Bay Area (CA) to Austin questions (Houston, New Braunfels: college, gated, living in)

[DianeV]

> Are there good 30s single scenes in Austin like there are in the Bay, Chicago or LA?

I can't really answer that, but I would say that, as nice as Austin is and as much as it appeals to many, the Bay Area, Chicago and L.A. are quite a bit larger and of course would have more of everything. For someone who has not been to L.A., it's hard to describe just how much larger it is, and we're not even counting Orange County/San Diego/etc.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by grapico

Would somebody from the Bay Area be underwhelmed by Austin... or Chicago/LA to Austin? That would be my biggest fear. I don't care about the family scene at all, that is actually a bit of a negative to me. What do people in their 30s and single do in Austin? Are there good 30s single scenes in Austin like there are in the Bay, Chicago or LA?

Short answer, NO there is not. There is a huge college scene of course, and Austin tends to be an "all ages" kind of place. ACL and SXSW draw folks from high school age to old hippies with long gray braids. Texans like a lot of southerners tend to marry young. 30s is when a high proportion of folks start having babies.

That highly concentrated single professional thirty-something scene that is every where in Chicago, DC, LA, it is not here.

Move along! (or stay put)

[AcaciaRose]

grapico, I'm a single person who lived in San Francisco for many years. I'm way past my thirties, but my advice to a younger person would be to live for a year in one of the new apartment buildings downtown. Single men and women in their twenties and thirties are (probably -- I haven't seen stats) 90% of the people living here. The building is walking distance from Lady Bird Lake and the 6th Street clubs and holds several social events every month. If you're thinking of moving to Austin, I recommend using a (free) apartment locator and telling him or her what your interests are.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by grapico

Would somebody from the Bay Area be underwhelmed by Austin... or Chicago/LA to Austin? That would be my biggest fear. I don't care about the family scene at all, that is actually a bit of a negative to me. What do people in their 30s and single do in Austin? Are there good 30s single scenes in Austin like there are in the Bay, Chicago or LA?

I'm in my upper 30's and single (well dating right now) and the singles scene has been fantastic for me. There are also lots of ladies in their 20's willing to date guys in their 30's so it works out quite nicely most of the time.

[grapico]

Originally Posted by cBach

I'm in my upper 30's and single (well dating right now) and the singles scene has been fantastic for me. There are also lots of ladies in their 20's willing to date guys in their 30's so it works out quite nicely most of the time.

Yeah but what about other single, non divorced folks in their 30s. Is it seen as culturally normal to still maybe have roommates (because you want them), going out frequently, focusing on career and creative pursuits there into your 30s/40s? I am keeping all my options open as I'm jumping into another career field soon for a fresh start. I know Austin is a culturally cool place for the young folks... I would just be scared that it is predominantly for that 20's crowd then people start heading out to the burbs. I'd honestly not want to date a fresh out of college girl, no offense to them... I just think there would be experience issues in the relationship (been there done that through dating them). Of course for another topic. I know a lot of people I have known in SF and Chicago who have praised Austin, and a few that have move there, but the ones who moved there were already serious couples for instance.

[tacticool]

[grapico]

Thread jack? lol It's a public forum addressing similar questions, meaning everything you post is public on google and will turn up in both search results there, and ones here... so anybody can just register and join in, especially somebody like me who has been on here for 5 years... Chill, you don't own the internet. I am addressing Bay Area to Austin questions also, just b/c I don't have a family doesn't mean I need to start an entirely new thread to ask similar things. I actually did the appropriate thing by *not* creating a new thread.

[jql999]

I moved from Fremont to Austin 6 years ago. I do not miss it one bit. The people who complain that housing is expensive or traffic is bad never lived in CA.

1) on leaving family behind - only you can decide that. You can either leave them behind or not - it doesn't matter much where you go. AND your family may just join you here.

2) the summers are HOT HOT HOT. If the heat really bothers you - think twice.

3) We live in SW Austin and it is MUCH more family oriented than SFBA. Circle C is very similar to some of the nicer neighborhoods in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale - except the houses are newer. Families tend to have at least two kids here and there are many more stay-at-home moms.

4) Property taxes are high - that's why there wasn't a lot of speculation in real estate here, so there was no real bubble. But still with homes so much less expensive here, unless you've been living in the same house in CA for over 20 years, your property taxes will probably be lower than what you now pay. Home prices have been pretty stable. A 2000-2500 sqft home built in the last 20 years will run you $280-$320K in Circle C. Surrounding areas are a bit less.

5) For politics - Austin is actually pretty liberal - at least compared to the rest of TX. Remember it is a college town so that kind of goes with the territory.

5) BUT coming from SFBA - Austin is a small town. There aren't as many choices. (I found that refreshing actually.) The job market isn't as big overall - and it seems like everybody knows everybody. So it takes awhile to get established. Still I think the ambient stress-level is far lower and the quality of life here is far better. At the same time - there is the saying that if you are bored in Austin it's your own fault - and overall I think that's true.

So good luck in whatever you decide.

[mark311]

Originally Posted by jql999

I moved from Fremont to Austin 6 years ago. I do not miss it one bit. The people who complain that housing is expensive or traffic is bad never lived in CA.

I agree with most of your points other than the one above. Housing costs have dropped quite a bit in CA since I moved here 6 years ago from CA. The family suburbs and areas surrounding Austin are definitely still a better value for everything you get, but the gap has narrowed there a bit as well. If you compare central Austin home prices to Santa Clara/Sunnyvale prices, it's not as big of a difference as it was 6 years ago.

So in my mind, I would have to think a lot harder today if I had to make the same move. 6 years ago, it was a no-brainer decision, but today I see that I can get a 2000 square foot single-family home in La Costa, CA (Carlsbad) that feeds into great schools a few miles from the beach for $425K. That was unheard of in that area 6 years ago. There are definitely deals to be had there and I think that it's a harder decision for most Californians today than it was for us 6 years ago.

And traffic is getting better in areas like San Diego compared to 6 years ago (Trolley, Sprinter, Coaster) as they expand their public transportation offerings.

I still think that the Austin area is great especially if you're looking for a cookie-cutter family neighborhood under $300K, but it's a much tougher decision if that isn't what you want.

[MtnLion512]

Originally Posted by mark311

I agree with most of your points other than the one above. Housing costs have dropped quite a bit in CA since I moved here 6 years ago from CA. The family suburbs and areas surrounding Austin are definitely still a better value for everything you get, but the gap has narrowed there a bit as well. If you compare central Austin home prices to Santa Clara/Sunnyvale prices, it's not as big of a difference as it was 6 years ago.

So in my mind, I would have to think a lot harder today if I had to make the same move. 6 years ago, it was a no-brainer decision, but today I see that I can get a 2000 square foot single-family home in La Costa, CA (Carlsbad) that feeds into great schools a few miles from the beach for $425K. That was unheard of in that area 6 years ago. There are definitely deals to be had there and I think that it's a harder decision for most Californians today than it was for us 6 years ago.

And traffic is getting better in areas like San Diego compared to 6 years ago (Trolley, Sprinter, Coaster) as they expand their public transportation offerings.

I still think that the Austin area is great especially if you're looking for a cookie-cutter family neighborhood under $300K, but it's a much tougher decision if that isn't what you want.

Wouldn't you also have to consider traffic to San Diego, where you'd likely be working? Isn't Carlsbad/Escondido 30+ mi to SD? I heard someone else the other day comparing Austin/CA prices, then realized they were talking about Temecula, which is one hell of a commute to SD or Orange County, way worse than most Austin commuters probably have. Would you be able to take advantage of that PT living in La Costa?

Have prices gone down significantly in areas closer in to where most people work?

Originally Posted by grapico

Yeah but what about other single, non divorced folks in their 30s. Is it seen as culturally normal to still maybe have roommates (because you want them), going out frequently, focusing on career and creative pursuits there into your 30s/40s? I am keeping all my options open as I'm jumping into another career field soon for a fresh start. I know Austin is a culturally cool place for the young folks... I would just be scared that it is predominantly for that 20's crowd then people start heading out to the burbs. I'd honestly not want to date a fresh out of college girl, no offense to them... I just think there would be experience issues in the relationship (been there done that through dating them). Of course for another topic. I know a lot of people I have known in SF and Chicago who have praised Austin, and a few that have move there, but the ones who moved there were already serious couples for instance.

Grapico, I think your fear would be valid. It's not only for the 20s crowd, but like you said above, it does predominantly cater to that. I don't know that people necessarily flee to the burbs, though. Just partner up, maybe have a kid or 2. I know several singles in their 30s here but they are PhD candidates at UT and mostly hang with the 20s crowd anyway