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 Suomalainen
Messages: 1080
Registered: May 2002
Location: Boulder, CO
1 Cup
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Having lived there for seven years, I can and cannot see Austin as a viable destination.
The main reason against is that infrastructure has not kept up with the growth of the city, and to get anywhere is painful. Where AFC put its stadium is a nice place, but essentially blocked off anyone south of the river/lake to get there easily, save a Sunday afternoon. Austin doesn't have the ring roads of DFW, SA, or Houston, so people tend to stick to North or South Austin, and congregate downtown. Location would be key as the AHL rink isn't in Austin, it's basically in Austin's equivalent of Cochrane to Calgary - if they jammed Airdrie in between the two!
There is one LRT line that goes from the convention centre through East Austin and then beelines up to where the AFC stadium is. Again, inaccessible for 50% of the population who live across the river.
Why would it be good? First mover advantage, lots of money. Kind of like San Jose in many respects. I absolutely loved Austin, working at tech startups, eating bomb-ass food every day, going to concerts and stand-up...and that's also an issue - there is always something to do. If they pulled a Vegas and contend immediately, you'll get local attention; if they pull a Seattle...people will go back to playing pickleball and drinking the latest trendy canned liquor.
Listen, it's now easier for us to go from Boulder into downtown Denver driving for an Avs/Rockies/Broncos game or a show, even on week nights, than it was for us to get anywhere in Austin.
Houston sucks on the whole, but they just pave over everything anyway to make room for new stuff, and have a semblance of infrastructure.
[Updated on: Tue, 23 June 2026 20:13]
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