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Apple has a new billion-dollar campus in North Austin, and Google just plopped a 35-story building in the heart of downtown. Tesla just moved its headquarters here, and they’ll manufacture the cybertruck here too. Today, the frontier spirit is still here. In the early days of computing, Austin birthed big companies like Dell.
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Locals tend to believe in free markets, the unconstrained exploration of ideas, and the notion of a better future. Politically, Austin is classically liberal and progressive. Rogan’s presence is also turning Austin into a podcasting hub, with hosts like Tim Ferriss, Lex Fridman, Aubrey Marcus, Sam Parr, Chris Williamson, Ryan Holiday, and Andrew Huberman. I grew up in San Francisco and lived in New York, but became disillusioned with the intellectual homogeneity of both cities. That’s basically why I’ve stayed here too.
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Moving to Austin is the geographical equivalent of saying: “I don’t read the news anymore.” The people moving here are tired of others telling them what to think, which is why the people here are so much less likely to police your speech.
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I also know of a gun-carrying Greenpeace advocate, and an uber-masculine, tatted-up ranch-owner who’s super into psychedelics. My friend’s hairdresser smokes weed every night and supports gay marriage, even though she’s pro-life and a passionate supporter of the Heartbeat Bill that Texas passed. If you meet somebody who judges you for your ideas, chances are they’re married to a much freer thinker who got tired of coastal politics and insisted on a family move to Austin. You won’t really get shut down for saying something unpopular here. I once had BBQ with a canceled journalist, a sex worker, and a YouTuber with 400,000 subscribers. 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). But conversations in Austin are less likely to revolve around what’s happening in the media. In both, it felt like every conversation centered around either the news or the culture wars. I’ve lived in San Francisco and New York. And technologically, it has its finger on the pulse of the future - maybe more than any other American city. It’s as far as you can get from a coastal city, while still being able to work out at Equinox. Intellectually, it’s a haven for the kind of free-thinking that’s historically defined America but is on the way out these days. Socially, it’s one of the most communal places I know. Though it’s the capital of Texas, the quirky vibe hardly resembles the guns and cowboys culture that rightly defines the rest of the state. Instead of defaulting to drinks at a bar, people meet up for active, outdoor activities like pickleball and paddle boarding. Walking around town, it’s easy to forget that beauty is worth striving for in the first place.Īnd yet, I’ve chosen Austin as my home for the foreseeable future. Like much of what goes up today, Austin suffers from a coldly utilitarian aesthetic that strips out beauty in the name of efficiency. The buildings look like they were built in a rush by contractors on a budget and architects without taste. It’s pretty good in almost every category.Īustin also has glaring flaws-especially its general eyesore-ness. The food, the weather, the music, the sports, the nature, the comedy.
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My quick summary is this: Just about everything is a 7/10. Since I wasn’t able to interview all 1,028,225 people who live here, it’s based on my personal experiences. Most of the comparisons are to the places I’ve spent the most time: New York and San Francisco. It’s the answer I’d give at a bar with friends, so there’s basically no research to back up anything in here. This article is an answer to that question. Since I moved to town, a bunch of people have asked me, “What’s up with Austin?” Austin is a mediocre city, but a great place to live.