Is Austin becoming too expensive for creators?

Is Austin becoming too expensive for artists and creators to live and work here? That fear has been voiced very strongly by many participants in focus groups and interviews. Yet others, including public officials, cite statistics that assert Austin is still affordable compared to other large, Western US cities. What is the truth? Is this a critical issue? How will we decide? What, if anything, will the Austin community do to assure that its most creative individuals can continue to live and work here?

Comments

[Adam]

I lived in Austin in 2007 and it was not too difficult to find affordable housing. I have since moved away, and I am planning on moving back soon. From my research Austin appears to be out pricing itself in the renter's market. Cheap living is being pushed way south and east; even that is more than what I payed to live in a nice central neighborhood.

In all, Austin foreseeable is facing a housing crisis of its own. LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ARTISTS AND CREATORS. If it was only as easy to ask "developers" to quit sucking the creative energy out of Austin as it is for banks to take their assets away, Austin City Limits would remain a bastion of creativity.

Developers, you suck! Don't forget why people desire to live and move here from all over the country. It's not the luxury living. It's the weather, the community and the arts.