Are things alright in Austin?

Matthew McConaughey wants to preserve the soul of Austin amid rapid growth

Matthew McConaughey University of Texas Austin longhorn hook em

UT's Minister of Culture is excited about Austin's growth, noting, "They're all coming for the vibe."

You can count actor Matthew McConaughey among the Austin residents who are pumped about the city’s explosive growth, complete with its soaring home prices and worsening traffic.

McConaughey tells The Hollywood Reporter that he’s been “waiting for the secret” about Austin to get out. (Many of us, however, believe the secret has been out for quite a long time.)

“I’m excited for the growth,” McConaughey says. “We’re not going back. We don’t have a landmark like Niagara Falls or Disney World or the Eiffel Tower. They’re all coming for the vibe. We’ve got people.”

That includes a cadre of Hollywood people who’ve relocated to Austin. Among them are Shazam! star Zachary Levi (who plans to build a studio on his property in Bastrop), Scott Eastwood (son of legendary Clint), Stephen Amell (Arrow), Adrian Grenier (Entourage), and James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek).

Like many Austin residents, McConaughey frets about how the influx of newcomers might affect the city.

“What we have to watch in Austin is the preservation of our DNA,” McConaughey says. “I’ve talked to quite a few people before and since they came here, and the two words I hear over and over again are ‘hospitality’ and ‘optimism.’ So my line has been, ‘Don’t turn here into why you left there.’ Our challenge is going to be how we handle this great influx. If any place has an identity in the soul that we need to preserve, it’s Austin.”

“The unwritten motto of Austin has been to Keep Austin Weird,” he adds. “The landscape has changed, but I hope that doesn’t change. It’s a cool spot. Hopefully it stays that way.”

One celebrity who’s not so enthralled with Austin is stand-up comedian and podcaster Tim Dillon, a recent transplant. He believes his move to Austin was a mistake, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“It’s not a world-class city,” Dillon griped during a recent episode of his podcast. “The city of Austin, Texas, is a city [for artists] who have left New York or LA and never figured out a way to make their art commercially viable. It’s been forever a community of sloth-like people. Joe Rogan can walk around and say, ‘Why don’t you write more? Shouldn’t you work out?’ They’re losers to the bone.”

movies tv

share the road

Texas races to the bottom in new list of best states for cyclists

Photo by Justin Wallace on Unsplash

If you've ridden your bicycle in Austin, you already know how true this is.

In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around Austin, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycle riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling-friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas' has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

texas reports rankings cyclists