indianapolis to austin need help!!! (Houston, Dallas: real estate, house, neighborhoods)

[nobleman4]

My family is looking for a change. Based on the information provided on this board, I am having a tough time determining whether Austin (or Texas for that matter), will be any different than Indiana. We live in an solid middle class neighborhood (value around 250k) we are real estate professionals and we are also a diverse family.
Has any person moved from Indianapolis to Austin? Is there a strong difference?
For men of color, what has been your experience doing business in Austin? Are you accepted?
Are there any communities that are inclusive in nature?
My parents grew up in Little Rock and are very worried about be leaving Indianapolis and moving to Austin.
So, if anyone can help resolve these concerns ....thank you in advance.
I should add that my spouse favors Houston.

[southwest1230]

I will read a few things into your post, having lived in both Austin and Indy....first, you
prob live around Carmel-Fishers, or north of 86th street.......being real estate professionals, you prob focus on Hamilton County and thereabouts. Okay, enough of the hunches. Now, to answer the questions......Is Austin tolerant? Well, I would say most certainly so.....Is Indy? Pretty much, except for maybe the old areas around speedway and such. How about the two compared? Well, I'm presuming you are black, and, in that case, it would be about the same, or slightly better. Indy is suprisingly tolerant, as you know, and I didn't infer that you felt slighted in that sense in the query. Austin is only 9% black, so you may feel slighted in a numerical sense at most. Now, most of the folks of color in Austin seem to segregate themselves east of I-35, and live in their own world there. I would say Austin is about 34% Hispanic, and they live primarily east of that line too. I do find that there is de facto segregation in Austin, but I think
it just happens that way. What I mean is that folks seem to do it themselves. I don't think anyone black would feel slighted on 6th street, for example, but you just don't see many folks of color in the entertainment districts, such as around the University, 6th and environs, and the warehouse area around congress. I very very rarely do, but I always thought it was just demographics(the 9% I mentioned). Houston and Dallas have far more "color" than Austin, and if you are looking for numbers, Houston would be the place, per your wives recommendation. Post-Katrina, the exodus, and please don't think I'm infering any negative connotations, for I'm surely not, but that would have increased it more, so I would say Houston is about 25-30% black at this point. I don't read anything into numbers, but perhaps you are looking for a certain mass of folks that not only would make you feel more of a fit, but would have the cultural and
other amenities you might look for, such as Hair care(hey, thats important!), churches, and all that jazz. I would say you might have a time looking for a hair stylist in Austin that can work with afros, and those little things do add up. Houston is a lot more down home, so to speak, in that it is deep south orientated, and has the moves and grooves of the bayou, not being but a stones' throw from 'Nawlins. Austin is more of a college and hippy type city/town, to be honest with you. Now I like that stuff, and it suits me, but I would imagine some folks would run from that environment.
The atmosphere is pretty much fratboy/hippie dippie and all, so read into that what you will. Houston is WAY more cosmopolitan, and mixed couples would not bat an eye or eyelid there. In a nutshell, If I was of color, I really feel I would be more comfortable in Houston, again being a little more down home, cosmopolitan, and all. Austin is really quite
incredible, but it is a bit lacking in any ethos outside of the hipster/hippie element. I would say, again, that people of color might be a bit more marginalized, open minded as it is, in Austin. I very rarely see any, so I don't know if its more the low 9% or that they just keep to themselves east of 1-35.......BTW, I'm from a black neighborhood south of chicago, so I know well of what I speak, and I don't patronize. I've been there and done that, and just tell it as it is. I would work with Houston, but don't let that stop you from at least checking out Austin, as you may like it. Per music, it does skew towards roots rock/outlaw country/indie rock, and I have no idea what tastes in music you have, but you do have lots of UT kids in just about any venue there every night.
Houston would be a little more diverse that way, with more people of color and older folks in the clubs and restaurants. Again, Austin is very much an organic/hippie type place, but thats what I personally am into(not the organic though....I'm a BBQ/Texmex hippie). Whole wheat and all that stuff has no appeal for me. No vegan here for sure.
Hey, I miss Indy. Say hi to the good folks and Bart Peterson for me, and Go NFL Champion Colts!

One last thing....Indy is one of the sharpest looking cities in the US......very striking...
Here are a few pics to prove it!

Closest to DC per collonaded memorial structures in the center of town. Really nice!



Beautiful skyline


People actually shop in Downtown Indy..not much of that in DT Austin, or Houston,
for that matter!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/Indianapolis_Colts_helmet_rightface.png (broken link)

and finally, if it really needs to be said, "GO COLTS", and thats from a bear fan!
You don't know how hard it was to say that, brother!


Good luck!

[nobleman4]

As a Bears Fan... and growing up near the south side of Chicago ... I can respect your comments.
One person paradise can be another Hell. Another person hell can be paradise to the other.
It is a matter of perspective and desires. That is why the universe is so abundant, to fulfill all of our needs.
I am sorry, I have not found those good folks that you miss, I only wish I had. Thanks for your perspective. I enjoy ALL people.
Inclusion, respect, jazz, parks, museums,parks etc. I think i will take Austin off my list and turn my search to Dallas or Columbus OH. Anything that is not remotely like Indy.
Hey... I have house to sell here..want to come home..i'll leave the light on for ya

[gigi927]

Originally Posted by nobleman4

As a Bears Fan... and growing up near the south side of Chicago ... I can respect your comments.
One person paradise can be another Hell. Another person hell can be paradise to the other.
It is a matter of perspective and desires. That is why the universe is so abundant, to fulfill all of our needs.
I am sorry, I have not found those good folks that you miss, I only wish I had. Thanks for your perspective. I enjoy ALL people.
Inclusion, respect, jazz, parks, museums,parks etc. I think i will take Austin off my list and turn my search to Dallas or Columbus OH. Anything that is not remotely like Indy.
Hey... I have house to sell here..want to come home..i'll leave the light on for ya

While I'm not African-American, I am a Chicago south side girl born and raised I think that inclusion, respect, and parks are all in abundance here in Austin. I am not sure about jazz, and museums are definitely not comparable to what you find in Chicago (it's probably the #1 thing I miss about Chicago after living in Phoenix, Austin, San Fran and Orange County - museums just don't compare anywhere else except NY). I guess my point is maybe don't rule it out just yet. You might find it a refreshing change from where you are. I have never visited Indy, though. Austin is a place you really need to visit to decide whether it's for you, and I think people immediately know upon arriving whether this can be home or not.

Austin is definitely not as diverse as Chicago. However, I think of Chicago as being diverse in a very distinct neighborhood way - the Polish neighborhood, Chinatown, south side v. north side. It seemed to me that people rarely crossed neighborhood lines, if that makes any sense. Austin reminds me more of San Fran in that while Caucasians are definitely still the overwhelming majority, it isn't weird to see people of other races in neighborhoods like it might be in Chicago. In our neighborhood here, we have several mixed race couples, Asians, Indians, African-Americans, Mexicans and more and we are in the NW part of Austin which is more suburban than most of Austin.

As far as the real estate business, my husband's done very well here; the market is incredibly stable compared to most other markets in the country and Austin continues to be a hotspot for relocations.

Good luck in your search, I hope you find what you are looking for

[SmartGXL]

Hi NobleMan,

I currently live in Chicago, but I am from Dayton, OH originally, and my parents lived in Indy for a while on the NW side of town. So, I very familiar with Indy, and Columbus OH, as well. My brother lives down in Austin and so I have had a lot of opportunity to explore Austin and compare it to back home (Ohio/Indiana/Illinois).

I would advise you to take a trip to TX and see it for yourself, it may be for you, or, it may not be, but either way, there is really no way to fully describe it, it has to be seen. Like other posters mentioned, I would also check out Dallas and Houston, which will give you a much more cosmopolitan vibe.

However, having said that, let me give the same explanation of Austin vs. Indy vs. Columbus that I have given others:

All three cities are about the same size, and are all very typical, north american cities, in the fact that you pretty much have to own a car and drive everywhere. But Indy is only as large as it is, because it annexed the entire county and pretty much all of the suburbs, back in the day. Having said that, Austin is pretty much a much larger city than Indy. Columbus would probably "feel" larger than Austin as well, although it is actually a little bit smaller of a city.

Indy and Columbus are very very similar cities; they both sit on I-70, and have very simiar weather (hot in the summer, cold in the winter) and both cities are mostly flat, with not much change in topography. Columbus has a much larger downtown than Indy. The downtowns are laid out in a similar lattern (grid fashion), with older neighboorhoods spread out thru the rest of town, and many large suburbs ringing the city.

I actually thought that Columbus and Indy were very simiar towns; so I dont think moving there would provide much of a change. Indy was a beautiful town but I personally always thought Columbus was slightly better; mainly because they have more trees in Columbus.

All three cities are state capitals, but Columbus and Austin are both also known for their HUGE universities, OSU and UT. Both schools dominate the sports scene and are considered major employers in the region, and many of the locals went to school there and so in Cols you see lots of red "Buckeyes" shirts and in Austin you see lots of Orange "Longhorns" shirts. Downtown Austin is very alive and well, is built on a similar grid pattern as Columbus and Indy, but is active night and day, 7 days a week. There is a HUGE bar scene there, that runs 7 nights a week, there are probably 100 bars/restaurants there. However, let it be known, that they do cater to a mostly college-age crowd.

I always imagine that Austin is Columbus (or Indy), if you were to physically move them down to TX...but with beautiful hills, palm trees, cedar trees, ferns, cactus, and is VERY SUNNY and VERY HOT and VERY DRY most of the year. Their winter lasts about 2 months and is quite pleasant; and actually it always reminded me more of "halloween weather" that we get in october in the midwest. There might be 2 or 3 days of icy weather per year, and that is it. There is a lot of California/Spanish/Southwest architecture, and a lot of mexican restaurants as well. Texas used to be part of Mexico, so when you go there, there is a feeling of being "in another country" that you dont get in Indy, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas etc. It sort of vaguely "feels like" you are in Mexico. There is a lot of hispanic culture and people there. And like another poster mentioned, only 9% of the population is of African heritage; although I never got a sense that Austin was racist or not accepting of african-americans. If you want to be part of a much larger black community, then yes, Dallas and Houston will offer that.

Hope this helps out! It might be easier for you to tell us what kind of change you are looking for in your life, and what kind of lifestyle you are looking for.

[Trainwreck20]

(this was an old post bumped by another post that has been removed)