- Claudia De La Fuente
Austin became the administrative centre of Tx after Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected President of the Republic of Tx. President Lamar shifted the capital city from Houston to Waterloo, a city which in 1839 he renamed Austin honoring Stephen F. "who, though he has truly gone into history books with the rather grand subject of "impresario, " was in reality little more when compared to a glorified real real estate programmer" (Lomax 1).
Austin was chosen as the administrative centre of Texas over more flourishing cities because of several factors, one of these being its geographical location. Austin is located in the central part of Texas, where Leader Lamar assumed the republicґs people would eventually grow. Austinґs central location managed to get easier for folks from around Texas to move and settle for the reason that area. Another factor that contributed to Chief executive Lamarґs decision to move the administrative centre city was to escape the fevers that plagued residents of the republicґs coastal areas. Austinґs moderate climate compared to Houstonґs humid local climate was another reason Lamar select Austin as the capital city of Texas, since its great climate would attract more folks to stay there. Another reason Austin was chosen as the capital of Tx was because no-one could have forecasted the future of Austin or the importance of Houstonґs economical and cultural contributions to Texas. At that time, both Houston and Austin were just starting to grow, it could have been impossible for the president or one to anticipate the insignificant number of medical and cultural happenings present in Austin compared to Houston's.
After being chosen the administrative centre city of Texas, Austin experienced many changes on its market, society, and culture. After Austin became the capital of Texas, its population began to increase. As more folks from around Texas started moving and settling in the capital, the price tag on surviving in that area must have increased. As a result of the upsurge in demand for property started out, the prices of those properties started to increase as well. Austinґs growing populace attracted business people who started new businesses in the capital. These new businesses helped improve Austinґs market by providing more job opportunities. After Austin became the administrative centre of Texas, the federal government started spending more on Austinґs education. As evidence of these is the fact that the best college or university in the express of Tx is situated in Austin. The federal government also started trading more in Austinґs culture by building museums, theaters, and parks that could attract more folks to come and visit the capital or even negotiate there. The fact that Austin is the capital of Texas offers a great deal of income to the city since it draws in many folks from all over Tx and all of those other country to go to metropolis and spend their money on the cityґs businesses and visitors attractions.
As the city of Austin began to grow and its education and current economic climate began to improve, more and more people from other parts of the country and the world started out moving to Austin. This wave of immigrants has helped condition Austinґs culture, since people who result from other areas of the world or the country and settle in Austin bring with them different traditions that have remained part of Austinґs culture. Needlessly to say after Austin became Texas' capital its inhabitants has increased through the years and Austinґs culture is very diverse. We are looking forward to a larger development and this sooner or later Austin can be consider a truly capital without second thought.
The politics culture that dominates Austin is a mixture of traditionalism and individualism. In my own thoughts and opinions individualism dominates Austinґs political culture because nearly all Austinґs residents are republicans; therefore they believe that the government should limit its involvement in the economy to the very least and they particularly support private businesses. The town of Austin is mainly packed with Republican politicians, appointees, lobbyists, and corporate and business leaders, who generally value their businesses and pursue their self-interests rather than considering the public good.
Even though Austin has a political culture that is dominated by individualism, its traditionalistic subculture still remains present. I believe this is because even though as years have exceeded, and the immigration rates had increased, meaning more folks from worldwide have settled in Austin, the Anglo inhabitants is still almost all group in Austin. Since almost all of them are traditional and their voter turnout is higher than every other group, traditionalism is still dominant. In the traditionalistic subculture, politicians result from societyґs top notch and politics is really a competition between rival factions within the top notch, they are all characteristics of Republicans. The traditionalistic areas of Austinґs politics are exemplified by the low level of voter turnout among minority groupings, and the communal and financial conservatism within Austin.
As an outcome, both a traditionalist and individualist subcultures dominates the state capital, and their state as a whole. If more minority categories would vote and make their viewpoints be noticed, maybe Austin wouldn't normally be dominated with a traditionalist and individualist subculture, and instead it would be dominated with a moralistic subculture, where the federal government is more involved in cultural issues such as education and health, and problem is less evident.
Austinґs slogan "Keep Austin Strange", tries to convey the theory that Austin is a unique and weird city which anyone who comes in must keep it doing this. It is said that the culture of Austin is a mismatch with the rest of the state, I agree with this affirmation. Since throughout many years, people from other areas of the world, attended to Austin either to study or live there, Austin has an extremely diverse culture. People who come from other areas of the world and settle in Austin, bring with them different traditions off their countries of origin that have remained in Austin, therefore the town of Austin has been obligated to adapt to those civilizations and live with them. As a result, Austinґs culture is not representative of the state of Tx and instead this is a blend of the culture of many different countries. "Capital cities should be something of any synthesis of the places they signify, but Austin is to Texas what Saint Petersburg was to Imperial Russia: a deplorable conduit for international ideas and styles" (Lomax 3).
The reality Austin is a city filled with people from various areas of the globe with different political opinions and cultural status influences Austinґs politics subculture. Even though most of the population of Austin is white, there are still many people of different races with different tips of views regarding politics. As a result, we find that there are several political subcultures present in Austin making impact on every aspect, this means they impact in politics, social and economic matters. For example, most white and rich people are most likely to prefer an individualistic subculture because within an individualistic subculture the governmentґs role in the economy is limited and problem is tolerated, while participants of minority organizations are most likely to prefer a moralistic subculture because in a moralistic subculture politics revolves around solving sociable issues and the public good.
The status capital should be the most crucial city in the express of Texas; metropolis that comes with an impact, not only within the state but in the whole country. That city should serve for example for all of those other cities to follow. I believe city is Houston, not Austin. Houstonґs medical, financial, and cultural contributions to Tx and the rest of the country, make it the best contender to become the capital city. One of the better clinics in the state of Tx and the country are found in Houston. "For nine of days gone by eleven years, U. S. Media & World Statement has named MD Anderson the most notable cancer medical center in the country"(Lomax 2). Houstonґs contributions to the American market through its energy industry have received Houston worldwide identification; this is something that the town of Austin cannot claim. "Houston, the broad-shouldered city of processed olive oil and crude people, with its leviathan interface and behemoth of any petrochemical organic, propels the American economy more vitally than all the stocky bald bankers on Wall structure Street" (Lomax 2). Houstonґs energy industry- especially olive oil and natural gas- are crucial to keeping the American market progressing, which shows the importance of metropolis of Houston to Tx and all of those other country.
The capital city should be considered a strange city with a culture that signifies all of those other state and this attracts people from all over the country. Even though Austin boasts to be unusual and representative of the status of Texas, in reality Austinґs culture has been molded by international ideas and fashions. On the other hand, Houstonґs cultural mixture of the original, the modern, and bizarre, makes Houston strange and unique. In addition, Houstonґs cultural organizations, every year attract millions of men and women from from coast to coast. "More than two million people avail themselves annual of ballet, Broadway shows, opera, works, and symphonic music at the nine arts locations downtown" (Lomax 2). These are several reasons why I believe Houston should be the capital of Tx, instead of Austin.
Works Cited
Lomax, John Nova. February 2013. Texas Month to month.
http://www. texasmonthly. com.
