Fun times in the city

Austin lets loose as No. 6 most fun city in the U.S. right now

There's always something fun to do or see in Austin. (Pictured: Local band Blue Tongue playing during Free Week.)

Photo by Ismael Quintanilla III

Austin is showing off its fun-loving side in WalletHub's new ranking of the top 10 most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Austin No. 6 this year, moving the city up one spot from its 2023 ranking as No. 7.

WalletHub's experts compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics to determine the level of "fun" for each city. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Austin performed the best in the overall nightlife and parties category (No. 7), and ranked No. 18 for its "entertainment and recreation" rank. That may be especially alluring for Gen Zers, who move to new cities like Austin based on its vast entertainment opportunities, dining destinations, and more.

Austin performed the worst in the overall cost category, but it technically only ranked No. 50 out of all 182 cities, which demonstrates just how affordable Austin is in comparison to the rest of the country. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living. Austin might be a lot more fun to people visiting from cities with much higher incomes than it is to locals.

Potential Austinites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Houston (No. 9) was the only other Texas city to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list, moving up 10 spots from its rank as No. 19 in 2023.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are San Antonio (No. 25), Dallas (No. 31), El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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Keeping The Lights On?

ERCOT meteorologist predicts higher chance of extreme cold this winter

Photo courtesy of KVUE

ERCOT says it has improved its reliability, but other Texans aren't sure it's enough.

The lead meteorologist for the state’s power grid operator, ERCOT, is predicting both a warmer winter and a higher chance of extreme cold.

During a Tuesday board meeting, Chris Coleman said current climate patterns are very similar to those in 2021 when a winter storm knocked out power for millions of Texans for several days.

“Now, that doesn’t mean we’re going to have [Winter Storm] Uri, but it does again say that we’re in a pattern that supports something like a Uri this winter,” said Coleman, ERCOT's supervisor of operational forecasting.

Coleman compared his winter forecast to a tornado watch: The conditions are there, but the storm may or may not happen.

ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas told KVUE on November 25 that he doesn’t expect calls for conservation or rolling blackouts.

“We're ready for those kinds of conditions at ERCOT,” said Vegas.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, Vegas touted nearly 3,000 weatherization inspections since 2021 and more than 10,000 megawatts of new generation added to the grid since March, mostly solar and battery storage. ERCOT estimates 1 megawatt can power 250 homes on average during peak winter demand.

However, Texas energy consultant Doug Lewin questions that math.

“[We are] better off than we were in February 2021 but not out of the woods,” said Lewin, who authors the Texas Energy and Power Hour newsletter and hosts the Energy Capital podcast. “We don’t have a system that’s resilient enough to deal with a Winter Storm Uri.”

Lewin points to two main reasons: a natural gas supply system he says is not adequately winterized, along with inefficient homes and buildings that push demand beyond supply.

“We have to bring that demand down and do that by increasing the programs we have for energy efficiency to replace inefficient heat with much more efficient forms of heat, like heat pumps.”

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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