I have never lived somewhere with less public transportation, art & culture, dining, and entertainment options than Austin, Texas.
And I’ve spent my entire life in the American south. Houston for example of all places, does twice as much on all of those qualities!
Not enough outdoor activities here. The amount of hiking trails is great for Texas. But not at the national scale or when compared to the West Coast & northern Rockies.
Texas is mostly private land, so there just aren't any greenbelts (that I know of, within 2 hours of Austin) where you can hike for 10-40 miles one way.
I'm strongly leaning towards Washington for that reason-- Huge "parks" (more like "wilderness zones") for hiking, as well as ocean kayaking, ocean sailing, and ocean fishing.
It's a cheap flight to Alaska from there. And WA is the only contiguous west coast state without state income tax.
With remote work, and an off-grid equipped van, I imagine someone who works from a computer can explore a large swath of the state, and nearby states, to find the right mix of weather and activities.
That said, they'd still likely be based in the Seattle area, and would largely remain subject to its weather conditions.
It was a huge game changer for me personally - it took a while to pick up, but now I actually look forward to the months of December to March (sometimes April) in Seattle, because it means I'm 45 minutes away from good skiing, and a couple hours away from great skiing.
Of course, it's not a spot for everyone, but even if you just do cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, it's totally possible to get "great" weather in the winter here.
WA seems very nice, the no state tax thing basically means a free mortgage payment if you are making good money in tech(not paying CA taxes)
I think a huge element has to be the success of SxSW. That has given a lot of people the personal positive exposure to Austin that makes them think moving there is plausible.
Buh? I was there less than 2 years but this is a baffling statement to me.
edit: except public transportation point.
Houston is also far more diverse, which directly impacts art, culture, and dining specifically.
Much of the same about art, culture, and dining also applies to Dallas.