Quote:
Originally Posted by whatdoyouwantandwhy
I'm chalking this comment up to an hasty analysis of the situation and the false perception that Austin's success is somehow a problem for San Antonio..
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When I first visited Texas in 1980, my two priority destinations were San Antonio and Austin. I didn't regard one as a competitor or alternative to the other, they were a package deal in my mind because they're so distinct from one another and my reasons for visiting were completely unique and independent for each city.
I had heard about the beauty of the River Walk and downtown SA, and it had a reputation for authenticity and tourism combined, something that is rare in American cities. I had heard about Austin only from someone in Vermont who said that Austin was very progressive, hip, and had a great music scene.
I arrive in each city with virtually no expectations. SA blew me away. I remember thinking that the Riverwalk was the most beautiful urban place I had ever seen in the USA. Granted, the touristy aspect isn't appealing but the physical space itself, with the landscaping and architecture and overall vibe, is just wonderful. I loved the narrow downtown streets with the old buildings as well. I told friends that San Antonio was the most non-American city in America, and I meant it as a compliment --- you can travel abroad without leaving the US, that's what I meant.
Austin was a delightful surprise in a very different way. I didn't think it was very attractive but I loved the funkiness, the culture, the liberalism, the hippie scene. I was a leftist hippie myself, and I felt very much at home here. There was also a personality about Austin that was hard to explain to anyone, but I fell in love and told myself that I would live here someday. I didn't expect to spend 25 years here, but that's how long I've been an Austinite.
To me, Austin-San Antonio is a package deal and there should be cooperation as well as competition. A healthy dose of each is ideal. Too much cooperation without the competitive edge leads to mediocrity. Too much competition without cooperative efforts to solve mutual problems (transportation!!) results in wasted efforts and lose-lose outcomes.
We have a lot of problems in common and we probably wouldn't all agree on what those are. For me, the main shared problems are traffic/transportation, water supply, quality of life (preserving natural beauty rather than paving everything in sight), and slowing the pace of corporate exploitation of our regional success. On that last item, every city in the region is failing miserably. We're seeing rampant sprawl as profiteering developers vomit the cheapest, fastest forms of awful suburban crap all over the landscape, and the legacy of this uncontrolled cancer will leave the Austin-SA corridor in terrible condition, with every problem listed being greatly exacerbated over time. I already have an exit strategy with my sights set on one of the interior Northwest towns --- Bend, Boise, Missoula, or Pullman/Moscow.