Dec 29, 2025 | 11:40 am
Editor’s note: As 2025 comes to a close, we’re looking back at the stories that defined Austin this year, and the “city life” category is especially data-based. From taking a look at people’s incomes to exploring new landmarks, Austinites are keeping tabs on many factors influencing local quality of life. Here‘s a look at the 10 hottest city life headlines of 2025.
1. 6 Austin billionaires join Musk and Dell on Forbes 400 list. Eight local billionaires landed on Forbes’ list of the 400 richest Americans in 2025. America’s wealthiest billionaires were $1.2 trillion richer in 2025, bringing their collective worth to a staggering $6.6 trillion.
2. Congested Austin highway dubbed a ‘freeway without a future’. This report from Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) examined nine U.S. freeways where the infrastructure is “nearing the end of its functional life,” including Austin’s infamous I-35…