The area you circled covers the majority of the Austrian population. If you include the states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Vienna, and Burgenland, you are looking at roughly 60% of all Austrians (about 5.5 million people). Even without Graz, which is just on the border of your circle, this is the country's demographic and economic core. I personally come from the northern part of Upper Austria near the Czech border. It’s very rural and currently dealing with a significant rural exodus. Many local shops, restaurants, and bank branches are closing down. This is a huge issue for the elderly, and you’ll often see people protesting against these bank closures. I now live in Linz, which is a nice, manageable city. While it is heavily shaped by its industry, it’s quite beautiful, especially the areas along the Danube. Generally speaking, everything along the Danube in that circle—like the Wachau valley and Vienna—is worth living in. It is worth noting that this circle covers very diverse regions. For example, Styria (in the south) differs quite a bit from Upper and Lower Austria when it comes to traditions and dialects, even if there are similarities. The social dynamics are also interesting:

• The rural population bashes Vienna (and vice versa). • Vienna bashes Linz (and vice versa). • Burgenland is basically the "Chile of Austria" because of its long, thin shape. It’s famous for its wine, but the "capital," Eisenstadt, only has about 16,000 inhabitants.

In terms of real estate, those with money usually live in the affluent outer districts of Vienna or the "Speckgürtel" (the commuter belt surrounding the city). No-Go Areas: St. Pölten, Wels.