That is really an astute analysis and all of the detailed points in your post comparing Austin and Nashville are spot on. I'll add one more -- and this ought to hit home for you -- both have adjacent counties named Williamson. And if you're a Christian Conservative living in the vicinity of either city, Williamson County is the place to be.
I have not done much in Austin since Dripping Springs was country and Mt Bonnell was undeveloped and hippie hollow still had a few hippie stragglers
Early 80s
I guess metro population has nearly quadrupled since 1980 which is astounding
Quite a few of my Mississippi friends moved there around 1980 to be in a cool area to kids anyhow
We had a family deer lease near Burnet quite a while on the 130,000acre BF Goodrich ranch along Lake Buchanon early to late 70s
I bet it’s now grown out past Lakeway to there too
Austin was fun late 70s..... I liked it
Nashville metro population has increased about 2.4 fold
And continues at a good 2-3% annual clip
Austin’s growth rate leads the nation I think
Nashville is around 12th
Nashville has more what we euphemistically refer to as urban flavor and the accompanying crime and self induced unemployment than does Austin
Austin proper in 8%
Nashville is 29%
in Austin white liberals are self flagellating to bring more blacks in and self loathing over how hipsters have cut Austin’s black population in half
Are we in the midst of a western civilization insanity or not