10 Reasons Houston Is Better Than Austin

Austin has the post-collegiate hipster thing down pat, but when it comes to scrappy ambition, no city works harder and better than Houston, a visionary kind of place where the American Dream still thrives.

Houstonians are a friendly sort and can cook a mean meal with the best of them. And did we mention they're great singers too? Well, they are.

If that's not enough to convince you to visit, here are 10 reasons Houston is better than Austin by a country mile—except when it comes to good looks and better weather.

For every starving artist trying to make it in Austin, there's a dozen succeeding in Houston. The city is home to the Orange Show, a small suburban lot that fosters artistic expression, and the annual Art Car Parade, which touts the funkiest four wheels in town.

If that doesn't whet your appetite for the arts, we suggest the Museum of Fine Arts (which houses two stellar museums, including Bayou Bend, an amazing collection of American furniture) or the Menil Collection. Also funded by John and Dominque de Menil is the stunning Rothko Chapel, which serves as meditative space as well as a work of art.

At the MFAH, you can catch Picasso Black and White, a striking series of pencil sketches not previously published that expose the artist's working methods. The Menil is home to the Cy Twombly Gallery, which houses eight rooms' worth of drawings, sculptures, and paintings by the New York artist.

Cheap real estate, three-buck fish tacos, and business-friendly policies make Houston hard to beat in the saving cash department. And unlike in Austin, you won't exhaust all of your options after just a few months.

But don't take it from us, just ask Forbes, who named it one of America's coolest places to live last year thanks to its affordable cost of living and penchant for helping small business owners squeeze costs and maximize productivity. Austin only placed 19 on its list, but Houston ranked No. 1.

The Galleria, the Loop, the Museum District: Downtown Houston has no shortage of places to visit, and Austin just doesn't compare. It's too small!

The skyline is broader, the malls are much bigger, and our buildings—namely the trapezoidal Pennzoil Place and the 64-story Williams Tower—are striking. No wonder Phillip Johnson, the legendary architect who designed them, was so taken with this city. It was the only place big enough for his imagination.

Austin may be known as a college town, but Houston isn't afraid to stick its nose in a book either. The Bayou City, as it's often called, is home to memoirist Nick Flynn, novelist Chitra Divakaruni, and short story writer Antonya Nelson.

Book worms also gravitate to Inprint!, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983, to check out world-class readings with the likes of Junot Diaz and Jonathan Lethem, and take memoir workshops designed to get those creative juices flowing.

Sure, Austin has Stubb's, Franklin's Barbecue, and plenty of Tex-Mex. But have you tried the beans at Ninfa's on Navigation or the brisket at Goode Barbecue? They're to die for, and you can't get them anywhere else.

Houstonians take their food seriously, and when it comes to chicken fried steak—the city's blue plate of choice—you'd better make sure it overlaps the table and comes with a heaping side of mashed potatoes, preferably smothered in gravy.

In Houston, every restaurant is a culinary experience unto itself, so it's no wonder The New York Times singled out the new hotspot Oxheart, home to such creative concoctions as sunflower seed soup and "yellow edge" grouper roasted over wood.

So what if Austin has South by Southwest? Houston has Z-Ro, Scarface, Bun B, and Beyoncé. Oh, and pioneering singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt.

Let's also not forget Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker and the distinction of being the very place where Willie Nelson cranked out his most enduring and heart-warming ballads.

Any questions?

Houston is home to some serious nerds, including pioneers at NASA, Rice University, and the Texas Medical Center, the largest of its kind in the world.

Rice professors invented the buckyball, a spherical 60-carbon-atom molecule that earned them a Nobel Prize for their founding role in the history of nanotechnology. And for years, engineers have been diving underwater to inspect the city's offshore oil rigs.

While doctors hunt for a viral trigger to diabetes, locals explore NASA's official Space Center. Even in our free time, we're seeking an opportunity to soak up more knowledge.

When it comes to pro sports, Houston has the game on lock. They've got Texans football, Rockets basketball, and of course, Astros baseball.

And there's no shortage of arenas to watch them in, either. Minute Maid Park holds over 40,000 fans, while the Toyota Center is one of the largest entertainment and sports venues in the nation, housing up to 18,000. In 2006, the arena even played host to the NBA All Star Game.

Austin, on the other hand, has zero pro teams, and its largest venue might be Emo's on E. Riverside. Sure, the University of Texas' Longhorns are great, but is college really better than pro?

When it comes to cultural diversity, you don't have to look much farther than Houston, a veritable melting pot of cultures that include people of French, Vietnamese, Indian, African, and Mexican descent. You can taste it in the food and ethnic festivals held all year long, but you can also see it by looking up into the sky.

Houston's international ties are so strong, it has the fourth largest airport hub in the country, Intercontinental (Bush Airport). Ranked best airport by Travel + Leisure in 2009, IAH boasts more than 700 daily departures and saw 40.1 million people pass through its doors in 2011. As for Austin Bergstrom International, well it's only the 47th busiest national airport. Can't win 'em all, Austin.