Is Austin for us? If so where is best? Affordable, close to amenities. (Houston: transplants, affordable apartments)

[ilovekotatsu]

Hi there,

So we currently live in Tacoma, WA (HATE it! Too much rain and too many crack heads!). We only live here because of my husband's military commitments, but he is getting out in April so we can move wherever we want. I am thinking Austin looks like it fits the bill for it's warm climate, nature mixed with culture and good access to amenities...

me:

- Secretary (would need a job)
- Australian
- Likes nature, but also likes to be close to shopping, restaurants
- 30
- no kids
- likes walking and swimming

him:

- looking to study IT through the GI bill
- may also need to work to supplement income
- doesnt mind where we live as long as I'm happy
- 27
- Filipino

Needs:

- Safe - want to live in suburb with no crack heads or ghetto
- Close enough to the city, but with a suburban feel
- I like the look of Barton Springs pool so perhaps within 15 mins of there?
- Near a grocery store (within walking distance would be perfect!)
- Reasonable rent <$800 per month 1 bedroom apartment is fine.
- Not fussed about nightlife... (thats what happens when you get married!)
- I like to be able to walk around without worrying that I might be robbed.

Is Austin a good place for what I'm after? Can you recommend any neighborhoods in particular? Or even better any apartment complexes (preferably with pool + pet friendly)?

To give you an idea I would love to live in Florida or Cali, but i think both are too expensive for our budget which is about $2000 - $3,000 per month for 2 people total!

Many thanks!

[h886]

It may be hard to get all of those things closer in to the city. There are some apartments around south Mopac and 360 that are nice, but you'd still have to drive to get to a grocery store. The Arboretum area is nice and has one bedrooms in that price range, you can walk to the grocery store, etc, but it's in Northern Austin (360 and 183 area) and not as close to Barton Springs.

As most transplants are advised, you need to have a job before you come, or enough savings to make it for awhile if you can't find work right away. Most jobs that come open are flooded with applications because we have so many people in the area out of work. The traffic is also a major consideration because your commute could be hellish if you rented an apartment in South Austin and then got hired on the north side of town. It's usually better to find a job first.

[iloveflowers]

Hello There--I think Austin is such a great place and has tons of safe neighborhoods around. Very different than Tacoma! I recently moved from the Seattle area and am loving the sunshine and much warmer weather here, although there are days in the winter that can get cold. It doesn't last long though.

When I first came here, I noticed right away the lack of mountains and there are lots of green trees here Spring through Fall, however they are much shorter and not as densly packed as in WA. It doesn't bother me because I've lived in places that are flatter and with less trees before, and I don't ski!

There's so much to do here, a festival every week--literally. Even if you are a homebody, there are tons of parks with trails, tennis, lots of lakes, etc.

For your budget, I think you'll need to live a bit further away, however that brings you out in the suburbs more, and is still very nice. Lots of apartment complexes around here have pools and are pet friendly. Just check out rent.com or one of those websites.

It is extremely competitive to find a job right now. We moved without jobs because in H's field, all the companies would only interview and hire locals. He has 10 years experience in his field, and it took him 8 mos. Just be sure you have enough savings in the bank for the worst case scenario. We thought it would take 2-4 mos, but that wasn't the case.

Food, and gasoline are cheaper here, but things like getting your hair done aren't. Also, to consider is that there is much more asian food in the Pac NW than here. I wouldn't let it stop me from moving here though, although some might. You also don't see Teriyaki stands. It's Japanese steak houses, and sushi places all over, but not 5.95 chicken teriyaki dinners on every strip mall corner! There is great BBQ on every corner though!

Also, Austin struck me about the size of Portland in it's feel. Not as big as Seattle/Tacoma area. It's a nice cozy size, but not too small or too big.

Good luck in your research!

[Unclemeat]

Where will your husband be studying? Dell, along with a lot of tech companies, are in the north. Traffic is slow moving here, so you'll definitely want to look on the side of town where you'll be working/studying if at all possible.

Pricing is pretty reasonable here compared to a lot of other comparable cities. You can find affordable apartments with the suburban feel that are not going to be too isolated from society for $800-900/mo for a 1 br. The biggest issue you'll have is how spread out everything is in the south compared to WA. IE - a 25 min drive to downtown (w/o traffic) can still be in the city of Austin. Look northwest and southwest for the kind of atmosphere I'm guessing you're after.

Jobs could be tough. I know a decent number of executive assistants here, but there are not a lot of positions like that to go around. Could get stuck as an office manager for a small business/startup, which usually means pretty low pay.

On the positive side, even though cost of living is probably higher than Tacoma, the no state income tax helps balance things out a good deal.

[ilovekotatsu]

Thanks for your input everyone Very helpful!

I do love Asian food, but I can cook my own and I've already checked to see that there is an Asian grocer - and there is

Job wise, we are thinking that my husband will try to secure a job from here (easier while he still has career support while he is in the military) and then I will look when we get there. I think as long as one of us has a job plus the GI bill we should be ok for a little while at least...

Ok so need to study/work on the side of town where we live - noted!

I hear that Austin is similar to Seattle in someways (e.g. quirkiness), without the rain! Which I like the idea of.

We still have a lot of research to do, but thanks for the advice.....

Off topic, I'm from Australia and it amazes me how difficult work is to come by here.... eek!

[llkltk]

I do love Austin, but Austin is nothing like Seattle. I lived there for several years. They are very different places.

[ilovekotatsu]

@llkltk: But from what I hear people are cultured (similar to seattle) and there is diversity. I guess that was what I meant. As I live in Tacoma rather than Seattle I am guessing pretty much anywhere is better than here

[Exiled Texan]

Originally Posted by ilovekotatsu

@llkltk: But from what I hear people are cultured (similar to seattle) and there is diversity. I guess that was what I meant. As I live in Tacoma rather than Seattle I am guessing pretty much anywhere is better than here

Austin is the most segregated/white city I have ever lived in. Some may call it diverse, but not racially. (Houston, Southern Louisiana, DC, NYC). There are pockets of minorities, but it is very segregated

[ilovekotatsu]

Originally Posted by Exiled Texan

Austin is the most segregated/white city I have ever lived in. Some may call it diverse, but not racially. (Houston, Southern Louisiana, DC, NYC). There are pockets of minorities, but it is very segregated

Interesting... I'm white and my husband is Asian... Do you think we will be ok?

[iloveflowers]

You will be fine! I am half asian and you see lots of asians and whites here. Mostly white (including hispanic), followed by asian and african american. There are more asians in Pac NW if you research on Wikipedia.com, but they're definitely around here, and widely accepted.