Hot Headlines

Another surprising Austin restaurant closure and more of the week's top stories

Editor's note: Restaurant closures and real estate news lead this round of top stories. Read on for the rest of the week’s most popular headlines.

1. Popular downtown Austin restaurant closes in surprising twist of fate: New plans revealed. It seems 2016 is shaping up to be the year of restaurant closures. After service on Friday, February 5, Arro will join the ranks and close its doors for good. CultureMap has exclusive details on what will become of the space.

2. This popular Austin neighborhood ranks among the hottest in America. Home sales in Austin's beloved Hyde Park are sizzling so much that Redfin just ranked the neighborhood the fourth hottest in America. An annual report from the real estate brokerage firm projects homes sales trends for the coming year, and Hyde Park is on track for stellar sales in 2016.

3. Affordable Austin suburb named one of America's five best places to live. Finding the best place to live is often a compromise between affordability and fun — but in this Austin suburb, you can have it all. For the second year in a row, Round Rock remains one of the best affordable places to live.

4. Expert discloses habits to avoid at work — and how to combat them. Maura Nevel Thomas, a productivity guru of sorts, has dedicated much of her career to helping folks control their attention and manage their time. To help you have a productive workday every day, we looked to Thomas for the five pitfalls to avoid at work.

5. This funky custom home opens doors to East Austin living. Now here's a home for the buyer who wants to live in the heart of Austin: 2105 E. Ninth St. has plenty of perks, but perhaps the biggest is easy access to all that East Austin has to offer.

Hyde Park is the fourth hottest neighborhood in the nation.

Historic Hyde Park Homes Tour 2015 Avenue A folk victorian cottage house

Photo by Rice Jackson Photography

Hyde Park is the fourth hottest neighborhood in the nation.

santa's favorite city

Austin shines bright as No. 1 most festive city in U.S. for 2024

Photo by Maggie Boyd

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Austin's love for the holiday season is shining bright once again: The Capital City has been crowned the No. 1 most festive city in the nation for the third year in a row.

Austin has hung onto the coveted No. 1 spot on the holiday list since 2022, according to the recently released annual report by home services provider Thumbtack.

The study compiled data from millions of holiday light installation requests across all 50 states, between October 2023 and 2024, to reveal their list of the most festive cities in the nation.

Austinites have plenty of citywide light displays to pull inspiration from for their own homes, including the long-cherished Trail of Lights, Mozart's Annual Holiday Light Show, and many more.

Texas cities are far merrier than many other places in the country, with Dallas and Houston ranking just behind Austin as the No. 2 and No. 4 most festive American cities, respectively. San Antonio ranked No. 10 this year, after previously ranking No. 5 in the 2023 report.

Texans have to get creative when it comes to their holiday decorating, as the weather doesn't always cooperate with the classic "White Christmas" theme.

"In the milder climates, you probably won’t find a winter wonderland, but you might see plenty of twinkling lights, tinsel, and bold colors outside the traditional red, green, and white palette," the report's author wrote. "Neon baubles, vintage plastic Santa molds, and playful LED lights keep properties festive and bright. Native eucalyptus, olive branches, and succulents are used as greenery in place of traditional pine and fir."

Outsourcing that outdoor holiday decorating will cost a pretty penny, according to Thumbtack's analysts. The study said the average cost to hire a holiday lighting specialist can range from $168-$300, depending on the scope of the project and home size. Thumbtack also recommends that Austinites avoid hiring a lighting specialist during Thanksgiving weekend, which is the time period that sees the highest demand.

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive U.S. cities in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Houston, Texas
No. 5 – San Francisco, California
No. 6 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 7 – Sacramento, California
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 10 – San Antonio, Texas

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