What about Austin is weird? (Denton, Howe: house, neighborhoods, buy)

[desert sun]

I hear the slogans "keep Austin weird", but I dont understand what is so weird about it, Im new to the area but my couple of visits to Austin didnt seem weird.

[TexasFooood]

Keep Austin unique, fresh, different. Not "weird" per se, but non-generic.

[brubaker]

It's downtown is trying..very hard...to be weird.
To be local and not Anytown, USA.
I think this topic has probably been covered a hundred times before on this forum though so...y'know...'use the search function' etc etc etc.

[artsyguy]

I had previously lived in larger cities before I moved to Austin for a brief period. There really isn't anything weird in Austin. Austin is very Texan. But if you want to make comparisons. I'd suggest you compare it to Denton.

I've actually seen much weirder in small towns like Denton where people jog with gas masks on, they do zombie walks, whimsical bicycle parades, and people wear home-made dinosaur costumes to nightclubs. One night in the summer some guys dressed as the ghostbusters and came into a nightclub and just started dancing in front of everyone. Everybody just stood around laughing and having fun.

One Easter Sunday a college student dressed up as Jesus Christ, covered himself in fake blood, put a cross behind him, and stood on a street corner.

There is an art coffee house that sometimes features full frontal nudity on public display from local artists.

I remember on one Halloween they had stilt walkers walking up and down the strip where the bars are at. You can buy alcohol at almost any store too. Denton only has a population of 119,454.

[TexasHorseLady]

Here's the word on "Keep Austin Weird" by the original inventor of the phrase. Who's purpose was to protest the commercialization of Austin. Sadly, some young'uns decided to go against his specific wishes and trademark the phrase that HE created and promoted and handed out FREE bumper stickers for so that they could sell "Keep Austin Weird" merchandise. It's not about the merchandise, it's not about promoting local businesses (though that can be a part of it for SOME local businesses), it's not about money, it's not about highrises (Any Downtown USA), it's about the soul of the city. That has to be sought out, it certainly won't track you down at your computer and seek you out, and it appears here and there everywhere in Austin, for those with an eye to see it, and those that can stand everything not being exactly the same and plain vanilla or just like where they came from.

It does, of course, like anything of value, require patience to find.

[eileenkeeney]

My own experience is that Austin residents are less tolerant of "weird" than previous places I have lived.
But Austin does have its "weird" tolerant neighborhoods, it is just not the majority.

Then there is Gaddy's pizza, their advertising reminds me much more of my life before my employer had me move to Austin. I sometimes laugh when I see that add (the one about no casual Friday), because that so reminds me of my job (same job I have now) before the migration to Austin.

But it was interesting to learn the history of the Phrase, thank you.

[TexasHorseLady]

The purpose of the phrase was to discourage those people who were moving in who were less tolerant of "weird", really. That attitude was popping up its ugly head, and now we've got people wanting to close down the Cathedral of Junk, for example, and wanting to get rid of the riff-raff that were here before, because it's too weird. That was the entire point. But once it was co-opted for commercial purposes, it was pretty clear where things were going.

And, as far as that goes, how tolerant of "weird" you find the people of Austin depends on who you hang out with, and your own level of tolerance, too, I'd think (that being an influencing factor in who you hang out with).

[austinnerd]

I think a large part of what made Austin "weird" was the fact that it was going through a transitionary period, from a relatively small city dominated by the capital and UT to a more cosmopolitan city. During this period Austin started having the trappings of a larger city, but many of the home grown aspects still played a large factor in defining Austin. However, as the "cosmopolitan" side of things starts to gain a stronger foothold, the more "local" aspects are becoming fewer and the "weird" moniker makes less and less sense. That being said, it's just a motto, and I think anyone who gets so worked up about it really needs to take less coffee or have more sex.

Obviously "weird" is in the eye of the beholder. Having lived in many places, all with their share of "quirkiness", I personally never found Austin all that particularly "weird" myself. Does make for a catchy phrase though.

[bgrn198]

keep austin weird: current weirdness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lizardman

http://www.satanscheerleaders.com/

http://www.spamarama.org/

http://www.texasrollergirls.org/

[ImOnFiya]

'Keep Austin Weird' is more than a moniker or a 'transitional period' of a city. It's a way of life for many people.

Here is another list of things:

Keep Austin Weird - the most weird things to do in Austin | Sharing Travel Experiences: Travel More | Travel Concierge Services