A Tale of Two Cities: Austin, TX vs. Norman, OK
The Red River Rivalry is more than just a college football showdown between the Univ. of Texas and Univ. of Oklahoma, it’s also a contrast of two very different cities—Austin, TX and Norman, OK. Before bragging rights for the next year are won on the field, here’s a comparison of the two cities to provide each side some trash talking ammunition.
NICKNAMES
AUSTIN: Live Music Capital of the World, Violet Crown, People’s Republic of Austin, Silicon Hills, Queso con Queso, Weird City, Bat City, Hippie Haven, River City, and ATX.
NORMAN: SoonerLand, Switzerville, Normal… actually these are all made up because there really aren’t any nicknames for Norman. Are there?
THINGS TO DO IN AUSTIN
- Play chicken $#!% bingo
- Watch tons of live music
- Admire the largest urban bat colony in North America
- Kayak on Lady Bird Lake
- Get weird and join the freak parade on 6th Street
- Play frisbee golf (frolf)
- Compare Colt McCoy tattoos, etc.
THINGS TO DO IN NORMAN:
- Sit on the front porch of the National Weather Center and discuss the weather
- Play the slots at the nearby Riverwind Casino
- Get shot playing paintball
- Watch the sunset at Lake Thunderbird State Park
- Eat barbecue
- Tailgate while eating barbecue
- Talk about Adrian Peterson’s firm handshake
LIVE MUSIC
There are over 250 live music venues in Austin. Norman has 20. Perhaps this is why Austin is The Live Music Capital of the World?
BIGGEST FESTIVAL
Since 1977, Norman has hosted an annual Medieval Fair, the third largest event in all of Oklahoma. One can watch jousting, human chess games, and “enjoy mirth and merriment with kings, queens, knights and fools as the kingdom comes alive.”
Austin’s South By Southwest (SXSW) is the world’s leading music industry event and features hundreds of the country’s top bands. It’s kind of a big deal, partly because a bunch of trade shows have been combined with it so sometimes your company will pay for you to get drunk there for a week. No jousting though.
LOCALLY-SOURCED CELEBS
BORN IN NORMAN:James Garner, Vince Gill, and Milena Govich.
BORN IN AUSTIN: Drew Brees, Ethan Hawke, Dakota Johnson, Ben McKenzie, Nelly, and Tom Ford.
TOP EMPLOYERS
Norman: University of Oklahoma, Norman Public School System, Norman Regional Hospital, National Weather Center, Johnson Controls, Hitachi… basically there are lots of government jobs.
Austin: Dell, IBM, Seton Family Hospitals, University of Texas, as well as various government jobs and companies like 3M, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Google, and Whole Foods.
DANGER
Located 20 miles from Oklahoma City, Norman is so centrally located in Tornado Alley that the National Weather Center is actually headquartered there. However, according to a natural disaster risk assessment by the New York Times, Austin is actually at greater risk for a natural disaster, and comes in as the country’s eight most dangerous city. Credit hazards like tornadoes, hail, wind, drought and more.
HOUSING PRICES
The median sale price for a home in Norman is $148,500. For Austin, it’s a little pricier at $184,893. However, the Austin home shown above is listed for $14,500,000 so maybe that throws the curve off. You can look at lots of pretty Austin homes for sale on Estately real estate search site HERE.
FAMOUS NORMANS AND AUSTINS
AUSTINS: Pop singer Austin Mahone, NFL receiver Austin Collie, heartthrob Austin Basis, wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and the iconic Austin Powers.
NORMANS: Author Norman Mailer, painter Norman Rockwell, lots of Nobel Prize winners, golfer Greg Norman, and Norman Bates (Psycho).
CURRENT STANDINGS
If you live in Norman, then you live in a city where the local team is undefeated and in first place in the Big 12. If Austin’s where you hang your hat, then your team’s 2-1, but still tied for first in the Big 12.
Did we leave out any important distinctions? Let us know in the comments.
