There is a mass exodus happening in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. People can't afford the rent there anymore and the yuppies have officially taken over what was once a culturally diverse and reasonably enjoyable place to live. I've been in Austin almost four years now. I remember when I made the decision to come here, everybody I knew just could not wrap their mind around why I would want to move to Texas. For starters, allow me to explain to you that living in Austin is not really like living in Texas. It is very safe. Safe for you to be the fucking weirdo that you want to be. Hippies, Hipsters, Punks, tattooed, it's accepted here. You can drive 30 miles in any direction and you will actually be in Texas. You will get stares and comments from people if you don't fit the norm. All of that is fine by me, I tend to blend in more these days. That said, I don't just love Austin, I love all of Texas. Nowhere else I have ever lived have people been so generous, kind, and considerate to a complete stranger (me). Texas is a place where common courtesy still exists. Hold the door, after you, please, thank you, have a nice day. Things you won't ever hear in California. When someone asks me how I'm doing, they actually want to know and care. When I first moved here I came with the attitude and guard up that I'm used to having as my front when living in The City. You have to be a bit gritty. Especially if you ride public transit everywhere like I do. It only took about a month to realize that I can relax, nobody is trying to get something out of me like in SF. People have manners here and it was absolutely appalling to see that kind of practice everywhere at first. It was a culture shock, really. Another shock: the seemingly endless summers. The heat here is something that is just completely normal to me now. It's hot here a good 8 months out of the year. My second summer here it was over 100 degrees 67 days in a row. I worked long hours in one of the hottest kitchens in town that summer. The Alamo Drafthouse was equivalent to basic training camp for Marines but for cooks. On weekend nights we were running tickets for up to 800 guests at once. EIGHT HUNDRED. This kitchen was massive. It has two sides that are identical and when both are firing off at full speed is absolutely fucking nuts to witness. Bonkers-wolfballz-fucking-crazy. At full speed it takes 21 cooks to operate. The inside temperature of that kitchen was on average 89 degrees even with the AC blasting. The hottest station was the bun/melt station on the line. To the left of you was the grill and convection oven, to your right the fry station, and directly behind you 3 feet away was a three level Impinger pizza oven firing off about 600 degrees of heat. Working that gig got me used to being hot ALL THE TIME. Now I don't even break a sweat outside unless at least 100 degrees and humid.
Several of my friends from California have made their way to Austin in the last year or so. It's pretty great having them here. I feel like they have also adopted the more hospitable and considerate Texan mindset. It is interesting to watch that change happen over the course of time. Since I left home 11 or so years ago, Austin is the place I've lived the longest, continually. I am the happiest I have ever been here and I don't see myself anywhere else at this point. I enjoy my reasonable rent and my space. Please don't move here. Come visit me instead. Then go home.
