Nearly a decade ago, after making a donation to a volunteer-run radio station in Austin, Texas, local librarian Red Wassenich was asked why he chose to support a broadcaster with a penchant for playing strange crooner music. “Because it keeps Austin weird,” he said.

Since then, the phrase “Keep Austin Weird” has become the city’s official rallying cry against the establishment of large chain stores near mom-and-pop shops–and, more generally, for maintaining the city’s eccentric feel. The city may be weird, but perhaps more redeeming is that it’s also a bargain to live there: Austin is the place where people pay the least to get the most.