Is Austin the new “California/American Dream?
The “dream” that brought me here over 20 years ago was a job. But, I remember feeling excited about moving down here because Austin had a reputation for being a cool place to live. I have ended up liking the town a good deal — on some days (especially in August) in all honesty I don’t know why — but maybe it’s something that one really can’t analyze very well. There is a “live and let live” attitude for the most part here. In my neighborhood, if some people don’t keep their lawns mowed, nobody seems to care. Appearances are still important but are interpreted differently here — I believe that you want to be kind of subtle and understated when it comes to showing off wealth. Of course, this a function of what part of town you live in, but I think Austin tries to be more egalitarian than most places. I do realize, however, that in regards to environmental and neighborhood issues, some normally easy-going Austinites have a tendency to bare their teeth and growl menacingly. The town is
