I'll take your word as I have never been to Memphis. I said Seattle as a lot of the people there would be right at home in Seattle (tattoos, piercings, haircuts, etc) and there are also a lot of tech companies there.
It's a little (mostly) liberal oasis, but what cracked me up is that you could see a grungy/hippy chick with lots of tattoos, piercings, etc and she would still be driving a truck.
I love Austin, but if the OP does go there, I would avoid 6th st as that is just a **** show. Rainey Street is probably a better place to check out, but the last time I was there I was made fun of by a local for going to there as opposed to somewhere like East Austin (where we met the local and was a lot of fun).