AUSTIN | Economic Development

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by drummer

That also looks to be right next to the Green Line. Is there a proposed stop at Springdale or Airport?

Springdale stop in the system plan

https://www.capmetro.org/docs/defaul...celevelmap.pdf

Stop locations are preliminary until further planning, but I'd bet on one near there.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Novacek

Springdale stop in the system plan

https://www.capmetro.org/docs/defaul...celevelmap.pdf

Stop locations are preliminary until further planning, but I'd bet on one near there.

Thanks. So that still looks to be a <0.5mi walk to the ~800,000sf office. Totally doable.

[N90]

However, Texas seems to have something of a leg up on some other locations, at least based on a recent study by Blind, which anonymously surveys technologists. In that study, some 29 percent of technology professionals said that Texas was “the next Silicon Valley” and that they planned to move, versus the 36 percent who said that “Silicon Valley will always be the tech hub” (and that they’re staying). (The survey had 5,641 responses overall.)

https://insights.dice.com/2020/12/17...ajor-tech-hub/

Look at this, there were 5,641 responses from techies in CA.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...htmlview#gid=0

[davidberko]

I'm but a humble Uber driver living in Pflugerville and don't make more than 60k a year so my opinion doesn't count much, but after reading the ramblings on here, what constantly struck me as I think back to all the tech employees I ferried to and from the airport was our conversations on affordability with COL being a key factor why people choose Austin to live and not Palo Alto or the bay area. These are software engineers working for apple and other big tech and they were offered jobs in cali but turned their noses up because a shack there is a million dollars. Companies will have an easier time hiring here because the talent pool exists and people from out of state wouldn't mind relocating here because they can afford the American dream, in California, you cannot...or it's a LOT harder. That's why you might see a massive uptick in HQs moving here. Tik tok, tik tok, the clock is ticking...

[N90]

You can add Justin Ross' name to the list too (one of the founders of Opendoor). SF to Austin.

https://www.businessinsider.com/pand...w-york-2020-12

[austlar1]

Ooops! This company might not be around after the dust settles. https://www.kxan.com/news/business/u...in-solarwinds/

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by davidberko

I'm but a humble Uber driver living in Pflugerville and don't make more than 60k a year so my opinion doesn't count much, but after reading the ramblings on here, what constantly struck me as I think back to all the tech employees I ferried to and from the airport was our conversations on affordability with COL being a key factor why people choose Austin to live and not Palo Alto or the bay area. These are software engineers working for apple and other big tech and they were offered jobs in cali but turned their noses up because a shack there is a million dollars. Companies will have an easier time hiring here because the talent pool exists and people from out of state wouldn't mind relocating here because they can afford the American dream, in California, you cannot...or it's a LOT harder. That's why you might see a massive uptick in HQs moving here. Tik tok, tik tok, the clock is ticking...

Regardless of whether or not Silicon Valley has a huge massing of tech or the cost of living is higher or whatever, it just isn't a super desirable place to live IMHO. Every time I've been out there for a business trip I have thought to myself "I don't get why people want to live here". It's mostly suburban sprawl full of strip malls and, in and of itself, uninteresting. It's nice that you can go to San Francisco or Napa Valley or whatnot on the weekends, but I prefer to live IN a place that's desirable, not somewhat near other desirable places I have to travel to.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by paul78701

Regardless of whether or not Silicon Valley has a huge massing of tech or the cost of living is higher or whatever, it just isn't a super desirable place to live IMHO. Every time I've been out there for a business trip I have thought to myself "I don't get why people want to live here". It's mostly suburban sprawl full of strip malls and, in and of itself, uninteresting. It's nice that you can go to San Francisco or Napa Valley or whatnot on the weekends, but I prefer to live IN a place that's desirable, not somewhat near other desirable places I have to travel to.

My experience of the South Bay/San Jose area is that it is a whole lot like Austin in terms of suburban sprawl, strip malls, traffic, etc. Austin has a nicer downtown and a more lively dining/nightlife scene, but there are overall many similarities. Silicon Valley sure beats Austin in the climate department.

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by austlar1

My experience of the South Bay/San Jose area is that it is a whole lot like Austin in terms of suburban sprawl, strip malls, traffic, etc. Austin has a nicer downtown and a more lively dining/nightlife scene, but there are overall many similarities. Silicon Valley sure beats Austin in the climate department.

I'm not saying that Austin doesn't have any sprawl, but it at least has a number of interesting neighborhoods that have a sense of place. In my experiences with SV, I haven't come across anything of the sort.

[lonewolf]

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/pr...car-technology

hmmm....if you were Apple, where would you manufacture these cars?

[davidberko]

Originally Posted by paul78701

Regardless of whether or not Silicon Valley has a huge massing of tech or the cost of living is higher or whatever, it just isn't a super desirable place to live IMHO. Every time I've been out there for a business trip I have thought to myself "I don't get why people want to live here". It's mostly suburban sprawl full of strip malls and, in and of itself, uninteresting. It's nice that you can go to San Francisco or Napa Valley or whatnot on the weekends, but I prefer to live IN a place that's desirable, not somewhat near other desirable places I have to travel to.

Hm, good insights! Thanks for sharing your side of it. I haven't been on the west coast so I honestly couldn't tell ya. I couldn't justify paying the exorbitant taxes to live in La La land. Even if there are some really beautiful parts of the state. Austin isn't perfect but it has a lot of natural beauty. Only thing it's missing is the ocean. I miss Florida because of that. They can keep their humidity though

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by lonewolf

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/pr...car-technology

hmmm....if you were Apple, where would you manufacture these cars?

I would normally choose a different city than my main competitor... but then, outside of CA, there’s nowhere else with more Apple infrastructure than Austin.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by We vs us

I would normally choose a different city than my main competitor... but then, outside of CA, there’s nowhere else with more Apple infrastructure than Austin.

There is plenty of room at Robinson Ranch next to their new campus under construction. Plus there is rail in the area.

[lonewolf]

Originally Posted by We vs us

I would normally choose a different city than my main competitor... but then, outside of CA, there’s nowhere else with more Apple infrastructure than Austin.

why? that would be a poor move strategically imo. there are several reasons industries tend to cluster

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by We vs us

I would normally choose a different city than my main competitor... but then, outside of CA, there’s nowhere else with more Apple infrastructure than Austin.

I mean, I would want a talent base to hire from.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

I mean, I would want a talent base to hire from.

San Marcos is a great idea, imho, commutable from Austin and south Austin suburbs, but also commutable from San Antonio to tap into the car manufacturing expertise in their workforce. San Marcos is also relatively well positioned from a distribution standpoint.

[N90]

Apple would prolly pick China or Vietnam to manufacture cars. They already do most of their manufacturing there and the costs are cheaper than in the US.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by N90

Apple would prolly pick China or Vietnam to manufacture cars. They already do most of their manufacturing there and the costs are cheaper than in the US.

Truth

[enragedcamel]

Originally Posted by paul78701

Regardless of whether or not Silicon Valley has a huge massing of tech or the cost of living is higher or whatever, it just isn't a super desirable place to live IMHO. Every time I've been out there for a business trip I have thought to myself "I don't get why people want to live here". It's mostly suburban sprawl full of strip malls and, in and of itself, uninteresting. It's nice that you can go to San Francisco or Napa Valley or whatnot on the weekends, but I prefer to live IN a place that's desirable, not somewhat near other desirable places I have to travel to.

People who work in Silicon Valley don't live in Silicon Valley. They live an hour or further away, and commute every day. SV itself is not that great, like you say, but surrounding regions (Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Walnut Creek, etc.) are pretty sweet.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by N90

Apple would prolly pick China or Vietnam to manufacture cars. They already do most of their manufacturing there and the costs are cheaper than in the US.

Cars are a lot more expensive to ship than computers and phones. Most foreign car companies have US factories to supply the American market.