Austin vs. Fayetteville, Arkansas? (Dallas, San Antonio: home, to buy, university)

[bungalowbob]

I'm looking relocate from Los Angeles to a college town. I've narrowed it down to Austin & Fayetteville, AR. I've read great things about both towns. Which is better?

[ramones85]

i've never been to fayetteville, but definitely don't let complaints of traffic dissuade you from austin. coming from l.a., the traffic here will seem like nothing. i think the people who complain of traffic are long time austinites who remember the city before it's huge growth...good luck though!

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by bungalowbob

I'm looking relocate from Los Angeles to a college town. I've narrowed it down to Austin & Fayetteville, AR. I've read great things about both towns. Which is better?

Im not sure you can even compare. Fayetteville is a tiny college town (70K?) Austin has about 600K and a 1M metro area. Neither can compare to LA, but Austin is hands down better than fayetteville.

[dallasmaverick]

Why is Austin "Hands down better?" Because it is bigger? Nuh uh. Dallas is bigger than Austin so I can tell you Dallas is "hands down better."

Seriously though, Austin is not really a "college town" anymore. It is a big city with a college. It is a college town the same way LA is a college town.

My folks live in Fayetteville. From LA to Austin will not be that big of a difference, but Fay is a real college town. It is 3 hours from KCMO and 5 hours from Dallas, the closest real cities.

You should visit Austin, hey visit both, but really you should ask yourself if you want to live in a big city or a college town.

As to the traffic issue in Austin-- it freaking sucks. I am from Dallas and used to big-city traffic but Austin is a joke. There are no real East-West freeways, no kinda "loop" and everything is 45 minutes from downtown. There is a 6-7 mile stretch of I35 that is bumper to bumper stop and go traffic 24/7. The good thing is that once you are downtown, there is really no reason to leave.

[Biscuits]

Originally Posted by dallasmaverick

As to the traffic issue in Austin-- it freaking sucks. I am from Dallas and used to big-city traffic but Austin is a joke. There are no real East-West freeways, no kinda "loop" and everything is 45 minutes from downtown. There is a 6-7 mile stretch of I35 that is bumper to bumper stop and go traffic 24/7. The good thing is that once you are downtown, there is really no reason to leave.

Nothing is 45-minutes from downtown unless you are talking about driving to Johnson City, Lockhart, Georgetown, or New Braunfels.

If you live Central/Downtown, there is no place worth going to that you can't reach in 20 minutes (with the possible exception of Lake Travis and that is only an extra 10 minutes). The airport, shopping, parks, golf courses, restaurants, bars, sporting events, cultural venues, and most anything else that is worth getting to (i.e. not a starter home your friend chose to buy in Cedar Park or Elgin) is within a 20 minute drive of downtown.

[texasluver]

there is no comparison......Austin is the better, wiser choice of the two. For reasons such as money, living, education (if you have children) over-all social activities and the class of folks is a great deal different than ANYWHERE ELSE....I lived in Austin for 10 years and if I did not marry a man that enjoyed country life as much as I do, and had a child...I would still be there.

[atxcio]

I don't know, if "College Town" is the top priority on your list, Austin is probably too big for that. Places like Fayetteville, AR or Athens, GA fit the bill better these days.

Heck, even San Marcos is more like the traditional college town than Austin is now.

[julrey]

Originally Posted by atxcio

I don't know, if "College Town" is the top priority on your list, Austin is probably too big for that. Places like Fayetteville, AR or Athens, GA fit the bill better these days.

Heck, even San Marcos is more like the traditional college town than Austin is now.

Hmm. I don't know that everyone thinks small town when they're talking college towns. To me a college town is anyplace with a major university where the intellectual and cultural climate is stimulated and influenced by the high proportion of students. San Marcos is undoubtedly more of a "college town" in the sense of mere students-to-job holders ratio, but I don't think you could even compare the intellectual and cultural scene in San Marcos to that of someplace like Austin. If one is not a student his- or herself, I can't imagine any other criterion for wanting to pursue life in a college town per se.

[Alatex]

I don't think you could even compare the intellectual and cultural scene in San Marcos to that of someplace like Austin. If one is not a student his- or herself, I can't imagine any other criterion for wanting to pursue life in a college town per se.

College towns usually have very stable economies - not so much the boom-and-bust cycle of cities that rely more heavily on the private sector.

Plus, anyone in San Marcos desiring the "intellectual and cultural scene" of Austin can be there in 30 minutes (or San Antonio in 45).

[bungalowbob]

So it sounds like Austin is no longer a college town much like Fayetteville, Ark. or Boulder, Co.?