Moving to Austin from Chicago - Help!

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by kbchitown

Drought, heat, brush fires, heat, bugs, heat, no fresh air, heat, poor restaurants, heat, no culture, heat, insane property taxes, heat, insane energy costs...and the relentless 100 degree days.....hmmmmm.....why would anyone want to live HERE?

I'll take Chicago any day. The winters get cold, sure, but a couple of cold days are easy to take....the heat in Austin is a killer.

While I may not be the most qualified to speak about the city I did live in Austin for the latter part of 2008. The economy was strong and there were plenty of outdoor activities to get involved with. The summers can get hot, but it does cool down in the evening, for the most part. The western part of the city is beautiful, especially over by Barton Creek Mall. I think it's a nice city to raise a family and our daughters were in some of the best public schools in the city. Unfortunately, while the economy was strong it didn't work out well for me. It's a techie city and I'm more the artsy type as opposed to the computer guy.
My advice is to definitely check it out to make sure it has what your family needs. Chicago it is not, but it has it's own unique vibe. Good luck.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by kbchitown

Good luck to you....but just be aware....you will be surprised at the cost of living here. I too naturally assumed that it would be lower...no way...and in some respects Austin is much more expensive....wait til you see your utility bills. Good luck and I hope you enjoy.

This is what we experienced as well. No state tax, but the cost of food and the property taxes were higher than in Arizona. Knew some people whose property taxes were in excess of $5,000. That being said, it's still a decent city.

[kbchitown]

from kvue news (local tv)
Summer weather data | kvue.com | Austin News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | Related

[Rubredvelvet]

I am another Chicago resident with the hopes of leaving the horrid state of IL! My parents lived in Austin when they were longer and I was born there, they came back to Chicago in the 80s when there was no work. Now they want to retire there and we are hoping to move with our family.

Anyways, I keep telling everyone who warns me about the heat, that it can be super hot and muggy here too! And really when you get up to 90 what's an extra 10 degrees, especially when I'm inside in the ac! Also winter here is from Oct to April, way colder then just a couple of weeks. Besides weather, we has the highest sales tax in the country, higher property taxes, bad schools, and of course Chicago corruption. On top of that we are higher on the level of unemployment. Also, it is so awesome to hear you can buy homes in the Austin burbs in the 200s, you cn barely buy a townhouse for that here!


My husband is currently a qa tester here in il for Golden Tea so he is hoping he can get a job there. He is been in talks with a job at ea but it's hard to convince them to hire out of state. Thankfully we have enough savings that we can just move down without jobs if we must.

[hsc2]

I agree with many of the comments above. we have friends from chicago who love it here. chicago reminds me of london - a great place to visit but i wouldnt want to live there. weather crime etc
we have found lots of good restaurants, good opera and excellent theatre including broadway across america