Best college town. Fort Worth #29

[FrogAbroad]

daughter has a friend who recently bought a house in pflugerville, familiar wit the area , but haven't been there for 20 years i asked where the house was located

i was told it was by the lake to which i was confused because the only lake i could think of on the east side of austin was with the power plant down by manor.

apparently they have built a lake out there some time the past 20 years and hutto is now a suburb of pflugerville which is a suburb of austin and fairly certain hutto and taylor are getting close to growing together

I remember a large-ish pond near the turn-off from the interstate onto the "Pflugerville road" on the way to our little house. Hopefully it wasn't filled in and urbanized.

 

[Eight]

I remember a large-ish pond near the turn-off from the interstate onto the "Pflugerville road" on the way to our little house. Hopefully it wasn't filled in and urbanized.

that sounds like "lake ed" which was a pond in the middle of a group of small shot gun houses in edville which was a north, northwest of the town back in the 80's and 90's

 

[BrewingFrog]

The spousal unit and I lived in Pflugerville 1968-1970 while I was in grad school at TU. Lovely little town. Attended church in Round Rock, another nice place 'way back then. When we'd head east to visit her family we'd take US 79 and enjoy the scenery and little towns along the way to Shreveport. Once in awhile, if the family finances permitted, we'd return home by Leslie's Chicken Shack in Waco. Austin was, what, 250,000 people back then? Something like that.

John Henry Newman said, "Growth is the only sign of life." That's certainly true of villages, towns and cities. The Pflugerville of our past is...well, passed. It's now a suburb, part of the "Greater Austin Area," or whatever they call it. Whatever became of Thorndale? Gause? Easterly? They were not exactly thriving when we made our last road trip to the in-laws' place the other side of Bossier, I'm pretty sure they're not prospering nowadays. But those are the signs, the side-effects of human progress as we know it. The race moves on, leaving one thing behind in favor of something bigger, newer and therefore ostensibly better. Metropolitan areas draw in virtually all elements of a society and concentrate them geographically so they are more obvious, more visible, more attention-worthy, regardless of their beauty or lack of it. The progress of human civilization accelerated as gatherers became farmers, who became merchants, who became city dwellers.

While a goodly number of us may wish for at least a partial return to bucholism as we selectively remember it, human civilization inexorably moves us towards urbanism. Is it good? bad? desirable? inevitable? Yes, it is all of those, since no advances are ever made without some degree of loss or sacrifice.

Hmmm... I will ponder this whilst gazing out on my fat, sassy cows in the pasture.

My curmudgeonly nature rebels at the thought of "progress" as it is bandied about. I don't feel that what is taking place is any kind of advancement, but very much a regression. There may be shiny new buildings, lots of bright lights, but there is no joy. Pop culture is, at best, a nihilistic race to the bottom. When we left the City, we left TV behind us as well.

I do not miss it.

Soon after arriving here, Mrs. Brewingfrog had seen a schedule for the local Parish and various times for Mass and such. One time and location stuck out: "They hold Mass in the old Church at the Presidio on Sunday at 5:30. Should we go?" We did. It was one of the more joyful, and peaceful things I have ever experienced. It was a renewal. Those old stones, which have seen much through the centuries, hold many things within yet breathed something the city could never fully realize: Continuity, patience, reassurance.

 

[Brog]

The spousal unit and I lived in Pflugerville 1968-1970 while I was in grad school at TU. Lovely little town. Attended church in Round Rock, another nice place 'way back then. When we'd head east to visit her family we'd take US 79 and enjoy the scenery and little towns along the way to Shreveport. Once in awhile, if the family finances permitted, we'd return home by Leslie's Chicken Shack in Waco. Austin was, what, 250,000 people back then? Something like that.

John Henry Newman said, "Growth is the only sign of life." That's certainly true of villages, towns and cities. The Pflugerville of our past is...well, passed. It's now a suburb, part of the "Greater Austin Area," or whatever they call it. Whatever became of Thorndale? Gause? Easterly? They were not exactly thriving when we made our last road trip to the in-laws' place the other side of Bossier, I'm pretty sure they're not prospering nowadays. But those are the signs, the side-effects of human progress as we know it. The race moves on, leaving one thing behind in favor of something bigger, newer and therefore ostensibly better. Metropolitan areas draw in virtually all elements of a society and concentrate them geographically so they are more obvious, more visible, more attention-worthy, regardless of their beauty or lack of it. The progress of human civilization accelerated as gatherers became farmers, who became merchants, who became city dwellers.

While a goodly number of us may wish for at least a partial return to bucholism as we selectively remember it, human civilization inexorably moves us towards urbanism. Is it good? bad? desirable? inevitable? Yes, it is all of those, since no advances are ever made without some degree of loss or sacrifice.

Some good thoughts there, but I sure don't agree with John Henry Newman ("growth is the only sign of life." ) I grew up in a small east Texas town where there wasn't a sign of growth, but boy, was there life! Looking now at Austin and Frisco and such places, seems almost like growth is the sign of life gone bad.

 

[gohornedfrogs]

I don't really care what their criteria were, but TCU having a real college campus in a suburban setting so close to some of the best entertainment, dining and cultural amenities in all of Texas places FW #1 on my list. I completely dismissed this list when I saw College Station at #18.

After all these years, I don't think I would make a different choice, with the exception of maybe getting into an elite university like Stanford. Vanderbilt is very similar to TCU as far as location to amenities in a great town (Nashville) and is an academic upgrade. North Carolina and Virginia might be tempting. Great schools in nice places. For the most part, most of those ahead of TCU are either in the same academic range as TCU, or they are in isolated podunk towns, or they are in places that are colder than hell most of the year (or all three). I can't speak for most people, but walking to class every day and freezing my arse off is a non-starter for me.

 

[FrogAbroad]

Hmmm... I will ponder this whilst gazing out on my fat, sassy cows in the pasture.

My curmudgeonly nature rebels at the thought of "progress" as it is bandied about. I don't feel that what is taking place is any kind of advancement, but very much a regression. There may be shiny new buildings, lots of bright lights, but there is no joy. Pop culture is, at best, a nihilistic race to the bottom. When we left the City, we left TV behind us as well.

I do not miss it.

Soon after arriving here, Mrs. Brewingfrog had seen a schedule for the local Parish and various times for Mass and such. One time and location stuck out: "They hold Mass in the old Church at the Presidio on Sunday at 5:30. Should we go?" We did. It was one of the more joyful, and peaceful things I have ever experienced. It was a renewal. Those old stones, which have seen much through the centuries, hold many things within yet breathed something the city could never fully realize: Continuity, patience, reassurance.

I agree with you. Change does not necesarily equal progress. To quote cowboy singer Don Edwards, "I thanks the Lord I wasn't born no later than I was."

 

[FrogAbroad]

Some good thoughts there, but I sure don't agree with John Henry Newman ("growth is the only sign of life." ) I grew up in a small east Texas town where there wasn't a sign of growth, but boy, was there life! Looking now at Austin and Frisco and such places, seems almost like growth is the sign of life gone bad.

Brog, I remember when the campus looked 'pertnear like your profile pic. My family relocated to a brand-new house about a block west of Bluebonnet Circle in '49 and my sister (class of '53) enrolled at TCU. It was far from being rural, but still open spaces enough so you could cuss a cat without getting fur in your mouth.

 

[asleep003]

USC should be out of the top 65 ranking entirely, with OSU/Corvalis.
UCLA/Westwood definately a top 10 environment. Ridiculous rankings !

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as PhormerPhrog]

Anyone who thinks Austin is a top 5 college town hasn't been here in years. The homeless situation has spiraled out of control. And crime on the ut campus is horrific. There are still some cool places to visit in and around Austin, and some great BBQ, but this city is dying under the homeless crisis. And in non-covid times, there's a shooting down on 6th street every weekend. Will only get worse.

God I miss FW.

Was there a few weekends ago and the place might as well have been a ghost town. Went and ate at Hula Hut at noon on Sunday...no wait. I have never had a wait less than 45 minutes there. Never.

Yet, somehow the traffic still sucked.

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as PhormerPhrog]

So I live in Buda, South of Austin and I love it here. The homeless deal will end this summer after the May 1 vote on camping and as things open up. I hate it obviously but Covid made downtown a Walking Dead situation and the homeless took over. Post Covid, they will all be gone.

My vote is for San Marcos. It's an awesome college town...yea, a little grungy and dirty but so cool and laid back. It's like the whole town from the college kids to the 65 yr old adults all have the same vibe and attitude. Tons or bars, restaurants and of coarse the river...San Marvelous should be Top 3.

On that note, what is San Antonio doing about their homeless problem? I was there last week and was shocked at how bad it had become. Saw a dude whip a bum's ass after he grabbed his gf's boob.

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as PhormerPhrog]

Ranking 'Collie Station' at that level takes real cojones and cast doubt on the poll's credibility.

CS used to be a decent place until about 6-8 years ago. It's fast becoming the MacBook crowd down there. Had several buddies who are aggies and we always had fun in CS. Even they say it's boring as hell now.

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as PhormerPhrog]

Bingo

It is not a crisis. Have anyone been in downtown Fort Worth by the water gardens? How about downtown Dallas? Homeless people go to the inner city where the homeless shelters are located. Every city is the same.

After seeing Austin and SA over the last few weeks I realize FW does a damn good job with our houseless population.

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as PhormerPhrog]

City pride, but FW has a tremendous homeless problem, not like Austin, but it is bad. I volunteer at Union Gospel so I see first hand the issue up close.

I guess it's all in perspective. I drive around all parts of town all day. I go through downtown. I go down Lancaster where the shelters are. I go through Poly/Stop Six. I go through Near Southside where they also like to meander. Within 30 minutes of driving around Austin I was appalled. FW is far from perfect but is nowhere near as bad as Austin or SA.

 

[Froglaw]

I have an old friend who worked as the receptionist for one of my main clients years ago.

Homeless now.

She fell into drugs, got divorced, doesn't see her only child, "lives" around a bridge in northwest Dallas.

I'll get a call out of the blue, usually in bad weather, begging for a night or two in a hotel room just to be safe, dry, warm.

No health insurance and now she says she has kidney disease. Not surprised.

She could have done anything with her life, but chose drugs because the escape was better than her real life.

I have a hard time blaming her condition on a mayor or any other politician with the exception of those who do not believe in some form of national health care.

As Christians, we are either going to take Christ's message to heart as a country or cross the road to the other side and ignore our fellow man living in a tent in his own filth.

 

[NYC Horned Frog]

Anyone who thinks Austin is a top 5 college town hasn't been here in years. The homeless situation has spiraled out of control. And crime on the ut campus is horrific. There are still some cool places to visit in and around Austin, and some great BBQ, but this city is dying under the homeless crisis. And in non-covid times, there's a shooting down on 6th street every weekend. Will only get worse.

God I miss FW.

Amen.

While I still like things about Austin, and I spend about half my time there, Fort Worth wins hands down. I don't miss a home game and always hate leaving. I tend to stay on the west side of town now. Everytime I go through downtown or to the east side, the homeless situation is horrific.

Oh yeah, and this yesterday.....

 

[Armadillo]

Amen.

While I still like things about Austin, and I spend about half my time there, Fort Worth wins hands down. I don't miss a home game and always hate leaving. I tend to stay on the west side of town now. Everytime I go through downtown or to the east side, the homeless situation is horrific.

Oh yeah, and this yesterday.....

That was just one of three fires started by the homeless or in homeless encampments this week alone. The homeless have also lit 2 highway overpasses on fire in the south Austin area (Ben White and I-35) in the last 2 weeks.

This city council and their immediate predecessors have managed the deterioration and decline of this city in the last 10 to 15 years with their policy decisions. Austin was a great place to grow up (in the 70s and 80s), but it is no longer a great place to live.

 

[NYC Horned Frog]

That was just one of three fires started by the homeless or in homeless encampments this week alone. The homeless have also lit 2 highway overpasses on fire in the south Austin area (Ben White and I-35) in the last 2 weeks.

This city council and their immediate predecessors have managed the deterioration and decline of this city in the last 10 to 15 years with their policy decisions. Austin was a great place to grow up (in the 70s and 80s), but it is no longer a great place to live.

What do you think of the chances on Prop B? I’ll be voting for sure. I’m less than hopeful because I keep seeing my hyper left friends on social media already campaigning against. It’s craziness.

 

[4 Oaks Frog]

Some good thoughts there, but I sure don't agree with John Henry Newman ("growth is the only sign of life." ) I grew up in a small east Texas town where there wasn't a sign of growth, but boy, was there life! Looking now at Austin and Frisco and such places, seems almost like growth is the sign of life gone bad.

I, too, grew up in a small Texas town about 50 miles east of Waco (not far enough). Growth there was measured only in years. It never changed. It was boring then, when I was young, but I think of it as peaceful now. Mrs. 4Oaks, the 4Oaks children and I built a home on two archers in unincorporated northern Johnson County 30 years ago. All that was out here was the 40 other new homes or empty lots not yet built, separated by the 2-5 archers. There were the neighborhood kids, wild critters like deer and roadrunners. It was quiet except for nature, kinda like the little town where I grew up. To me, that was progress and growth in a personal manner.
Now, the tollway is bringing “progress and growth. Everywhere you look, “New” is springing up. Soon, every bit of empty dirt will have a home, gas station or shopping area on it.
This progress/growth brings more people, more congestion and more noise...and unfortunately fewer critters.
With a musician son, we spent a lot of time in Austin. Spring break meant Austin to us for SXSW, Austin City Limits and such. He performed all of the little, and later all the big stages in Austin. It was fun and Austin was great. Now, not so much. Austin has lost its soul and its weirdness. The cool clubs and venues has been squeezed out in the name of progress and growth. Now the coolest thing about Austin it is the 85-MPH tollway that was built around it. If they would only do that in Waco...
GO FROGS!
BEAT EVERYBODY!
Spit Blood ~~<~<and fok baylor!!

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as PhormerPhrog]

I, too, grew up in a small Texas town about 50 miles east of Waco (not far enough). Growth there was measured only in years. It never changed. It was boring then, when I was young, but I think of it as peaceful now. Mrs. 4Oaks, the 4Oaks children and I built a home on two archers in unincorporated northern Johnson County 30 years ago. All that was out here was the 40 other new homes or empty lots not yet built, separated by the 2-5 archers. There were the neighborhood kids, wild critters like deer and roadrunners. It was quiet except for nature, kinda like the little town where I grew up. To me, that was progress and growth in a personal manner.
Now, the tollway is bringing “progress and growth. Everywhere you look, “New” is springing up. Soon, every bit of empty dirt will have a home, gas station or shopping area on it.
This progress/growth brings more people, more congestion and more noise...and unfortunately fewer critters.
With a musician son, we spent a lot of time in Austin. Spring break meant Austin to us for SXSW, Austin City Limits and such. He performed all of the little, and later all the big stages in Austin. It was fun and Austin was great. Now, not so much. Austin has lost its soul and its weirdness. The cool clubs and venues has been squeezed out in the name of progress and growth. Now the coolest thing about Austin it is the 85-MPH tollway that was built around it. If they would only do that in Waco...
GO FROGS!
BEAT EVERYBODY!
Spit Blood ~~<~<and fok baylor!!

They call it the Hill Country. What will they call it when it's leveled and paved?

 

[BrewingFrog]

Progress.

Why do I keep picturing Inigo Montoya?