I have heard many people say, “This city is like … Austin’s sister city.” 

Move over, Ann Arbor and Madison.  State universities does not a sister city make.

Seattle is Austin’s sister city.  Allow me to make my case.

Music: Music history has come from both places. Nirvana?  Austin City Limits?  Wud up.

Techie Tech Industries: Michael Dell and Bill Gates.  Hardware and Software.  Ying and Yang.  This just got weird … I mean, computer moguls Dell and Microsoft lie in suburbs of Austin and Seattle.  

Token “Homeless” Men: Both cities have their token homeless guys.  Although we don’t actually know if Austin’s “Leslie” or Seattle’s “Tuba Man” are technically homeless, they are still people known for photo opps and outlandish behaviour. (R.I.P. Tuba Man)

Liberal: Austin and Seattle are liberal cities in their conservative states.  Both cities are blue, hippy dots in a sea of evangelical red.  They feel different from the rest of their respective states in most elections.

Border States: You need a passport to get out of these cities’ states if you go in one direction long enough.

Whole Foods: Loved passionately and intimately in both cities.

Achilles’ heel: Rainy nine months out of the year in Seattle, hot-as-ass nine months out of the year in Austin.  Weather is the flaw for both locations.  Both sisters are jealous of Northern Cali weather.

Who do you think Austin’s sister city is?

Thanks to Weslie and Ryan for their research assistance for this post.