Get rich, or get out of the way

Texas was founded as a real estate speculation, and that spirit lives on. Not much effort goes into real economic development -- manufacturing, jobs, sustainability. The local real estate agents don't really make money that way. Not in the near term. What this town needs is a few dozen cul de sac subdivisions and a Home Depot. Get rich, or get out of the way!

Here's a typical blurb from this month's Dripping Springs Outlook:

Have you noticed the excitement in the air around Dripping Springs lately? As you drive into town and approach the intersection of Ranch Road 12 and Highway 290, bulldozers are zipping around the new Home Depot site on the southeast corner. The Sonic is packed; it’s hard to find a spot at noon. There are folks rushing in and out of City Hall and the County Commissioner’s office as new development is springing up in all four directions. Some days it feels like we are a sleepy little town, stretching, yawning, and waking up to a brand new day, full of new sights and sounds and lots of activity. Everyone wants to know what’s going on and when things are coming.

With the bustling growth in Dripping Springs, word is spreading quickly around Austin, the entire state and the nation. Buyers are coming from other parts of Texas as well as from California and all the way to the East Coast. Everyone wants a piece of the Hill Country and the area around Dripping Springs is at the top of the list.

Heck, I bet they're talking about us in New York City!