All of the complaints listed here (hot weather, shit-tier public transit, etc) were true of Austin prior to the Great Migration.
Everyone wanted in though because Austin is the first place people think of when they think of Texas, it's the only major city in Texas with rolling hills, it's perceived as the only non-conservative city in Texas (it is not), 6th St and Barton Springs are fun, and Texas has no income tax and cheap real estate.
Now that real estate prices in Austin are significantly higher than they were in the past, a self-induced problem BTW!, and the Real Texas Heat™ has finally come, folks want to move back. (Property tax rates in Texas have always been high, and they only go up every year.)
Austin was always a small town with Texas government and a huge school with a huge American football team (UT Austin). I don't think it was designed with the explosive growth that it has seen in the last 15 years.
Its road design is proof of this. US Interstate 35 cuts right through town and it only has one partial ring road (TX-130). It also has the MoPAC (TX-1), though that expanded and, consequently, became a partial toll road.
Compare this with Houston, where I live. It has three huge interstates going through it (US I-10 east-west; US-45 north-south; Texas I-69/US Hwy 59 SW-NE), one huge and constantly problematic interstate beltway (US I-610) and two state ring roads (TX-8; TX-99). It is designed to accommodate and move a significant population (or significant freight, which it does also).
Austin has always been overrated IMO.
Houston is way bigger, more liberal and diverse (in every dimension, not just race, but it is extremely racially-integrated) than Austin has ever been and has a world-class food scene but gets 1/10th of the hype because...actually, I have no idea why?
Dallas is also way bigger than Austin and actually has a tech scene of sorts (though it is old and enterprise-y) along with more moderate (but still hot) weather but didn't boom like Austin did. Why?
The comedy writes itself.
All of the complaints listed here (hot weather, shit-tier public transit, etc) were true of Austin prior to the Great Migration.
Everyone wanted in though because Austin is the first place people think of when they think of Texas, it's the only major city in Texas with rolling hills, it's perceived as the only non-conservative city in Texas (it is not), 6th St and Barton Springs are fun, and Texas has no income tax and cheap real estate.
Now that real estate prices in Austin are significantly higher than they were in the past, a self-induced problem BTW!, and the Real Texas Heat™ has finally come, folks want to move back. (Property tax rates in Texas have always been high, and they only go up every year.)
Austin was always a small town with Texas government and a huge school with a huge American football team (UT Austin). I don't think it was designed with the explosive growth that it has seen in the last 15 years.
Its road design is proof of this. US Interstate 35 cuts right through town and it only has one partial ring road (TX-130). It also has the MoPAC (TX-1), though that expanded and, consequently, became a partial toll road.
Compare this with Houston, where I live. It has three huge interstates going through it (US I-10 east-west; US-45 north-south; Texas I-69/US Hwy 59 SW-NE), one huge and constantly problematic interstate beltway (US I-610) and two state ring roads (TX-8; TX-99). It is designed to accommodate and move a significant population (or significant freight, which it does also). Austin has always been overrated IMO.
Houston is way bigger, more liberal and diverse (in every dimension, not just race, but it is extremely racially-integrated) than Austin has ever been and has a world-class food scene but gets 1/10th of the hype because...actually, I have no idea why?
Dallas is also way bigger than Austin and actually has a tech scene of sorts (though it is old and enterprise-y) along with more moderate (but still hot) weather but didn't boom like Austin did. Why?