Austin, MN: the place you couldn’t wait to leave, but always go back to

Whether you’re looking for people who like to hangout in parking lots and climb random buildings, anxious to admire the meat factory, or you just want to confuse yourself with a million one way streets, Austin, MN is the place for you.

Not to be confused with Austin, Texas

Let’s face it, living there means that you have to explain to everyone that you meet that no, you do not in fact live in Texas and yes, there is an Austin in Minnesota. Its cold, lacking in the palm tree category, and there is only one public high school, but it has a life of its own that challenges its Texas counterpart.

From Buffy the Cow, to the neighborhood called “Fordtown” because it’s behind a car dealership, Austin, Minnesota is a place people are proud to call home.

It’s known by its ‘castle’ of a high school

Austin Senior High School is in the center of town, and it looks like it hopped out of the movie “Grease”. It’s home to the Packers, and it’s known for many things; including going to state in boys basketball 3 years in a row, the massive courtyard, and the incredible music program that’s made up of choir, orchestra, and band.

Once you go inside however, the students like to make fun of the intestine-colored walls and the creepy basement that has an old pool filled with cement. Sometimes (if you’re lucky) you can catch a member of the rap group KOA handing out mixtapes, or even see a fight break out next to the street (true story).

Applebee’s is the hottest spot after 9 pm

Teenagers in Austin are extremely cheap, and Applebee’s is the only non-fast food restaurant in town that is open late, and has half off appetizers after 9pm. Summer nights usually end up there at some point so everyone can get the worshipped wings, artichoke dip, and mozzarella sticks.

There is also an NAHL hockey team in Austin called the Bruins, and you can always count on the crazed girls that make up their fan base to be chilling in a booth after the weekend games to see if they can spot the team eating there too.

When all else fails, go to ‘The Lot’

The glorious lot, filled with pot holes and grocery carts. It’s almost considered common sense in Austin, MN that if you’re ever with a group of friends and bored, the lot is where you automatically go. It all starts with one car, and before you know it 10 more cars usually show up too. Plans are made there, and its essential to the backbone of the town if you ask anyone who lived in Austin during high school. You can guarantee the next time I’m visiting with friends that we’ll end up “posted at the lot”.

Austin, MN’s pride and glory: SPAM

Hormel is centered in Austin, MN and that’s very apparent when you’re traveling around town. SPAM can be smelled in the early mornings heading to school, and the Hormel logo is on sports programs and the scoreboards in the gyms.

There’s even a museum in town that showcases the story of SPAM, and the saddest part of the week is passing a semi full of pigs and knowing exactly where they’re headed.

All in all, its great to be a Packer

As much as the people who graduated from Austin love to make fun of it, this town is an incredible place to call home. It’s where I personally finally felt like I belonged, and its home to the first jobs, heartbreaks, and parking tickets to many people. So swing by soon to grab some SPAM, eat wings for half the price, and attempt to climb Buffy the Cow.