SXSW is starting; let the grumbling begin

(EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm an unabashed fan of SXSW. But many aren't -- those who attend, yet come back each year, and the locals, who dread the annual crowd crunch.)

AUSTIN, Texas – If it's mid-March, it must be that special time of year to lament how SXSW lost its groove, Austin went to hell and any tech show not in Dublin or Barcelona is hopelessly passe.

Welcome to tech's version of Groundhog Day.

"I am thrilled to not be dealing with (the crowds and traffic) this year," says Mark Wheeler, 28, who lived in Austin from 2010 to 2014 before moving to New York. "I endured four South Bys, and worked through it three times, which is especially painful."

To the uninitiated, SXSW stands for South by Southwest. It's a weeklong summit of tech ideas, music acts and film showings, where geeks get a chance to rub shoulders with movie stars and music legends. It's grown dramatically in the past few years, putting a strain on Austin but also pumping the local economy.

It's been a similar refrain for years. Trashing the excesses of SXSW – or belittling the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January – have become blood sport on social media.

Of course, Texas' capital hasn't done much of late to quell those sentiments.

In south Austin, the skyline is cluttered with condominium construction sites, a paean to rampant growth. JW Marriott, which opened in mid-February, is the city's largest hotel, with 1,000 rooms. Next year, when the 1,200-room Fairmont opens, it will be the second largest. (A city institution, the Lustre Pearl bar, was forced to relocate because of construction.)

What used to be a city brimming with musicians, food trucks and hippie sentiment is slowly being overridden with building cranes, traffic snarls and shiny new high rises.

The cosmopolitan-ization of once-quaint Austin, which accepts an estimated 120 to 150 people new residents each day, is an unpleasant reminder of a certain city about 200 miles north.

"Don't Dallas my Austin" is a common bumper sticker.

A T-shirt recently spotted is more direct: "Don't move here."

"The fun is gone," sighs Ginny Torok, 27, a digital marketer who has lived in Austin, mostly, since 2006. "The music portion was much smaller; now, it's a bunch of kids, wearing neon, making a lot of noise. Everything is kinda getting crazier here."

At age 29, the outsized South by Southwest increasingly feels generic. Show organizers this year expect more than the record 32,700 people who poured into town last year for the interactive portion of the show, followed by music and film festivals. This year's festivities feature the likes of Charles Barkley, Jessica Alba, Malcolm Gladwell and Snoop Dogg.

SXSW is a crazy quilt (side show?) of frat party, Texas-sized Mardis Gras, geek gathering and serendipity.

The city of Austin increasingly has had a wary relationship with a show that most everyone acknowledges has gotten too big, too fast. Sixth Street is choked with drunken revelers, stoned students and curious onlookers.

There were signs South By, as it's known, was spiraling out of control. That culminated last year when a driver plowed into a crowd the morning of March 12, killing four people and injuring nearly two dozen.

Try as they might, the haters have a hard time dissuading the unflinching true believers of SXSW, who eagerly await converging on this college town (University of Texas) studded with colorful characters and a vibrant music scene.

Julie Huls, CEO of the Austin Technology Council, which represents 1,600 tech executives, 280 companies and 60,000 employees, argues South By has helped Austin "evolve for the better" without compromising its identity.

"No question it is, by far, one of our city's biggest assets," Huls says. "It gives global exposure to Austin" and established the city as a "sophisticated tech center" in the shadow of global business centers in nearby Dallas and Houston, she says.

SXSW is "an economic and cultural boon to the city," Austin Mayor Steven Adler says. But he acknowledges its growth – as well as major events such as Formula 1 and the recently completed Austin Marathon – bring challenges in addition to revenue and prestige.

The city is young – with an average household age of 31.9 years – and fairly affluent (median income: $52,400 a year).

"Questions about city growth go beyond South By," he says. "There is a special spirit and soul to this city, which attracts like-minded people."

Austin restaurateur Paul Qui puts it simply: "The more stuff that happens in the city, the better."

Jon Swartz is USA TODAY's San Francisco Bureau Chief.