1. All Other Tacos Will Be Ruined For You
Whether you’re getting breakfast tacos at Tamale House or ordering off of the secret menu at Torchy’s, it doesn’t take long for someone in Austin to realize they found the best taco town in the country.
To find the best of the best tacos, try as many street trucks as possible. Eventually you’ll find a hidden gem to call your own and you’ll get a ton of awesome tacos on in the process.
2. Austinites Learn To Love The Words “Local” and “Organic” Really Quickly
Not only is the Whole Foods flagship store located in Austin, the “fresh food” movement goes much deeper than that.
Most Austin restaurants locally source their food from nearby farms, as well as the very frequent year round farmers markets that seem to pop up all around town.
3. Folks In Austin Have A Deep Appreciation For Graffiti
While most cities discourage graffiti calling it vandalism, Austin has several places famous for the legal street art that’s there, most notable is the HOPE Outdoor Gallery on 11th and Baylor.
Continually changing, this outdoor graffiti park has several levels of street art created by local artists.
4. In Food Trucks Austinites Trust
While most people around the country are more likely associate street food with a stomach ache than an awesome meal, Austinites beg to differ, as their food trucks have some of the best snacks in the city.
Whether you’re getting breakfast food midday at Biscuits + Groovy, hitting up Three Little Pigs, or stopping at the new place down the road, you can’t go wrong.
5. Austinites Love To Play In The Water
Just because it’s Texas, doesn’t mean it’s a desert. Expect a ton of water activities, from kayaking to floating down the river in a tube to paddle boarding.
There are plenty of places to take a dip. Barton Springs is a popular place, but if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, head to Hippie Hollow, the area’s nude beach.
6. Always Keep One Eye On The Sky For Bats
I’m talking about the 1.5 million bats that make a mass exodus from underneath the Congress Avenue Bridge every evening from March to November.
It’s quite the tourist attraction, as the first time you see the dark cloud rise out of seemingly nowhere, you’ll be left speechless. Don’t worry though, most of them are friendly.
7. Queso Is A Glorious Thing
And that it’s even more glorious when you can get it 24 hours a day.
Austin’s got a few places, like Kerbey Lane, that are always willing to serve it up. Much like the tacos, Austin spoils you, ruining all other queso dips for you.
8. You’ll Never Settle For Mediocre Barbeque Again
Sure, everywhere in the country will claim their BBQ is great, but Texas barbeque really is the best, and Austin is one of the best places to get it.
If you’re trying somewhere new, be sure to get the beef brisket and expect the sauce you add to be a little spicy, that’s what Texas is famous for.
Or if you want to skip straight to the bets, while It may seem a little daunting at first, the 4 hour wait outside of Franklin’s is totally worth it.
9. You Learn To Embrace The Weird
Whether it’s a man riding his bike in a thong or a quick trip to a cathedral made completely out of trash, you’ll quickly realize that Austin is a bit different.
During the early 2000s, a movement called the “Keep Austin Weird” movement took off, making sure that the weirdest parts of Austin continue to thrive, even as huge populations of new people are migrating there.
10. It’s All Going Down On Rainey Street
One of the more famous nightlife streets in Austin, Rainey Street is always a great place to start or end your night. It’s packed with awesome bars and reasonable prices, but the alcohol isn’t even the best part. The one thing that sets Rainey Street apart from other bar streets around the country is the Rainey Street food truck court, jam packed with tons of awesome late night chow options sure to bring the night to a great end.
Plus, there’s nothing like closing out the night by riding off into the sunrise in one of the many pedicars that frequent the area.
11. Texas Football Is The Local Religion
And hook’em horns are practically a religious rite.
While most large cities seem to be torn between who to cheer for, Austin eats, sleeps, and breathes Longhorn’s football. Expect the city to shut down when the game comes on and expect to see the color orange flood the streets.
12. How To Kill Time While Gridlocked In Your Car
40 years ago, Austin only had 250,000 residents, today it has almost 2,000,000. Unfortunately, the driving situation hasn’t adjusted too well.
Start finding hobbies to take up in your spare time while you’re literally sitting for hours a week on I-35. To top it off, when the congestion clears down a little, Austinites tend to drive very fast and unpredictably. It’s a little startling at first, but you’ll get used to it.
13. South By Southwest Is Basically Mardi Gras For Austinites
Sure, SXSW brings a huge influx of people to Austin and usually brings the already horrible traffic to a grinding halt, but in the end it’s worth it.
One of the largest music festivals in the world, it attracts over 2,000 acts to over 100 stages around the city. It doesn’t just have music either, it’s got the SXSW interactive media and film events as well, along with some pretty neat conferences.
Eventually, you’ll get really good at knowing how to party at SXSW for free too. Look forward to that.
14. You’ll Become A Master In The Fine Art Of Complaining About The Rain
Sure, Austin is a beautiful place to be 99.9 percent of the time, but when the storm clouds roll in, expect it to slowly bring a sense of gloom to the city with it. Austinites are spoiled with sunshine most of the time, so expect weather complaints to be the main topic of conversation when the sky turns sour.
15. Things Can Get Intense When Standing Up For Your Favorite Food Place
Whether its breakfast tacos or BBQ, every Austinite knows which food dives are the best and no one can tell them otherwise. An Austinite will fight for their favorite restaurant to the death. Arguments over food trucks have been known to end friendships, ruin relationships, and incite fist fights in the streets.
16. Austin’s Relationship Status With Its Hipsters Is: It’s Complicated
And by weird, I mean a lot of Austin doesn’t like them. With the recent population jump, many Austinites will report that the city has become flooded by a wave of trendy hipsters, bringing a change of pace to the city, filling people’s favorite spots with huge crowds.
It’s even been said that Austin is becoming San Francisco of the Southwest. Something tells me it will all work itself out in a little time.
17. Free Concerts, Free Concerts Everywhere
There’s a reason Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” While there are several huge festivals, there are also a ton of bands that seem to pop up playing everywhere, whether it’s in a park, in a bar, or simply on the street, there always seems to be someone playing music.
18. Everyone In Austin Is Crazy About Dogs
They’re everywhere. And what’s really cool is that most of them are adopted from one of the city’s many no kill shelters.
Once you move to Austin, you’ll probably start wanting a dog to call your own. If that’s the case, there are a ton of local independent animal shelters to choose from. There are also a few bigger ones like Austin Animal Shelter, Austin Humane Society, and Austin Pets Alive.
19. Austinites All Know The Rules To Chicken Sh*t Bingo
It’s a game where winners and losers are made depending on where a piece of chicken poop falls, literally.
Head to Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon on Sunday night to check it out for yourself. A chicken in a cage walks around as people anxious wait, hoping that its.. ahem...business falls on their numbered square.
20. You’ll Get Used To Posters Being Everywhere
Austinites love posters. With the huge variety of entertainment, it’s one of the best ways to get the word out about an event, as you’ll notice that a lot of them are promoting live bands and indie film screenings. In a way they add to the uniqueness of the city, forming a sort of patchwork art as the old are covered with the new.
21. Folks In Austin All Prefer To Support Local Business
The Austin local business scene is huge. From the bookstores like BookPeople to the record stores like Waterloo Records to the local breweries, everything seems to be home grown and share the same Austin pride as their patrons. All of these stores have a unique personality that makes visiting them a much better experience than going to one of the super giants like Walmart.
22. There’s Nothing Better Than A Long Walk Here
When every day is beautiful and nature isn’t far away, it’s hard to not get out and get moving. It helps that there are walking and biking trails everywhere, including the Butler Trail, which attracts close to 2 million visitors per year, stretching for 10 miles.
23. 24 Hour Diners Are Your Late Night Salvation
With so many festivals and such a great bar scene, late night food is a must.
There are quite a few diners in Austin that will serve you a full meal 24 hours a day. Keep in mind, this isn’t the small town you might be used to where things close down at 10.
Places like Kerbey Lane, Magnolia Café, and Star Seeds Café are open 24 hours and are the perfect setting for the best late night stories to unfold.
24. For Everyone In Austin Recycling Is A Way Of Life
With population on the upswing Austinites have already realized that they’ll have to work to keep it the beautiful place that it is.
The “Keep Austin Beautiful” movement works to raise awareness and promote a Mother Nature friendly style of living. Recycling is one of the main focuses, with places popping up around town like the Ecology Action Warehouse, making it easy for residents to reduce the amount of trash the city produces.
25. The True Meaning Of The Words Tex-Mex
You haven’t had Tex-Mex until you’ve had it in Texas, hence the name.
The Tex-Mex joints in Austin are as authentic as they come, not the run of the mill franchises you’d come across other places in the nation. If you want the full experience, head to Trudy’s for a meal and a few Mexican Martini’s.
The food is awesome, it’s cheap, and the martinis are so strong that they often enforce a two drink limit. It doesn’t get much better than that.
26. Sno-Beach Is The Best Way To Cool Off On Hot Day
One of the original food trailers in Austin, Sno-Beach isn’t just a place to get your common sno-cone. With over 60 flavors and topping options like caramel and ice cream, they take the flavored ice game to a whole new level.
27. The Importance Of Sunday Brunch
There’s no better way to recover on a Sunday morning than with some awesome breakfast food and a few drinks. As a city that tends to stay up pretty late, Austin has a lot of brunch options like Bouldin Creek Café and The Buzz Mill, that are proven cures for a hangover.
If you’re lucky enough, you might even stumble into a place with bottomless mimosas and Bloody Mary’s, everyone’s dream.
28. There Is A Lot More To Austin Than City Life
Sure, Austin is a vibrant, active city, but there are still peaceful places to escape. For example, Mount Bonnell is right on the Lake Austin and is the second highest point in Austin at 780 ft. above sea level, only Jollyville Plateau is higher.
There are also tons of great watering holes only a short drive away, like the Hamilton Pool Preserve.
Austin may be a big city, and it may be crowded, but there are plenty of places to sneak off to find a moment of silence.
29. You’ll Quickly Be Vocal About How Much You Love Austin
It’s hard not to be, it’s a great place to live. But be careful with how quickly you call yourself an Austinite. When new people do this, it tends to make lifelong residents a little peeved. But go ahead, tell everyone how awesome it is, but just don’t encourage them to move there.
Everyone will already tell you it’s already crowded enough. It’s very important to Austinites to keep Austin similar to the same place that they grew up in.
30. You’ll Learn That Austin Is The Best Place In The Country To Be
With the awesome food, awesome entertainment, and awesome people, Austin simply can’t be beat.
Sure, every Austinite is proud to be a Texan, but it seems to be a love/hate relationship, mainly because every Austinite knows that Austin is better than anywhere else in the Lone Star State. They feel sorry for the people who live in other Texas towns, sure to give the obligatory eye roll when someone compares Austin to Dallas or San Antonio. Austin truly is one of a kind, and it’s a top contender for the best place to live in America.
What’s something you learned living in Austin? Tell us in the comments below! 
