Why Everyone is FLEEING Austin as Fast as They Can 

Austin is NOT conservative

The politics are not conservative in Austin. It's basically progressive like California.

I got out of Austin four years ago. Cut my expenses in half.

I moved to Austin in 2001 and if i hadn't built a business here then i would have left years ago. Just a few years of steve adler and this city has become a shit hole

Austinite born and raised here. Austin is a shadow of its former self. Pure greed and years of horrible mismanagement has ruined Austin and surrounding areas.

Austin was Californiaized

There's a reason i bought an hour north of Austin. Twice the house, half the cost, and conservative county and city management. When people in Austin were going to bed to the sounds of sirens and the smell of burning rubber and buildings that one summer, i had my windows open to the smell of fresh cut grass and the songs of crickets and frogs.

I spoke with a state trooper who has worked all over the state of Texas. He considers Austin to be the most dangerous.

The best thing about Austin is it’s only an hour away from Texas

Politics are absolutely NOT conservative in Austin.

You never want your favorite town to become the "in" place to move. It wont be your favorite town anymore.

I have lived here my whole life. It breaks my heart to see how west-coasters ruined my town. I can't even afford to live here. Whats worse is that all those liberal policies were supercharged by those same west-coasters that they defunded the police department. It takes more than 20 mins for police to show up. Most don't even bother! Its become expensive and dangerous!

Lived here for 15 years. It’s a shit hole. Disgusting politics. Traffic. Cost. Tolls. Heart aches how we went from #1 to #40. Planning on leaving end of the year.

Once you said Austin was conservative I wondered whether anything you said was true.

There’s been lots of gang- and drug-related crime in Austin for years. They’ve always tried to keep it quiet.

The City Council here in Austin said that their main goal was "economic justice." There is nothing remotely conservative about that.

Austin has been destroyed by the influx from the West. What used to be fun, unique and quirky is now shady, dirty and unsafe.

Crime and homelessness in Austin is a problem.

Y’all can blame all your city council members from California!!! Where I live in Austin, Texas developers building everywhere, empty lots, tearing down live oaks so they can build apartment complexes, houses where there were ranch lands and farmlands. If I had the money to get out of Texas, I would be gone. Please do not move here.

Traffic was miserable when I moved back there for school in 2016. Nothing like it had been in 1987.

If you are living in a modest home on a fixed income and the government suddenly doubles your property taxes just because a bunch of out of towners want to move there, you might start looking for somewhere else to live. Nothing has physically changed to increase the value of your home. Your house is the same, your street is the same, your neighborhood is the same, your town is the same, the only thing that has changed is the perceived value.

Families have been fleeing for a lot longer. AISD enrollment has been declining for over 10 years. There are less kids in Austin today than there were in 2012 despite the population growth. The wrong kinds of people have been moving here and brought all of their problems with them.

I live in SC and we’ve been invaded by NY and NJ. Now housing values have skyrocketed, rural areas are selling off their land where cheap cookie cutter houses are being built. Crime has increased at an incredible rate. I’m looking at Austin and thinking that’s what we are about to face.

I moved here 15 years ago after getting married (husband is a Texan). The biggest things I observed are sky-rocketing taxes which makes a modest home unaffordable, poor quality of life due to traffic - you have 3 choices: take the expensive tolls, put up with long commutes via the streets or get stuck in traffic on the 35. When I moved here I was shocked to find there was no rapid train transpo😮 and even more shocked to find there was no transit system outside of ATX and doubly shocked to find there was no rapid transpo connecting ATX, Satx, Dallas and Houston. Add in the investors who are grabbing up properties and driving up rental prices and you’ve got the perfect recipe for disaster. Even the music scene has changed; sxsw used to be geared towards the local artists and now the focus is bringing top label artist in which has squeezed out local up and coming artists. It just seems ATX is for those with deep pockets🤷. My prediction is the place will continue its unsustainable ways until things go all the way down. Then we’ll see new investment strategies and ATX will be reinvented and maybe even livable again for regular people.

Born and raised here. I'll be moving away next year after 31 years. Local leadership sold this place out and now its unlivable for anyone making under 6 figures. I hope to return one day if things get better!

"Keep Austin Weird" was the motto of the 1970's. It was fun then, but not so much anymore.

I used to love Austin and lived there at one time in the 80's and 90's; But not anymore. I live in a smaller town now and love it.

Ran away from home in California to Austin Texas in 1999. I remember Traffic, Music scene, and Breakfast Tacos. Also I felt the people were the coolest and nicest I had ever met in my life. One lady from the local radio station saw me walking away from a concert without a ticket, and approached me and gave me a vip pass! The people had heart :) I wasnt used to the hospitable mindset

The politics of Austin are liberal….and getting worse

We were in Austin over 10 years. Our suburb became California 2 and lots of things changed. We left for Arizona and are much happier. Too bad , we loved the old Austin.

Beautiful city and people, with very little water. From Georgetown to south of San Antonio, they are on the Balcones Escarpment. This ancient limestone is the reason for all the springs coming out of it. They are finite. They're dependent on rainfall and rate of use. Austins popularity has a price, beyond all the other issues and traffic.

I left Austin in 2014 after 20 years. It wasn't too bad in 2014 but it was getting noticeably worse. Barton Springs pool was contaminated by algae nearly 100% of the time, started to be very difficult to find parking there, and traffic was getting hard to bear. Barton Springs pool used to be clear of algae all the time. It comes from pollution, fecal matter specifically.

I don’t like Austin anymore 😢

Austin went woke and is going broke. Duh.

Bought a 3/2 1180 sq ft house in East Austin a few blocks east of I35, doable walking distance to downtown for $120K in 2003. A gentrifying area at the time. Sold it 3 years later for $225K. It sold about 2 years ago for over $700K. Now it did undergo a complete renovation inside, a big deck in the back and some landscaping. I wouldn't say it had great bones though: 2x4 exterior wall construction.

I've been here 17 years and I want to leave, but I have no idea where to go. I'm single, retired, and can live anywhere.

Retired LE from California to Texas Hill Country. We avoid Austin. Reminds us of the "Progressive" California we left. Very much appreciate Texas Constitutional Carry.

I loved living in downtown Austin, and planned to retire there. But when I and my neighbors began to be threatened as we walked about, I knew it was time to leave. ‘Been gone two years, and still yearn for what Austin used to be. Property taxes there also hurt.

Been here since the late 80s. Not the same as it used to be, but still pretty good. Outgrowing its britches. If the reputation takes a hit and more companies and people leave, I'm good with that.

I moved from California to Texas in 2005, but we knew for years on the West Coast that Austin was a Leftist city and sister city to San Diego, CA where I moved from. I don't live in Austin because of that tag on that city. The sad news for freedom loving Americans who are thinking about moving to Texas, be aware, "ALL" major cities in Texas are now Progressive/Blue!

I left Austin in 2022. Couldn’t stand the homeless anymore

Since the 1970's, Lost Creek has always been a community of people who wanted to raise healthy families. Most of Austin is no longer family oriented. Austin is a place more suited to deviant lifestyles than it is families. Glad to hear that Lost Creek got out.

I lived in Austen back in the early 2010s. It got too expensive by 2014. So I moved to Colorado. I paid half for a two bed apartment as a one bed in Austen.

Austin used to be very cool in the 90’s. We would drive there often from Houston just to hang on the weekends. . Now it’s too big and crowded , just like any other big city.

Did you just say Austin was conservative? Compared to where? San Francisco?

It’s the overwhelming majority of new residents coming in from other states that are jacking up the rent and making it harder to get around anywhere now without having to plan ahead five to six hours in advance. I’m in San Antonio and it’s starting to creep into here too. Please stay up there. We have enough traffic and junkies roaming around here now..

I briefly served as a Rainey Street Community Liaison for residents and businesses, working with the City of Austin to voice resident concerns. I’m grateful my City Council rep made an effort to help us make our voices heard to the city. The City repeatedly mentioned that many departments, including the Austin Police Department, are understaffed and underfunded. Yet, their latest budget prioritizes Austin Energy, focusing on acquiring land and building, even in areas like Mueller that remain unoccupied while they continue to have power outages across the city. City officials receive lucrative salaries well above $100k, while critical areas like road infrastructure and maintenance are defunded. Additionally, high-rise construction projects are given leeway with little to no regulation. It will result in high-rise constructions that remain largely unoccupied, contributing to the continual rise in the cost of living. While the city attempts to mitigate this with housing programs for low-income residents, many of these housing options are far outside the city with limited to no transportation. As a Native Texan, I relocating from Austin back to Houston for reasons beyond what is stated here.

Excellent analysis, thank you. Subbed.

Been here 4 years… leaving on Monday. What can I say.

raised in Austin back in the 60's, 70's and 80s. what a great city it was. Now I wouldn't visit there.

Good info buddy. Thanks!

Cedar fever kept me away. Only place where i have suffered bronchial spasms. Was teaching a tech class at Dell (awful experience) and had to stop talking to catch my breath. The people in the class laughed and said, “you have cedar fever!” They thought it was funny that i was gasping for breath. Nice

Same thing happened to San Diego! San Diego was the best kept secret in the country in the 60’s and 70’s, as was Austin… those days are gone… probably forever!

Paid $325,000 and sat back seeing new neighbors paying $930,000 or so in 2022/23 now prices are coming down so I expect to be living in a neighborhood full of repos pretty soon.

Jayzus... This comment section is simply overflowing with idiocy... Not a good sign for the channel that I respect.

Austin has had a liberal streak, kind of like the stripe down the back of a skunk, for a long long time.

I live in Austin, people are not leaving fast enough and not in high quantities!

Lived in austin from 1988 to 2013. Remember when i could rent an apt next to west campus with courtyard pool for 450 a month and then when i aquired a family was able to rent a single family home in anderson mill for just 1095 a month. Man i wish it were still that way. My family and i were forced to move an hour south because of how expensive everything is.

Austin sucks. It was Shangri-La when my wife and I arrived in the early 90's. Literally my favorite place in the country...Left 9 years ago. It is one of my least favorite cities now

I lived there for 20 years and boy has it changed. Glad I left.

I was stationed at Lackland AFB back in the late nine ties and I remember having some really great times in Austin back then especially on Sixth Street. It’s really sad to see what it has become.

Great vid. Thanks

Austin has been tortured to death over the years...had to move, crazy politics and nasty, dirty streets, crime, homelessness and rabid drug overdoses. Its dangerous and filthy now. All the beautiful places are gone now, and the wildlife is dying off. A treasured nugget of my home texas, now a shameful, filthy mess.

I drove out to Austin back in 2005 for a vacation and had a really awesome time, and the locals were so cool and nice. I see it has fallen. Nothing remains as it was. Such is life 😢

Thanks for the video.

excellent overview - thanks

I live in rural Texas. So many outsiders paying triple for the worst properties has raised our taxes tremendously. A house that would normally sell for 85-100k is now $295k, and they will pay it, and more. Hopefully it’ll regurgitate on itself soon and value will start decreasing.

I'm old enough to remember when Austin was a wonderful Texas town. My heart breaks for the downward spiral that's taken place there. Liberalism destroys everything it touches.

Your hat says it all. People moved in thinking Austin is the fun, funky city of Texas, which it was, and then left because nobody wants to replace a car window every other month and get harassed by shamboling drug addicts. Doubly true for families with young children.

The problem with Austin has always been that it's in Texas.

I live in Austin....and it's screwed. Getting out first chance I get.

Great memories of Austin in the late 80's and early 90's...🥳

Got here in Austin in 2019. This is what ive seen thats hurt the RE market. Not in any particular order: Covid, Airbnbs, corporations buying homes, increased property taxes, companies leaving due to layoffs, other social issues, increased population etc. its a lot of shit.

The suburban dream eventually turns into a nightmare. I live in Chicago (again) after living in other parts of the country in both large and small metro areas. Every single place has seen massive suburban sprawl over the past 40+ years. Most of the people I've worked with who have moved into these subdivisions have come to hate their lives due to traffic, increased taxes, crime, lack of community, etc. Pros and cons to everything, obviously; however, if one thinks they are going to escape urban issues by moving to a suburb or gated community, they're going to eventually have to deal with the very things they are trying to escape.

I lived in Austin from 2000-2006. Loved it, but now would never move back. The hill country is right there, and spring fed lakes and creeks. Lots of hiking trails. Now it is not even considered part of Texas from the majority of Texans. Yup born raised, 3rd generation Texan.

I can’t believe you said Austin is conservative. Makes me doubt the rest of the video. Austin is a spot of blue surrounded by a sea of red on political maps. Don’t mix up the Texas government in Austin and the Austin city government.

So glad I moved when I did.. wound up finding a place reminding me of a town outside Sacramento circa 94'.. which was just getting started to grow..

I have never understood what the big attraction was to Austin. It's an "Ok" city, but I have never seen so much traffic in my life. I'm sure it was a great city decades ago, but you couldn't pay me to live there now.

During covid, Whole Foods and Book People were all woke and masky and Book People had their coffee area all sectioned off with yellow tape, and a lady screaming to put mask on. I will never forget that, but the rest of Texas was totally different.

Simple answer...Austin is little CA.

Excellent video sir👍

Great info thx SRV LIVES! I got to see him up close a few times

Austin area grew up too fast with no infrastructure to support it. House prices are through the roof and the property taxes do not help. Add to that the power grid that failed miserably in 2021, and nothing really was done to make it better, but energy costs almost doubled. So all that is a recipe for disaster. This affected most of Texas, but Austin was already the most expensive city in Texas. So it’s getting hit the hardest.

Jarrell, Taylor, Killeen are where homes and rents are still affordable (250-350k). In Killeen, for example, I can rent a entire very nice home for less than $1800 a month. While in Austin, that same home would run $4500 a month or a 1 befroom apartment in Austin would be about $2000 plus parking fees.

I went to grad school at UT Austin from 2009-2011. Left after graduation and had hopes to return to find a job. After visiting recently, I was sad to see how the city had become an absolute shithole. No reason ever to go to Austin again

Austin needs a Switzerland style form of public transportation to shine. It's a huge purely car oriented city. I grew up in Round Rock, last year lived downtown and the experience was rather cold in feeling. The only way in and out of the city are highways and one slow Amtrak train per day. Now they want to expand Interstate 35....they are crazy.

Hour long one-way commutes become grueling over time. So, if people are leaving the city for surrounding towns, they will probably regret it. Been there done that in Dallas and family life suffers greatly as does personal health and wellness.

We had a bunch of homes torn down in my neighborhood and rebuilt to try and raise the values here. One finally sold after like a year on the market. Sold for almost 2 million, has no yard, and is one of the most hideous layouts I've ever seen. Almost completely clashes with the aesthetic of the neighborhood. It's like some goofy modern looking thing when most of the houses here are old stone buildings. Dudes the biggest sucker ever for buying that monstrosity imo.

We were recently in San Antonio and while walking through town a individual started following us, luckily a officer observed it and asked if he was being a nuisance we said he was and he chased him off, he told us Austin sends us new entertainment weekly. FYI he again started following us down on the river walk he followed to street level and again I was able to get a officers attention to chase him off.

Same thing, the housing problem, is happening in Houston also

Prices of housing has outpaced wages in the whole United States at this point.

I was in Austin for a wedding. From the Airport to the hotel in downtown I got in a conversation with the Uber driver who was a former NYer. As we exited the expressway I noticed a large homeless encampment under the overpass. I asked the driver what the story was and he stated that Texas is conservative but Austin wasn't. He said(maybe joking)homeless are given a cheese sandwich and a one way bus ticket to Austin. As I walked around town I noticed homelessness and vagrancy all around like you see reported on the news in other "blue" cities. I think that says it all... I visited the capitol building which I must say was awesome.

Clear analysis, presented well.

Wait until the normal for a summer day is 115 degrees, and a hot one is in the 120's +

This guy knows nothing about Austin. Politically it is definitely NOT Conservative.

I believe it's more than politics. Traffic in Austin is a nightmare. Always congested on I-35 coming and going into Austin. The state of Texas has never been able to get ahead of the curve on highways for the last 40 years. Property taxes are going through the roof as appraisals are increasing big time. Crime and homeless people all around don't help either. Property crime is rampant due to the doofus DA in Travis County. Also, for Californians and New Yorkers, the summers are unbearable. Tennessee is much more moderate in temps (Nashville). The narrator mentions abortion is a big deal. If it is...good riddance....should have done your homework before moving here. I know before I move anywhere, I'll check cost of living, taxes, climate, politics. California and New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, Minnesota, Alaska, Hawaii North and South Dakota, Illinois, Michigan and Washington are off my list right off the bat for the reasons listed above.

Born and raised in Austin, been here for 50 years. Austin is not conservative like the rest of Texas but it's not liberal like the east or west coast either. Growing up Austin was a very laid back Libertarian you do you and I'll do me kind of city, with a dash of liberal tree hugger and some good old boy conservatism thrown in the mix. Even though people in Austin weren't truly liberal, because other people said we were it became a self fulfilling prophecy leading people from truly liberal east and west coast states to start flocking to Austin for music, fun and work. The transplants have priced older Austinites out of the city leading to a change in the politics and feel of the city. As an Austinites I support the camping ban but want housing for the homeless. I love the constitution and the first and second amendment but believe in gun background checks. We're to liberal for Texas and to conservative for the east and west coast.

We sold and moved out in 2020 - JUST IN TIME. The majority of Austin City Council and Mayor at the time turned the pristine city into a filthy homeless camp. Bad policy!

I remember back in 1973, my dad bought a swanky new Caprice Classic from Henna Chevrolet after the oil embargo. They were giving good deals on big sedans with big V8 engines The new car lots always smelled so good. You always needed a good road car in Texas.

One of the many early signs that Austin was going downhill was iconic restaurants like El Gallos on South Congress being taxed out of existence after over 40 years in business at that location.