2. Austin is Funny<\/h2>\n
Check out the famous Esther\u2019s Follies or pay a visit to Cap City Comedy Club where tons of national standups pass through. Also, Austin has the most improv per capita in the nation. Check out shows every night of the week at venues like the Hideout Theater, or even better, take some classes when you move there to meet new people!<\/p>\n
3. It\u2019s a Blue Dot in a Red State<\/h2>\n
Austin is the liberal oasis inside a predominantly conservative, republican state. In fact, sometimes it is easy to forget that Austin is not only a part of a larger, more conservative state, but it is the capital! This strange dynamic is most apparent when it comes to politics\u2014hence the high number of protests at the state capitol, especially as of late!<\/p>\n
4. Barbecue is a Religion<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re not moving to Texas<\/a> solely for the barbecue, consider this just the cherry on top\u2014or rather that chewy fatty layer around your brisket. The two places you should know in Austin: Franklin and the Salt Lick. (Franklin will have a line out the door. Expect to wait at least an hour, on a slow day.)<\/p>\n If I wasn\u2019t trying to keep this list short, I\u2019d repeat this a few times with various degrees (super-duper hot, scorching, miserable…). Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s only hot there in the summer, which lasts from approximately March to November. But there are plenty of ways to cool down.<\/p>\n Barton Springs is a naturally-fed swimming pool in the heart of Austin\u2019s Zilker Park (you know, the park that gets trampled every year for Austin City Limits). The pool is three acres in size and, on average, a chilly 68 degrees year-round. During the summer, topless men and women of every shape, size, and color (though mostly a little red) can be spotted soaking up the sun on the grassy hill beside the pool.<\/p>\n After all of that barbecue-eating and laying out next to Barton Springs, you\u2019re really going to have worked up an appetite. Enter the next staple in any good Austinite\u2019s diet: Tex-Mex and margaritas. You\u2019ll want to do this right: Start with Matt\u2019s Famous El Rancho, Trudy\u2019s, Maudie\u2019s, Chuy\u2019s, and Vivo. Then on day two, branch out from there.<\/p>\n Imagine a magical land where delicious meals, delightful snacks, a huge selection of drinks, and movies, live comedy, singing, and all kinds of special events all combine. This is the reality that is Alamo Drafthouse.<\/p>\n var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { For the sake of keeping this as brief as possible (and possibly at the risk of offending as many of you as possible…) I\u2019m going to limit my descriptions to three words.<\/p>\n And for any of these, it\u2019s probably safe to assume you can add in a dash of extra \u201cgrowing,\u201d and \u201ctrendy,\u201d because, like it or not…<\/p>\n Austin was recently named America\u2019s fastest growing city by Forbes magazine, with a population growth rate of 2.8 percent! The rapid influx of people in Austin has left this once-small-city with a mess of traffic, on roads not built to handle so many cars. And the really crappy thing is\u2026<\/p>\n Austin\u2019s public transportation system is notoriously blah, and like most cities in the south, Austin is pretty spread out. One thing the city does have going for it, though, is Car2Go. It\u2019s kind of like ZipCar, only the cars are teeny, and you can pick them up and leave them all over the city (not having to return it to its home).<\/p>\n Before you get all uppity, I\u2019m not saying that Austinites speak incorrectly across the board\u2014but you have to admit, when it comes to the pronunciation of certain street names, things get a little confusing. Manchaca, for example, is pronounced \u201cMan-shack.\u201d Why? Who knows! For more on the correct way to incorrectly pronounce the street names in Austin, check out this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n Breakfast tacos are everywhere in Austin, but of course, they are not all created equal. If you\u2019re going to taco for breakfast, do it right with Tacodeli, Juan in a Million, or Torchy\u2019s Tacos.<\/p>\n Yes, even with all of the aforementioned fooding, Austin was ranked one of the fittest cities in America by Shape Magazine. Austin has over 220 parks, filled with running and biking trails, lakes for water sports, over 250 gyms, yoga studios, healthy restaurants, and health food stores.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a runner, walker, biker, kayaker, dog-owner, a sun-bather… In fact, as long as you\u2019re not looking for a place to actually swim, Town Lake is the place for you (Town Lake is beautiful, but it is disgusting. Don\u2019t swim in this water.). You may also hear it referred to as \u201cLadybird Lake\u201d these days. This, however, is silly. Call it Town Lake.<\/p>\n The first Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin in 1980, at a time when there were only about five natural foods supermarkets in the U.S. Obviously a lot has changed since then\u2014Whole Foods has expanded, natural grocery stores have sprung up all over the place, and yet, you still can\u2019t beat the spectacle that is the Whole Foods on Lamar.<\/p>\n var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { Austin was recently ranked the No. 1 city in the U.S. for dogs and dog owners, by the Pets at Home website. Austin is home to 12 off-leash parks, lots of swimming holes, and tons of restaurants and bars that will not only allow your four-legged friend, but welcome them with water bowls and biscuits.<\/p>\n In Austin, there are really only three things you should ask yourself when it comes to picking an outfit: Are you cool enough? Are you wearing shoes? And seriously, are you going to stay cool enough? The shoes thing might even be stretching it, as tons of pad-footed hippies walk around without shoes in the city.<\/p>\n Zagat\u2019s blog recently named Austin one of the top ten cities for food trailers. And if you\u2019re expecting Austin\u2019s food trailers to be dominated by barbecue and Tex-Mex\u2026 well, you\u2019d be right. But there are also other delights. Check out East Side King for something savory or Gourdough\u2019s Specialty Doughnuts for something sweet.<\/p>\n Austin is a great place for artists\u2014as there are plenty of galleries all over town. But as far as museums go, the choices are, surprisingly, few and far between. Of note: the Blanton Museum, Austin Museum of Art, and the unique Umlauf Sculpture Gardens.<\/p>\n As I mentioned earlier, it can be easy to forget that Austin is smack dab in the middle of a more conservative Texas, but sometimes that country charms seeps in, and sometimes that\u2019s a really good thing. Be sure to check out Broken Spoke for your two-steppin\u2019 fix and Allen\u2019s Boots on South Congress for your garb.<\/p>\n During the spring, Austin\u2019s highways and roads are dotted with Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrushes, Black Eyed Susans, and Primroses, momentarily transforming the city into something like a Monet painting. Drive out toward Fredericksburg or up 281 for the full experience.<\/p>\n Companies like AMD, Apple, AT&T, Dell, Google, Intel, Facebook, 3M, and PayPal are just some of the bigger name tech companies in the fair city. Austin was also recently named one of the 10 best cities for tech startups in the US.<\/p>\n South by Southwest is about a week-long festival for thousands of bands, films, and even interactive events (one reason Austin is such a great tech city!). It\u2019s a lot of fun if you\u2019re participating; however, if you\u2019re not attending the events, you might consider putting your place up for rent and taking this week to get out of dodge. It\u2019s a zoo.5. It Is HOT<\/h2>\n
6. Barton Springs & Zilker Park<\/h2>\n
7. Tex-Mex and Margaritas<\/h2>\n
8. Movies Are an Event<\/h2>\n
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\n});<\/p>\n9. The Hoods<\/h2>\n
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10. Austin Is Getting Bigger<\/h2>\n
11. You Kind of Need to Have a Car<\/h2>\n
12. Talk Like a Native<\/h2>\n
13. Breakfast Tacos<\/h2>\n
14. Austin is FIT<\/h2>\n
15. It\u2019s Town Lake<\/h2>\n
16. Whole Foods Market<\/h2>\n
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\n});<\/p>\n17. Dog Friendly<\/h2>\n
18. Dress Up or Dress Down as You Please<\/h2>\n
19. Sixth Street: The Breakdown<\/h2>\n
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20. Food Trailer Heaven<\/h2>\n
21. Not the Best for Art Museums<\/h2>\n
22. You ARE Still in Texas<\/h2>\n
23. Wildflowers Paint this City<\/h2>\n
24. It\u2019s a Tech Town<\/h2>\n
25. South by Southwest<\/h2>\n
\nWhen I asked some friends in Austin what they thought people should know before moving to the city, many of them (jokingly) responded, \u201cPlease don\u2019t!\u201d It isn\u2019t that Austinites don\u2019t want you there\u2014in fact, they\u2019ll probably embrace you, whoever you are, with open arms, an open beer, and an open mind. Austin is just a very special, big city with a small-town feel; and even as it is growing, it strives to keep its personality\u2014it\u2019s very, very weird personality.
\nSo, welcome to Austin, ya\u2019ll.
\nLike This Post? You\u2019ll Definitely Love These:<\/b><\/p>\n\n
![](\"http:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/movotoblog\/2013\/07\/Austin\/blog-tile-austin.jpg\")
How much do you know about Austin, the blue dot in a red state? If you’re planning to move here, memorize these 25 must-know tips. Otherwise, you’ll just be a tourist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions","post--single"],"yoast_head":"\n