Texas natives know all about the state’s unique pride. And everyone claims their city is on top, as is only natural. Now, one woman is reigniting the age-old debate by comparing two heavy-hitters: Austin and San Antonio.
‘I Thought This Was How Austin Was Going to Be’
Content creator Valery Rodriguez (@valeryrodriguezx) shares her take on how different San Antonio and Austin really are. Her video has since accumulated more than 7,300 views.
“If you didn’t know, San Antonio and Austin are exponentially different,” Rodriguez says. “When I first moved to San Antonio, I thought this was how Austin was going to be like. I was so [expletive] wrong. Austin could not be farther cultural-wise, environment-wise, society-wise, norm-wise … And they’re only an hour and 30 minutes away. [Completely] different worlds.”
Rodriguez says Austin is “where [she] should have gone” as the city was “[her] vibe.”
“I thought San Antonio was going to be more advanced, like, modern,” Rodriguez said. “More culturally advanced, more diversified. But it’s really not.”
Austin, according to Rodriguez, is a different story.
“Austin is definitely a lot more advanced,” she says. “Austin is more like fitness. The job culture is more advanced, technology is more advanced. I feel like they’re more accepting over there, not going to lie … I feel like it’s a lot more diversified over there.”
But Rodriguez’s viewers weren’t all convinced.
‘San Antonio is More Authentic’
Viewers flocked to Rodriguez’s comment section to voice their own opinions on Texas cities.
“Austin is more diverse,” one viewer wrote. Another commented, “San Antonio is more art than Austin.”
“San Antonio is more authentic Texas,” another argued. “Austin is California that’s in Texas.”
A self-identified Austinite weighed in passionately.
“ATX here,” they wrote. “100% Austin is more diversified and per capita has the most educated citizens in the state. And, we still keeping it weird.”
But do all these claims hold up?
What’s True About Austin vs. San Antonio?
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Austin is 47.0% White non-Hispanic, 31.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, and 7.6% Black, while San Antonio is 64.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% White non-Hispanic, 6.9% Black, and 3.0% Asian. A 2020 WalletHub study of 501 big U.S. cities, as reported by CultureMap, ranked Austin 73rd for overall diversity. The same ranking put San Antonio at 136th.
As for Austin’s California-adjacent status, Relocate Right noted that “100,000 Californians made [a California-to-Austin] move in 2022 alone.” KXAN News also reported “California is the most common place from where people are moving to Austin.”
The amount of art in any given city is impossible to quantify, but both Austin and San Antonio have international arts credentials. Austin was named a UNESCO City of Media Arts in 2015, and San Antonio became a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017.
Visit San Antonio, the city’s tourism site, promotes its contemporary art museum Ruby City, the 1929 Majestic Theatre, and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Missions. Austin’s indie arts scene, additionally, is “a magnet for creatives.”
@valeryrodriguezx
Subplot News reached out to Rodriguez via email.
