Austin's weather and scenery, I am from Phoenix, have horses (Dallas: HOA, house)

[sheaday]

I've only been to Phoenix once and enjoyed it but cant compare it to Austin. If I were you, I would go back to Phoenix since you love it and already know the area. Why rush and buy a house in a city you're not sure about? You stated you lived in CA for a year and didnt like it. I wouldnt make such a huge financial decision based on a few opinions off the internet.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by Katjianna

I just wanted to bump this for any additional opinions of PHX vs Austin? It is "crunch time" here and we are either moving back to Phoenix or starting fresh and new in Austin. Looking to buy a house in 2 months. Any more viewpoints? Thanks!

My viepoint is That you need to spend some time here before deciding to buy.

[centralaustinite]

This ^^^. I hate Phoenix and would never live there, if SoCal weather is too changeable for you, I have to imagine that Texas will not suit. Was in the 90s earlier this week, cold front just came through, high tomorrow in the 60s. And then there is summer which last practically half the year, I can give you the July forecast right now, high 97, low 77 (at about 4:30 am) can be 85 at 10 pm. August and early September can be even hotter. Summers are usually dry, unless we get a string of tropical storms and then it can be wet.

Regarding horses, looking around Georgetown is good but get a realtor who knows horses otherwise you will end up with clay that sucks the shoes off horses or a crust of soil over limestone. Have you considered Kentucky or Tennessee? Moderate weather, great horse country.

[dbsteel]

Originally Posted by Katjianna

Thank you for the opinions so far. The inconsistent weather may be an issue. I loved that Phoenix was the same weather day in and day out, it was easy to plan activities and prepare for [horse] shows. The rain can make life difficult with horses for sure. I think the weather differences are my main concern. I do dislike that here in CA is varies so much.

So nice to hear that the people are wonderful though, thats a big plus for me!

There is alot in Austin that would be a good fit for me. I will have to look up hay prices in Austin. Here in SoCal it is $20 a bale! Thats simply insane! I pay outrageous prices on everything, sit in traffic for hours and 8 out of 10 people are just incredibly rude. This is definitely not "home" for me, can't wait to leave! We will be visiting Austin again in a couple of months and I can't wait.

Any other opinions please share. Thanks!

I think the inconsistent weather thing is relative to what you are used to. I moved to Pennsylvania from Austin... now this weather is inconsistent

While Austin weather has some inconsistancies in the winter and spring where it can go up and down a lot, there is 7 months or so from April through October where it was just boringly consistent. Either sunny blue skies and warm, or sunny blue skies and hot. You'll get hte bad storm, but that clears out fast.

[Katjianna]

Thanks for all of the help/opinions. We have visited Austin in the past and liked it. I can get a much nicer horse property in Austin than I can in Phoenix, which is why we are heavily considering it. I am originally from Ohio and HATE cold, so I think after a year in SoCal I have gotten used to changes in weather (compared to 365 hot/sunny in Phoenix), I am just perhaps more fearful that the winters may be too cold compared to the weather being inconsistent. We are looking at Leander now if anyone has any input on that particular city? Thank you for the reminder that the soil is very different in different areas and can make horsekeeping difficult/pull off shoes. I will keep that in mind. Anyone know a good horse knowledgeable realtor? Cannot do Ky or TN, need a big tech area since husband is a software eng. And I need warm weather. So for us it is: stay in SoCal (love the beaches) but give up nearly everything else, things are very $$! PHX: familiar but heat is insane, very much of a concrete wasteland (beautiful desert being torn down everywhere), and I can only get 1 acre for my horses since it is so landlocked or Austin where we can meet some nice folks (not the jerks in SoCal!) get a beautiful home and a beautiful barn on 5 acres for half of what we would pay here. I suppose I just answered my own question, it may be worth it to try it out for a few years! ** Just hope the winters aren't too cold and there is enough sunshine!** Thats probably my main worry if I really sit and think about the choice. Any input?

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, if you're moving here for horses, while there are exceptions (and I can point them out), you're likely going to want to be east of I35 due to soil. West of I35 you get a lot of limestone. East you get either Houston Black (black gumbo clay) or sandy loam, the latter being preferable, but we have the Houston Black here and while it's a bit of a pain, it can be worked with.

Are you thinking living in an equestrian community or on a few acres in the country? Both are readily available, depending on your price point. Winters being too cold isn't really an issue - folks ride year round here, being more likely to not ride in August when it's really really hot than in December/January, when there are some really nice days most year. You will sometimes get days when it's in the 70's and then in the 40's, but that still means you can ride part of the day! The shows tend to be in the spring and fall, though there are some sprinkled throughout the year in some areas. There's a thriving horse culture here, everything from Western to English to Dressage to CDE's, or some combination of them, depending on your pleasure.

Georgetown is a pretty town, and there's equestrian communities surrounding it, plus horse properties with houses dotted throughout the area. Pretty easy access to I35 and 130, as well, to hop on and go to horse shows north and south of Georgetown.

[centralaustinite]

Listen to TexasHorseLady! She knows the score! And sunshine, we've got that!

[Melissa78703]

If you want to live a rural life and enjoy horses, there's not too much of that lifestyle in Austin. Austin is a mid-sized city flanked with a ginormous amount of Houston-style sprawl. So, I definitely would not move here, based on what you described you're looking for.

However, I would consider: Lockhart, Leander, Bastrop, Georgetown, Smithville, Wimberly. Salado is one of my very favorite towns, it's so yummy I could eat it up with a spoon. They aren't Austin, but you can easily come in for the day -- or a weekend -- and hang out with the "city crowd."

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by Melissa78703

If you want to live a rural life and enjoy horses, there's not too much of that lifestyle in Austin. Austin is a mid-sized city flanked with a ginormous amount of Houston-style sprawl. So, I definitely would not move here, based on what you described you're looking for.

However, I would consider: Lockhart, Leander, Bastrop, Georgetown, Smithville, Wimberly. Salado is one of my very favorite towns, it's so yummy I could eat it up with a spoon. They aren't Austin, but you can easily come in for the day -- or a weekend -- and hang out with the "city crowd."

OP specifically stated they were looking at Georgetown

[Dog_Gone]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

OP specifically stated they were looking at Georgetown

The OP titled the thread as Austin. When did Georgetown join with Austin?