A Local's Perspective on Boomtowns

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I'm living in a Modern Day American Boomtown! Are you? Goodness gracious, it is both a blessing and a curse. When I had boomeranged back from NYC to my quaint, sleepy hometown of Austin, TX where I was born in 1981 at Seton Hospital on West 38th street. I had expected the smaller city Austin pace and aura to be attached with it. To a certain extent, that has been true. Not totally.
Before I left for the big city sabbatical and life adventure, Austin Texas was a regular, bohemian, hippie, alternative, liberal town with pedestrian friendly, family oriented, quirky neighborhoods. There were only 2, yes only 2 Condo developer projects in the Downtown Vicinity. There was the Perry Lorenz designed, Nokonah building on 9th and Lamar, and also the Austin City Lofts on West 5th street & Bowie. At the time of the downtown condo's inception, Austinites' thought urban living was a radical idea.
Locals would think, "You mean there are people who actually want to reside, sleep and live in the Downtown, bum infested, urban, concrete mess?"
Well my fellow Sprectrum readers, as I write this, times have changed. DRAMATICALLY. Every single corner you walk past in Modern Downtown Austin, either has a skyscraper, new project, commercial space, rental building, or hi-rise being built and under construction. It's a real-life game of Monopoly, with hotels and everything.
I honestly, wonder what has been the underlying causes for Austin to become America's top tier BOOMTOWN. Is it the attractive females? The sunny skies, natural spring swimming pools or the lack of a true winter weather season? Is it the economic prosperity created by the TECH, REAL ESTATE, & ENTERTAINMENT industries? Do the remainder of American cities, just suck?
Personally as I drive around core Central Austin, eyeballing the neighborhoods and real estate, here is what I notice. There is a plethora of NEW MONEY in Austin, Texas. Even in the most dire and previously undesirable neighborhoods of Rosewood in East Austin, or the Deep Zip Code South of "78704" and onward to the northern residential areas of Crestivew and Anderson Lane. There are now ample high-end $$$ properties, and visual real estate structures displaying NEWNESS, GRANDEUR, MODERN ARCHITECTURE, COOL DESIGN, PRISTINE LANDSCAPING, and perhaps most prominently, NEW MONEY Wealth.
Where is this NEW MONEY coming from?
I work pretty damm diligently, and it's not me, quite yet. Do you know where this NEW MONEY is coming from? Is it moving from America's West Coast, i.e. San Francisco, LA, New York City, and other A-list American city RE-LOCATORS? In my personal opinion, San Francisco, California is the absolute most overpriced and overrated city in America. I guess the ATX still presents an alternative Value compared to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Austin is currently the #1 most populated (2 million area residents and growing daily) city in the U.S.A., WITHOUT a Professional Sports team. Yes, Oklahoma City has the NBA Thunder. Baltimore, Maryland has the MLB Orioles, and the NFL Ravens. Inland Sacramento, California has the NBA Kings, while Austin, Texas has ZERO in the pro sports department.
There were sporting rumors recently the NFL's Oakland Raiders were contemplating relocating to a BRAND NEW STADIUM to be built in the land between San Antonio and Austin, Texas. I say go for it! To directly quote Kevin Costner's Legendary Movie, Field of Dreams, "if you build it, they will come."
As you can tell, my sleepy 1960's college, flower culture, bohemian, hippy, cheap, affordable city is rapidly evolving, gentrifying, growing and changing. Today the city vibe has a turnover feel. Residents of the previous century are either Holding on or cashing out. While the NEW MONEY is constantly scouring the market, ready to pounce if warranted.
How do I personally feel about it? I feel powerless. Conservatives can only Conserve, so long....... Change in life is inevitable, and we as humans must learn to adjust, improve, and adapt daily to our constantly revolving earth.

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