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Public consumption of alcohol is now legal in all of East Austin, including several neighborhoods where it was previously illegal to do so.
Action taken by City Council Thursday updated city code to allow responsible public drinking in these neighborhoods:
- Central East Austin
- Chestnut
- Rosewood
- Riverside
- Montopolis
Yes, that means that it's legal to drink alcohol in most parts of the city.
The areas highlighted are the only spots where public consumption of alcohol is prohibited, but Council is amendeding city code to allow it in areas 2, 5 and 6.(City of Austin)
The law, enacted and updated throughout the 1990s, still prohibits public consumption in three portions of Austin: downtown, South Lamar Boulevard and The Drag near campus.
Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, whose District 1 includes portions of East Austin where public consumption was outlawed, said there was no legitimate reason for excluding her district from drinking responsibly in public. Statistics compiled by city staff reveal a disproportionate amount of related citations were given to minority offenders.
The change in law was first proposed by Harper-Madison back in December. For a full history of the public consumption laws, see the city staff report outlining the approvals of each designated area where drinking was prohibited.
Popular
The Pudding’s People Map of the U.S., which shows each city’s “most Wikipedia’ed” resident, placed celebrities from all walks of life on the Texas map. As for Central Texas celebrities, there are some interesting (and not so surprising) names on deck.
(The Pudding)
Proving that Austin is “alright, alright, alright,” Minister of Culture Matthew McConaughey is both Austin’s and Uvalde’s top Wikipedia’ed resident. McConaughey, who was born in San Antonio adjacent Uvalde, has deeply ingrained himself in Austin by studying Radio-Television-Film at UT Austin, starring in the Austin-filmed movie “Dazed and Confused” and investing in Austin FC.
Heading down just a few miles south, San Marcos claimed former president Lyndon Baines Johnson as Texas State University’s most famous alumni, who graduated in 1930, and was also named in Fredericksburg. LBJ wasn’t the only ex-president on the map—George W. Bush was listed as the top resident in Dallas, Midland, Houston and Crawford.
You’ll see some other names with ties to Austin strewn around the state: Janis Joplin in Beaumont and Port Arthur; Stone Cold Steve Austin in Victoria and Edna; Dan Rather in his hometown of Wharton; and Waylon Jennings in Littlefield.
Venturing outside of the central areas, there are big celebrities who call Texas Home. Actress and artist Selena Gomez dominated search traffic in her hometown of Grand Prairie, musical artist Post Malone was most “Wikipedia’ed” in Grapevine, and Shaquille O’Neal was named in the city where he went to high school, San Antonio.
Plus, Thomas Haden Church, Angela Kinsey, Jessica Simpson, Chuck Norris, Roy Orbison, Ron White, Jessica Alba, Colt McCoy, Jimmy Dean and Johnny Manziel all had at least one city covered on the list.
Where’s Texas’ newest resident, Elon Musk? You’ll find him still in Los Angeles, as his foray into Texas living has just begun.
Click here to view the full map.