Coolness factor

Surprising city developing into Austin’s first 'hipster suburb,' according to experts

Leander is developing into a "hipsterburbia," according to real estate experts.

Believe it or not, a fast-growing Williamson County suburb could transform into a hipster haven that shares some of East Austin’s cultural DNA. A local housing expert believes Leander possesses all of the ingredients to evolve into the Austin metro area’s first “hipsturbia,” part of nationwide real estate trend.

A recent report from the Urban Land Institute and professional services firm PwC says places like Santa Clara, California; Evanston, Illinois; and Tempe, Arizona, exemplify the rise of “hipsturbias” — “cool” suburbs where live-work-play environments thrive. All three ’burbs benefit from proximity to mass transit, colleges and universities, shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

Vaike O’Grady, Austin regional director of Metrostudy, a provider of housing data, connected the dots between Leander and “hipsturbia” at a recent Urban Land Institute luncheon in Austin.

She cites several reasons for the city's potential entry into the realm of hipster-friendly suburbs:

Development of a 115-acre, urban-style, mixed-use project called Northline. It will infuse Leander’s downtown with a blend of multifamily, retail, restaurant, and office space, and will include a hotel and a movie theater.
Plenty of land to build more housing. In the third quarter of 2019, Leander had nearly 4,400 undeveloped lots for single-family homes, according to Metrostudy.
Easy access to MetroRail and the 183A toll road.
A new $60 million, 100-acre campus of Austin Community College. A second-phase expansion is planned.
A new full-service hospital operated by St. David’s HealthCare.

Of course, many people have already uncovered Leander's charm. From 2010 to 2018, the city's population more than doubled to around 56,000 residents, according to July 2018 numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.

“As more and more suburbs — not all, but those with the right recipe — attract a critical mass of ‘hip’ residents, their success will become increasingly visible. This will multiply the number of imitators, keeping the trend going,” the report says.

Alex Tynberg is principal of Austin-based Tynberg LLC, which is developing Northline. Construction is set to start by the end of 2019. Tynberg envisions his project being built in phases over a 10- to 15-year period, similar to North Austin’s Domain and Domain Northside developments.

“Northline is not necessarily trying to become a hipster-catered community, as it will serve all of Leander and the entire Central Texas region,” Tynberg says. “Obviously, it can and will morph into whatever it eventually will be, but that is not necessarily our target focus — to be Austin’s first ‘hipsturbia.’ Certainly, others can project that, which is fine.”

Older millennials who want to buy their first homes and start families are expected to form the foundation of “hipsturbia” enclaves around the country. In a release, ULI notes that millennials in general long for suburbs that boast a “cool” factor, including art galleries, trendy restaurants, and a vibrant nightlife.

“You can take the hipster from the city, but you can’t take the city out of the hipster,” Andy Warren, director of real estate research at PwC, said recently.

The New York Times reportedly coined the term “hipsturbia” in a 2013 article spotlighting hipster-welcoming suburbs. “While this colonization is still in its early stages, it is different from the suburban flight of decades earlier, when young parents fled a city consumed by crime and drugs. These days, young creatives are fleeing a city that has become too affluent,” wrote Alex Williams, referring to New York City and its suburban environs.

Bridget Brandt, president of the Leander Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center, welcomes the notion of Leander evolving into a hipster destination like East Austin. In fact, Leander is laying the groundwork for “unique concepts” that fall under the “hipsturbia” umbrella, she says.

“We already have a vibrant and growing Old Town District that is the home to the Old Town Street Festival,” Brandt says. “When you visit Old Town, it just feels different. It is like stepping back to a time where people greeted you, were interested in what you had to say, and were genuinely delighted to have you visit with them.”

In addition, Leander is home to the Leanderthal Vodka distillery, she says, and a growing number of microbreweries.

“Our goal is to create more places like these, and I think those unique opportunities will set Leander apart from the more traditional suburbs,” Brandt says. “I love the idea that Leander is being considered a place with a unique vibe — it’s exactly what we intended.”

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San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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