For a long time, Austin was what Rick Perry once described as the “blueberry in the tomato soup,” a predominantly Democratic city full of liberal expats seeking progressive politics and an urban lifestyle at a red-state cost-of-living discount. But then 2020 happened. As the pandemic raged, Governor Greg Abbott banned municipalities including Austin from implementing COVID measures such as mask mandates. The following year, amid a brutal winter storm, the state’s electric grid failed, killing hundreds and leaving millions freezing in the dark, and it has yet to be fixed. That summer, Abbott codified permitless carry and further restricted voting access. This past February, he ordered investigations into the parents of trans children for child abuse. By June, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Texas was ten months ahead, having already effectively banned abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest and topped it with a $10,000 reward for informants. “It’s like how a frog boils one degree at a time,” one resident said. “They trigger-banned all abortion and they’re offering a bounty! What more do you need if you are a remotely liberal person to get the fuck out of here?” Read more about the liberal exodus from Austin at the link in bio.