The End of Austin

an exploration of urban identity in the middle of Texas

Richie Deegan: an artist’s perspective of Austin

I came to learn about Richie Deegan through my search for artists who have experienced and depicted Austin over the past decade or more. His evocative work highlights the many … Continue reading

March 23, 2017 · 1 Comment

Gentrification: A Collage Poem

Local artist Julian Johnson offers a collage poem that was inspired by East Austin gentrification. Julian M Johnson is a student at Wesleyan University and lives in Austin, TX. Past works … Continue reading

September 20, 2016 · 1 Comment

The Curious Case of Clarksville

It’s no secret that Austin, Texas is a growing town. Residents gripe about the weak infrastructure, how the bustling tech industry has made the city less weird, and the pains … Continue reading

May 24, 2016 · 1 Comment

How Austin Became Weird: The Story of a Slogan

Everyday, thousands of Austinites roam our city’s sidewalk-less streets, creep along its concrete highways, and ramble through the corridors of its universities and start-ups with one question burning in their … Continue reading

May 24, 2016 · 1 Comment

Austin Old-Timer and Newcomer

I. Austin is the capital of the American Renaissance of the beginning of the twenty-first century. The explosive construction of bridges, ramps, roads, buildings; the flow of creative, inventive, and … Continue reading

May 24, 2016 · 1 Comment

Interview with Geographer Eliot Tretter

What inspired you to write Shadows of a Sunbelt City?  Two factors inspired me to write Shadows of a Sunbelt City. One was the very practical matter of needing to find … Continue reading

May 24, 2016 · Leave a comment

Cactus Rose Trailer Park

Cactus Rose is a trailer park located in the Monotopolis neighborhood of East Austin, an area that has been subjected to heavy changes in the past few years. I spent a few … Continue reading

May 24, 2016 · Leave a comment

Photographer John Pike on Austin Cantinas

If you look carefully you can still find a few remaining dingy, dark, loud and smokey Cantina type bars catering to a mostly Mexican and Central American crowd. These cantinas … Continue reading

May 24, 2016 · Leave a comment

Native Bees and Austin’s Unrelenting Growth

Most of us know by now that Austin is a great place to live.  I’ve been here my entire life and watched the city grow up with me.  A lot … Continue reading

May 24, 2016 · Leave a comment

Fighting for Affordable Housing in Austin: A Conversation with Mandy De Mayo, Director of HousingWorks.

Mandy De Mayo is the Executive Director of HousingWorks, a non-profit organization on the front lines of the fight for fair and affordable housing in Austin. We sat down to … Continue reading

May 23, 2016 · Leave a comment

Goodbye to a River?

In May of 2014 I returned to Austin for one last research trip before finally sitting down and completing my book on Austin’s history. Having been gone from Texas for … Continue reading

February 7, 2015 · 3 Comments

Alright Alright Alright: We Get Older, Dazed Stays the Same Age

Dazed and Confused (1993) turned 21 last year. Yes, the film that follows a longhaired teenager and his friends as they attempt to avoid being hazed, the film in which … Continue reading

February 7, 2015 · 1 Comment

The Rail in Austin: A Conversation with Niran Babalola

When asked what the biggest issue facing Austin is, we typically hear a smattering of answers, but the most common refrain involves traffic, sprawl, and public transportation. No surprise, then, that Austin … Continue reading

February 7, 2015 · 4 Comments

Chicken Shit Bingo

Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon is an Austin institution drawing people from all over the world for Chicken Shit Bingo, cheap beer, friendly atmosphere, and a taste of Texas culture. Ginny’s … Continue reading

February 7, 2015 · Leave a comment

From Suburban to Urban

If one were to visit Austin for the first time, one might see a bustling and busy town, expanding and growing beyond its transportation capacity. A closer look at specific neighborhoods … Continue reading

February 7, 2015 · Leave a comment

Dead Horses

This is a story about Austin’s changing environment  and a terrible episode of how a flood displaced an entire urban neighborhood, but it’s also a story about horses, and so … Continue reading

May 22, 2014 · Leave a comment

Slacker Geography, 25 Years Later

Filmed for a reputed $23,000 in summer 1989, Slacker is a film that had the odds stacked against it.  Writer-director Richard Linklater had exhausted family members from which to borrow … Continue reading

May 22, 2014 · 46 Comments

Pole Position: Walking Formula One in East Austin

Two local designers have superimposed the new Formula 1 track on East Austin in this creative exploration of the “overlapping conditions of rapid development and stagnant urbanism” in a city divided by … Continue reading

May 22, 2014 · 1 Comment

North Lamar Bus and other Austin poems

Local writer Monty Jones has shared four new poems with TEOA, including one that that sums up the Austin mindset quite nicely: “When I moved here, people told me I was … Continue reading

May 21, 2014 · Leave a comment
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