The population is actually slightly larger in Austin than in Boston, according to this link:
http://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/austin_tx/boston_ma/people
It is also interesting to see the huge difference in their population growth rates:
From 1990 to 2010:
Austin : 53%
Boston : 8%
Median age for both is about the same: 31 yo.
I’ve lived in Austin since 1984 and it’s really a different town. Even in 1984, people were lamenting about losing the old Austin vibe. It’s a great town for young people and families. But getting to be unaffordable. And the heat can be oppressive. Man, it’s really really hot here. I’m ready to retire elsewhere. We have another one to put through college so not happening anytime soon.
Is there any city that hasn’t changed in 32 years? Even Lincoln, Neb. Has changed.
Having lived in Texas, I learned it’s all about the dew point. Anytime the dew point was 60 or higher, we had the air conditioner on. 
Re: “I’ve lived in Austin since 1984 and it’s really a different town.”
If you flied into Austin in 1984, you must have landed at that old, stinky airport at Airport Blvd in the town. (Have Austinites developed many high-rise apartments for the young and “sort of” rich at the old airport site?)
Just remember this: Dell Inc. started there also. (BTW, I actually believe that, in the recent past, the engineering school at UT Austin has pumped out more first-line engineers than a school like Harvard, Princeton, or even MIT does. A lot of engineering graduates from the latter schools joined the finance and consulting industry, utilizing the analytical skills they have obtained in their engineering school.)
I live in Manhattan, work in the Bay area. Love Austin, flying there tomorrow morning for business. Would be happy if any of my college going kids settle down there.
I loved the old Mueller Airport, mcat. It’s now the site of a mixed-use development. I have a good friend who just moved there after selling their wonderful Tarrytown home. Couldn’t deal with the MoPac traffic/construction anymore. Mueller put her dh much closer to his office.
Read the story. There is noooo shortage of condos for the young and rich. It’s the rest of us being priced out.
Youdon’tsay,
I know someone who sold his McMansion suburban house and bought one of those luxury condos in that area (near the old airport) at the right time. His kid attended some magnet high school in downtown and later UT so it made perfect sense that his family moved into that area. Last time I heard of it, he said it is a good real estate investment too.
I think Tarrytown was/is a very expensive neighborhood too. It is at a very convenient location (even better located than Westlake, Rollingwood areas, in terms of its easy access to the downtown – not even need to cross the town lake!) In some cities, the downtown tends to be a bad, not so safe area. This seems to be not the case for Austin. I do not know how Austinites manage to keep most “bad guys” out – maybe using the same “arguably not very humane” method adopted by the previous NYC mayor?)
I liked Mueller Airport, too - it was just minutes from campus. It was great for my dad, who flies most weeks of the year. It’s a haul for him to get to the new airport.
Again, mcat, read the story. I used to live on Congress Avenue when it was populated by hookers and drug dealers. Hmmm, that didn’t come out quite right.
Was there a then-famous toy store (Terra Toy?) on Congress Avenue? We visited there a couple of times to hunt for “edutainment” toys (we first found Brio wooden toys there) and felt that the area a little bit south of that toy store was quite seedy. Staying on the north of the town lake bridge on Congress Avenue, it is perfectly fine.
Yep, Terra Toys. It’s no longer there. 
The reason austin has been attractive is the vibe, there is the music scene there, there are a lot of clubs, and being a college town, even in Texas, there is some diversity there, and that helps attract people from all over. Places like Provo, Utah or Lincoln, Nebraska are nice towns, but they aren’t going to attract young people. Among other things, the kind of people tech industries are looking for are not looking for homogenous places, they aren’t looking for places that close when the sun goes down or places many might consider nice. I know with provo they were counting on the access to great skiing, but that only appealed to relatively few. Having access to food from all over the country and world, having access to clubs and bars, music, all makes a big difference…tech tends to be a young person’s game, and they aren’t looking for quiet neighborhoods or places where everyone goes to church or whatnot.
Not so much about technology: (but people who work in that industry may still raise children, right?!)
Just found that a bookstore specializing in children books, Toad Hall, in Austin, was closed some decades ago:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/books/2000-08-25/78327/
My wife told me that, in one summer, she took our kid there for some “creative writing for children” summer classes when he was in elementary school.
It is kind of sad that all over the country, relatively few bookstores (especially independently-run ones) survive. Kids these days read everything online. I think this is not particularly good for relatively young children. (But I am “old styled”.)
Ds1 just mentioned Toad Hall to me last week. We saw Mrs. Frizzle there.
Is this thread about Austin, or Lincoln?
It was mostly my wife who took him there. I only remember that we bought a lot of “Curious George” children books there when he was a toddler. “Wee Sing” and “Thomas the Tank Engine” were pretty hot for toddlers in those years too. We were busy in the “edutainment” department mostly before elementary school (to get him ready for elementary school.) After kindergarten, he started to have several good teachers to teach him so we were not concerned about the basic skills anymore.
Both? Shows you how little there is to say about Lincoln.
Honestly, though, I would imagine Lincoln will develop some coolness as the tech community grows more. Sounds like a good opportunity for some non-tech minded folks to set up supporting businesses.
I offer up Des Moines. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/how-des-moines-iowa-got-cool-213552
Lincoln, Nebraska:
Also, growth rate at various cities: