Comment by lazypenguin

I left Austin so I’d like to share a counter perspective. I still think it’s one of the best big cities in the country but that’s the problem, it’s a big city now. Austin went from 500k people to well over a million now during my time there. It’s impossible for a place not to change with that many people moving. Everything the author likes used to be even nicer before. Used to be more casual, more affordable, better music scene, less traffic, etc. I also don’t believe it’s a great place to raise kids anymore: epidemic of homelessness, more crime, crowded streets, too hot for extended outdoor play during the summer, etc. I used to meet a lot more people with “normal” jobs in Austin, e.g. mailman, teachers, nurses, etc. but over time they couldn’t afford to live close by and everyone I met had tech/finance/startup jobs. The establishments definitely got gentrified and cater to no-kid professionals now. Parks are now full of beautifully sculpted people playing frisbee where it used to be tie-dye wearing teenie boppeers or big Mexican families grilling. Ultimately, Austin grew to be a mono-culture of socioeconomic status in my opinion. No hate, Austin is a great city but just grew up into something that didn’t suit me anymore. It’s a weird thing when the place you live changes so quickly around you that you don’t feel you belong there anymore.