I recall Fredericksburg from a visit many years ago. Pleasant little town. Pies and beef jerky. Has Fredericksburg been infected by tech bro money? (You may have seen the article in Texas Monthly about how right-wing tech acolytes and their money are changing Austin.)
Fredericksburg is the epicenter of the Texas Hill Country Wine industry now. Every other shop on the main drag is now a tasting room and the rest of the shops are upscale retailers. The city is now a destination for Texan travel. It's also a center for healthcare services. Great coffee everywhere. Nice restaurants everywhere. And housing prices rising so much that they are within striking distance of being Austin-comparable. But they are pulling this off without being overwhelmed with traffic and crowding. It's actually a very cool, medium sized, semi-rural town surrounded by literally 50 or more vineyards funded by people with deep pockets. Very deep pockets. Not at all what the town was like 20 years ago or more.... Pies? Didn't see any. Beef Jerky? Only at the one "country" gourmet shop that also specializes in dozens of brands of hot sauce. Everything changed.
Now, the Austin article. Yeah. A ton of centi-millionaires and billionaires and their well funded children have moved here and are making their presence known. But the city still (Thank God!!!) mostly votes blue. The wealthy always want more, more, more. But there are still steady enough hands on the tiller.
I do not understand what causes that change in people when they accumulate a certain amount of wealth and suddenly it’s not enough and never will be. A garage with eight cars. A giant boat with 4-350hp outboards at $35,000 each and only because 5 won’t fit…..talk about Veblen goods. And still more is needed and a quick switch to Republican to make sure none of it is taxed. Sigh.
Repotedly, when Cornelius Vanderbuilt became the richest man in the world, he was asked "When will you have enough?" and he replied he wanted "Just a little bit more." It's always about "more".
I recall Fredericksburg from a visit many years ago. Pleasant little town. Pies and beef jerky. Has Fredericksburg been infected by tech bro money? (You may have seen the article in Texas Monthly about how right-wing tech acolytes and their money are changing Austin.)
ReplyDeleteFredericksburg is the epicenter of the Texas Hill Country Wine industry now. Every other shop on the main drag is now a tasting room and the rest of the shops are upscale retailers. The city is now a destination for Texan travel. It's also a center for healthcare services. Great coffee everywhere. Nice restaurants everywhere. And housing prices rising so much that they are within striking distance of being Austin-comparable. But they are pulling this off without being overwhelmed with traffic and crowding. It's actually a very cool, medium sized, semi-rural town surrounded by literally 50 or more vineyards funded by people with deep pockets. Very deep pockets. Not at all what the town was like 20 years ago or more.... Pies? Didn't see any. Beef Jerky? Only at the one "country" gourmet shop that also specializes in dozens of brands of hot sauce. Everything changed.
DeleteNow, the Austin article. Yeah. A ton of centi-millionaires and billionaires and their well funded children have moved here and are making their presence known. But the city still (Thank God!!!) mostly votes blue. The wealthy always want more, more, more. But there are still steady enough hands on the tiller.
I do not understand what causes that change in people when they accumulate a certain amount of wealth and suddenly it’s not enough and never will be. A garage with eight cars. A giant boat with 4-350hp outboards at $35,000 each and only because 5 won’t fit…..talk about Veblen goods. And still more is needed and a quick switch to Republican to make sure none of it is taxed. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteRepotedly, when Cornelius Vanderbuilt became the richest man in the world, he was asked "When will you have enough?" and he replied he wanted "Just a little bit more." It's always about "more".
ReplyDeleteOr, as Mr. Burns said on a Simpsons Episode: "I'd gladly trade it all for just a little more..."
Delete