Considering move to Austin from Silicon Valley (Houston, Dallas: car insurance, house)

[NativeTexan76]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Can you elaborate on this a bit? Do you mean very religious/traditional? If so, I figured that would be the case somewhere like Dallas or Houston, but not Austin. I was thinking that Austin would be sort of like Portland, but it Texas. Am I looking at it wrong?

Maybe I haven't met the right people yet, but the people I've met in the area are a little too religious and also materialistic for my taste. We live in Westlake. Perhaps, we will find more appropriate friends as we live here longer.

I really miss the techy/nerdy element of the Bay Area. I also miss Asians a lot, which I totally didn't expect.

I kind of wish we had looked harder at central Austin, since I feel like we would fit in better there. We chose the Westlake area for the schools, since my daughter will be in kindergarten next year. Basically, the Eanes district has the highest ratings on paper, so it seemed low-risk when you are moving long-distance and don't have time/resources to do research on the ground.

[centralaustinite]

You totally should have gone with the Laurel Canyon elementary track into Westwood HS is RRISD -- tons of geeky families, Asians, tech nerds etc.

Or anywhere in AISD and eventually Kealing and LASA! Those are your people!!

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by NativeTexan76

I really miss the techy/nerdy element of the Bay Area. I also miss Asians a lot, which I totally didn't expect.

Does Austin not have a techy atmosphere? I thought it was turning into the next Silicon Valley. Doesn't this also attract a high number of Asians/Indians to the tech companies in the area?

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Does Austin not have a techy atmosphere? I thought it was turning into the next Silicon Valley. Doesn't this also attract a high number of Asians/Indians to the tech companies in the area?

Yes, but Westlake isn't the most popular landing spot for the influx of tech employees.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

Yes, but Westlake isn't the most popular landing spot for the influx of tech employees.

Exactly, tech employees (especially single income) cant afford 800k+ houses. Many asians/tech people live in great hills, canyon creek, spicewood at bullcreek or even further north in cedar park.

Laurel mountain elementary is 52% asian (spicewood elementary is 30% asian, kathy caraway is 23% asian)
canyon vista middle 32% asian
westwood high 26%

westwood often ranks higher than westlake, but they are probably about the same. LASA (AISD magnet) is definitely better than both. Westwood SAT test scores etc are higher than westlake scores. The high asian population means that there is a huge focus on academics, some say too much.

We decided to live in an area that feeds into westwood because we didnt like the materialism of the westlake area.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by NativeTexan76

Maybe I haven't met the right people yet, but the people I've met in the area are a little too religious and also materialistic for my taste. We live in Westlake. Perhaps, we will find more appropriate friends as we live here longer.

I really miss the techy/nerdy element of the Bay Area. I also miss Asians a lot, which I totally didn't expect.

I kind of wish we had looked harder at central Austin, since I feel like we would fit in better there. We chose the Westlake area for the schools, since my daughter will be in kindergarten next year. Basically, the Eanes district has the highest ratings on paper, so it seemed low-risk when you are moving long-distance and don't have time/resources to do research on the ground.

the eanes district may have higher ratings but your kids go to specific schools. You have to go by the school chain, not thedistrict.

i personally think laurel mountain, canyon vista, westwood is better than westlake. But LASA is better than both westlake and westwood, your kids just might not get in. AISD has plenty of good elementary schools. I think the middle schools and high schools are more of a mixed bag.

[NativeTexan76]

Originally Posted by Austin97

the eanes district may have higher ratings but your kids go to specific schools. You have to go by the school chain, not thedistrict.

i personally think laurel mountain, canyon vista, westwood is better than westlake. But LASA is better than both westlake and westwood, your kids just might not get in. AISD has plenty of good elementary schools. I think the middle schools and high schools are more of a mixed bag.

Yeah, I guess we may have screwed up on where to live, but we are stuck for the near/mid-term since we already bought a house I'm keeping an open mind to moving in case this doesn't work out.

Just wanted to give the Op a heads up that there are significant cultural differences depending on where you live in Austin.

[Austin97]

Would add that westlake is 9% asian. LASA is 15% asian 24% hispanic

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by NativeTexan76

Maybe I haven't met the right people yet, but the people I've met in the area are a little too religious and also materialistic for my taste. We live in Westlake. Perhaps, we will find more appropriate friends as we live here longer.

I really miss the techy/nerdy element of the Bay Area. I also miss Asians a lot, which I totally didn't expect.

I kind of wish we had looked harder at central Austin, since I feel like we would fit in better there. We chose the Westlake area for the schools, since my daughter will be in kindergarten next year. Basically, the Eanes district has the highest ratings on paper, so it seemed low-risk when you are moving long-distance and don't have time/resources to do research on the ground.

Westlake is NOT the place to go if you want techie/nerdy, and not materialistic! Though many move for the schools, some also move to get the address. What does that tell you?
Also, though Eanes has the reputation, there are SO many great schools in other districts and no reason to only look at one district as the best/only option.

(I know it's late to tell you this, but maybe it will help others.)

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

Westlake is NOT the place to go if you want techie/nerdy, and not materialistic! Though many move for the schools, some also move to get the address. What does that tell you?
Also, though Eanes has the reputation, there are SO many great schools in other districts and no reason to only look at one district as the best/only option.

(I know it's late to tell you this, but maybe it will help others.)

I know some tech nerds in Westlake but they are the ones who made SERIOUS coin in the last 15 years (often in the Valley) and came home to raise kids and work on their golf game! ooh, in fact, now that I think of it, two of them are actually WESTWOOD grads who came of age at exactly the right time and place (engineering degrees in SV in the early 1990s).