Eight Cities That Might Be the New Austin, TX
NOT Austin, TX. This is lovely Louisville, KY – one of our nominees to be the "new Austin."
Are you in Austin, TX yet? If you’re a hip, 18-34 year-old, it’s kind of amazing if you’re not. Apparently everybody is moving to Austin.
It’s the city that drew the most U.S. young people from 2007 through 2009, according to Census data analyzed by the Brookings Institution. You can see a pretty breathtaking visualization of all this migrating on this Forbes interactive map.
But why Austin? It’s not the cheapest place to live but it does have the all-important cool factor imparted by being a college town, hosting the mega-popular South by Southwest, having a zillion cool eateries and live music venues and growing a ton of tech jobs.
Austin and the other cities rounding out the top 5 (Dallas, Denver, Houston, and Seattle, respectively – man, Texas really represents!) are, according to the New York Times, “those that had remained economically vibrant, like Dallas, and those that were considered hip destinations, like Austin and Seattle.”
But reading through some of the comments from Austinites on the super-snarky blog Gawker, you might get the feeling the city is wishing its turn as the coolest kid on the block might be over soon.
“Stop moving here!,” reads one. “There’s too many people as it is! It used to have a more cool, laid back feel to it, but it’s turning more and more cosmopolitan by the day…”
And thus, the circle of hipster neighborhood life is complete.
Austin is clearly a great choice for lots of people, but the secret is definitely out. And here at Livability we’re all about helping you discover great new places that maybe haven’t gotten quite as much hype.
After all, there’s plenty of cool factor to be found in cities across America. So in that spirit, here are eight cities that I am nominating, in a totally unscientific fashion, as candidates to be the new Austin.
Fort Worth, TX
Texas? Check. Culture? Check. Cool college town? Check.
Boulder, CO
Similar Earthy, rootsy vibe.
Savannah, GA
A chill Southern town that ups the cool college factor with SCAD.
Wichita, KS
A burgeoning tech scene brings the coolness with it.
Knoxville, TN
Southern college town that’s growing up fast in terms of culture.
Pueblo, CO
Artsy, mellow and friendly.
Fargo, ND
Try a super-friendly northern college town instead.
Louisville, KY
Outdoorsy, creative, super-hip: what’s not to love?
What are your picks for the next hip city the beautiful people will flock to? Let me know.
