I really like Austin a lot. I was skeptical of the city being overrated because it seems everyone I've heard raved about it so I had to see it to believe it. The first thing I noticed was Austin is a very good looking city. It's got a great little skyline with a unique look, the buildings have all sorts of shapes and dimensions and they are illuminated pretty nicely at night. Austin offers great parks and waterfront along its rivers and lakes. The Texas state capital is very impressive, almost imposing as it should be for such a big state. The city has a nice setting in the hills with plenty of trees.

Music and nightlife are great attributes to this city. I walked down 6th street at midnight and I have never encountered so many different types of music venues, a multitude of them in several different bars along a 6 block stretch of downtown. Austin is very youthful, a huge college town with UT being a humungous campus. For the most part people are friendly and accommodating, I would definitely go back for another visit.

I found out what happened to all of the hippies...  they're all living in Austin!

I don't understand why Austin is so popular.  The city has no sense of place.  It's all new, suburban, blah.  And it's frickin' hot.  I also don't understand the hype about the hill country.  The hill country looks like Ohio, but no one ooohs and ahhhs about Ohio.  Maybe because it's the state capitol and the home of UT, and I'm sure the music scene is great.  Austin didn't do much for me.  Maybe I'm just an older city kind of guy.

nothing more sad than an isolated island of pseudo progression being hyped up to be something it is definitely not.

Austin is cool I have lived here for the last 20 years and I like it because it is safe. I was born in a rough part of Los Angeles and when I came to Austin I realized that things were nicer. The quality of the air was better, it wasn't as overpopulated and even the ghettos and gang bangers were nice! It is a really friendly city but I must admit it is strange. The type of city where a man who dresses in women’s lingerie and 8 inch stilettos and lives in a cardboard mansion in the middle of downtown runs for mayor.  The slogan is "Keep Austin Weird" and people work hard to make sure we are living up to that. The city is growing, there is a lot of opportunity and has been a good place to raise kids. The only thing that is really bothering me is that the city is growing so rapidly that poorer communities are becoming gentrified. Old crack houses in neighborhoods where crack heads and prostitutes rule are selling for $300,000+++. I heard in a movie once that "where there is blood on the streets buy property" so I guess the rich people buying all that property saw the same flick! Although a lot of people pretend like Austin is the best and we have this community filled with harmony, I say don’t believe the hype. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting pushed further and further East. Soon Austin, will probably look a lot like Houston except with a lot more weirdoes! If your line of work is strengthening communities you should come to Austin and help in this fight! Weird is entertaining for a while but even weird becomes mundane when there is no real progress. So more than keeping Austin weird, we need to make sure we “Keep Austin Real”.

Lived there for a few years. Awesome city!!!!

This was my hometown growing up and I lived here in the 1970's and 1980's and remember when Austin used to be a Texas city, except for UT. The downtown and northwest side are for the most part middle and upper middle class with many folks from other parts of the country, the south side is blue-collar and good ole boyish, and the Tarrytown area just north of downtown are the die-hard "old money" natives who are at least 3rd generation Texans.

The highway system is hopeless now and was seriously overcrowded in the 1980's, but when the upper level of Hwy 183 was built, it drastically reduced the problem.

My major complaint is that the city has a rather snob mentality and has for a long time. Half the population live pretty close to extravegant

Im from Austin and i must say that im happy that im from her.  There is problems with the city one being we only have one interstate so daily commutes is a bitch.  other than that its an okay city

I like Austin, it has a nice comfortable feel to it and the historic sites, like the Capitol, are fun to visit. Also, I heard that people skinnydip at this place called hippie hollow.

the problem with austin is it's basically an overgrown college town with horrible job prospects! great place to live if you've got a trust fund and don't have to work for a living. the traffic system is beyond stupid, come and you will find out what i mean. voted down light rail 10 times yet they still want to be labeled a progressive city, whatever! the heat from May till October will melt the hardest of nails. there are some decent parks and nice places to shop just don't hope to find any decent healthcare here, it's about like Mexico in that regard.

Use to visit Austin 3 or 4 times a year on business. Without a doubt, the prettiest women of any city I have been to. Pretty good vibe going on here. Live music, Tex mex, politics, Univ of Texas. I like the mix. Nice geographic features, also.

I really liked Austin. I was there to float down a river in tubes, and we stayed for a couple days. It's a very lively town, with a bunch of colleges nearby the city. It's a more liberal version of Texas than you will see elsewhere, and it has a more modern look and feel to it. The live music scene is excellent, and the food's not bad either.

The economy is poor so you can't find good jobs. Housing is not cheap or easy to find either. Worst of all - it is way too hot - you can barely leave the house.

Austin is my second favorite City after San Diego. The people are warm and friendly, very laid back. I love it there. Conan's Pizza in Austin is also the best!

A neat town with a unique character and an exceptional night life. I had the pleasure of spending a weekend here recently while visiting the University of Texas, and let's just say I got a small taste of college life and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The opportunities to have a good time in Austin are limitless.

A crappy helhole, no thanks

Regardless of being in my late thirties I let it all hang out and partied like a rock star with the kids. As Austin native Dusty Rhodes said many times in his wrestling career during interviews, I was Funky Like A Monkey! I plan to go to Austin again! What a place! Undoubtedly the best city in TX.

The only decent city in Texas.

Great college city... They've got a good nightlife, but it's all soriority girls and frat boys... It's a great city if you are 21, but if you are in your late 20's or early 30's probably wanna chose a more grown up city (ie Chicago, NYC, even Vegas). I did enjoy Austin, don't get me wrong. Almost every bar had a live band/musician playing. Not bad...

Austin is a great place for young people but not for aspiring professionals. If you're thinking of moving here, be aware that employers want to pay you subpar for the privilege of living in Austin. Also, to get a good swim in you'll face a lot of traffic and crowds at the popular swimming holes. It's ideal for people who are content just with hiking and biking. And there's no big league sports. But that doesn't seem to bother the natives here since most consider themselves seasoned athletes and would rather play than watch.

no thanks

a toilet

I lived in Austin for eight years and I must say it has got to be one of the most unique cities in the US. The people are cool, hip , and educated. If you live central, you can actually forgo a car. The summers are unbearably hot and humid and people suffer from allergies sometimes. But this town has it all...laid back cowboys, yuppies, techies, college kids, great night life, world class libraries and universities and it is in Texas so there is a lot of diversity. Enjoy y'all!

High crime rates? Anyway, this is Texas' redeeming quality, if it has one.

if you like dirty lazy hippies on every corner, digusting freaks running amok in the streets and high crime rates, then this is the city for you.

I lived here for 2 years. Couldn't wait to get back to Pittsburgh.

As a new resident of Austin, I consider myself extremely fortunate. Here we have a city that, even with all the good press it's received in the last few years, is still vastly under-rated. Job growth has slowed but is still impressive, the people are the friendliest anywhere, the weather is generally good (except for June-Sept), cultural and educational opportunities are plentiful, and the scenery is simply gorgeous. Plus, you get all this without a lot of typical big-city hassles. I highly recommend Austin for students, visitors, and newcomers alike.

An oasis in the cultural wasteland of Texas.

Austin's a very nice, underrated city in Central Texas. The atmosphere of the place is great. There are many nice restaurants and a good nightlife because of the University of Texas (a really good college). It's kind of near ranch country so you could go see a working ranch as a daytrip from the city. The surroundings are really nice and I bet it would be a great city to live in. Plenty of culture, always something to do and a comfortable setting makes it ideal.