United States | An American boom town

As Austin thrives as a tech hub, will it avoid San Francisco’s problems?

The capital of Texas will have to grapple with the downsides of growth

|Austin

ELON MUSK has predicted that Austin will be “the biggest boom town that America has seen in 50 years”. From 2010 to 2020 its metro area had the second-fastest growth in the country—its population expanded by a third. Already America’s 11th-largest city, Austin could soon displace Silicon Valley’s San Jose in the top ten.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “City limits”

Beware the bossy state

From the January 15th 2022 edition

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