It was just a bubble. Austin was the ultimate "meme stock" during the pandemic years. Austin has a lot of good things going for it, but between things like Musk, Joe Rogan, "crypto bros", tons of Silicon Valley decampers, it just got way over-hyped.
One of the things Austin always had going for it was that it was a good value compared to bigger cities, but now that it's just about as expensive as those bigger cities, people are realizing the brutally hot summers, lack of easy access to mountains or oceans, relatively bland architecture and abysmal public transportation just make it overpriced.
One of the things Austin always had going for it was that it was a good value compared to bigger cities, but now that it's just about as expensive as those bigger cities, people are realizing the brutally hot summers, lack of easy access to mountains or oceans, relatively bland architecture and abysmal public transportation just make it overpriced.