Californians/Former Californians - A Question For You (Houston, Dallas: condos, crime rates)
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cali is a nice place to visit. if you don't have the means to live there anymore, i'm sorry. if austin is your backup plan, then welcome. if you don't like it here, eh, no biggie. there's other places in this world. try canada.
Compulsion? You mean guns to heads, that sort of thing? Or do you mean that it makes sense to a family to move to a place that offers them a better life? The decision to relocate is not made lightly. I know - I've done it a few times myself. Regions don't increase in population by 60% due solely or mostly to "compulsion", however you might define that.
I absolutely agree - everything has its good and bad, and nothing is perfect. That said, if things weren't in the aggregate "better" in Central Texas than in many other regions of the country in a *lot* of peoples' minds, you wouldn't see the huge population swings that we're seeing now.
I've never lived in CA, so I don't know what it's like to live there. I worked there extensively, and absolutely loved it, especially the Bay Area. That said, I look at the immigration numbers and I see people "voting with their feet".
Here's a really interesting map of relocation patterns. Click on any of the counties in Central Texas, and you'll see HUGE influx and much smaller outflow:
I am not referring to guns to heads type compulsion. CA is expensive to live specially the housing market and the standard of public schools is not at the level of higher house prices. For most of Californians that is one of the biggest reason (if not the reason) to move. That is the compulsion. The compulsion to be in financially sound shape specially in today's economy.
If a place is expensive to live or the housing market is expensive doesn't mean that place is bad. There has to be a reason why it is so expensive. Manhattan is an really expensive place to live, so people live in burbs and NJ. Doesn't mean Manhattan doesn't appeal them or they don't wanna live there. Its just the cost of living compels them to live away.
I agree with what you say or the magazines say that more people are migrating to Central Texas. But again as I said, migration does not always equal that the new place is better and the previous is bad.
Tomorrow if a big company builds a big campus in middle of Mojave desert, people will go there because thats the only option they have. Doesn't mean middle of Mojave Desert suddenly became Dubai.
Moved from LA 7 months ago. There is less crime and less traffic for sure. Also I am able to afford a home much closer to the downtown area then in Los Angeles. I was paying $2800 a month for a large apartment 35 miles from downtown LA, now I pay a mortgage less than half of that to live 10 miles from downtown Austin. I also find that there are a lot of outdoor activities to do in Austin that were lacking in Los Angeles. I have been to the kite festival, the gypsy trailer food festival, the marathon and a few other festivals since I moved here. The thing that stuck out the most was that all these festivals were free to get in and parking was usually free too. There were very few free activities in Los Angeles and anything in downtown came with a large parking fee, even some malls charge for parking in LA. I love Austin and I even love the weather. I am not sure if anyone mentioned this before as I didn't read all of the posts, but I find that the air quality is so much better in Austin then in Los Angeles. I change my air filter in my car every six months and I noticed in Los Angeles that my air filter was black and nasty every time I changed it. The last time I changed my air filter it had a brownish color with pollen and other organic materials caught in it. Maybe not the most scientific way to test air quality, but in my opinion, despite the posts saying Austin has too many SUVs and Cali has cleaner burning Gas, I believe the air quality is way better here then in Los Angeles.
Moved from LA 7 months ago. There is less crime and less traffic for sure.
If Austin were the size of LA, crime and traffic would have been even worse than LA.
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Originally Posted by Cozen
Also I am able to afford a home much closer to the downtown area then in Los Angeles. I was paying $2800 a month for a large apartment 35 miles from downtown LA, now I pay a mortgage less than half of that to live 10 miles from downtown Austin.
Agreed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cozen
I also find that there are a lot of outdoor activities to do in Austin that were lacking in Los Angeles. I have been to the kite festival, the gypsy trailer food festival, the marathon and a few other festivals since I moved here.
Beg to disagree. CA's blue water beaches? Hollywood? Nightclubs? Kodak Theatre? Santa Monica? San Diego? Lakers? Ducks ? Trojans? Bruins?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cozen
The thing that stuck out the most was that all these festivals were free to get in and parking was usually free too. There were very few free activities in Los Angeles and anything in downtown came with a large parking fee, even some malls charge for parking in LA.
Agree. But quality has its own price.
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Originally Posted by Cozen
I love Austin and I even love the weather.
Please don't even get there. Humidity? Allergies? hot and humid 100+ summers?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cozen
I am not sure if anyone mentioned this before as I didn't read all of the posts, but I find that the air quality is so much better in Austin then in Los Angeles. I change my air filter in my car every six months and I noticed in Los Angeles that my air filter was black and nasty every time I changed it. The last time I changed my air filter it had a brownish color with pollen and other organic materials caught in it. Maybe not the most scientific way to test air quality, but in my opinion, despite the posts saying Austin has too many SUVs and Cali has cleaner burning Gas, I believe the air quality is way better here then in Los Angeles.
applies only to los angeles not rest of CA. Though disagree with pollen (allergies) part.
If Austin were the size of LA, crime and traffic would have been even worse than LA.
But Austin is not, so my statement is true. If Austin were on the coast we would have beaches here, if Austin had no allergens in the air nobody would have allergies, so many ifs.
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Originally Posted by infoseeker2010
Beg to disagree. CA's blue water beaches? Hollywood? Nightclubs? Kodak Theatre? Santa Monica? San Diego? Lakers? Ducks ? Trojans? Bruins?.
Not sure if you have ever been to the beach in Los Angeles or Ventura County, but the water is not blue, it’s black and it’s cold even in August (I’m not saying it’s not still nice, it’s just not the pristine beautiful beach you see on TV). If you want blue water go to Florida. My point was as to family oriented events, Hollywood is great for a night out on the town, but I can't take my children there or enjoy the nightlife for less than about $200 a night. As for the sports, I'm not much of a fan, but I hear UT has some good football.
You really can't compare two cities so different in size. It is true that Los Angeles ranks highest in overall pollution in the nation. But, considering Houston is a close second with less than HALF the metro population of the LA Basin, I would say that Houston pollutes FAR MORE than Smell A as a hole.
California has the strictest air quality standards in the nation. Texas has the most lax, basically none. Factories can belch out as much toxins as they please in this state. If you take out the natural features in California that promote air stagnation (such as valleys, mountains, and general light winds), I would suspect that smaller metro areas like Austin easily pollute as much or more than smaller metros in CA like Sacramento, Fresno, or San Jose.
And remember, it's not Austin's obsession with SUV's & pickups that is doing all the polluting--it's the fact of how many hours are spent sitting in traffic with the ultimate polluting vehicles. AND, less than 1% of Austin commuters carpool.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cozen
Moved from LA 7 months ago. There is less crime and less traffic for sure. Also I am able to afford a home much closer to the downtown area then in Los Angeles. I was paying $2800 a month for a large apartment 35 miles from downtown LA, now I pay a mortgage less than half of that to live 10 miles from downtown Austin. I also find that there are a lot of outdoor activities to do in Austin that were lacking in Los Angeles. I have been to the kite festival, the gypsy trailer food festival, the marathon and a few other festivals since I moved here. The thing that stuck out the most was that all these festivals were free to get in and parking was usually free too. There were very few free activities in Los Angeles and anything in downtown came with a large parking fee, even some malls charge for parking in LA. I love Austin and I even love the weather. I am not sure if anyone mentioned this before as I didn't read all of the posts, but I find that the air quality is so much better in Austin then in Los Angeles. I change my air filter in my car every six months and I noticed in Los Angeles that my air filter was black and nasty every time I changed it. The last time I changed my air filter it had a brownish color with pollen and other organic materials caught in it. Maybe not the most scientific way to test air quality, but in my opinion, despite the posts saying Austin has too many SUVs and Cali has cleaner burning Gas, I believe the air quality is way better here then in Los Angeles.
I am not referring to guns to heads type compulsion. CA is expensive to live specially the housing market and the standard of public schools is not at the level of higher house prices. For most of Californians that is one of the biggest reason (if not the reason) to move. That is the compulsion. The compulsion to be in financially sound shape specially in today's economy.
Fair enough, but I'm not talking about what made you (or others) move away from California. I'm talking about why people are moving to Central Texas. There are certainly parts of the US that have much lower costs of living than Austin and certainly Cali. So, unless people are being compelled to move specifically HERE, I don't see that your argument is very convincing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by infoseeker2010
I agree with what you say or the magazines say that more people are migrating to Central Texas. But again as I said, migration does not always equal that the new place is better and the previous is bad.
Well, you're not agreeing with me necessarily or with "magazines". You're agreeing with the 2010 Census. Note, I also never said that the previous place is "bad". But there was a conscious decision on a TON of peoples' parts, no matter whether they were compelled at gunpoint or because they couldn't afford their mortgages anymore, to specifically move here. That, alone, has its own power. Ignoring that is illogical and not reasonable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by infoseeker2010
Tomorrow if a big company builds a big campus in middle of Mojave desert, people will go there because thats the only option they have. Doesn't mean middle of Mojave Desert suddenly became Dubai.
Really? I don't accept the premise, because a company would never "build a big campus" in the middle of a desert. That's absurd. But let's go with that argument for a second. Do you really believe that thousands upon thousands of people would move there (as they have here) because some odd company decided to build a 'campus' in a desert? I can't think of a circumstance short of a partial societal collapse that would make a campus in the middle of the Mojave Desert the only viable employment option left.
Sorry, I don't buy it. As I said, I understand that the decision to move is not made lightly; people might even feel compelled by their circumstances to move. But the decision about *where* to move is arguably even MORE agonized over. You don't just pull up stakes, pack up the station wagon, and start driving. A huge number of people decided to move to Central Texas, when they had about 3.5 million square miles to choose from.
I was born and raised in California. But it is a failing state filled with $1million fixer-upper houses with 1950 appliances, a 10% state income tax that will likely go up in the next few years, an education system that makes the recent AISD cutbacks seem minor in comparison, gas that is generally 60cents-to-$1 higher than other parts of the country, and a rat-race mentality that takes its toll on people.
I moved to Austin last year and have been kicking myself every day that I didn't do it sooner. The people here are so much friendlier, it actually takes getting used to. The pace of life is slower, but the quality of life is much higher. And people's biggest complaint - the weather - I find to be overhyped. I mean, honestly, as bad as the summers are here, you get the same heat in California, just not for as extended of a period of time. And frankly, Austin homes and businesses are better equipped to handle it -- when there is 100 degree weather in California, you sometimes can't find a place with an air conditioner except the mall or a movie theater. People in California think it's 100 degrees her year-round.
The only thing I miss about California are the native-grown avocados. Sorry, but the Mexican/Texas-grown Haas trees just can't replicate CA's avocados. :-)
Infoseeker - for me the fact that Austin DOESN'T have Hollywood, the Lakers, etc. is a plus. I have no desire for Austin to add pro sports and the tax burden of stadiums, the star worship, etc..
I am all for a less glamorous environment. It matches my view of what America should be thinking today - a bit less materialism, less debt, simplicity. Trojans and Bruins are comparable to UT and A&M as far as college sports go.
LA is not the only city in CA with poor air quality. The American Lung Association's list of 25 cities with poor air quality is littered with California cities.
Most Polluted Cities - American Lung Association (http://www.stateoftheair.org/2010/city-rankings/most-polluted-cities.html - broken link)
Only two Texas cities - Houston and DFW, make the list. And Houston is top 10 only in ozone.
As for crime rates, why would Austin's crime rate be worse than LA if it were the same size? The per capita violent crime rate in Austin is lower. If it grew - is it certain that crime rates would go up? Based on both current conditions and past history - I do agree Austin traffic would be horrendous with a much larger population.
If the glamour of a city like LA is important, Austin is unquestionably not a good choice.
If you like active governments, especially at the state level, Texas is not for you.
You really can't compare two cities so different in size. It is true that Los Angeles ranks highest in overall pollution in the nation. But, considering Houston is a close second with less than HALF the metro population of the LA Basin, I would say that Houston pollutes FAR MORE than Smell A as a hole.
California has the strictest air quality standards in the nation. Texas has the most lax, basically none. Factories can belch out as much toxins as they please in this state. If you take out the natural features in California that promote air stagnation (such as valleys, mountains, and general light winds), I would suspect that smaller metro areas like Austin easily pollute as much or more than smaller metros in CA like Sacramento, Fresno, or San Jose.
And remember, it's not Austin's obsession with SUV's & pickups that is doing all the polluting--it's the fact of how many hours are spent sitting in traffic with the ultimate polluting vehicles. AND, less than 1% of Austin commuters carpool.
Taking out natural features that contribute to pollution is completely irrelevant. Much of CA has terrible air pollution. It really doesn't matter why. If air quality is important, CA cities are in many cases a poor choice. Texas - in spite of less stringent regulation, has better air. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT WAS ACHIEVED.
California has natural beauty that many value highly. No argument from me. You can't discount that either.
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