Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

(Vrbo)
Nowadays, people want more from their lodging than just a room to lay down for the night, a continental breakfast and good customer service—they want a memory.
This city has an abundance of well known hotels, but with all of Austin's wonderfully wacky residents why not stay in one of their homes? Whether it's a vacation, staycation or get-together, here are seven local rentals you won't soon forget.
Sculptor's Guest House, $121 per night
(Airbnb)
Located a short distance from Downtown, UT and the airport, this guest house sits on two acres of art studios so you can truly get into character while you walk the sculpture garden. The house itself is decked out in unique architecture and creative interpretations of ordinary objects, like the onyx stone bathroom, natural wood headboard with matching end tables, and cozy kitchen. The guest house accommodates a maximum of four guests with one bedroom, one bathroom and plenty of couches to crash on for an authentic artist experience.
1940s East Austin Bungalow, $164 per night
(Airbnb)
This spacious bungalow was built in the 1940s, but you'd never know when you walk inside. The wooded, solemn interior paired with black finishes give the rental a clean, rustic look. Although you'll be staying in a home that is nearly 100 years old, the unit comes complete with all the technology of the modern era. The Bungalow comfortably allows four guests with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Mid-century modern home, $202 per night
(Airbnb)
Nicknamed "The Peach Door" for its fruity front door, this Downtown-adjacent house is packed with texture, natural light and a comfortable interior that will make anyone feel right at home. Located in the coveted Travis Heights neighborhood, guests are just a short walk away from Austin's picturesque arts and culture strip, South Congress. The stay accommodates up to four guests with two bedrooms and one bathroom.
The Bloomhouse by Lodgewell, $822 per night
(Vrbo)
Don't look for any straight lines in this house—you won't find any. Designed by two University of Texas architects, this lodge is designed to make you feel like you're stepping into a fairytale with its cave-like interior and secluded location in the West Lake Hills woods. You'll know you've arrived at this one bedroom, one bathroom home for four when you see its fantastical head peeking through the trees.
Colorful Clarksville estate, $847 per night
(Vrbo)
Each room in this massive 3,200 square foot home is cloaked in its own unique personality, from its two-story graffitied living room to its colorful countertops to the industrial wash basin sinks. Less than a mile from downtown, this space is perfect for entertaining or simply soaking in city living. With six bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms and two kitchens in the main house and one bedroom, one bathroom and a full kitchen in the guesthouse, there is room to sprawl out.
Downtown Guest House, $250 per night
(Vrbo)
This picturesque hippie hideaway sits just two blocks away from South Congress but comes with the privacy of the Hill Country. Built in 1928, the European cottage has exposed ceiling beams, a pebble shower and lush garden filled with large trees on-site. The guest house may be small but with a downstairs bed and loft upstairs, it can still fit four guests without getting crowded.
Historic Casa Cartel, $2,648 per night
(Vrbo)
Integrating Mexican architecture and art throughout this bespoke villa, the tastefully vibrant interior makes it impossible not to be in a good mood. With natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows, custom murals painted all over the house, a basement theater and a private pool fit for a full summer of lounging, this opulent house is the vacation. The house sits on a corner lot "very close to downtown" and sleeps up to 17 people with nine bedrooms and five bathrooms, so bring the whole crew.
Your perfect stay awaits you!
Popular
(Visit Austin/Facebook)
Live Music Capital of the World. Mecca of all things "weird." City of hippies, slackers and honky tonks—Austin's reputation was once synonymous with all things "cool."
But after three years as the top city to live in the U.S., Austin fell to No. 13 in the U.S. News & World Report's ranking this year.
For over a hundred years, Austinites have lamented that their city's charm is gone, and some continue to worry that the city has swapped too many of its grittier live music venues for gleaming corporate towers.
Has Austin's coolness taken a fall from grace? Here's a look at what could be affecting Austin's reputation.
Migration and affordability—not so cool
3. The median priced home costs $635K, while the median Austin resident can only afford a $438K home.
— Nik Shah 🏡 (@NikhaarShah) June 16, 2022
This affordability gap of $187K is 3x higher than at the national level! pic.twitter.com/CH036nj8Nn
There can always be too much of a good thing–including dating profiles bragging about packing up and moving to Austin.
Austin saw a higher growth rate than any other U.S. city from 2010-2020 as the metro attracted 171,465 newcomers in a decade.
With highly publicized move-ins including billionaire Elon Musk, podcaster Joe Rogan and tech HQs, came a gaggle of Californians eager to eke out a living in the burgeoning "boomtown" paradise.
An affordability crisis ensued.
Young people, who often serve as the drumbeat of a city's "coolness," are quickly being priced out amid skyrocketing rent. While a Rent.com study ranked Austin as one of the best cities for young professionals in 2022, the city's share of 20-24-year-old residents was 7.5% of the population in 2019—down from 8.6% in 2010.
And the so-called "slackers" that helped make Austin famous are now struggling to survive in a city where the median price for a home is now $550,000, especially as many in the city's creative class make well below a living wage.
Live music and things to do—still cool
The outside, Zilker, Towne Lake, Barton Springs, dozens of decent hiking within the area. This is the advantage, do the free outside stuff (Austin has wonderful patio restaurants, etc but then the 💵 goes) More time inside less advantage to living here.
— Trust_w/o_Journey_Is_Compliance (@runningman902) June 7, 2022
Austin was famously dubbed the "Live Music Capital of the World" in 1991 when officials discovered that the city had more live music venues per capita than anywhere else in the U.S. And with 46.4 venues per 100,000 residents in 2018, that mantra remained largely true for years.
After the worst of the COVID pandemic, which was estimated to shutter up to 70% of music venues in the Red River Cultural District alone, the city's live music scene has worked hard to bounce back. The city now has the fifth-highest number of small music venues per capita in the nation and comes in at No. 4 among the best live music cities in the U.S., per a 2022 Clever.com study.
And many of Austin's unique attractions remain timeless. While paddle boarding on Town Lake has become overcrowded and even caused swimmer's itch for some, outdoor attractions like Barton Springs Pool, the Barton Creek Greenbelt and other Hill Country swimming holes remain a popular pastime.
And while the coolness of Sixth Street has become riddled with violence and safety concerns, the city still boasts plenty of nightlife districts.
Instead of the Armadillo Den of Austin yore, the new Austin boasts bachelorette party entertainment on West Sixth Street, intimate concerts in East Austin and a refuge for tech professionals on booming Rainey Street.
Keeping Austin Weird—barely hanging on
If you know...you know pic.twitter.com/auDQyVurUy
— Evil MoPac (@EvilMopacATX) September 3, 2021
Leslie Cochran, the high-heel-wearing homeless man who personified the "Keep Austin Weird" movement, is long gone. In his place are controversial attempts at keeping that mindset alive, including an Instagrammable sculpture of the mantra approved by the city's Historic Landmark Commission in February.
But pockets of that signature Austin feel still exist. It's not uncommon to see Sam Greyhorse riding on his horse on South Congress.
And while South Congress is losing longtime businesses and gaining luxury retailers in its new Music Lane development, other areas—like Barton Springs—still retain their carefree, old Austin feel.
New "weird" strongholds have cropped up as well, like Austin FC's Q2 Stadium, where 20,500 soccer fans gather to chant Austin's mantras, lift up inflatable chickens and celebrate their community.
"Cooler" alternatives emerge
Moving out of Austin is so good for your mental health.
— 𝒟𝑜𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓎 🥂 (@adeeoxox) July 30, 2021
Still, Austin's residents are facing the second-most overvalued housing market in the nation, and many are looking for greener—and cooler—pastures.
Instead of cross-continent moves, some new move-ins are now relocating to nearby cities, according to a Placer.ai study. The study found that Austin's "boomtown" status could already be overshadowed by new tech markets like Philadelphia, Phoenix and Raleigh, North Carolina.
And even within the state, Austin fell behind Dallas, Houston and San Antonio as Texas' most sought-after city.
- In 2021, Austin became a hub for tech, pickleball, poker, crypto ... ›
- Keeping Austin weird: 9 times 'the People's Republic of Austin' was ... ›
- Austinites have been complaining about the city losing its weird ... ›
- Austin's luxury Soho House opens today for local creatives - austonia ›
- Austin's women in tech: Silicon Valley 'bro culture' could add to ... ›
- Austin culture makes it a top city for 'digital nomads' ›
- Minister of Culture Matthew McConaughey talks preserving Austin ... ›
Austin has been in the national spotlight for more than extreme growth—the last two years have brought a handful of violent crimes, missing persons cases and shootings.
Some of the most heartbreaking cases have yet to be solved. Here's a small update on some ongoing, high-profile cases in Austin.
Moriah Wilson | Suspect still on the run
Star biker Moriah Wilson was found dead in her East Austin home.
Professional cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson’s alleged killer, Kaitlin Armstrong, is still on the run and was last spotted leaving LaGuardia Airport in New York City on May 14—three days before the Austin Police Department obtained a warrant for her arrest.
Wilson was shot to death in her home on May 11 just hours after she went swimming with fellow cyclist Colin Strickland, who Armstrong had previously dated. Strickland said it was never a secret that he dated 25-year-old Wilson and had “no indication” Armstrong would react violently, as she had been dating other people as well.
While Wilson’s family said they don’t believe she was romantically involved with anyone, the case is being investigated as a crime of passion.
Investigators believe Armstrong might be using her sister’s name, Christine Armstrong, in New York State. A $5,000 reward has been issued for information leading to her capture.
Timothy Perez | Missing since March 2022
"He said, 'Dad, come get me, I'm lost,'" Robert Perez told Austonia. "I said, 'Pull, over,' but he just hung up, and we were never able to get a hold of him."
The Austin Police Department found Timothy’s car—cold and with an empty tank—around 15 miles from his brother’s home at 4:30 a.m. the same morningTimothy was last spotted again that morning when Round Rock Police responded to a welfare check called in by St. William Catholic Church. RRPD photographed him, said Timothy refused to identify himself and left without incident; Timothy wasn’t reported missing until a few days later.
According to EquuSearch, Timothy’s phone pinged briefly in Conroe on March 16 but hasn’t been located since. RRPD officials said they believe Timothy is voluntarily missing based on his interaction with officers.
But his parents think Timothy might've suffered a nervous breakdown and still drive from Conroe to Austin every few days to look for their son.
Due to the sighting at the church, APD closed its missing person case on April 8 but Round Rock Police still lists Timothy as missing.Jason Landry | Missing since December 2020
More than 31,000 acres were combed through to find missing Texas State student Jason Landry. (Caldwell County Sheriff's Office)
Texas State University student Jason Landry went missing on Dec. 13, 2020, after his car was found abandoned in Luling as he was driving home from nearby San Marcos to Missouri City, Texas, for winter break.
Landry’s car was found crashed with keys still in the ignition and all of his personal possessions, including his clothing, some with drops of blood, and phone, but no one in sight.
As conspiracies have swirled around the internet about what might've happened that night, Capt. Jeff Ferry, who is the lead investigator on the case, said "no doubt this is a tragedy… but it’s not a crime.”
More than a year later, friends and family of Landry are still searching for him and have erected billboards reminding locals of his disappearance and offering a $10,000 reward: one going southbound on I-35 and another along U.S. Hwy. 183 north of Luling.
The billboards were leased for 13 weeks in April but they may extend the rental—meanwhile, the case is in the hands of the Texas Attorney General Cold Case and Missing Persons unit. Anyone with information is asked to call (512) 936-0742.
- Search resumes for missing Texas State student Jason Landry ... ›
- Texas State student Jason Landry still missing one year later ... ›
- Austin-area cyclist charged in murder of biking star Moriah Wilson ... ›
- Watch: Austin police chief weighs in on city's deadliest year in ... ›
- Austin police find two dead in a West Austin home Friday - austonia ›
- Alleged drunk driver hits two Austin police officers - austonia ›
- Up to 18 Austin police officers could be charged with excessive force ... ›