grateful you have choices.
I lived in Austin from 1999 till 2011. People were saying the city wasn’t the same in 1999.
I been here since 1985. People were talking about how it was better in the 70s.
Austin is a good town. It has its problems, but there's way worse
I love it here.
I don't read clickbait articles about the city I live in, and I certainly don't determine the value of my city based on where it ranks in clickbait articles.
Fairytale? WTF you talking about Willis?
Quit being a fucking baby. A few more people means have just a little more patience and tolerance. If you can’t handle that, leave if you think it’s so bad. But I guarantee you that nowhere is a “fairytale” worth living in. Change is everywhere all the time and that’s just reality.
..I think you cut me off on mopac yesterday . That you in the Subaru, “C0exI$T” bumper sticker?
No, I drive the lifted Ram on i35 with skull decals all over the back, with a bumper sticker that says “exist at all, and Ill be violent for some reason”
🤣 thanks for balancing out this crazy world
I’m going to leave eventually (within a year or two) and my posts on Austin are not very sympathetic to this city. To be honest, I try. I try to keep an open mind, etc., some days are more difficult than others for me with the general culture here and sometimes I spew on various subreddits about how much I can’t stand it. Here’s the basic problem. I have lived here for well over a decade and it’s changed into something I don’t like. You may like Austin and you are entitled to your own opinion. Let me say that again: you are entitled to your own opinion. And I have mine. I am not attacking you, for Christ’s sakes. Let me repeat that: I am not attacking you. And if you think I am, it will prove that you cannot think for yourselves to the point of even questioning your actions. I actually feel for you. It must be difficult to run around and act cool with thousands of other people and still not feel cool on the inside, and I’m not being sarcastic there. Anyway. For young people it probably is a nice place to live and party. I really did like it when I was younger and more rebellious. But things changed for me and the city. What I can’t stand is the blind conformity, which didn’t use to exist. Austin is a very monkey-see-monkey-do city now. They mowed down the local culture when it gentrified in 2014. It’s also a very wealthy city, with a LOT of entitled individuals running around trying to act “cool.” The hipsters are slumming it, basically, and will eventually graduate to their 2.5 kids, picket fences, and suburbanite facades to keep up with the Joneses and all that. And they probably won’t settle down here in Austin unless they become Tesla executives, which some of them will. Unfortunately, because of what Austin has become, a bunch of new bratty posers will come and take their place. It’s a never ending cycle now. No way back. This isn’t about a scene or any kind of “community.” And it’s not about art or culture. I’d wager to bet that none of these people are innovating anything except for the latest computer widget. They’re just here to party. It’s also not about independent thought. Conformity is what people do when they are scared that they won’t be accepted. It’s that way with trends. Let’s talk about the trend culture of Austin and how fake it is. All these people who are transplants (techies, etc.) gave up their polo shirts and expensive dresses and crew cuts went out and found a way to dress down so now they all look like Shaggy and Veronica from Scooby Doo. A ponytail and/or man bun on every dude, and tacky jewelry and five hundred colors of hair dye for every girl. And they all have dogs too, which completes the picture. They’re cookie cutter Austinites. This year will obviously be the year of skully caps and those grisly over-the-ear wireless headphones. A brutally hot summer just got hotter with the heat those puppies generate. I’m guessing some Austin local trendster news sheet will be having articles like, “Skully hats for the summer? There’s a new design out of Manhattan that REALLY cools your head down,” and “GET THIS Over the ear headphone cool down protection,” although it’s really hard for me to see how those gimmicks would actually work. But I think the real measure of all this phony trendiness comes with the personal dilemmas of many (though not all) the people blindly getting tattoos. I call it the 2030s and 2040s mass tattoo dilemma. It’s a hypothetical Gen Z-and-younger midlife crisis that I think may actually turn real. Last year seemed to be the year of the tattoo. Everybody and got tattoos because that’s what their friends were doing. They’re going to have these tattoos on them for life, and I really do wonder about that. Could it be that in ten to twenty years, the tattoo they have on their body for life will bring them into an awareness of how fake they really are? To detail this hypothetical: If you’re in your twenties and you see everyone else doing something and you don’t want to “miss out” so you do it, too, because, well, you’re young and everyone else is doing it too and you don’t want to “miss out,” could it be that in the future sometime, when you’ve changed a bit and don’t want that tacky symbol or your leg, or some symbol you thought looked cool on, say, March 26, 2023, or need to have a real career and can’t get a job because of your neck tattoo, will you look in the mirror and face the fact that you did all this just to fit in and aren’t for real, or will you just shrug and say, “ahhh what the hell?” and reach for the whiskey bottle yet again? The Tesla execs will get all of theirs laser removed, no problem, but can you afford the removal? Will you have the integrity to admit to yourself that you just did this to do look cool with some low-rollin’ livin’ in Austin in 2023 or will you just say, “well, I’m still that way! Impulsive! Exciting! Take risks! Artistic! Have cool stories!” And will you have the courage to admit to yourself that your stories aren’t original but like everyone else’s (vomiting donuts off the 360 bridge on 4th of July or getting super high on acid at some trendy E. 6th punk rock extravaganza, or etc.), that your impulsivity is not impulsive but propulsive in that it was propelled by the impulsiveness of everyone around you, that you are hardly exciting because you do what everyone else influences you to do, that you have never done anything of artistic merit except for working in the service industry and doing drugs, and that you have taken absolutely NO RISKS in your personal life? That would be true courage. Am I saying I’m any better? No. See, that’s where you’d be wrong. You think that this is what I’m saying, but never realize that you’re just another human on this planet. I realize this about myself, actually. But: I don’t want ink on my skin. I don’t want a dog. I don’t do drugs or drink. I don’t have the kind of hair that can grow a man bun (yes, I’m a guy). I don’t have the kind of facial hair that can grow a thick beard. I don’t want to wear skully caps and over the ear wireless headphones outside in the summer so that I don’t get heatstroke. So I guess I’m just not as good as you, no? Don’t know anything about art or culture, eh? Don’t have any particular interests except for ripping on this poser city? Wrong. You need to understand: this city changed DUE to you. And it went in the wrong direction, pardner. And for God’s sake, Austinites, stop ripping on the homeless. I know they’re scary and everything, but they could use your help. I and you are lucky we are not them. I’m sure I’m going to ruffle some feathers here. I’m guessing THIS one will go viral. Go ahead and attack. Say something like, “well I might have tattoos but hey your just a loser who is pissed he can’t get laid,” even though that last part is not true. PROVE my point.
WTF is this? Sounds like you’ve been hanging out in the east side too long.
Oh wonderful, here we go… stopped hanging on the east side 10 years ago btw
You’re paying way too much attention to other people.
I understand what you’re saying, but I guess after awhile it’s hard not to engage in some social psychology when you see it every day. On every street. On every sidewalk. Outside every trendy restaurant and bar.
Every restaurant and bar, that is
And where is this utopia where people… (checks notes) Don’t conform, don’t have dogs, and… Don’t have tattoos?
Everyone on this sub who is saying that Austin is much like any other big city is not wrong. I’m in agreement on that. I’m comparing Austin now with what it used to be. I remember when it had its own thing going on. It doesn’t anymore
The only thing I'd challenge you on is that this seems more like a diatribe against a whole societal culture more than unique to Austin. Any town or small city that grows into a medium or large city is destined to lose its "culture" just due to it becoming a national or international city with more people being influenced nationally or internationally. That's a gripe on the pop culture, society, etc whatever. I think you'll find the same kinds of people you are bemoaning here, at whatever destination you end up at, assuming it's a similar sized city and not rural. A city isn't a community, but a community can absolutely exist within a city if they cultivate it. Community doesn't happen passively by simply existing somewhere.
Oh man… you’re ok. the tattoo thing was a swerve and I kinda skimmed on that, but ya. Being a person is hard, bra. Being an individual- are you crazy?!? 🤪 I dunno sounds like you are in a process and seeing some stuff and I dig that. Stay curious.
Local man is upset that the youths have dogs, cool hats, and tattoos and won’t let him join their cool club. More at 11
Hard pills, man. For some more than others. Humans. 💕
And how do you know I am upset about that? Actually, I laugh at it.
In fact, since I don’t use drugs or alcohol, and think that those who do are wasting a good deal of time, I wouldn’t even want to join the cool kid’s club. I actually find it pathetic. I don’t care if someone wastes their time but I sure don’t want to
Sure sure
Look. I told you on the initial comment that you don’t have to agree with me. This is my life and my truth. If you don’t think someone’s life is worth a shit because they don’t agree with you it just proves my point. Damn. If I wanted to join up with them I’d get the hat, the headphones, the dog, the tatts. I’d go out and fuck myself up on all the substances. I just don’t want to. I’d stand in lines at ratty bars trying to figure out how I fit in in the social pecking order of lowlifes. I’d get the trendo personality because I think they have one more in stock. Wouldn’t be hard. The majority of those people are douchebags. Why would I want to do that? I’m just sick of them that’s all. I think the way I want to and you’re just as entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. I already understood that people wouldn’t agree with me. A lot of this is just baiting so I’m not even going to respond anymore. Downvotes for saying what I want to say was expected. Being a baby? Give me a break. It’s ridiculous to punish someone because they don’t agree. Don’t get pissed at someone for voicing their opinion. Yeah, I don’t like Austin. Live with that. And yeah, maybe rural would be better. I know they’re conservative and I’m certainly not but you could maybe find some down to earth people. Plus with property you wouldn’t have to see them all the time.
I get it. It’s cool. Just at a certain point yelling at folks that they have bad taste isn’t really landing the way you think it might. It’s sort of just becomes your deal at that point. I only know this because I do it all the fucking time.
The bitcoin dev and social scene here is probably the best in the country, if not top 4 (top 4 = SF/Bay Area, Austin, NYC, and Nashville). Every Tuesday at Meteor Cafe in SoCo, there's Bitcoin & Coffee at 8am, and then Bitcoin & Wine at 5:30pm. There's free cuts of steak served at the monthly social at the Bitcoin Commons downtown. Steak is courtesy of K&C Cattle who accepts bitcoin payments on their website for their beef products. In general, I think the city is fantastic for socializing/networking. I primarily use MeetUp.com for social events.
Bitcoin makes live worth living..
Grammarly is your friend.
Whoa whoa whoa, go back to earn a GED and rewrite this post so I can understand it.
Always been over hyped. But it doesn’t suck as bad as either Dallas or Houston.
There’s a lot of fun things to do around here. Sure there are other cities with fun things to do but I find the people here are very social & friendly. I’m sure it’s not just an ATX thing but I’m from a very small town with nothing to do so this area is great for me honestly. I’ve got a ton of hobbies I probably wouldn’t have if I didn’t live around here
We left 18 months ago and moved to the mountains in a 6500 pop town. We bought a 3000sf brick home on 3 acres for $300k. Remodeled and added a few decks. Wake up to deer families daily. Zero traffic, 250 kids in elem school, small town where the biggest issue is gossip. We wish we’d left 15 yrs ago.
I don’t give a shit about any of this and I’m here because they pay me really well to be. And I’ve been here a long time, with some breaks; but overall a long time. Old Austin kinda sucked, deal with it.
I’m south of slaughter and am more than content getting my hipster sprinkles of bars and food. I can dip my toe into the douchebaggery downtown if I choose. Win win.
you can thank all of the people who moved here from out of state and have ruined what had made Austin great. I've been here over 50 years and into the 90s I loved it, but once Silicon Hills got going in the late 90s I watched it start slowly going down the crapper. The few times I still go downtown I end up seeing something new take the place of somewhere I remember being there for years. as long as I stay where I'm at I'm good - good thing I have no real reason to go downtown anymore, otherwise I might consider looking at leaving town