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Originally Posted by llamaorama
Eastern Travis and Williamson counties do not have zoning. Unincorporated areas in counties in Texas can’t have zoning. Only home rule municipalities can have the powers needed to have a zoning ordinance. So Taylor and Hutto only in the relatively small areas they’ve annexed. Counties have minimal/no land use controls.
The real estate industry petitions to get quasi-governmental entities called special districts set up. These are taxing entities that exist for the purpose of either utilities, or fire protection. Unlike a city they don’t have an obligation to serve the public good, a comprehensive democratic structure, etc, and they don’t really have the power to pass ordinances AFAIK. This way their subdivisions don’t need to be in a city.
Millennial homebuyers aren’t “settling” for the suburbs. Not these kind, who are like 35 now. These are out of state transplants who moved to Austin because they wanted this lifestyle. These are bougie suburban minded and politically conservative people. Austin isn’t a “weird” or even mildly progressive or alternative place anymore. It’s just a bigger Raleigh-Durham with small scraggly trees and brown grass.
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Don't know where you live, but the Austin I live in has green grass (at least in spring, early summer, and fall), and lots of large, beautiful oaks. We also have the very scenic west Austin hills. Can't say the same for Taylor/Hutto, which are located in a farm belt with no natural beauty. Tesla's general area along 130 has some nice hills or rolling terrain and some woodsy areas mixed in with more open areas. Tesla is close to the edge of the Bastrop area pine forests, and also oak forests that stretch to Columbus and beyond.
Politically, the city of Austin is still quite weird, and consistently votes Democratic (just about every precinct, including formerly GOP precincts like Northwest Hills). The suburbs, such as Williamson County, used to be solidly red, but are mixed now. My old neighborhood in Williamson County was solidly red when I lived there, but is not that way at all now.
High tech industry tends to bring with it a lot of progressives or moderates, although that doesn't apply to everyone, of course.