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So, I've been reading the portland forums for some time now, as we are planning a move there next year. Checking out those prompted me to take a curious peek at the Austin forums. I was born and raised in Austin, and I thought some perspective from a native might be helpful to some folks on here...so here I go. DISCLAIMER: YES, I am a bit jaded about Austin, having lived here my whole life, which is why I'm moving. But my goal here is to offer useful, realistic info, not have an Austin-bashing session.
PEOPLE: It's true, people in austin are very friendly for the most part. Most people I know who have moved here from elsewhere have had no trouble making friends. I think there's definitely a bit more of an attitude now than when I was growing up, but overall, even with all Californian transplants (sorry), it's still a pretty friendly place. The attitude that's new is more "too cool for school/i'm the ULTIMATE austinite" than just flat out rude.
THINGS TO DO: One of the things about Austin that still hasn't worn thin for me. There is plenty to do here. If you can't find something to do here, you're not trying very hard. And don't let any disappointed person who's moved here from a much larger city tell you "6th street is the only nightlife and it sucks". There is waaay more to the nightlife here than 6th street. I could offer tons of suggestions if I were asked.
STREETS/DRIVING/INFRASTRUCTURE: This is one thing that suck reeeallly bad in Austin. I have traveled to plenty of places in the US, and I will say that the drivers here are some of the worst I've seen. They seem to combine the worst of both worlds: aggressive and head up the ass/bumbling. I could go on for hours about the various aspects of driving in Austin, but I'll just say this one other thing: if you live here, make sure to get uninsured motorist coverage! There are TONS of mexicans driving around who don't have insurance. I'm not being racist, a lot of my friends are mexican and they would tell you the same thing! It is a fact of life in Austin. There are a lot of illegal immigrants and none of them have insurance. Sorry. It's the truth.
Also, Austin's infrastructure, as most people will tell you, is horrible. Classic case of explosive growth in what once was a very small city, combined with one of the most inept city councils you can find. Traffic sucks, but you can always find ways to get around it. Truly, if you really think about how you set your life up here, you can avoid so much hassle with the traffic and the bad roads. That's what I've always done. Unless you work 8 to 5 and commute from one side of town to the other. Then you're screwed. Also, and this is really no secret, though I've met a few newcomers who were surprised by it, but the public transportation is a joke. It takes two hours to get across town on the bus, and the new "commuter rail" is pointless. It carries less than 1000 riders per day because it is so useless. Look for news articles about it, and you will find out all about how stupid it is. BOTTOM LINE: 99% of people will do much better here with a car. Even if you live downtown, it is probably advantageous to have a car if you ever want to actually leave downtown.
WEATHER: This is a big one. DO NOT EVER let anyone tell you that it is "not that hot" here. It is. I promise. Some summers are milder than others, but one thing is for sure: it gets hot in May, and stays that way until September or October. By hot I mean the vast majority of highs being between 94-105. And the hot part of the day lasts from about 2 until 7 or 8 pm. It's not generally very cool in the morning or evening either, particularly in July through September. Rainfall can range from drought conditions for a whole year to a good amount of rainfall. And while the rain will always bring the summer highs down a bit (say from a high of 98 to 86, in exchange for the cooler temps you will have extreme humidity; so either desert like heat or swampy humid but still kinda hot). Last summer was a brutal one. We stayed in triple digits for over 3 straight months. Mostly daytime highs between 104-108.
And a lot of people from cooler climates don't realize this, but you can't really count on A/C to keep you totally cool when it's over 100 degrees. A home A/C can only cool your house to 20 degrees cooler than it is out side. So if it's 105, the coolest your house is likely to get is 85. And that is with the A/C blowing nonstop all day (which will cost you 200-400+ per month, unless you live an apartment, in which case you will be very lucky, and only have to pay maybe 75-100 per month). Extremely high electric bills are a fact of life in the summer, unless you are a person who can stand to be in a hot house. In short, if you love heat, you will like it here. If you hate heat, you might want to think a bit before moving here. It will get VERY hot before it finally cools off. September is generally brutally hot, and October is quite warm most years. Fall basically consists of November. Temps are much cooler than summer, but not exactly brisk. Some years can surprise you though. Temps in December are EXTREMELY variable, and can be anywhere from 80 to 40, occasionally even colder or hotter than that. January is the coldest month of the year, and rarely gets over 60 during the day. It's not uncommon for January and sometime February to be a bit colder than that, with highs primarily in the 40s and lows in the 30s. There are usually one or two ice storms per year. March and April are almost always very nice, with temps reliably in the low to mid 70s, and a nice mix of sunshine and rain. Whew. Sorry, that was a lot of info.
One final thing...the central core, consisting of close in south central (zilker park area), downtown and the UT/Hyde park area, are very nice and largely free of big box construction and strip malls. However, the entire rest of the city is absolutely overrun with them. It's a big problem here. There are zero urban sprawl or development laws in effect. The farther away you go from the urban core, the worse it is. I would peg Austin as a prime example of what happens when urban sprawl gets out of hand, and when corporate development interests are allowed to run wild. Just be prepared for the fact that only a relatively small segment of Austin fits the description of the "keep austin weird" paradise that it is often described as. About 80% of the city consists of run down strip malls, big box behemoths, and just down right boring road side scenery. If you need to go to Home Depot, Old Navy, Bed Bath and Beyond or other similar stores, you're in luck! There is a strip mall containing all of them every mile. You can mark that up to 100% in the outlying suburbs of Round Rock, Buda, Kyle, Cedar Park and Leander. That being said though, if you want to live in the central core, and spend most of your time there (which is do-able), you could avoid the vast stretches of crap that surround. That is, if you can afford to live central, which many people can, but many more cannot.
And one more thing...I don't care what the statistics say, the crime has gotten worse in recent years. I had TWO attempted car jackings last year, both in the downtown area. 5 years ago, that would've been unheard of. There were two murders on the news just last night. Most people here (myself included), believe that sudden increase in street crime is due to the recent passing of anti-panhandling laws in San Antonio and Dallas. The streets of Austin suddenly became flooded with homeless people immediately following the passage of those laws. I actually read a newspaper article where they interviewed a San Antonio police officer, and he said that the authorities in SA had been putting on homeless people on the bus to Austin. And while in most parts of the city, they are just harmlessly standing on street corners begging for money, in the downtown area, they are roving around in huge gangs committing crime. Beatings, muggings and rapes downtown have suddenly been in the news all the time. And if you try to park your car downtown at night, there will frequently be a homeless person or crackhead standing there, who will then tell you that if you give them some money, they'll make sure "nothing happens" to your car. Of course what they mean is that unless you pay them, they'll **** up your car. Seriously, the problem is so bad that the city closed down a large parking lot on Red River because there were gangs of homeless people threateningly "charging" people to park there. Yeah, great solution. Don't arrest those people, just close down a much needed parking lot. One time last year, in that very lot, a male friend of mine was walking me to my car, and there was a guy hiding behind my car in the shadows, watching me approach. My friend had to chase him off. Anyway, just an FYI. Austin's downtown has gone from a pretty safe place, to a place where you really need to have to your wits about you. The police are finally publicly acknowledging this, so maybe they'll actually do something about it.
And a lot of people from cooler climates don't realize this, but you can't really count on A/C to keep you totally cool when it's over 100 degrees. A home A/C can only cool your house to 20 degrees cooler than it is out side. So if it's 105, the coolest your house is likely to get is 85. And that is with the A/C blowing nonstop all day (which will cost you 200-400+ per month, unless you live an apartment, in which case you will be very lucky, and only have to pay maybe 75-100 per month). Extremely high electric bills are a fact of life in the summer, unless you are a person who can stand to be in a hot house.
I understand that much of your post is simply your opinion and experiences, so I'll leave it at that. However, the snippet above did surprise me. We live in a home built in the 70's with crappy single pane windows but yet our AC has no problems keeping our temp at 78-80 even during the hottest parts of the year. Certainly it does run more frequently during those times, but certainly not "non-stop". Ours is even programmable, so we let the house temp get up to about 85 when we're not home, and the AC is still able to get the temp down to 78-80 in the mid-late afternoon after being 85 for most of the day. Did your house have a swamp cooler or something?
I understand that much of your post is simply your opinion and experiences, so I'll leave it at that. However, the snippet above did surprise me. We live in a home built in the 70's with crappy single pane windows but yet our AC has no problems keeping our temp at 78-80 even during the hottest parts of the year. Certainly it does run more frequently during those times, but certainly not "non-stop". Ours is even programmable, so we let the house temp get up to about 85 when we're not home, and the AC is still able to get the temp down to 78-80 in the mid-late afternoon after being 85 for most of the day. Did your house have a swamp cooler or something?
I had the same thought while reading this post. Also, yes, it's hot and it lasts a long time. But one of the best points about Austin is the large number of swimming holes that are very much a part of what makes Austin, Austin. You'll likely find the gloom of the Pacific NW to be depressing. Maybe not. Maybe after years of sun and heat you yearn for the cool mist and gray skies. One last point that was a bit off in your post. "Mexican," like any nationality in the English language, should be capitalized. Seems like a slight otherwise, especially in connection with the content of your post.
@ austinnerd: No, my house has (fairly recent) central air, and was built in 1957. It's certainly true that different houses will have different variants when it comes to air conditioning. Factors such as the amount of shade over the roof, the amount of insulation in the attic, and how new/powerful your AC system is will effect your experience with AC. But the fact that you said your AC is able to cool to 78-80 during the mid afternoon still aligns with the point I was making...assuming it's 98-100 degrees on an average summer, that would mean that your house is about 20 degrees cooler than outside. I know that is a perfectly acceptable temp for many folks, but I would say that a lot of people I know (myself included) find that to be far too warm. I particularly mentioned that subject, because I have met a lot of people new to town through who have complained that they can't believe their house won't get cooler than 80, and how much money it is costing them at that. Note: I am a hairstylist, so I meet a LOT of new people and chat with them, and a lot of them are from out of town. So really in writing this post I was thinking of many of the things they have mentioned being surprised/disappointed about.
@ campeador: You certainly called my faux pas regarding my lack of capitalization on the word "Mexican". Of course I am well aware that it should have been capitalized; it was an honest mistake. Normally, I am quite a grammar stickler, so my face is a bit red on that one (especially due to the context making it seem like a slight, as you pointed out). My bad. I suppose I was just in a typing frenzy.
And also, good point about the swimming holes. I actually thought about including a bit about that, but forgot to. They are wonderful. And I really meant what I said about if you like heat, you will like it here. I wasn't being sarcastic. I know people realize that this a warm climate, but I honestly have met so many people who were misled or didn't do enough research, moved here, and were shocked by how long the heat lasts. To me, it is a point worth making. It is similar to the Pacific NW; everyone is aware that it's a rainy and gray place, but one must really be prepared for the reality of the climate...if you like cool weather, and lots of overcast rainy days (I do), then you will love it there. But it's kind of extreme in the same way the Austin is with the heat, which is why, like Austin, people always seem to point it out. Neither place has a true four seasons kind of climate, that's for sure.
@ campeador: You certainly called my faux pas regarding my lack of capitalization on the word "Mexican". Of course I am well aware that it should have been capitalized; it was an honest mistake. Normally, I am quite a grammar stickler, so my face is a bit red on that one (especially due to the context making it seem like a slight, as you pointed out). My bad. I suppose I was just in a typing frenzy.
And also, good point about the swimming holes. I actually thought about including a bit about that, but forgot to. They are wonderful. And I really meant what I said about if you like heat, you will like it here. I wasn't being sarcastic. I know people realize that this a warm climate, but I honestly have met so many people who were misled or didn't do enough research, moved here, and were shocked by how long the heat lasts. To me, it is a point worth making. It is similar to the Pacific NW; everyone is aware that it's a rainy and gray place, but one must really be prepared for the reality of the climate...if you like cool weather, and lots of overcast rainy days (I do), then you will love it there. But it's kind of extreme in the same way the Austin is with the heat, which is why, like Austin, people always seem to point it out. Neither place has a true four seasons kind of climate, that's for sure.
No need to blush, I figured you did not mean it as a slight. As for those that relocate only to be surprised at the intensity/duration of the heat--I think that's true of just about any weather extreme. It took me several years to figure out that the more time I spent in and around water during an Austin summer, the more I enjoyed Austin and even the summers w/ all their heated glory. I think it's when Austin feels most like Austin--when it's unbearably hot and you're at Barton Springs or tubing a river. Enjoy Portland--and remember that if you need some sun, cross the Cascades to the sunny & dry side. Gorgeous country out that way, and a fantastic city too.
I wasn't born in Austin, but I've never had a problem keeping my house cool in the past 42 years here. Our house has the right-sized system and adequate insulation, but mostly the original 1954 windows. The house we lived in for 25 years before that was built around the same time, had the original windows, and we had no problem there, either. I office out of an old house (1930s or 1940s) with probably no insulation, an old air-conditioner and what appears to be the original, single pane, wavy glass windows. It gets comfortable to downright cold in a matter of minutes when I turn on the AC. I haven't found what you said to be true on that one.
I gotta back rachelg up on the AC thing and in general I think the whole post is spot on. We had the same experience in our newer home built in Circle C. On the hottest days of the year (over 100) with the AC blasting non-stop, our house would cool down to 89 degrees inside! We had ceiling fans going in the main room and every bedroom reversing the direction in the summer, we had circulating fans going in main areas, solar screens on every window and honey comb shades drawn in every room. We had a one story. We constantly called to get our AC "repaired" and we were told that our unit would only cool the air 16 degrees!!! We couldn't afford to upgrade the system at the time so we suffered with it and paid $400 bills for 4 months out of the year, averaging between $250 and $330 the other hot months. Also, our system was very poorly vented so that some rooms in our house were more blazing hot or horribly cold depending on the season. We had a western exposure on the back side of our house where we had a lot of windows (again all covered with solar screens/honey comb shades to no avail). So some of you may not experience what she is talking about but for those of you buying new homes, look for all of these things and I would pay for an additional inspection by an AC company if you are buying a house. It's just too important to your comfort in Austin.
Had to nod my head in agreement about the driving comments also. My neighbor went to Austin a few months ago and got rear ended by a huge F350 within 30 minutes of town on I-35. Thank goodness she had been upgraded to a brand new Ford Explorer rental car. It was totaled. Three different neighbors of hers all lived in Austin and we all said separately that we forgot to tell her to watch out for bad drivers. You don't realized how bad it is until you leave the area.
And rachel, we moved to Seattle 3 years ago. We love it up here and all there is to do. I loved Austin as well and didn't mind the heat too much but I still enjoy the environment here immensely. My husband had an Austin company courting him pretty heavily last year unsolicited and we decided to stay here. We're very happy living here and from my visits to Portland to visit my college roommate, I have always loved the city. Good luck!
I had the same thought while reading this post. Also, yes, it's hot and it lasts a long time. But one of the best points about Austin is the large number of swimming holes that are very much a part of what makes Austin, Austin. You'll likely find the gloom of the Pacific NW to be depressing. Maybe not. Maybe after years of sun and heat you yearn for the cool mist and gray skies. One last point that was a bit off in your post. "Mexican," like any nationality in the English language, should be capitalized. Seems like a slight otherwise, especially in connection with the content of your post.
Dear Smuggery smug mcsmuggerton:
Stop, just stop everything you're doing right now. Take your hand and place it in front of you. Stretch out your fingers, with your palm up. Now take the palm of your hand and quickly apply it to your face, causing mild discomfort.
What did this post prove? What assistance did you provide? You've added unsubstantiated claims asserting that this person may or may not find the gray skies, and cool mist of the NW depressing. This is the case for anyone. Some like it, some don't. What was your point? The NW is hardly as depressing as most presumptuous people will state. The battering heat of the southwest, and most notably the obnoxiously rotating lingering humidity, to me, is more depressing than the temperate, cool conditions of the NW.
I really cannot believe you've taken the time to correct someone on capitalization, of a nationality at that. The word "Mexican" does not lose it's meaning or perception, by removing the capital "M". The words following the oh so tragically non-capitalized word in question are of more importance.
I understand that much of your post is simply your opinion and experiences, so I'll leave it at that. However, the snippet above did surprise me. We live in a home built in the 70's with crappy single pane windows but yet our AC has no problems keeping our temp at 78-80 even during the hottest parts of the year. Certainly it does run more frequently during those times, but certainly not "non-stop". Ours is even programmable, so we let the house temp get up to about 85 when we're not home, and the AC is still able to get the temp down to 78-80 in the mid-late afternoon after being 85 for most of the day. Did your house have a swamp cooler or something?
I have lived in Austin since 1984. Lived in two homes. Not state of the art cooling in either of these homes. And I lived through several super-hot summers including last year's 62 days of 100+. My home was comfortable if not cool, throughout. Electric bills were definitely high then.
But I would not exaggerate that the effect of the summers on household temperatures. I think most people in Austin do just fine with air conditioning in their homes.
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