You know what makes a state seem 'super liberal'? 60% Democrat-leaning. You know what makes a state seem 'super conservative'? 60% Republican-leaning. That's a net swing of just 20%. The other 80% of the people? Similar between regions, or different in dimensions that are not political – as politics is a sideshow, not the main-act, of most peoples' lives.
You will see more Democratic lawn signs, bumper-stickers, and billboards in conservative areas of Texas than you'll see Republican signage in liberal areas of California... conservative politics is strong but does not enforce the same orthodoxy as in the cities of California.
Over the last four decades, Calfornia has been led by Republican governors for more years than Texas has. Houston is the largest city in the world to elect an openly gay mayor.
People, companies, communities, and regions are a lot more interesting, and compatible with each other, than reductionist left-right political averages might lead you to believe.
Austin is just about as liberal as it gets. There is a reason that local politicians will try to move the seat of government back to Houston or Dallas every so often ;)
Texas, though still a 'stronghold' for the Right at the moment, is getting whittled down. For example: in the Fort Worth area, one of the reddest in a red state, 12 years ago was voting 96% Republican. 4 years later it was 88%. These days it is around 65%. Strongly red to be sure but the trend is unmistakable.
Also, a lot of 'Rockstar, Ninja SuperHumans' in SF are eventually going to want to raise a family. I love SF (aside from the slight claustrophobic feeling it gives me) but it is terribly hard to raise kids there. Aside from the tiny living spaces and lack of places to play, child care is astronomical. Austin is a great place for raising a family.
Everybody's mentioned the cost of living.
Some differences with the Austin 'scene' as opposed to CA. Ideas are greeted with a bit more skepticism...the second or third question that will always be asked is 'Sounds great! How is it going to make money?' That can be a bit of a wet blanket but it could also serve to keep you focused. Not to say that there is a lack of enthusiasm. There is plenty of that, but it is a bit more sober. Also, entrepreneurs seem to be a slightly older set of people. Not much but it is noticeable. One problem is that traditional banks around here (Austin) seem to be next to clueless or just extremely cautious when it comes to technology (if someone has a favorite tech savvy bank(er) in the Central Texas area, please let me know).
Anyway, I have convinced people to move from SF kicking and screaming. They have had a lot of the same reactions of people here ("I never want to be a Texan!", "Where will I get good beer?", "Is there any good food there?", "The jobs are not as exciting." etc, etc.) and they have ended up being very happy here.
I moved from reasonably liberal parts of Illinois/Wisconsin to Dallas/Fort Worth about three years ago... I wouldn't recommend this.
When I decided to move from DFW to start a company I looked at Portland, Boston, San Francisco, and Austin. Austin made sense, financially. Texas has no state income tax (unfortunately the social services reflect this), jobs, and the cost of living is a fraction of what it is in other cities of its size. Also, winter is just another word for January here.
Unfortunately, Austin is still a reasonably small town surrounded by Texas.
I wouldn't have come here if I wasn't trying to sack away money in a town with a reasonable selection of 24-hour cafes and restaurants. While I know a few SF->Austin transplants who love it here, I'd rather be in San Francisco.
They moved down after I went away for school. After being away from them for about 6 years during/after school, I went down the summer before my brother got married and ended up staying for a bit after meeting a girl.
This was well before I considered Austin or the others. I didn't intend to settle in Texas when I first got here.
Austin is not like the rest of Texas. It's common to hear others here comment the same: "Austin is not Texas". "Keep Austin Weird" is also a common t-shirt and bumper sticker slogan.
Austin's certainly not as lush and beautiful as Northern California, but it's definitely not "dreary and worn looking". Yes, it gets very hot in the summer, but the rest of the year the weather is fantastic.
You will see more Democratic lawn signs, bumper-stickers, and billboards in conservative areas of Texas than you'll see Republican signage in liberal areas of California... conservative politics is strong but does not enforce the same orthodoxy as in the cities of California.
Over the last four decades, Calfornia has been led by Republican governors for more years than Texas has. Houston is the largest city in the world to elect an openly gay mayor.
People, companies, communities, and regions are a lot more interesting, and compatible with each other, than reductionist left-right political averages might lead you to believe.