Where the Hipsters Are 2013

America's next hipster cities: Tucson, Pittsburgh and a Texas enclave are prime candidates

Last year we created a list of the next hipster cities. The article, which provoked equal parts social media sharing and eye-rolling, claimed that Chattanooga, Detroit, Asheville, N.C., and Burlington, Vt., were the next hipster cities.

Some of our theories came true, while others did not. Detroit continues to dominate hipsterdom, while Burlington continues to be a delightfully sleepy hippie town. (Side note: We purposely left off cities like Austin, Portland, Nashville and New Orleans.)

In the 18 months that have passed, we've traveled quite a bit of the country and thought it was time to take a look at what new hipster cities have emerged on the scene.

What makes Tucson cool is that it's not Phoenix.

Tucson
How could a place hotter than the devil's butt crack possibly be hip? Well, don't be surprised if you start seeing Tucson popping up more frequently on lists of unique places to live and visit.

What makes Tucson cool is that it's not Phoenix. What also makes Tucson cool is that it has a vibrant arts scene, gorgeous vintage architecture and inexpensive dwellings. Plus it's a popular place for cult classic musicians to inhabit. (Calexico and Giant Sand are current residents; Neko Case has also called it home.)

If you find yourself visiting Tucson, the only place to stay is Hotel Congress. Famous for being John Dillinger's hideout right before his capture, this boutique hotel is the epicenter of Tucson's arts and culture and features old-timey, inexpensive rooms; gourmet diner Cup Cafe; and bar/music venue Club Congress. The latter highlights a nightly roster of food fests, DJs, dance parties and sweet music acts — like this week's double bill of Howard Jones and Men Without Hats(!).

Tucson also features its own version of Austin's Sixth Street — 4th Avenue —which features your normal array of bars, bookstores, co-ops, markets and locally gift shops. The only difference is, a number of these businesses are 100 percent solar-powered!

If you're thinking of moving to Tucson, check out the neighborhood Barrio Santa Rosa, located within walking distance of downtown and featuring colorful adobe homes from the turn of the century.

The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, where Lee Harvey Oswald was caught, now features an array of Alamo Drafthouse-esque events.

Oak Cliff, Texas
Okay. Technically Oak Cliff is not a city; it's a neighborhood southwest of downtown Dallas. But just go with it. Oak Cliff has the culture and innovation of East Austin and the architecture of Austin's Hyde Park. Oak Cliff is no longer the neighborhood your friends tell you to stay away from; the bustling area is filled with reclaimed theaters, breweries, art spaces and boutique shops.

The place to stay in Oak Cliff is The Belmont, an art moderne boutique hotel with a breathtaking pool overlooking downtown Dallas. Rooms start at $109, and the hotel has an attached bar and award-winning restaurant next door, Smoke.

Another Oak Cliff must is the Texas Theatre. Known for being the spot where Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended after assassinating President Kennedy, the theater is now owned by four film professionals and features an array of Alamo Drafthouse-esque events and film festivals.

Located next to the Texas Theater is Veracruz Coastal hideout Mesa, which made news in Dallas recently after a surprise visit from Beyonce and Jay-Z. If you're into curios and vintage clothing, stroll the Bishop Arts District and check out shops with impossibly hip names such as M'antiques and We Are 1976.

Hip kids who stayed in Dallas are creating such things as School Class, a free community class center, and SisterBrother Mgmt, a new agency representing the best of Texas' creative photographers and stylists. P.S. Don't forget to check out vegan Spiral Diner!

Pittsburgh is bubbling with young people molding the city into what they want it to be.

Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is one of those cities that continually shows up on lists of places that have redefined themselves. So what makes Pittsburgh so hip? It's still on the up.

If you move there now, you'll definitely be on the forefront of something unique. With more than 39 colleges and universities, Pittsburgh is bubbling with young people molding the city into what they want it to be.

If you're visiting Pittsburgh, check out Priory Hotel, a rustic boutique hotel in North Shore that is within walking distance to the museum of Pittsburgh's beloved son, Andy Warhol. Art is a way of life in Pittsburgh, with must-sees such as the Mattress Factory, a four-story warehouse featuring room-sized installations, and Penn Avenue Arts, an initiative to revitalize the Penn Avenue Corridor through art.

If you feel like channeling even more of your favorite toupee-wearing pop artist, check out Brillobox, a food/drinks/music/art hub located in Lawrenceville. If you're looking for something a little quieter, one of the city's most popular restaurants is Quiet Storm. This vegetarian/vegan diner features non-meat alternatives to such foodie gems as banh mi and Cubanos.

If all this isn't hipster enough for you, vintage clothing online icon ModCloth is located in Pittsburgh.

People gather on top of Tucson's Hotel Congress.

Hotel Congess Facebook

People gather on top of Tucson's Hotel Congress.

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WILDFLOWER WATCH

The hunt for Texas bluebonnets could be tricky this spring, experts predict

Marble Falls bluebonnet field, bluebonnets

Photo courtesy of Visit Marble Falls

Bluebonnets could be sparser this year across Texas.

Bluebonnet bounty across Texas may be a little harder to spot this spring after a dry fall and mild winter, particularly across the Hill Country.

The 2026 wildflower bloom season is expected to vary widely across Texas, shaped by uneven rainfall, continuing drought conditions, and local microclimates that influence where seeds germinate and how wildflowers thrive, according to the experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. This forecast is similar to the 2025 season projection.

Across the Hill Country, from Austin to San Antonio — considered bluebonnet mecca each spring — the recent fall and winter weather helps explain why bluebonnets, in particular, may be sparse. Much of Central Texas saw a notably dry fall, followed by a mild winter with limited rainfall. The fall is the time when many wildflower seeds, and especially bluebonnets, germinate.

Bluebonnets rely heavily on fall moisture to sprout and winter rain to grow before blooming in spring, according to the Wildflower Center. When conditions are dry, fewer seedlings emerge, and roadside displays can appear patchier than usual.

“We may just have to look a little harder for bluebonnets on the side of the road this year in many locales,” said Andrea DeLong-Amaya, horticulture educator at the Wildflower Center, in a press release.

Caltrops in Big Bend National Park Caltrops on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park.Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service

Central Texas, in particular, has the native prairie ecosystem where hardy native flower species can thrive. Add to that thin, rocky limestone soil and the state's long-established roadside management practices, and it's no surprise that drivers see an abundance of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and pink evening primrose emerge and thrive during the spring.

The lack of rain in early spring does not mean a paltry wildflower season. Bluebonnets dominate early spring in areas around the state, then retreat. With subsequent solid rainfall, later wildflowers such as firewheel, purple horsemint, and black-eyed Susans will take over as the wildflower season progresses into the summer, according to the Wildflower Center.

“If early spring bloomers are a little more sparse, later spring and summer flowers have more room to flourish,” DeLong-Amaya said.

Around the state
Wildflower displays can vary dramatically even within short distances. Small environmental differences, including soil moisture, shade cover, and pavement heat, influence which seeds will germinate and how flowers thrive. The Texas Department of Transportation, which has sown wildflower in highway medians since the 1930s, provides a map for the best wildflower weeks across the various regions in the state.

Across North Texas prairies, fields of Drummond phlox and prairie verbena often appear alongside bluebonnets, particularly around the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails south of Dallas.

ennis bluebonnets Ennis Bluebonnet Trails will be open April 1-30, 2026. Photo courtesy of Visit Ennis

The organizers of the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival posted on Facebook on February 27, "Ennis Bluebonnet season is officially on the way! We are already monitoring the trails, and these sweet little baby bluebonnet plants are starting to pop up right on schedule. Bluebonnets plants start emerging as these green rosettes in late winter and typically bloom throughout the month of April here in Ennis."

Ennis bluebonnets typically peak around the second to third week in April. This year's Ennis Bluebonnet Trails will be open April 1-30, and the Festival will take place April 17-19.

In West Texas and the Big Bend region, desert wildflowers such as Mexican gold poppies and desert marigolds can produce dramatic blooms after winter rains.

Coastal prairies along the Gulf Coast can produce sweeping displays of yellow coreopsis and red Indian blanket wildflowers in spring.

Even in dry years, experts say Texans can still expect to find wildflowers somewhere across the state.

“I’ve never seen a year where nothing is blooming,” DeLong-Amaya said. “That just doesn’t happen.”

The Carolina jessamine is the Wildflower Center's 2026 Wildflower of the year.Photo by Stephanie Brundage via the Native Plant Information Network

The Wildflower Center also named Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) as its 2026 Wildflower of the Year. The evergreen vine produces fragrant yellow trumpet-shaped flowers and can climb along fences or trees.

wildflowers nature education weather