Top Thirteen Reasons to NOT visit Austin, Texas
I lived in Austin for 19 years, and I love it dearly, but I can also find thirteen reasons to not love it.
Ladybird Lake in Austin, TX
1. Traffic – Austin is severely congested. As many native Austinites tell me, the city council deliberately choose not to make bigger and better roads, because they wanted to keep Austin small. True or fact? I don’t know. The proof is in the pudding though, traffic is bad and there’s tons of construction!
Traffic in Austin, TX
2. No Smoking – Smoking is pretty much not allowed in most restaurants and bars. I don’t smoke, so this isn’t a problem for me. But smokers, beware, not only is it hard to find places to smoke, but people will throw things at you and give you dirty looks. Austin is a “healthy” city.
3. Liberal Mecca – Texas is a conservative state overall, but right smack in the middle, Austin, is a huge liberal center. Whole Foods is headquartered there. A huge local celebrity is Leslie, a homeless, mini-skirt wearing drag queen/transvestite, who tried to run for mayor. Austin could shock the pants of small-town Texans.
Leslie the homeless transvestite in Austin, TX
4. Longhorn Fans – The University of Texas is based in Austin, and the city is a sea of burnt orange. Longhorn fans are everywhere…and very serious. If you’re a Texas Tech, Aggie or, God forbid, an Oklahoma fan, watch your back. Austin is NOT for you.
5. Bikers – I don’t know the actual numbers, but off the top of my head…50% of people bike in Austin. I swear. Ok, maybe not really, but it’s a lot. And they are all over the roads. They cause motorists all kinds of problems…but yet they have the right away. Don’t get me wrong, biking is so good for your health and I applaud those who do, but they drive me nuts sometimes.
6. Allergies – This might need to be numbers 6 AND 7. Allergies are BAD in Austin. If you don’t have allergy problems when you move to Austin…you eventually will. Everyone says this. And so far, I haven’t seen any proof to contradict it. If you’re an allergy doctor, don’t walk, run to Austin, where you’ll have a booming practice.
7. Allergies – I wasn’t kidding. It gets two sections.
Austin Allergy Report
8. Cost of Living – It’s skyrocketed lately. Downtown has become very pricey especially. Restaurants, bars, etc. Housing is crazy expensive. Don’t even get me started on property taxes.
9. Politicians – They’re freaking everywhere. The Capitol and Legislature draws them like flies. You can’t walk down the street without tripping over one.
Austin Capitol Building
10. Green Lifestyle – You need to conserve if you live in Austin. Recycle, reuse, resell. I think it’s great, but it can be a little over the top at times.
11. Oops, I lied, here’s one more reason. Live Music – If you hate live music, don’t step foot in Austin. The airport has it, downtown has it, it’s everywhere. Austin is the Live Music Capitol. Stevie Ray Vaughn is one of the big claims to music fame, and this statue of him resides along the hike and bike trail on Ladybird Lake downtown.
Statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn in Austin, TX
12. Bats – If bats creep you out, don’t visit Austin. The world’s largest urban bat colony resides on Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge in the summer. By largest, we’re talkin’ 1.5 million bats. They migrate from Mexico every spring and are Mexican Free-tailed bats. People gather to watch the hole colony fly out at sunset.
Bats in Austin, Texas
13. Did I mention allergies?
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20 Responses
Fun post–I learned a lot about Austin!
Ooooh! I’ve never been to Austin, so I can’t really respond. But I look forward to reading some Austin-ites’ rebuttals. Way to be candid, Rhea!
Karas last blog post..Hawaii Vacation with Parents and Children – the Waikoloa Petroglyph Field
Thanks, Linda! I actually love Austin…but it’s not perfect!
Rheas last blog post..Hobo Code
You had me at traffic, but I still think I’d like to visit.
Alice Audreys last blog post..Thirteen More Thursday Thirteeners
Wow. Topping the list of reasons why I love austin are 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13. It’s what makes it so unique, and fortunately I’ve lived for 10 years, and don’t suffer from allergies! Surely some of your reasons why not to visit were sarcastic
krista
Dear Rhea,
My wife and I are considering moving to the Austin area when we retire. Thank you for letting us know your views, but a couple of questions please.
When you say the traffic is bad is this downtown or Austin or the surrounding area?
Allergies, as you might tell by the email address I live in England and the pollens over here are very bad, and I suffer from hayfever but when I travel to Kentucky, I never suffer. Are the grasses near Austin pollenated badly?
I look forward to your reply,
Best wishes
John
[...] Longhorn Fans – The University of Texas is based in Austin, and the city is a sea of burnt orange. Longhorn fans are everywhere…and very serious. If you’re a Texas Tech , Aggie or, God forbid, an Oklahoma fan, watch your back. …[Continue Reading] [...]
I have heard Austin is a great place to live – great music, good university-town feel, lots of interesting industry and business (I live in Silicon Valley and have heard Austin has a lot of great technology stuff)…I love the idea that the politics are more liberal than the rest of Texas, like a little oasis. It is definitely on my list of places to visit….
You could have stopped at #4 – Fighting class of ‘93 – whoop!
Honestly, Austin is a nice place to visit, some incredible Tex Mex, but I hit I-35 North after a few days.
A little too much of too much…
Ems last blog post..W.W. – Professor Quigley: Why ya hatin?
Your forgot the Humidity! Sometimes its like living in a warm wet shoe. UGH 100 degrees and 90% humidity. Not fun.
I lived here since 1983 and the allergies are just nasty. As for the music,,,, naaa its gone.
The tech job scene has died out. Rent and housing prices are insane too.
Austin is great, the music is not dead. Big-name bands come through Austin pretty often, also “well known” people like Leo Kotke, Johnny Winter, and many others come to play at smaller local venues. Then there’s the bar-bands that keep 6th street filled with music, you never know what you’ll find there
Love Austin, central Texas is not for people with bad allergies though
Humidity? You have to be kidding me. Houston is humid. The South is humid. Austin maybe has 7 humid days the entire year. Traffic is bad at rush hours- and where in America isn’t that true.
I actually live north of Austin. Every single one of those points is DEAD ON if you actually live inside of Austin. That’s why we live in the Round Rock/Georgetown area. We are close enough to visit, but not close enough to have to deal with all of that stuff too often. Oh and as far as traffic…IT IS AWFUL pretty much no matter where you are here in Central Texas unless you’re on some random farm road.
utbeck your a liar, what are you a real estate salesman? Austin is just a little less humid than Houston, the humidity is miserable in Austin a lot more than 7 days a year.
This has got to be tongue in cheek. Oh no, the city recycles and I can’t drive my SUV through traffic because all of those damn people bicycling. You have given me more reasons to love Austin. Maybe Detroit is right for you.
I have to agree with Petey. I’ve lived in Houston and now live in Austin. I work outside and unless there’s a high pressure system pushing out the gulf air, I normally end up pretty sop and wet. Houston and Austin are only 162 miles apart and everything in between is just about flat. I love both cities but it can feel like you are trying to breathe with your head in a fish bowl.
Well well well i would like to say i am 25 and grew up in good ole A town… i love it here so much… i would say it depends on the reasons you are seeking in the move. If you love being in a friendly, diverse town, with unlimited recreational activities, mid city population and small town feeling austin is the place to be. I have NO problems with allergies however im sure sum people suffer from them….. man its soo awesome here, if you like to party and night life 6th street is the place to be. its like marti gras every thurs thru sat…. And i have traveled to many other states and towns and i firmly believe austin is home to the most beautiful women!!!! if you like the idea of owning a being able to afford a home outside the city many houses run from 100- 150 for a 3/3/3 app 1300 sq ft… most states your lookin at spendin at least 200 to 250 for a comparable house… I could go on and on however i dont think i wanna talk every one in moving here but if you are a friendly person and like having any activity imaginable within 35 min of you Austin is the place to be… unless its mon thru friday from 4 to 630.. then your lookin at least an hour.. ha ha traffic is pretty bad i dont think austin is structured to hold this many people…. a drive from north to south could turn even the nicest person into a road raging crazy person!!!!!!!!! austin will always be the place where i ll be living peace out
I live in Austin now and recently moved from Houston. Austin is 10 times better than Houston! Right now humidity is 34% in Austin and over 50% in Houston. What a relief! Rolling hills versus flat terrible miles of concrete and highways. A fun, quirky health-conscious city versus a city that was dubbed the fattest in America. Yes the traffic is bad, yes the football fans are annoying. But ppl can find something negative about anywhere they live. I found a cheap and very nice 2/2 apartment to rent in NW Austin. Buying real estate here is expensive, but anywhere worth living is going to be pricey.
This article is not very true to Austin. Traffic is bad… between 5 and 6:30 like every other major mid-sized city on the planet. The humidity is nowhere near as bad as other coastal regions in Texas (say, the greater Houston are). This post has to be tongue in cheek. “If you hate live music…” are you kidding? I’ve never heard of “too much recycling”. And you don’t run into politicians everywhere. That’s a terribly gross exaggeration. Bottom line: Austin is a superb place to live. Why? Lots of natural pieces of land, great live music venues, beautiful weather the majority of the year, Texas football at DKR in front of 100,000, SXSW, ACL music festival, Barton Springs, a blossoming east side art movement (take the studio tours), a minimal crime rate (one of the lowest in the country), and a overwhelming sense of acceptance for whatever you believe. Come join us!
This is ridiculus. I agree the traffic is bad and allergies are an issue for a lot of people in Austin. However, how is lots of live music a bad thing? Cyclists “all over the roads” help to alleviate traffic, and yes they have the right of way as they should. YOU ARE IN A ONE TON CAR, cyclists are on a 30 lb bike. I know some cyclists are crazy but most obey the traffic laws and we are on a legal vehicle. Im pretty sure you cant have too much recycling.