Austin, Texas

Ditch your perceptions of deserts, oil magnates, and cowboys. The capital of the Lone Star State ain’t that. Want some nature? Go kayaking or swimming in one of the many tree-lined lakes and rivers, or go biking or hiking along one of the many trails around them. Want some culture? Austin is home to one of the country’s most popular art scenes, has a great foodie culture, and a music scene that has Austin hailed as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”

Want a job? You'll question whether you’re in Silicon Valley when you see the number of tech companies here. Facebook, Google, Apple, and more all have offices in Austin, and the city's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country.

Texas mandatories that Austin still clings to are, unfortunately, traffic and weather. Austin commutes are some of the most brutal in the country. Austin is rapidly expanding, a reflection of those positives, but the roads are not, and regardless of when you leave the house, you’ll probably be stuck somewhere. The lack of good public transportation does you no favors, so you pretty much have to own a car to live here. You need a car with great AC as well. You won’t forget you’re living in Texas in July and August when the highs occasionally get up to a humid 110 Fahrenheit. The plus is winter days in the sixties and autumn ones in the seventies, but we’ll let you be the judge as to whether or not the trade-off is worth it.

Finally, we have to mention the political climate in Austin. If you’re moving to Texas to escape progressives in San Francisco or Boulder then take 35 or 290 in virtually any direction to find giant pockets of conservatism. If on the other hand, you’re looking for an island of misfit liberals that comprise the Austin populace then you’re going to love it here.

We’re going to keep hammering home the fact that Austin strays far from the typical Texas tropes. Home to some of the hottest bars and foodie spots in the country, and a wide range of popular live music concerts, Austin is an increasingly attractive destination for young socialites.

Finally, we have to mention the political climate in Austin. If you’re moving to Texas to escape the progressives in San Francisco or Boulder, you’ll probably be disappointed in how far left Austin swings. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an island of misfit liberals like the ones that comprise the Austin populace, then you’re going to love it here. Austin is also home to one of the most active LGBTQ communities in the nation.

Check out the Austin calendar of events to get the details on what's happening here.

You might question whether or not you’re in Silicon Valley when you see the number of tech companies that call Austin home. Facebook, Google, Apple and more all have offices in Austin, and the city unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country.

Tesla is another recent big company to name Texas’s capital its new home in recent years that highlights how substantial of a draw Austin is for the future faces of global progress. In the time that it’s taken me to type this, little Elon’s from around the country have undoubtedly picked Austin as home.