General topic

[homesick_american 1]

Don't take it so personally, HA - I disliked Texas even before I knew it was your home state.

I didn't like Galveston much either, although I hear Austin's meant to be nice.

I don't take it personally, mostly I'm just playing along. I don't really care if you like Texas or not.

Everybody wants to go to Austin, they think it's so hip. I lived there for six years and the more popular it got, the more I disliked living there. It's too trendy now, I'm not sure I'd want to live there again. It's like the Seattle of this decade. It IS very pretty, but it's getting overbuilt and the natural beauty is being spoiled by trendoids who have essentially wrecked the city's atmosphere. It's a completely different place from the city where I started uni in 1993. I liked the old Austin better.

[ChristinaM 0]

Nice that we can play nicely

It's a shame when that happens to areas. Where will be the next Austin, in your opinion?

[homesick_american 1]

Nice that we can play nicely

It's a shame when that happens to areas. Where will be the next Austin, in your opinion?

I don't know. Won't be in Texas. Austinites are definitely tired of northern carpetbaggers...hell, some of them can be hostile even to people from other parts of Texas. It's getting saturated down there. I enjoyed living there, but I just don't want to put up with the Austin 'tude (they think they're better than everyone else), the forced weirdness (very unnatural), the hippie drum circles, or the smug air of moral superiority down there. Sure, people are living in a beautiful city with a good job market and good weather, but they're swiftly f*cking it up.

There are a lot of cities you could name as up and coming hip locales; it's hard to see what the next big thing is going to be but look for a medium-sized city south of the Mason-Dixon line with an educated workforce, a city council eager to REALLY expand the tax base, and some sort of hook...something it's known for. Seattle and Austin both have the same hook: the music scene, which is VERY overrated in both locations. They also both happen to be high-tech centers, but that doesn't mean the next one will be. Why...are you trying to get a jump on the place before the yuppies come in and #### it up?

[CarolineM 0]

I lived in Manhatten for two years and enjoyed it. It's quite an experience but It's neat and I'm glad I can look back and sayi did it!!!

Having said that, I much prefer Florida, but NYC is awesome.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

certainly the people of texas are bigger, that is not disputed

You crack me up, you know that? I bet you can't wait to move back to England so you can be surrounded by people who hate America just as much as you do. Let's count the days TOGETHER.

That is one Texas-sized chip on your shoulder!

I know it might be difficult to get your head round but I don't "hate America" -- I happen to have a great life here and had a great life there. I am currently really missing that life -- a lot. It doesn't mean I hate it here, and I'm not leaving any time soon, so there will be no need for a countdown.

I'm just kind of amazed at your rudeness towards very nice people -- where was it that you complained about not making friends in the UK? I wonder why. LOL

[Saddle Bronc 124]

In my eyes, Houston has at least one redeeming feature (I haven't lived in Houston, only visited it for one weekend conference)--being the only city outside of CA with a nonstop Air Canada connexion to Calgary.

(note: it is due to the paucity of nonstops to Calgary that I will not fly Air Canada from US).

[ChristinaM 0]

It's a shame when that happens to areas. Where will be the next Austin, in your opinion?

I don't know. Won't be in Texas. Austinites are definitely tired of northern carpetbaggers...hell, some of them can be hostile even to people from other parts of Texas. It's getting saturated down there. I enjoyed living there, but I just don't want to put up with the Austin 'tude (they think they're better than everyone else), the forced weirdness (very unnatural), the hippie drum circles, or the smug air of moral superiority down there. Sure, people are living in a beautiful city with a good job market and good weather, but they're swiftly f*cking it up.

There are a lot of cities you could name as up and coming hip locales; it's hard to see what the next big thing is going to be but look for a medium-sized city south of the Mason-Dixon line with an educated workforce, a city council eager to REALLY expand the tax base, and some sort of hook...something it's known for. Seattle and Austin both have the same hook: the music scene, which is VERY overrated in both locations. They also both happen to be high-tech centers, but that doesn't mean the next one will be. Why...are you trying to get a jump on the place before the yuppies come in and #### it up?

Nah, I'm happy up here in New England. The pace of life in Maine suits me, and my husband has lived here all of his life. He wouldn't move if he could help it, although we may have to shift to New Hampshire depending on whether the commute kills him completely.

I was just curious; it's interesting to see the ebb and flow of demographic popularity - for example, the things that are drawing people to Austin are the same things that are turning you off of it. Why do you think that it's going to be south of the Mason-Dixon; just because the south is developing the fastest, or an inherent Southern bias?! I wondered if there's anywhere that's showing signs of being the next "swinging hotspot". I'm pretty sure that Portland ME isn't going to be the next place the trendoids come to though!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Nah, I'm happy up here in New England. The pace of life in Maine suits me, and my husband has lived here all of his life. He wouldn't move if he could help it, although we may have to shift to New Hampshire depending on whether the commute kills him completely...I'm pretty sure that Portland ME isn't going to be the next place the trendoids come to though!

States of the Northeast (all parts North and east of PA) will even enter my consideration for liveability when I see a nonstop flight from one of the major cities there to Calgary (Austin at least has one-stoppers through Bush or DFW).

Edited October 3, 2006 by CherryXS

[homesick_american 1]

Nah, I'm happy up here in New England. The pace of life in Maine suits me, and my husband has lived here all of his life. He wouldn't move if he could help it, although we may have to shift to New Hampshire depending on whether the commute kills him completely.

That's cool; you should live where you're happiest.

I was just curious; it's interesting to see the ebb and flow of demographic popularity - for example, the things that are drawing people to Austin are the same things that are turning you off of it. Why do you think that it's going to be south of the Mason-Dixon; just because the south is developing the fastest, or an inherent Southern bias?! I wondered if there's anywhere that's showing signs of being the next "swinging hotspot". I'm pretty sure that Portland ME isn't going to be the next place the trendoids come to though!

Hehehe, I think Portland is fairly safe from being the next hotspot. I think the South is going to grow because that's where most of the growth is now, with the notable exception of New Orleans which had -30% growth in '05-'06 for obvious reasons. The top cities for jobs are mainly in the south or the southwest and Bizjournal predicted that the Boston area will have negative job growth for the next few years and Boston seems to set the tone for New England. Yikes! I think the jobs are coming to the South because the atmosphere for doing business is better...not as many issues with punishing state taxes or P.I.T.A. unions. Unions in the UK are a whole different ball game from unions in the US as you may know!

It cycles, though; things can't get much worse for some places in the midwest (like Detroit) and I hear some parts of the Pacific Northwest are hurting. They'll figure out how to lure companies back up north and it'll start all over again. For now, though, the South's where it's at.

P.S. Maybe I'm a LITTLE biased, but hey...I grew up with people making fun of me for being from Texas, now seems like the place is filling up fast with out-of-staters.