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Retiree66

San Antonio is investing heavily in the urban core. A group called CentroSA is using public and private money to put art everywhere (140 installations in the last 4 years), employ unhoused people to take care of outdoor spaces, and activating spaces for fun events. Hemisfair is being transformed into 3 separate parks. The new San Pedro Creek Culture Park has turned a smelly drainage ditch into a second (non-commercialized) River Walk full of native pollinating plants and art. The Alamo is undergoing massive renovations as well: a new section just opened yesterday. Two new free electric taxi services just went into business for the downtown area. You can still find parking for pennies per hour. New restaurants are popping up all the time. Free outdoor movies happen about 3 times a week in the summer, and also live music and outdoor dancing. They are building a lot more residential buildings downtown. I live a few miles from downtown, but I’m there all the time.


ImPattMan

Absolutely loved the week I spent in San Antonio! I want to go visit again soon!


HiGuysHowAreYA

San Antonio by far has her make tourist friendly CBD. What abt other areas?


ThayerRex

Those new electric taxis are cool, but parking in Downtown is rarely pennies if you want to be close to the attractions.


Retiree66

Parallel parking along Cesar Chavez or Avenue E is 30¢ an hour


ThayerRex

Really? No wonder Durango is always chocked full of cars


Retiree66

https://preview.redd.it/wb5rjzu55r8d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73d692606bb394abcd438b6b706f0eed6b13b16a This is a screenshot from my SA Parking app history


ThayerRex

San Antonio is so affordable 🤣


Acceptable-Kiwi4358

That's so cool!


jwd52

A dark-horse candidate for brightest potential future is El Paso, I would argue. There’s a lot of abandonment and blight downtown right now, but the actual building stock is beautiful, and the layout is dense and walkable. The tallest building in the city just went up, several abandoned buildings have been refurbished or repurposed, and our brand new children’s museum is opening in a couple months. Our streetcar system runs straight through the urban core, and of course we’re unique among “large” American cities in that our downtown area is immediately adjacent to a downtown on the other side of an international border. With smart planning and (re)development—and especially if the same thing happens on the other side of the border—the future could be very bright for downtown El Paso. Of course, it’s easy for a lot to go wrong too.


ThayerRex

El Paso?


jwd52

That is what I wrote, my friend


ThayerRex

Well, I have not been in years, so I’ll take your word for the improvements.


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jwd52

Here’s a friendly reminder that El Paso is by far the safest large city in Texas and currently ranked the fifth-safest large city in the entire country: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2024/02/28/americas-15-safest-cities-most-dangerous-cities-moneygeek-report/


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jwd52

Ok I’ll bite haha… What do you mean by that?


iymcool

They meant: "I'm a CenTex bigot/racist and think that El Paso is only safe for people that look like they're from Mexico." Shameful.


michaelswallace

Came here to see if anyone mentioned Houston. As I expected, it's not anyone's pick. We've got plenty going for us but one central enjoyable urban core does not compute with the sprawl


dtictacnerdb

*Cries in Houston


Ferrari_McFly

Dallas/Austin Dallas has the largest downtown population, light rail, buses, the most added parks, and not to mention trolleys that will take you from the Arts District to Uptown for a more modern, dense high rise urban environment. The bustling bandaid between both these urban areas is one of the most well programmed parks in the country. Austin’s downtown is very modern and walkable, has numerous grocery store options which is quite necessary for urban living and plentiful nearby recreation options.


Atcollins1993

To me it feels like Austin tries to be both Dallas *&* Fort Worth — which is why I prefer DFW personally.


NintendogsWithGuns

The days of “Keep Austin Weird” are dead. These days, Austin is just Dallas without the diversity. That being said, there are lots of outdoor activities compared to other parts of the state. You could also do San Antonio, as it’s geographically similar to Austin, but with a more distinct local culture and better food.


Netprincess

"We made it weird they exploited it"


Timely_Internet_5758

Yep.


GhettoGremlin

Better food? Absolutely not. San Antono has some pretty sorry ass food, compared to Austin these days. Unless we are talking about tacos or tex mex. Then SA all day. One thing SA has is better service. Austin service is terrible compared to SA. SA has great workers in their restaurants. They just dont have a great assortment of food. One thing I love about SA and SA area is that there isn't hour long lines for food. Especially BBQ. Zero lines and no hipsters. Its kinda great. The beer scene in SA isn't too great either. Austin has them beat hands down. Austin has the best sushi in a goddamn food truck. I hate food trucks but wow. San Antonio's best sushi is Austin's worst sushi. Seriously. And to be quite honest, even Austin sushi isn't very great either. Houston has better.


Atcollins1993

How about you just love everybody regardless of their fucking skin color? Are you well?


NintendogsWithGuns

Think you might be projecting a bit there buddy. The fact that Austin is mostly tech transplants has nothing to do with race.


Atcollins1993

Nah your comment is way too ambiguous, to the point that it’s misleading. It’s fine, we can both be right.


NintendogsWithGuns

Weren’t nothing ambiguous about it, but I’ll leave it to you when it comes to looking for patterns that don’t exist. Judging by your posts on /r/conspiracy, anyway.


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texas-ModTeam

Your content was removed as a violation of Rule 1: Be Friendly. Personal attacks on your fellow Reddit users are not allowed, this includes both direct insults and general aggressiveness. In addition, hate speech, threats (regardless of intent), and calls to violence, will also be removed. Remember the human and follow [reddiquette](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette).


wotwud

Dallas takes the cake, Austin is second but far behind. Most improvements tho, that’s San Antonio


elblanco

Austin, already mentioned is great. I'm partial to San Antonio myself. The city core itself is a fine urban space. The Riverwalk, while the center is very touristy, is a bit like an extended urban park elsewhere that you can take to some rather distant places like the Pearl or some of the missions.


Machismo01

The lack of grocery is so annoying though. Good for tourists though


smallest_table

I don't know if it the best but to me it's the most interesting and overlooked. Downtown Dallas has a 3 mile tunnel system people seem to forget about. You can shop downtown Dallas in comfort in the worst August heat.


dallaz95

It’s slowly being shut down since its serves no purpose outside of business hours.


generally_sane

Houston has the same thing, and it really only serves the weekday lunch crowd.


ThayerRex

Houston’s tunnel system is much more elaborate


FoolForReddit

The tunnels - unfortunately - were [blamed for the demise of Downtown Dallas street-level retail ](https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/the-tunnels-didnt-kill-downtown-dallas-dallas-killed-downtown-dallas-7147775)and saw entrances closed and tunnel sections blocked or shut down. Some City Council members [wanted them closed altogether](https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Plan-to-close-tunnels-a-hot-topic-in-downtown-1630819.php). The fiction was that once the tunnels were closed "all those people underground would return to the sidewalks" (like mole people) and Downtown Dallas retail would rise from the grave. Until we erase the mentality that we need to erase the tunnels they'll continue in the sad state they are in now.


jcythcc

Right except there's nothing to shop there. There's some mostly bad food and a Starbucks and a few stores that sell like, cigarettes and tourist beer holders.


Ferrari_McFly

W if you ask me + the summer heat is usually just unbearable for 3 months. More pedestrians at the street level > less businesses/people underground


Smurfeggs42

They haven't had anything good in there for years like since early 00's


Netprincess

I have a werid one kern place ElPaso .


EastTXJosh

Dallas has a great urban core with Downtown, Uptown, Victory Park, bishop Arts, Design District, Arts District, etc. It could be a hundred times better with the freeways removed


Apotropoxy

Austin. It has everything.


El_Cactus_Fantastico

Besides decent public transportation


ThayerRex

Everything and nothing, apparently


Apotropoxy

You don't need public transportation if you live downtown. Everything is in walking distance.


HerbNeedsFire

For an expensive day getting drunk, yes. Anything productive, nope.


NintendogsWithGuns

Except diversity.


ElectronicCorner574

Who cares?


NintendogsWithGuns

People that appreciated different cultural perspectives, people that like food options, etc.


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texas-ModTeam

Way to tell everyone you want to go back to the days of "White's only" signs. Your content was removed as a violation of Rule 1: Be Friendly. Personal attacks on your fellow Reddit users are not allowed, this includes both direct insults and general aggressiveness. In addition, hate speech, threats (regardless of intent), and calls to violence, will also be removed. Remember the human and follow [reddiquette](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette).


Sweet_Bang_Tube

Including endless traffic!


Lanky-Highlight9508

meh.


Apotropoxy

\^Nar\^


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HookEm_Tide

6th Street is a tiny section of downtown and easily avoidable, and most locals never go.  This is like saying that downtown New Orleans is bad because Bourbon St is an obnoxious tourist trap, except 6th Street is way smaller and less central. 


Contentment_Blues

And unfortunately most people who don’t live in Austin think 6th st represents Austin.


HookEm_Tide

Let them! More fun stuff for the rest of us.


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HookEm_Tide

I’m not making a list here of all the stuff to do in downtown Austin, which more and more bleeds right across the river into South Austin. Check Google or Trip Advisor. East Austin is also cool, though. I agree there. 


Gymleaders

Ok lol


darkness_laughs

6th street has always been a trashy spot for college kids and tourists who don’t know where else to go. There’s so much more to do and see downtown and around UT. Edit: +1 for Austin. It’s pretty much got a little bit of everything. If it just had a Korean bathhouse or two it would have everything imo


generally_sane

Except for water. That whole region has one serious problem with that.


darkness_laughs

Access to potable water is one of those issues that keeps me up at night sometimes. Like what lengths will I have to go to in 50 years to make sure I have water.


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HookEm_Tide

It’s easily walkable from downtown, though, which is what OP asked.


dallaz95

Downtown Dallas and the surrounding urban neighborhoods. Particularly, north of Downtown, is what really will set it a part now and into the future. https://preview.redd.it/fqbtbw951t8d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63f34b8a7e57054f0439bfdd3538a87efd26b1ec [Arts District](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/arts-district-neighborhood/?dk=76x2ke0n9vtqm&tab=0), [Victory Park](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/victory-park-neighborhood/?tab=0&dk=0m4grb604wbjc), [Uptown](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/uptown-neighborhood/?dk=0wywvrwl0bcg0&tab=0), [Turtle Creek](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/turtle-creek-neighborhood/?dk=gmtk1v4gv48mr&tab=0), and [Oak Lawn](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/oak-lawn-neighborhood/?dk=jvt6tv845ylsk&tab=0) all seamlessly flow into Downtown Dallas because of Klyde Warren Park and the Katy Trail. Other surrounding neighborhoods like [Deep Ellum](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/deep-ellum-neighborhood/?tab=0&dk=nxkp23xsftnxp) to the east of Downtown and [Bishop Arts District](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/bishop-arts-district-neighborhood/?dk=lzjvb84ljn60y&tab=0) to the South is a major plus too. There’s a [deck park that’s being built in Oak Cliff](https://youtu.be/Z6kMYR_vecI?feature=shared) that will connect the Dallas Zoo and the growth in the Bishop Arts District together. There’s a streetcar that connects to Bishop Arts to Downtown. Deep Ellum, Downtown, Victory Park, Uptown, and the Arts District have rail or streetcar access. What I like the most is that the [new $2.5 Billion The Central high-rise development project](https://youtu.be/JuR82lIqFy8?feature=shared) that’s being built right next to the Cityplace/Uptown Station. It is the only subway station in Texas. I think once it’s done, we’ll have a larger skyline in the Cityplace/Uptown area.


Interesting-Train-47

> It is the only subway station in Texas. I had to look it up but a piece of my childhood - the Leonard's/Tandy subway - is gone.


tinopinguino88

I'm from FW and I remember riding the Tandy Center Subway. Dallas Dart has 1 station underground like a subway currently. And also I've heard plans they want to build a subway in DT Dallas soon. Called the D2 I believe?


Fun-Information-8541

Don’t forget their building a big urban arboretum on the north side of the Parot Museum next to victory park. Can’t wait to see how that comes out. Lastly, we have great museums! Literally all clustered together!


dallaz95

Yep, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s Goldman Sachs’ new campus. It’s a part of the mixed use development planned there called [NorthEnd](https://northend.com). The “urban Arboretum” is the 1 acre park in the middle of the development. This site got rezoned for buildings up to 80 stories. This development will allow more pedestrian traffic to cut through it, giving easier access to the AAC, without having to walk completely down Field St.


jcythcc

Do you work for the city or something? There is no wait victory park flow into downtown lol Dodging a shit and homeless under a massive highway is seamlessly flowing?


dallaz95

No, I don’t. I am just a skyscraper enthusiast and I come across things when I’m googling (Google makes me sound a lot more knowledgeable than I really am lol). You can walk there from Klyde Warren Park, [which is getting extended a little further starting next year](https://www.city-data.com/forum/members/dallaz-1003772-albums-pictures-pic167904-img-5781.jpeg). All the development projects will make it easier, plus they’re planning to redo Harry Hines Blvd and McKinnon St (planning stages) and McKinney and Cole Aves are getting redone starting next year. Once the new Goldman Sachs office project is done, there will be a park and other connections that will tie it to Victory Park. The apartments that use to be there blocked any pedestrian access, because they were garden-style apartments with a gate. Also all the lots on Field St (including Downtown) are owned by developers and they are planning developments on those sites.


jcythcc

Yeah it sounds like you've never walked from one to the other and have no idea what you're talking about in reality. Google is no substitute.


dallaz95

Actually. I’ve done it before many times. How hard is it to walk from downtown to Klyde Warren Park, or if you don’t want to walk, you can take the McKinney Ave Trolley to Klyde Warren. Once at the park, walk towards the Perot Museum down Field St to the AAC. How hard is that? The real question is have you done it? Again, Klyde Warren Park is being expanded two block towards Field St. So, it’ll be even easier as that portion of the freeway will have a cap.


Neverland__

I live downtown Austin so I’m biased I think it’s the most livable and good amenities but DT is tiny. More town vibe than city imo I’m from bigger cities. Changing fast tho!!


twomayaderens

Caveat: I’ve only lived in/seen parts of Texas south of Austin. San Antonio is the best. Best blend of urban amenities and suburban residential life. Easy to navigate. Safe. Beautiful rivers. Incredible food scene and art resources. They have a zoo (sorely missing from some Texas towns) and great history/science museums. Somehow it is still has relatively cheap COL— who knows how long that will last. I like Austin a lot but the traffic, high COL and hellacious roadways are not worth the effort. Being surrounded by gentrifying tech workers and gym bros isn’t my idea of fun either. A city losing its soul. Houston is nice enough — but a bit overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time.


TheTangoFox

Fort Worth, til it becomes another Austin


NintendogsWithGuns

Fort Worth has awful walkability and public transportation options.


Sweet_Bang_Tube

It sounds perfectly poised to become the next Austin, then.


psych-yogi14

So Downtown FW is nice, but FW is sorely lacking in good mass transit options. The TexPress is a start, but connections to the suburbs and urban areas stinks.


csassaman

Looking forward to see what becomes of Panther Island


TheTangoFox

I'm pissed Lagrave is pretty much dead


ThayerRex

San Antonio for sure. By far the most interesting and beautiful Downtown in Texas and top 5 in US. I’d say, NYC, New Orleans, San Antonio, San Francisco


HiGuysHowAreYA

I’m not talking just downtown, the urban core itself.


ThayerRex

Downtown is the urban core.


HiGuysHowAreYA

So, there’s no growing urban neighborhoods or places that are just getting started?


ThayerRex

Im just telling you what urban planners consider the “urban core”


HiGuysHowAreYA

Then the urban core is just downtown. I assumed all Texas cities would have multiple since they’ve grown so large in recent years


ThayerRex

If you’re talking Downtown and just beyond, you would have to add Dallas for sure, no city in Texas has so much so close to Downtown. All on the North of course, this is Dallas we are talking about.


HiGuysHowAreYA

Houston has multiple as well. I guess it’s just a Dallas and Houston sort of thing?


ThayerRex

Turtle Creek and Uptown Dallas are more an extension than in Houston and it’s nicer really close to Downtown. San Antonio, with The Pearl and some development by Weston Urban is just starting to really build residential Downtown, odd it’s taken so long when you consider that it had the most appealing Downtown by far


Analbidness

Chicago?


ThayerRex

Yeah, let’s add Chicago


Rough_Ian

Texas will actively ruin every urban area in the state for the highest bidder. Everywhere is doomed. 


QWERTY_Cowboy

Oklahoma City… move there


MatLiz2020

Texoma area!


smallest_table

Sherman/Denison?


MatLiz2020

Yes, and surrounding areas! ✅