Austin may not be the most romantic city in the country — but for the second year in a row, it’s officially the best place in Texas to celebrate Valentine’s Day, according to a new study.
Austin, TX
Austin is the best city in Texas for Valentine’s Day, study says
If love is in the air, but funds are tight, we’ve got you!
Jay Janner/American-StatesmanThe city ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 12 nationwide in a new WalletHub study comparing the best U.S. cities for Valentine’s Day, factoring in affordability, date-night activities, gift options and weather.
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The analysis comes as Americans are expected to spend a record $29.1 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, according to the National Retail Federation, with the average person dropping about $200 on gifts, dinners and dates — a number that has climbed even as inflation continues to squeeze household budgets.
Why Austin ranked best in Texas for Valentine’s Day
WalletHub evaluated cities across four main categories: budget, activities, gift accessibility and weather, using 25 separate metrics, including things like the cost of a three-course dinner for two and the number of florists, chocolatiers and spas per capita.
Austin performed especially well as a middle-ground city, ranking:
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- 17th for affordability, factoring in dining, drinks and transportation
- 17th for activities, including restaurants, nightlife and walkability
- 16th for gift accessibility, such as jewelry stores and florists
- 81st for weather, a weaker spot driven by forecast volatility rather than average temperatures
That blend was enough to put Austin ahead of cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, and just behind Orlando and Washington, D.C.
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Texas cities dominate the affordability side
While Austin placed highest overall among Texas cities, other parts of the state stood out for sheer affordability.
Garland and Plano both ranked in the top five nationally for having some of the cheapest three-course meals for two — a metric that carried extra weight in the study. Houston placed 23rd overall, while Dallas and Fort Worth landed in the middle of the pack.
Several Texas cities, however, fell toward the bottom of the rankings due to fewer florists, chocolate shops and gift retailers per capita, which are categories that dragged down places like El Paso, Corpus Christi and Lubbock.
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Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be expensive
WalletHub analysts said the rankings are meant to push back against the idea that Valentine’s Day has to be extravagant.
“It’s common to spoil your partner on Valentine’s Day, but inflation can certainly put a damper on those plans,” analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement. “The best cities offer a wide variety of affordable date activities, food options and places to buy gifts, so you can show that you care without breaking the bank.”
Victoria Hernandez and her boyfriend, Jeremy Clark, celebrate Valentine’s Day with a picnic on the great lawn in Austin’s Zilker Park on Feb. 14. The Austin City Council is considering requiring all new commercial, industrial and office projects in Austin to pay a parkland fee.
Jay Janner/American-StatesmanAmong the study’s suggestions for keeping costs down:
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- Cooking a meal together instead of dining out
- Opting for personalized or DIY gifts
- Taking advantage of free or low-cost outdoor activities
- Setting a firm budget and sticking to it
The national picture
San Francisco topped the list overall, followed by San Diego and Las Vegas, buoyed by dense restaurant scenes, walkability and access to romantic experiences. Detroit, Toledo and Hialeah finished at the bottom.
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Austin’s showing reflects what locals already know: the city may not be the cheapest place to fall in love, but between food trucks, live music, sunset walks and a deep bench of date spots, it remains one of the easier places to make Valentine’s Day feel special without going overboard.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget.
The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.
Residents who live near waterways say they have seen how quickly conditions can change. David Haderspeck, who lives near Shoal Creek, said the creek “fills up pretty fast” and “gets a lot higher than you’d expect.” He said he has watched the water rise dramatically after rain.
“I’ve seen it come up probably 10 to 15 feet to the ordinary high-water mark,” he said.
This week, parts of Central Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to get heavy downpours. While Austin is not expecting the same impacts as parts of the Hill Country, leaders said the city is using this year’s budget planning to continue investing in flood safety.
Alter said the city has the expertise to address flooding risks but needs to follow through on projects.
ALSO| Central Texas urged to prepare as heavy rainfall sits in forecast over next two days
“We have the experts. We just have to put the plans into practice, and that’s what we’re doing in this budget,” he said.
Under the budget proposal, the city would provide about $134.5 million for the Drainage Utility Fund, which helps pay for flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure and watershed protection efforts.
Alter said the proposal would shift more of the funding balance toward building new infrastructure.
“What we’re going to do is shift that balance a little bit more to building new infrastructure so that when we do have large flooding events, we’ve got that infrastructure in place to keep people safe,” he said.
The proposal also adds staff and invests in both new and existing flood mitigation projects across the city.
Asked whether the proposed investments would be enough moving forward, Alter said, “I do…I think we’re doing the right thing and just making sure that our residents have the infrastructure to stay safe.”
Alter said heavy rain cannot be prevented, but the city’s goal is to have infrastructure in place to help keep people safe when it happens.
FILE – LinkedIn logos are displayed on an iPhone and computer screen. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Attorney General’s office has opened an investigation into LinkedIn over allegations that the professional networking platform misleads consumers with advertising and profiting from misleading or fake job listings, otherwise known as “ghost jobs.”
LinkedIn investigation
In this photo illustration a Linkedin logo seen displayed on a mobile phone. (Photo Illustration by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
What we know:
Texas announced on Tuesday it has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) seeking documents, data and internal communications related to LinkedIn’s advertising, marketing, job listing verification practices and its Premium subscription services.
The investigation centers on whether LinkedIn violated Texas’ consumer protection laws by promoting paid subscription services while allegedly failing to disclose that some job listings on the platform may not actually be representative of hiring opportunities.
What is a ‘ghost job’?
An image of a woman holding a cell phone in front of a LinkedIn logo displayed on a computer screen. On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and the world’s largest professional networking platform, with more than 1 billion registered users worldwide.
A “ghost job” generally refers to a position advertised online that either is no longer available or that an employer has no immediate intention of filling. The attorney general’s office cited independent studies estimating that ghost jobs account for between one-fifth and one-third of online job postings.
Texas AG targets Premium Subscription Fees
Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
What they’re saying:
According to the office of the attorney general, LinkedIn does not independently verify the hiring status of most job listings on its platform. Ken Paxton’s office alleges that the company’s marketing for its Premium subscription services does not disclose that a significant number of postings could be inactive, unfilled or not reflect genuine employment opportunity.
“I will use every resource available to my office to help job-seeking Texans find and secure real employment opportunities,” Paxton said in a statement. “LinkedIn has a duty to provide the services it advertises and ensure that consumers paying for Premium subscriptions are receiving access to legitimate job postings.”
Texas officials said LinkedIn’s Premium Career and Premium Business subscriptions cost about $39.99 and $69.99 per month, respectively, and are marketed to jobseekers looking to improve their employment prospects.
What’s next:
The investigation does not include any formal allegations of wrongdoing, and no lawsuit has been filed.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
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