is Austin possibly for us? (Houston, Dallas: sales, job market, income)

[1mintjulep]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

You will find the infiltration of religious fundamentalism into state politics at all levels extremely frustrating and maddening if you are like me. I was born in Texas and lived the majority of my adult life there but will probably never go back now because we (my partner and I) are financially independent these days and I'm no longer tied to a private practice that made it difficult to move from Austin for many years. I loved Austin and IMO it's the best - maybe the ONLY - place to live in the state, but my partner and I are gay and we would never be able to enjoy the benefits of marriage equality or even civil unions in Texas.....Austin is the best place for liberal minded persons in Texas, but the climate in state politics is toxic and hateful.

to your whole post. We took a weekend road trip to Dallas a couple of weeks ago and I was reminded of why I hate to leave Austin unless I'm getting on a plane to leave the state.

I might complain about the heat, but I'd never survive someplace where I had to shovel snow. It's too bad all the marriage equality states are in places that have 10 months of winter.

[passionatearts]

Originally Posted by Raven1976

Husband and I like:

Outdoor activities
Vegan Food
Alternative music
Looking for affordable housing whether a home or condo
Art scene
New age/ yoga/ meditation/


I'm an early childhood teacher
He's looking for a job in security, mental health (doesn't have a degree), or cremation work

Originally Posted by Raven1976

That's pretty harsh. How do you all cope with that? The hottest place I've been to is Florida. I'm from NJ.

I would cope with that weather if it meant getting out of NJ

Have you thought about Boulder, CO? It sounds like it would be right up your alley.

[Raven1976]

Originally Posted by passionatearts

Have you thought about Boulder, CO? It sounds like it would be right up your alley.

Yes, we've thought about Boulder as well. It's so frustrating to want to explore all of these areas and not have enough funds. That's why I rely on city-data and internet

[Trainwreck20]

If you can find work that pays enough in CO, it is hard to beat the climate - unless you really hate snow. Eastern CO is not even that 'snowy' really, and SE Colorado only gets 10-15 inches a year. I think Denver is in the 50-60 in. range.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by Raven1976

Yes, we've thought about Boulder as well. It's so frustrating to want to explore all of these areas and not have enough funds. That's why I rely on city-data and internet

Boulder is absolutely wonderful! But you had better be RICH RICH RICH, lol, or you will not be enjoying Boulder.

[sinking]

Originally Posted by 1mintjulep

I might complain about the heat, but I'd never survive someplace where I had to shovel snow. It's too bad all the marriage equality states are in places that have 10 months of winter.

I know you are exaggerating about 10 months but it is not even as bad as you may think, especially when you compare it to how long it is extremely hot here. I will use western MA as an example since that is where I moved from. I was in the mountains so we got more snow than the rest of the state. Basically you could expect snow to be on the ground from the beginning of January to partway through March. You could still get snow in Dec but it will usually melt after a few days. In March and the beginning of April you could have 80° or you could have snow. So basically 2.5-3 months of miserable weather there and awesome summer weather compared to five months (May-September) of miserable weather here.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by sinking

I know you are exaggerating about 10 months but it is not even as bad as you may think, especially when you compare it to how long it is extremely hot here. I will use western MA as an example since that is where I moved from. I was in the mountains so we got more snow than the rest of the state. Basically you could expect snow to be on the ground from the beginning of January to partway through March. You could still get snow in Dec but it will usually melt after a few days. In March and the beginning of April you could have 80° or you could have snow. So basically 2.5-3 months of miserable weather there and awesome summer weather compared to five months (May-September) of miserable weather here.

MA has miserable weather from November to April. Nice weather in March and April is an exception, not the norm. I should know, my mom's from there and I've spent a fair amount of time there in all seasons.

I've been there in early November and it snowed. I've been there in early April and it snowed. Both of those times it was picture perfect in Austin. It was around 78 and sunny in Austin in November when it snowed in MA, and it was 82 and sunny in Austin in April when it snowed in MA. You don't know how much it sucks to go from 78 degrees to 30 degrees.

So really you have 6 months of harsh winter there (November - April) and here we have 4 months of harsh summer (June - September). Even if you discount November and April then we're still tied on the equal number of uncomfortable days.

My relatives in MA are itching to get out, they are thinking about retiring in S. Florida. They just can't take another winter of 20 degrees for weeks/months on end. Yes I know we have 100 degrees for weeks on end, but at least we don't have to shovel snow everyday or wear 10 layers of clothing.

[sinking]

Originally Posted by cBach

MA has miserable weather from November to April. Nice weather in March and April is an exception, not the norm. I should know, my mom's from there and I've spent a fair amount of time there in all seasons.

I've been there in early November and it snowed. I've been there in early April and it snowed. Both of those times it was picture perfect in Austin. It was around 78 and sunny in Austin in November when it snowed in MA, and it was 82 and sunny in Austin in April when it snowed in MA. You don't know how much it sucks to go from 78 degrees to 30 degrees.

So really you have 6 months of harsh winter there (November - April) and here we have 4 months of harsh summer (June - September). Even if you discount November and April then we're still tied on the equal number of uncomfortable days.

My relatives in MA are itching to get out, they are thinking about retiring in S. Florida. They just can't take another winter of 20 degrees for weeks/months on end. Yes I know we have 100 degrees for weeks on end, but at least we don't have to shovel snow everyday or wear 10 layers of clothing.

Like I said, it can snow there before January and after March but I would consider those three months the miserable time because it's all snow all the time. In the late fall or early spring if it snows it's not that big of a deal.

[AMJ27]

Vegan food- I am a long term (15+ years) vegetarian who is inching closer and closer to veganism. I'm having difficulties giving up cheese! We've been very happy with the vegan food options in Austin. I have found several bakeries where it is no big deal to get vegan cakes from. Sugar Mama's on South 1st is amazing and has several varieties of vegan cupcakes available daily. I was also surprised to find out that several local pizza places have soy cheese available. Many restaurants have vegan menus. Austin is the home of Whole Foods, but I'm a big fan of Wheatsville Coop (prices are same or better, especially for produce, and I love the atmosphere) which is just north of the University. My local HEB even has Gardein products and coconut creamer for my coffee. It is very easy for a vegan to be happy in Austin!

Politics- We are pretty far to the left. I live in a suburban setting and don't feel out of place. Most of the friends that we've met are liberal as well. I do get scared when I leave the "Austin bubble" and get into the rest of Texas. We've seen some crazy billboards along I-35 both north and south of Austin. I find it frustrating to live in a state where I don't feel like Democrats have much of a chance of having any power in the near future. I get angry when I think about the redistricting of Lloyd Doggett's seat and what the Texas school board has been trying to do.

Heat- I moved here from Chicago a year ago and I'm surprisingly not completely frustrated by the heat. It's hot, but I can still be outside pretty much every day in the early morning or evenings. In Chicago, when the high for the day is 10 degrees (for months on end), I wouldn't be outside anymore than going to and from my car! I would take a Texas summer over a Chicago winter any day.

[1mintjulep]

Originally Posted by sinking

I know you are exaggerating about 10 months but it is not even as bad as you may think, especially when you compare it to how long it is extremely hot here. I will use western MA as an example since that is where I moved from. I was in the mountains so we got more snow than the rest of the state. Basically you could expect snow to be on the ground from the beginning of January to partway through March. You could still get snow in Dec but it will usually melt after a few days. In March and the beginning of April you could have 80° or you could have snow. So basically 2.5-3 months of miserable weather there and awesome summer weather compared to five months (May-September) of miserable weather here.

Yeah, but I don't want to shovel snow EVER. Snow/extreme cold and extreme heat are not equally miserable to me. I'd rather live through a few months of what we're experiencing in Austin right now than 2 or 3 months where I have to shovel snow and freeze my behind off every day.

The question is, how long will I be able to put up with the religious craziness & anti-gay, state level public policy that exists here. I lose a little bit of patience with it every day.