Yet another moving to Austin post... (Houston, San Antonio: sales, apartment complex, for rent)
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I've been doing a great deal of research on these boards and others on the net. In real life, I don't think I've ever heard a bad thing about Austin, but it does seem to have a certain level of hype surrounding it these days.
My parents live in Houston, which I have been to many times, and I like it, though I would never want to live there. I've visited Austin several times, and as a casual tourist, I LOVED it... but my research has actually scared me a bit. In some ways, it sounds almost TOO awesome. I hear so much conflicting info about the job market and the cost of living. It ranges from a plethora of amazing jobs and cheap rent to basically Depression-level job markets and rents that could compete with NYC. I suspect the truth is in the middle?
My real question is this... I'm turning 30 in June and planning to move in the fall/winter of this year. Am I too OLD for Austin already? I'm a youthful person and I like young cities, but not TOO young, and my interests in the past four or five years have gone beyond getting wasted on the weekends. Give it to me straight, Austinites - am I too old for this city? I'm also single, and I currently live in Toronto, Canada a city that is cold both literally and figuratively. I want to be able to meet people fast in Austin as an active social life is important to me - will this be impossible at the ripe old age of thirty?
I'm already having a bit of a crisis over turning thirty - I don't want to move to a place that makes me feel worse about it and totally obsolete. I know it's a family friendly city, so it can't all be young, hot, twenty-somethings, but I'm single, so married men and chicks with babies really aren't my scene, either. Should I be looking at San Antonio, instead?
Yep! It's a healthy job market, one that is fairly competitive due to some of the tangible and intangible benefits Austin provides (culture, schools, etc.) Jobs are definitely out there, what industry are you looking in? That would be the largest factor in helping to answer your question.
As for rents, they are on the rise - but still within reason compared to salaries/wages. You want a loft apartment in a swanky building downtown? That's going to set you back a bit! Just looking for a 1/1 apartment in a decent area? $700-$850 will keep you fairly central to downtown, with prices declining as you move out from the city center.
As for the age piece, you're definintely not too old - there's TONS of early to mid-30's in Austin. IMO, it's probably the most prevalent age demo in the area (FYI, I did not research that point at all - just my perspective!) I'm in my 30's for a little while longer here, and have never really felt old in any situation - with the exception of Fri/Sat nights on E. 6th, so I slide to W. 6th or 4th St. on those nights.
I've been doing a great deal of research on these boards and others on the net. In real life, I don't think I've ever heard a bad thing about Austin, but it does seem to have a certain level of hype surrounding it these days.
My parents live in Houston, which I have been to many times, and I like it, though I would never want to live there. I've visited Austin several times, and as a casual tourist, I LOVED it... but my research has actually scared me a bit. In some ways, it sounds almost TOO awesome. I hear so much conflicting info about the job market and the cost of living. It ranges from a plethora of amazing jobs and cheap rent to basically Depression-level job markets and rents that could compete with NYC. I suspect the truth is in the middle?
My real question is this... I'm turning 30 in June and planning to move in the fall/winter of this year. Am I too OLD for Austin already? I'm a youthful person and I like young cities, but not TOO young, and my interests in the past four or five years have gone beyond getting wasted on the weekends. Give it to me straight, Austinites - am I too old for this city? I'm also single, and I currently live in Toronto, Canada a city that is cold both literally and figuratively. I want to be able to meet people fast in Austin as an active social life is important to me - will this be impossible at the ripe old age of thirty?
I'm already having a bit of a crisis over turning thirty - I don't want to move to a place that makes me feel worse about it and totally obsolete. I know it's a family friendly city, so it can't all be young, hot, twenty-somethings, but I'm single, so married men and chicks with babies really aren't my scene, either. Should I be looking at San Antonio, instead?
Look at west SA as well, its more down to earth people wise and the hill country there has more greenery and beautiul trees. Austin is over hyped but it is a nice town.
phew, that makes me feel a little better about everything. some of the posts I was readign were a little doom-and-gloom re the age and job market thing.
my experience is largely in HR and Legal and not too high up/specialized. i'm just an analyst and honestly, I'm not married to either of those industries/areas... I may be looking for a bit of a career change in Austin, too.
swanky building isn't necessary - just a decent clean apartment complex would make me happy!
The job market really depends on what sort of job you are after. For some things it is really hard to find qualified employees and talent. On the other hand your waitress is just about as likely as not to have a MBA or PhD. lol. Austin's population is quite educated. There are many very highly educated and qualified people in Austin who fall in love with the city and would rather wait tables than get a good job elsewhere. This can (and does) make getting some jobs harder.
On the whole age thing... it is just in the mind. I've been turning 29 for a few years now. On my 30th birthday I thought I was turning 29. My partner kept telling me I was wrong until I did the math. So I decided I'm just going to keep turning 29 until my 40th, at which point I'll keep turning 39 until my 50th and so on. lol. Average age in Austin is just over 33 I think. So you still have a few years to be considered younger than most. =) I'm in my 30's and don't feel old at all. Something in the air, water or just the vibe about Austin makes me feel young.
Cost of living... Austin is more expensive than the other Texas cities like DFW, Houston or San Antonio. But not close to NYC, San Fran or London. Or Toronto.
thanks - this is good to hear. i guess it all depends on the poster and the topic. a twenty-something is probably just as likely to be told the city is for them, too, thanks to the large University population and 6th street.
glad to hear Austin probably won't make me feel like a spinster! I like the looks of those graphs. I've dealt okay with the high, high Toronto cost of living with my not-that-impressive salary thanks to a lucky break in my housing, so i'm not expecting to come to Austin and live for pennies. I just couldn't seem to gauge whether the cost of living was out of this world, or just average based on my research.
the job market thing scares me a little bit... here's a more specific question... I may have the option of heading straight to Austin to rent on my own and look for work, OR i could move earlier and move in with my parents for a bit in Houston and search for jobs in Austin remotely... which do you think would be a wiser move? IE is it hard to rent without a job there, or is it hard to get a job when you don't have an austin address?
IE is it hard to rent without a job there, or is it hard to get a job when you don't have an austin address?
Yes and yes. You haven't mentioned anything about citizenship so I assume that won't be an issue but it would certainly be better to at least use your parents' address instead of your Canadaland one.
here's a more specific question... I may have the option of heading straight to Austin to rent on my own and look for work, OR i could move earlier and move in with my parents for a bit in Houston and search for jobs in Austin remotely... which do you think would be a wiser move? IE is it hard to rent without a job there, or is it hard to get a job when you don't have an austin address?
Both options would work, but staying with your parents while paying little or no rent is the safer option.
My wife and I rented from a large apartment complex without jobs when we first moved to Austin and it wasn't a big deal at all. They just cared that we had good credit and could show pay stubs/salary from our previous employers before we moved. My wife and I both put "looking for work" in the current employer area (that's what the sales girl told us to do at the complex). I'm sure it would be more of an issue with smaller places, but if you rent from one of the mega-complexes run by Gables for example, it's not a big deal. Call them ahead of time and ask to make sure. The sales people in those places want to rent out their vacant apartments.
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On my 30th birthday I thought I was turning 29. My partner kept telling me I was wrong until I did the math. So I decided I'm just going to keep turning 29 until my 40th, at which point I'll keep turning 39 until my 50th and so on. lol. Average age in Austin is just over 33 I think. So you still have a few years to be considered younger than most. =) I'm in my 30's and don't feel old at all. Something in the air, water or just the vibe about Austin makes me feel young. 
