Austin & Nashville: A Side-By-Side Comparison (Part 2)

Austin_Nashville_Side_by_Side_ComparisonHere is part two of my side-by-side comparison of Austin and Nashville after living for an extended time in both cities. I did not expect this post to be so popular. That is encouraging. Please share these two posts on your social networks. Seems a lot of people are considering relocating to one of these enchanting cities. Probably some of your friends. Or if you are very lucky—YOU!

Enjoy.

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If you missed yesterday’s post, see the first nine HERE.

10. When I’m speaking about government, I’m talking about Texas, not Austin per se. Maybe a state that runs its government in the black and actually refunds taxpayers could give a few lessons to the pathetic financial nature of our country. Hmm, maybe Texas would be better off enacting that charter that is still in the books allowing them to secede from the Union after all.

11. Politics. I suppose I’m not getting older, I’m just getting more liberal. The motto “Keep Austin Weird,” is never more evident than in her politics. There must be some irony in the fact that the only liberal city in the entire state is Austin. When a cross dressing transvestite who biked around Town Lake Trail nude can garner substantial votes in the mayoral election, you know you are not in Tennessee any longer. Can’t you just picture Leslie galavanting down Main Street in Franklin? If he did indeed make it to heaven, that will spare a lot of us the misery of the “Moral Majority” going there. They wouldn’t be caught dead with him, I mean her, I mean…I don’t know what I mean.

12. Speaking of religion. I found Austin to be a place of acceptance and grace. A place of openness rather than shame. Nashville is the buckle of the Bible Belt. A place where judgement, legalism and close mindedness are what people have for Sunday dinner.

13. Arts. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, the Schermerhorn Symphony CenterThe Nashville Children’s Theatre are just a few of the high quality offerings for the arts that gives Nashville a slight edge over the Long Center and the Blanton. A little thought to design goes a long way. And a lot of thought to design is simply extraordinary. Austin has the Long, but Nashville has the Schermerhorn.

14. Friendliness. Nashville has genuine southern hospitality. Everyone is friendly. It’s the way we were brought up. You charm your friends, but you charm your enemies the most. Texas is Texas. Brash and bigger than life.

15. Customer Service is contagious. Good or bad. For some reason, good customer service is viral in Austin. The few places that don’t have it, don’t last long. Nashville could learn some tips from Austin here.

16. Technology. Austin is about to get Google Fiber. Nashville isn’t. Austin has SXSW. Nashville doesn’t. Southwest has two direct flights from Silicon Valley to Austin. Nashville has zero.

17. Creativity. Both cities are a creative’s dream. Both are convergent meccas in their own way. Both are creative centers to be reckoned with. Much of the innovation and entertainment the world will enjoy over the next decade will come from these two nuovo renaissance cities.

18. I found most musicians in Austin to be content if they happen to carve out an independent career in Austin proper. Take Bob Schneider for instance. Unless you hail from Austin, you don’t know who the heck he is—and he doesn’t give a shit, because he is a freakin’ legend there. And that’s enough for him. In Nashville, people view a career in the music business entirely different. Here it is business. Serious business. And business is good. With more musicians per capita than any city in the world, and with more revenue from music than Austin, Atlanta and Miami combined, artists in Nashville have their sights on the world.

Question: Thoughts about my list?