On more than one occasion, I've had clients from out of the area curiously ask me meaning of "Keep Austin Weird". Truly, you'd almost have to be an Austinite to appreciate the substance behind these three simple words and surely everyone has their opinion. 

In the beginning, the phrase arose from an offhand remark by Red Wassenich during a live broadcast phone conversation with a local radio station back in 2002 . In reality, Wassenich's comment was all about raising consumer awareness of the economic impact of shopping locally, of the importance of supporting our independently owned businesses competing with the big box stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot and that sort. But the phase stuck and in the next blink "Keep Austin Weird" bumper sticker started showing up all over Austin. Just one year later over 60,000 of them were given away and it didn't stop there.

In the last few years, the official unofficial citywide slogan has become: "Keep Austin Weird" It's printed on T-shirts, mugs, flying disks, boxer shorts, Web sites, and wherever else we can plaster it. Beyond that, it's become a rally call for just about everything Austin, Texas. We even turned the name into a yearly event by having a "Keep Austin Weird 5K run and Music Festival". And if that' not enough, in 2003 the Austin City Council at one of their televised meetings decided to support the phrase.

So is Austin really weird? Well, it's a matter of how you look at it.

How weird is it to celebrate the birthday of a fictional donkey friend of a fictional bear? We do that in Austin every spring with Eeyore's Annual Birthday Party.

What could be weirder than a major annual attraction devoted to canned luncheon meat? I'm talking about the annual Spamarama. There's also a cook-off at the party and yes, Spam in on the menu.

You're bound to see everything and anything weird when December's Christmas wonderland lights up 37th Street, but don't expect the usual scenes of Santa, snowmen, and traditional Christmas trees.

Let's not forget the 60 ton pile 'Cathedral of Junk', an endless work in progress started in 1988 by Vince Hannemann that includes lawnmower wheels, car bumpers, kitchen utensils, ladders, cables, bottles, circuit boards, bicycle parts, brick-a-brack, and a lot of weird stuff that is frankly unidentifiable. Tours? Yes, and free!

And where else do mobs of people enthusitically gather nightly next to a downtown bridge to watch over 750,000 (that's right, I said 750,000) bats depart from under it. Bat crazy or weird? Maybe a little of both.

The list goes on and I could delve into this more but maybe you get the jest of it all.

Yes, Austin truly is where the slogan all began and I'd say we are quite deserving of it, but apparently we had it stolen right out from under us. I did a search on the internet and found places like Santa Cruz, Boulder, Co., Erie, PA, (good grief--my home town but not my idea!) and Louisville, Ky., proudly embracing the slogan as their own while readily admitting they liked our idea. You have to marvel at this kind of inspired copycatting but one thing we can be sure of is that there can be no place else like Austin. So what is "normal" I dare ask?

How many people love living in Austin? Over 1.5 million and growing!  If you're planning to relocate here and want more Austin or surrounding area information, I can help you.  Looking to buy or sell a home, condo or investment property?  Want local listings that meet your criteria emailed to you? I can help you with that too! 

Karen Staha, CRS,GRI,ABR, REALTOR - Selling Texas Since 1995 - Gaston & Sheehan Realty, Call me direct: 512 217-2435 email: kmstaha@aol.com web: www.karenstaha.com

Copyright © By Karen Staha, All Rights Reserved......'Milestones of Keeping Austin Weird'