Those who know Austin know it to be a magical place. Live music surges through the air and cleansing creek water flows through the hills. The motto, "Keep Austin Weird," illustrates residents' appreciation for small businesses and cooky, eccentric local characters. It's never felt quite like the rest of Texas here. Still, there's the same sense of intense pride for one's place.
The underbelly of Austin is just as full of strange delights as its surface is. Scandals and corruption reveal themselves in this political town. The legacies of one of the earliest serial killers and mass shootings linger ominously. Yet despite its dark secrets, little-known stories of progress and creativity abound too. Music venues and local pools have fought and continue to fight racism. There is a universal love for queso, a Tex-Mex delicacy, and Leslie, an iconic cross-dressing homeless activist who was said to personify the city's motto-these stories bring people together, and now they're yours to discover.

Kelsey Roslin is a writer who has contributed articles for publications including The Huffington Post, Bustle, Go World Travel, and more. She has a bachelor¿s degree in creative writing and convergent journalism from Metropolitan State University of Denver. A Colorado native, she moved to Texas to live with her best friend and still isn¿t quite used to the heat. She loves crime podcasts and ghost stories.
https://www.kelseyroslin.com/
Nick Yeager grew up in Austin and keeps busy with social justice work, grassroots organizing, and community arts in town. He has a Bachelor¿s degree in American studies and queer studies from Wesleyan University, where he spent a lot of time writing creative pieces about Austin and led a student-taught class studying Texas through a sociological lens. His interests include maps of all sorts, public art, coming-of-age movies, Cuban economics, and the 1 Second Everyday video app. All he ever wants