Austin, TX

37 Austin Secrets That Only Real Locals Know are True

If you haven’t lived in Austin, TX, you haven’t really lived. It’s not just about the unique Austin vibe, but about dipping your big toe into Texas, one of the most colorful and unique states in the country.

For “Yankees” who might have a bit of trepidation regarding living in the South, Austin provides an amazing mix of old-time Texas culture, modern aesthetic and eclectic, hipster vibe that makes it a comfortable place for both yoga-addicted trendies and pickup driving rednecks alike. In short, it’s a friendly city that manages to straddle a variety of different worlds. Read on to find out more about Austin secrets.

These Austin secrets are for Austin locals and wannabe weirdos

1. Sorry to disappoint you, but not everybody in Austin is weird.

Austin

2. Due to the influx of high-tech companies, Austin was nicknamed “Silicon Hills,” though most locals won’t call it that.

3. Yes, long-time Austin residents blame California transplants for driving Austin’s rent prices up, but the sorta-good news is that new apartments in Austin are being built all the time.

4. In fact, one of the most expensive apartments to rent in Austin starts at more than $12,000 per month! It’s a rooftop penthouse in downtown Austin with its own resort-style swimming pool.

5. If you do move to Austin from California, Austin natives kindly ask you to try to avoid making Austin into California. Why did you leave the West Coast in the first place?

6. The correct way to eat Rudy’s “Bar-B-Q” brisket is on untoasted white bread (Wonder Bread, preferably) with a ton of pickles heaped on top of the meat (don’t forget the sauce!).

breakfast tacos

7. If you haven’t yet had a breakfast taco before noon, you probably haven’t lived in Austin that long.

8. Don’t just stop at the breakfast taco. Austin is known for its amazing and often quirky casual food options, which include donut hamburgers at Gourdough’s.

9. Austinites do love smoked meat, so make sure you try some woodfired tacos smoked with 100 percent mesquite wood at Dos Batos in North Austin.

10. Another Austin secret not known to non-locals: Food trucks aren’t just for fast food or junk food. Sometimes, they’re the place to go for unique food preparations and delicious gourmet treasures.

11. Despite the big focus on casual food in Austin, residents are fairly fit and active, with popular outdoor activities ranging from hiking to SUP (stand-up paddleboard).

12. When podcaster Joe Rogan joined Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock as a proud homeowner in Austin, he did it with a splash. He spent a rumored massive $14.4 million (or more) to purchase a beautiful 11,000-square-foot mansion on Lake Austin.

13. If someone in Austin flashes you a hand signal that involves the index and pinky finger sticking up, they’re likely not advocating devil worship or heavy metal music. The hand sign means “Hook ’em Horns” to show fan support for Texas Longhorns football at the University of Texas at Austin.

cowboy boots

14. In Austin, cowboy boots are never out of style, and you can wear them bare-legged with a skirt or dress even in the dead of winter.

15. The Texas State Capitol in Austin, famous for its pink granite exterior, is the largest state capitol in the United States in square footage. Remember, everything is bigger in Texas!

16. A female composer named Leonora Rives actually wrote a musical piece to commemorate the opening of the capitol building in 1888, called the “State Capitol Grand Waltz.” She sold the sheet music as a souvenir for 60 cents and 10,000 copies sold out before 11 a.m. the first day.

17. Some say the ghosts roam the capitol building: On the lower level where the stables were, some can hear a ghostly whinny from a spectral horse.

18. Speaking of haunted places, the historic Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin is a great place to grab a drink or enjoy a date for some high-end fine dining. Yes, you can still wear cowboy boots to dinner.

19. They say that, here in Texas, the second it begins to rain, everyone forgets how to drive…though on second thought, they probably say that everywhere except Seattle. In Austin, in particular, prepare to deal with flooded-out roadways in some of the unlikeliest places, like Lamar near downtown.

20. You pronounce Burnet Road as BURN-it, not bur-NET.

Pennybacker bridge

21. The Pennybacker Bridge has an overlook with amazing views, but be careful, people have literally died by falling off the cliff when taking selfies.

22. You pretty much only go to The Oasis on Lake Austin when your friends and family come to visit, and then you ooh and ahh at the sunset, wondering why you don’t take advantage of the amazing view more often.

23. If you’ve ever gone to H-E-B, in part to partake of their elaborate food demonstrations and left with a bag full of gourmet sauces you never intended to purchase, you’re not alone.

24. In the hills south of Spicewood Springs Road, between Mesa and 360, you can find a hidden trail in what’s called the Stillhouse Hollow Nature Preserve. Some say there’s a secret cave nearby the trail that houses a malevolent goblin!

25. OK, so the bad news is, there are scorpions in Austin, which are nasty-looking creatures. For some bizarre reason, they like to hide in light fixtures in the ceiling and either scare the bejeezus out of you by making a huge nasty shadow or worse, dropping down unexpectedly.

26. The good news is, the scorpions in central Texas do not contain deadly venom and usually, the worst you’ll experience is some pain and discomfort as you would from a bee or wasp sting. (Note: as with bee stings, some people have rare anaphylactic reactions to scorpion stings.)

Texas scorpion

27. The scorpions in central Texas are not that big (relatively speaking for scorpions), though they can average 2-2.5 inches in length. The most common scorpion in Austin is the Striped Bark Scorpion, which is yellowish or tan in color, but if you live in the hills with limestone and caves nearby you might also run into the dark brown or black Texas Cave Scorpion.

28. One more thing about scorpions (and then we’re done, really!): if you want to find the hidden scorpions in your house, just get a black light or black light flashlight and then be prepared to run! Austin scorpions glow in the dark and turn blue when exposed to black light, though it’s only the adults. Baby scorpions don’t glow, apparently.

29. Speaking of bugs, this is Texas after all, so expect to deal with insects. It’s easy to forget in an urban city like Austin but be prepared for large red wasps to try to set up home on your apartment balcony.

30. Austin’s many bats, fortunately, are abundant and feed on insects.

31. Here are some more Austin secrets about wildlife: the venomous snakes in Austin are the Western Cottonmouth a.k.a. Water Moccasin, Broad-Banded Copperhead, Texas Coral Snake, Timber Rattlesnake and Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.

32. If you live in an Austin apartment building in the hills, don’t be surprised if you see a Water Moccasin in the apartment swimming pool (true story!).

33. Here’s another thing about apartment swimming pools in Austin. Depending on where you live, they aren’t so much for swimming as they are for hanging out with a cool beer on a hot summer day, with like, a zillion other people.

Hail damage to a car

34. Summers in Austin are, of course, brutally hot, and don’t let people fool you with the “but it’s a dry heat” bit. The piercing, blistering sun ends up fading everything, from house paint to car paint. Be prepared to replace many common things that are weather-exposed more frequently than in other cities, from home roofs to car batteries and even windshield wipers.

35. If the hot Texas sun doesn’t get your car paint, the frequent hail will. (Hint: Find an apartment in Austin with a carport.)

36. It’s sometimes faster to drive to San Antonio from South Austin than it is to drive to North Austin.

37. Mopac isn’t actually a freeway. It’s an expressway to hell.

Experience Austin secrets for yourself with an Austin apartment

Famous podcaster Joe Rogan moved to Austin and you can too! Of course, you won’t find true Austin secrets on the Internet in a list, it’s something you’ll need to experience personally. To do so, you should get started right away looking for apartments for rent in Austin.

One of the Austin secrets that is unfortunate reality is that Austin is growing very quickly. So, you’ll want to snap up a great apartment when you first see it, as the market is competitive. Once you’ve settled into your new Austin home, make sure you start off the day at least once with a yummy local breakfast taco from a nearby food truck.

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