I've lived in Dallas and Houston, and originally came from NYC. Haven't lived in Austin but have spent a lot of time there. Personally, I think Houston is the best big city in Texas. It has everything: diversity (in race, politics, and religions), amazing food, good-enough public transportation (in downtown), huge *and affordable* suburban sprawl (for families that want houses), and a great road system (though Dallas is better in this department). It doesn't look as glitzy, and the tech scene isn't as large as it is in Austin (oil-gas rules the roost here).
Individual responses:
> You don’t have old-money tycoons in Austin like you do in Houston and Dallas, where most of the Texas oil billionaires live.
There are fewer of them there, but this is wrong. Texas has oil-gas old money _everywhere_.
> Partially because of that, a diversity of opinions is welcome (although I know some people have left because they were frustrated with the lack of racial diversity).
If Austin has a lack of racial diversity (which they do [1]), then are opinions really as diverse or well-informed as you think they are?
Generally, when I'm in the center of a town and most of the people I see are white, I immediately think "How did it get that way?" When I've looked it up, the answer is aggressive racism that ended (at least overtly) one or two generations ago.
Austin gives me those vibes every time I go there, especially when I go to any nice places in the city. (I'm a Black Latino who lives in Houston and goes to Austin several times per year.) It's similar to how I felt when I was in Portland (the Austin of the PNW, IMO), but not as bad as how I feel when I'm in New Orleans or any major city in the Bible Belt.
> Here’s a pet theory too. Economically, the Austin airport also support a local food scene because the vast majority of passengers are starting or ending their travels in Austin.
AUS has a good food scene because it's a small(er) airport in a hip town, similar to PDX (again, Austin of the PNW). LGA is going that direction too. It's difficult to have lots of good food at big superhubs because of their size and transfer traffic (not to say that they don't; DFW, CLT, and DTW have some amazing restaurants, for example)
> The lack of direct flights has kept many frequent travelers away. Rumor has it that Delta Airlines is considering a hub here though.
That would be smart on DAL's part, as AAL owns DFW, UAL owns IAH, and SWA owns the minor airports in both cities. DAL did have DFW as a hub for many years but closed it down in 2006; wonder if that will have an effect on their decision.
Individual responses:
> You don’t have old-money tycoons in Austin like you do in Houston and Dallas, where most of the Texas oil billionaires live.
There are fewer of them there, but this is wrong. Texas has oil-gas old money _everywhere_.
> Partially because of that, a diversity of opinions is welcome (although I know some people have left because they were frustrated with the lack of racial diversity).
If Austin has a lack of racial diversity (which they do [1]), then are opinions really as diverse or well-informed as you think they are?
Generally, when I'm in the center of a town and most of the people I see are white, I immediately think "How did it get that way?" When I've looked it up, the answer is aggressive racism that ended (at least overtly) one or two generations ago.
Austin gives me those vibes every time I go there, especially when I go to any nice places in the city. (I'm a Black Latino who lives in Houston and goes to Austin several times per year.) It's similar to how I felt when I was in Portland (the Austin of the PNW, IMO), but not as bad as how I feel when I'm in New Orleans or any major city in the Bible Belt.
> Here’s a pet theory too. Economically, the Austin airport also support a local food scene because the vast majority of passengers are starting or ending their travels in Austin.
AUS has a good food scene because it's a small(er) airport in a hip town, similar to PDX (again, Austin of the PNW). LGA is going that direction too. It's difficult to have lots of good food at big superhubs because of their size and transfer traffic (not to say that they don't; DFW, CLT, and DTW have some amazing restaurants, for example)
> The lack of direct flights has kept many frequent travelers away. Rumor has it that Delta Airlines is considering a hub here though.
That would be smart on DAL's part, as AAL owns DFW, UAL owns IAH, and SWA owns the minor airports in both cities. DAL did have DFW as a hub for many years but closed it down in 2006; wonder if that will have an effect on their decision.