You can feel the heat from here.
Update 2/8/2012: I’ve noticed some traffic recently from Texas and I just want to reiterate that I really do like Austin, and to be fair, the barbecue up here doesn’t even compare. That said, I also want to point out that since 1995, Texas has been governed by either George W. Bush or Rick Perry, so I think I have some valid points.
1. Austin is in Texas
This may seem pretty obvious, but the ramifications are much deeper than you would initially suspect. Texas, like their ads say, really is “a whole different country”, just not for any of the reasons you would think (or hope for). The people there think differently, talk differently and are generally well-armed, even at the grocery store. They are suspicious of anyone who wasn’t born on Texas soil, or doesn’t drive a pick-up. While this is less true in Austin, you still feel as though you are in the minority on almost every issue if you aren’t a right-wing Christian. It’s not as much fun as it sounds.
2. The weather in Austin actually sucks
Probably the most common argument for Austin and against Portlandia is the weather. Austin is portrayed as sunny (true) and beautiful (not true) all the time. The truth is that Austin is stupid hot for 4-5 months, with a big dollop of humidity on top. But, in the winter, it actually gets quite cold, too. Sure, you get a few lovely winter days, but it is just as likely that you will wake up to a quarter-inch thick sheet of ice covering every exposed surface. You haven’t lived until you are late for work and have to literally chip your way into your car with some sort of hastily fashioned chisel. Not that I am a fan of February in Portlandia, but the summers are unbeatable and the winters are mild, with four actual seasons to enjoy. At the very least, it’s a wash.
3. Going to the coast
Going to the coast in Portlandia means a pleasant, less than two hour drive through the Coast Range, ending somewhere along the magnificent Oregon shoreline, probably with a view of a lighthouse or sea stack. Going to the coast in Austin means at least a three-hour ride through the flat coastal plains of South Texas, ending at the Gulf Coast, probably with a view of an oil rig.
4. Going to the mountains
Going to the mountains in Portlandia means a pleasant one-hour drive to Mt. Hood. Going to the mountains in Austin means you will be getting on a plane or taking the week off.
5. Austin really digs freeways
Public transportation in Austin, and in Texas, is kind of an afterthought for most people. Every city over 50,000 (including Austin) is so spread out that it really isn’t possible to live without a car and not make some very serious sacrifices. For most people, it just isn’t feasible to spend 3-4 hours a day trying to do basic errands. As an example of Austin’s thinking, the new (and only) light rail line was built along the same general path as a brand-new super tollway, thus removing any incentive to use the line (which has apparently declined in passenger usage since opening). Meanwhile, they are only building freeways and tollways to connect the other exurbs that are sometimes 35 miles distant from the downtown core. Yeah, that should end well.
6. Sixth Street is only cool if you are 23 and under (or wish you were)
Austin is such a party town, whohoo! WHOOHOO! If you are likely to say something like this, you might really enjoy Austin for a while. The warm summer nights definitely make for a festive atmosphere along the fabled Sixth Street bar scene. If, however, dodging drunken frat boy fights and puking sorority sisters has become less fun than it used to be, Austin is a challenging place to live, because that is kind of all there is. Over 50,000 college students are packed into downtown Austin, and there isn’t enough of an adult population living there to dilute them down.
7. The river isn’t a river
Nobody wants to swim in the Willamette River, I will give you that. But the body of water in downtown Austin is actually two reservoirs created by dams, Town Lake and Lake Austin (yes, I know Town Lake is now Lady Bird Lake, but c’mon). It is a warm, slackwater lake that tends to smell a lot of the time. There aren’t many spots actually on the “river” for things like dining or strolling, and it doesn’t have the impressive size of the Willamette. Also, it isn’t navigable to ocean-going ships, so the bridges aren’t particularly impressive, either (although one is full of bats, which is kind of cool).
Honestly, this was the prettiest picture I could find.
8. The natural beauty doesn’t even compare
Many people in Texas will speak of the “Hill Country” fondly, telling stories of a bucolic paradise in central Texas that doesn’t exist. The “Hill Country” is a myth made up by Texans who want to pretend that Texas has scenic beauty. And, if you’ve lived your life in Houston or the flatlands of West Texas, it probably does seem pretty ideal. If you’ve lived virtually anywhere else, you’ll wonder why your Texan companions keep wanting to stop to take pictures.
9. Dell Computers
This isn’t really Austin’s fault, per se, but Dell Computers was the beginning of the end for Austin as it once was. You see, in the 70s and 80s, Austin really was a super cool mid-size city, but with the rise of Dell Computers came a demographic change that would doom Austin forever. When a relatively small city experiences that kind of growth, you suddenly find more “outsiders” than natives running the show, and whatever made that city unique is diluted, exploited or both. The “Keep Austin Weird” campaign was a direct reaction to that change, and the accompanying slow death that long-established local businesses were starting to endure.
10. Did I mention Austin is in Texas?
At the end of the day, it all comes back to this one undeniable problem: being in Austin means being in Texas. If you are at all liberally-inclined, you are fighting a Sisyphean battle everyday to make things better for people who, it would seem, might just as soon shoot you. Again…not as much fun as it sounds.
Are you kidding? I know not one single person that carries a gun with them. You’re ridiculous. Also, if you hated Texas that much, i dont see why you lived here for so long.
I honestly can’t believe this article and how silly it is. First off a very small percentage of people are gun toting red necks with country accents. Most people in Texas have no accent at all. Austin is great and so is every big city in Texas ie Dallas/San Antonio. The Hill Country is amazing and has weather like Napa Valley. And I think you forgot Barton Springs and Travis Lake in and near Austin, those are nice places to swim. You also forgot the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers 40 miles south of Austin in New Braunfels. And no one I know has a Dell, most people have Macs or Sonys. Come on get real! Oh yeah one more thing, Keep San Antonio Lame. My hometown’s saying.
I could not agree with you more about Sixth Street. However, you fail to note that the young professionals/grad-student scene has been developed considerably on the WEST side of Congress Ave. This is an important factor. I don’t want to mess with the fake ID crowd anymore than you do, and I don’t have to. But claiming there aren’t enough adults here to balance the kiddos? C’mon, that’s sloppy reporting. Perhaps you missed this detail since you’ve been away for a while.
Now where’s my extra clip? I need to run out for some milk…
Calling BS on this. Ice? In Austin? Maybe, MAYBE twice per winter. And I don’t even think we got any this year. Yeah, 6th street sucks. Most of us hate it. And the whole gun-totin’, bible-thumpin’ thing… not really true. Sure, those folks exist, but it’s nothing like what is stated in this article, and you certainly don’t get judged at the grocery store for not driving a pickup truck…
I have spent some time in the northwest, and I’ll admit, it’s freaking beautiful. The weather and scenery are the best in the country. But you’re just stating the obvious in this article, and it’s not even the stuff that people compare Austin an Portland for. You can’t visit the mountains in Austin? Well, duh, because central Texas doesn’t have mountains. But the food, music, politics, and general laid-back, hippie-ish “place where young people go to retire” vibes are pretty much spot on in both cities.
And also, you say “Austin is in Texas” like it’s a bad thing. Texas effin’ rocks. And so does Oregon. We’re nice folks. Swing by Threadgill’s sometime and get yourself a big ol’ chicken fried steak and a heaping side of southern hospitality. Because you can’t get that anywhere else.
I’m having a great time going back and reading your blog. I am originally from St. Louis, moved to Portland 18 years ago for 9 years, moved to Austin for 6 years, back to Missouri and more recently, in December I’m back to Portland and this is where I will remain. I loved it here near 20 years ago, and always swore I would come back, and did. Like Austin, Portland gets compared to St. Louis as well. There are alot of similarities in all three cities, but I love the contrasts you’ve posted here. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing. As a Texan since birth (34 years) and an Austinite since 2000, I can only say that you hit most points here square on the head. Austin has some great things going on indeed (you are actually quite a bit off about the 6th street party-town thing, as there is plenty more than that going on all over town) BUT, when push comes to shove, the harsh truth reveals itself – we have a small, exciting urban core in an overwhelming sea of depressing natural vistas, poorly-planned highways and suburbs and ultra-conservative nuts stretching for many, many hundreds of miles. Add to that 4-5 months of weather from the bowels of hell, and the appeal quickly fades. It’s often called a “tiny oasis,” and that’s the truth – you don’t even need to drive 15 miles to be in the flat, blood-red Texas of lore. And while it’s a bit of an exaggeration to say that you will be judged at the grocery store if you don’t own a truck, as Austin is very liberal, open-minded, and full of creative people, once you leave Austin you’re in the land of giant trucks with nut sacks hanging off the back. I should know, I grew up in a small Texas town where multiple members of the football team had confederate flags on their jacked-up trucks…
The commenters that are arguing with you are clearly deluded Texas lovers drinking the Kool-Aid – and this quote says it all – “The “Hill Country” is a myth made up by Texans who want to pretend that Texas has scenic beauty.” Lots of flights needed, indeed, to see anything remotely beautiful. Well, you can reasonably drive to Big Bend, if that’s your thing.
And this, from the comments: “The Hill Country is amazing and has weather like Napa Valley.” My mouth is agape. Yep, there are lots of deluded Texans…I can’t wait to no longer be one! Soon…
If you like the TV show “Portlandia”, I suggest the 1991 Richard Linklaeter film “Slacker” (not the lame “Slackers”) a train of thought comedy about a day in the life of Austin counter-culturists.
The description of Portland in the first episode of Portlandia is virtually identical to how Linklaeter described Austin’s slacker culture. It is this left-wing counter-culture that people usually are describing when comparing Austin and Portland.
Differences, there are many. Austin is a better educated city, with a much larger arts culture and science culture (courtesy of UT). Austin’s indigenous music scene must be experienced to be believed. Portland is more laid back, the nicest place I’ve ever been. Portland is cool and green. It has the stunning Pacific coast and the river but both are too cold to swim in, whereas Austin has hundreds of miles of lake shore, hundreds of miles of spring-fed rivers and creeks, cold spring-fed public pools, a hot spring-fed public pool, many of which are swimmable year round. Oregon has mountains and trees, central Texas is the wildflower capital of the nation. Portland has perfect summers and blustery winters and the threat of a volcanic eruption. Austin has killing summers and 6-7 months of mild weather.. Austin has topless UT co-eds in its public pools, and fantastic Mexican culture and cuisine (the first interior Mexican restaurants were here). Portland has a wonderful Asian presence.
In 2012, Austin overall is more like a small Seattle. Portland is like Austin 30 years ago, before high tech came. This last bit is why I like Portland best. But either city is light years better than most other US cities.
A lesson for Portland: Austin was much better in the day when people moved there to be a part of the culture. High tech was billed as a jobs provider, when mostly it has provided jobs for people who move there just to make a buck. They don’t care about the environment, about the wonderful neighborhoods, about all the things that make Austin desirable as a home, rather than as a waypoint to bigger things. I hope Portland will fight any development that threatens to flood it with faceless tech workers who’ll soon try to turn Portland into a copy of the hellhole city they fled from.
Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and they usually stink.
With that said, I think the most informed opinions are supported by sourced facts that can be used to compel the reader into agreement. What we see above is lazy articulating. It is someone who didn’t put in the time to convince me of a rather silly argument to begin with. Portland is better than Austin for x reasons. The author went to know end to convince me, show me why the argument is worth discussing, or even concluding the argument.
I wasn’t going to comment because it seems I’ve put more effort into this comment than the author did in compelling me to agree.
Just discovered your blog, very interesting. I lived in Austin during the time described in the movie _Slacker_ mentioned by another of your commenters (I actually knew some of the “actors” and saw a pre-release copy of one of the scenes). I also lived in other parts of Texas, and now live in Portland. Austin was pretty fun back then, but I mostly agree with everything you say, and have even said some of these things to people here. Except the ice. I didn’t experience that the year I lived in Austin. What I experienced in winter was a rainy season that, while shorter than Portland’s, was more prone to very brutal storms. I do try to not make direct comparisons, because I _do_ like Portland and Oregon better, and– see above– Texans have surprisingly thin skins.
Wow what a shock. You said “At the end of the day”. Thats 2x as Douchey as 6th street on Saturday night.
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