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5 reasons Austin is the best city (and 5 reasons why it’s the worst)

Austin is a unique city and a place we all call home. Like any other city though, it has its highs and lows. So without further ado, here are five reasons Austin is the best city, in the world…and five reasons it’s the absolute worse. 

  1. Live music (Best)

Austin is known for the incredible music scene here. No matter if you’re looking for bluegrass, classic rock or EDM, you can find it live in Austin. 

  1. Parking (Worst)
Photo Credit: Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Free parking lots? Cheap street parking? Reasonably priced garage parking? These are nothing more than a fantasy in Austin. Here, you’re lucky if you find parking at all. 

  1. Local business (Best)

While chains and big businesses definitely  have a presence in Austin, local businesses have a bigger place in Austin than most big cities in the U.S.

  1. Burnt orange (Worst)

Let’s be honest with ourselves; burnt orange is a terrible color. It looks like the ghost of a prison jumpsuit, and it’s all over Austin. 

  1. The capitol building (Best)
Photo Credit: LoneStarMike, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Politics aside, the architecture of the capitol building is breathtaking. It’s a gorgeous addition to the city and one of the best-looking buildings in Texas.  

  1. Dirty 6 (Worst)
Marlon Giles, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Come on, y’all. It’s time to admit partying 6th street isn’t actually fun. At this point, it’s just a sketchy tourist trap with overpriced drinks and sub-par pizza by the slice. 

  1. Murals (Best)
Seth Taylor, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Austin has tons of iconic murals, each with its own charm. You can make a full day out of just mural viewing. It’s like a huge, free art museum. 

  1. Rent (Worst)

It’s no secret the rent in Austin has skyrocketed in the past 5-years. It’s hard to love the city when you know you could be paying half the amount in rent that you do here if you lived outside of Austin. 

  1. Coffee (Best)

Austin has a coffee shop at every corner, each with a one-of-a-kind menu. Gone are the days of being limited to Starbucks for a cup-of-jo. 

  1. Roads (Worst)
Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Austin roads are AWFUL. You’ll be dodging potholes all day while also in bumper-to-bumper traffic. 

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny Austin is unlike any other city. Maybe it’s even the best city in the world…or the worst.