AUSTIN, Texas – All the cool kids are moving to Austin.

That is what it feels like, at any rate, looking at all the tech and Tinseltown talent that has decamped here from San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City in the last few years.

Drawn by more favourable taxes, regulations and living costs, electric vehicle-maker Tesla moved its headquarters here in 2021. Founder Elon Musk also relocated, predicting Austin was “going to be the biggest boom town America has seen in 50 years”.

Oracle and Hewlett Packard have done the same, while Google, Apple, SpaceX and Meta have made the city a corporate hub.

But it is not just the tech bros. A similar exodus from Hollywood began during the Covid-19 pandemic, when stars such as Emma Stone, Zachary Levi, Adrian Grenier and James Van Der Beek left the bright lights of Los Angeles to join veteran Austinites like Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock.

Then there is Joe Rogan, the uber-influential podcaster and comic who earlier in 2023 unveiled his Comedy Mothership, the hottest ticket in town and one of the country’s top spots for unfiltered stand-up and cultural critique.

To be fair, Austin’s reputation for being cool and edgy goes back decades. 

But, as McConaughey put it in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter two years ago, many long-time residents like him were “just waiting for the secret to get out”.

“We don’t have a landmark like Niagara Falls or Disney World or the Eiffel Tower,” he adds. “They’re all coming for the vibe.”

But what exactly is that vibe?

Maybe it has something to do with the world-class barbecue joints, of which the city has an unreasonable number. 

Or that it somehow sustains more live-music venues per capita than anywhere in the United States.

Austin’s music culture is one reason it birthed the storied South by Southwest, which began as a tiny music festival in the 1980s but is now a hugely influential entertainment and technology event attended by more than a quarter of a million people every year.

All this is within striking distance of spring-fed swimming holes, lush green parks and rivers, which give the city and its denizens a beguiling outdoorsiness.

But McConaughey was likely referring to the quirky, indie sensibilities Austin is known for.

A left-leaning, Democrat-voting anomaly in the heart of a largely Republican state, Austinites have a reputation for being laid-back and friendly, but also marching to the beat of their own drum.

Hence the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan proudly emblazoned on bumper stickers and T-shirts everywhere.

And even as its population swells – recently overtaking Bay Area hub San Jose to become the 10th largest city in the US – Austin retains much of its small-town feel.

There is a warmth and lack of pretension here that you will not find in San Francisco or New York.

This is despite the invasion of the hipsters and tech bros – a development rued by many locals as property prices soar.

One thing almost everyone sees eye to eye on, though, is the barbecue, and this is one of the best places for it in the country.

Central Texas barbecue puts a heavy emphasis on beef, especially brisket. Pitmasters here tend to use white oak to impart a smoky flavour, rather than the mesquite wood that grows everywhere in the South-west.

They also favour a minimalistic approach to seasoning. Without the sugary, heavily spiced marinades common in other parts of the South, it is harder to hide poor cooking technique and meat quality.  

There are many options for this must-eat, but the famous Terry Black’s BBQ (terryblacksbbq.com) is as good a place as any, with the added benefit of attracting a broad cross-section of regulars, tourists and the technorati – all pied-pipered in by the heady scent wafting from the giant smoker.

But, unless you do not mind queueing for ages or dining at ungodly hours, a less obvious choice is LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue (leroyandlewisbbq.com) nestled in a cute beer garden with other food trucks.

In contrast to the standard menu of ribs, brisket, sausages and pulled pork, here you get the unusual, and the unusually delicious – things like beef cheeks, bacon ribs and rabbit carnitas.

The sides – pillowy-soft potato bread and house-made kimchi – are exciting and the meats are sourced from ranches in Texas.

You can then walk it off with a stroll along the city’s endless scenic riverside boardwalks, hiking and biking trails – a blissful way to take in the skyline and swoony sunsets for which Austin is also known.

Better yet, go for a dip at the delightful Barton Springs. 

A cluster of springs in Zilker Park, it features a 1.2ha rock-bottomed swimming pool that is an emerald gem in the heart of the city.

Fed by underground springs, it maintains a crisp temperature of 20 to 21 deg C year-round – cold enough to give you a blissful dopamine spike that lasts hours.

And there is no better way to adjust to Austin’s languid tempo than to do a few bracing laps around the pool, dry off on a sunny patch of grass and strike up a conversation with one of the locals.

If you are pressed for time, the quick and touristy thing to do is stroll along buzzing South Congress Avenue.

This takes you past the famous South Congress Bridge, home to about 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats, one of the biggest urban bat colonies in the world.

From March to November, they snooze till sunset and then take to the skies en masse in search of food, a spectacle that hundreds of people gather nightly to see.

Further along the street, you will find an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants and live music venues. 

An Instagrammable landmark on this strip is the neon-laced portico at the Austin Motel (bunkhousehotels.com/austin-motel), a delightfully retro mid-century jewel.

Keep going and you will see Allens Boots (allensboots.com), the kind of place where you can walk in thinking you would not be caught dead in cowboy boots – then walk out an hour later, beaming, with your very first pair.

And, whether or not you are a fan of the genre, you are missing out on an essential piece of Americana if you do not visit at least one honky tonk, or bar with live country music.

One of the most classic spots is The Little Longhorn Saloon (thelittlelonghornsaloon.com), which claims to be the originator of the game known as Chicken S*** Bingo (a version of bingo where chickens poop on squares).

If you prefer to sleep within walking distance of this and other major attractions, the Austin Marriott Downtown (str.sg/iGcs) is right in the middle of the action.

If you would rather somewhere quieter, the sprawling Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa (str.sg/iGcn) is tucked away in a leafy suburb – and a short drive from the Pennybacker Bridge, another scenic sunset-viewing spot.

The resort’s tranquil spa was recognised in Conde Nast Traveler’s annual readers’ choice awards on Oct 3.

And if you are lucky, there will be a big fat Texan wedding being held on the grounds, which will make for exquisite people-watching and random tipsy conversations at the bar.

Unless you do a driving tour of Big Tech offices or flip through real-estate listings, though, nothing in Austin really screams “city on the ascendant” – although the sheer number of construction projects might be a giveaway.

But one place the city’s newfound cultural clout is palpable is its live-comedy scene, which is experiencing something of a renaissance.

There were decent comedy clubs here before, but Rogan’s Comedy Mothership (comedymothership.com) has brought a new countercultural urgency to stand-up.

Hosting iconoclastic comedians such as Dave Chappelle and Tim Dillon in shows that sell out instantly, the club is quietly pushing back against cancel culture and censorship – one reason mobile phones have to be left at the door.

Its popularity in many ways mirrors that of Austin, both emblematic of a bigger shift as the country’s centre of gravity tilts away from the once-dominant coastal cities.

And somehow, the ambivalence of long-time Austinites towards their newfound clout just adds to the allure of their city, a place that both transcends and clings to its Texan roots.

• In Quest Of is a series on the joy of niche exploration. This story on Austin is the first instalment of Alison de Souza’s four-part series exploring the changing face of the United States and destinations off the usual tourist track. Next week: Anchorage, Alaska.
• The writer’s trip was hosted by Visit Austin and the hotels mentioned.

Getting there

There are no direct flights between Singapore and Austin. The quickest way to get there is to do a layover in San Francisco, Los Angeles or Houston.

Tips

• For the best weather, and to avoid the summer heat, the best months to go are generally from March to May and from September to November.
• South by Southwest happens in March, and it is reason enough to come to Austin. But this giant music, film and technology event is so all-consuming that, unless you extend your stay just to sightsee, you will get only a taste of the city. And hotels will be much pricier.
• The Visit Austin website (austintexas.org) is an excellent resource not only in general but also for the many niche interests the city caters to, from its indie arts scene to the giant racetrack at the Circuit of the Americas, where you can live out your Formula One fantasies.