thinking about making the move down to Austin from western PA

[dbsteel]

I was there 13 years and just moved back home to Pittsburgh 1 year ago. I'm an Engineer. I can assure you the market there is very competitive. But it is here too, and I was able to dig up a job to come home. I would have something lined up before moving. It pays to know someone. If you are OK with a service job, no problem. Now..... I could have easily gotten a job in Dallas or Houston. If you have any questions, send me a note....

A couple things.....
1) The sun is great. The horrible heat and no rain in the summer when you want to enjoy it is not. If you like change of seasons, you won't get it. I did miss the fall and the spring.
2) I have as much fun up here as I ever did in Austin. Of course, I like pro sports and I like to camp. And I'm in my 40s now.
3) There really is as much or more to do here outdoors if you know what to do. Rivers, bike trails, better camping, sports, lots of history, museums, etc.
4) You can see a lot with a three hour drive outside Pittsburgh.... there, you have to drive 6 hours just to get out of Texas.
5) Definitely a good party scene in Austin.... so it was fun in my 20s and 30s, but the overrated entertainment district is really no different than the Southside in Pittsburgh which gets no pub.
6) Lake Travis is great and very scenic, but a lot of times I lived there it was so low you couldn't boat on it.
7) The suburbs in Austin, which is where a lot of us ended up who were there long enough, are generic crowdedville USA.
8) There are nice biking and jogging trails in Austin, but they exist here and are just as nice. The Great Allegheny Passage is awesome. Just can't use them a few months of the year!
9) Depending on where you live and work, traffic can be bad in either place. But it can also be no issue.
10) Houses are cheap in the suburbs of Austin (not Austin proper), but its not much different than here. Less property taxes here.
11) No state tax in Austin, so for renters its great. For home owners, I think its kind of a wash. Overall, the cost of living is a little worse in Pittsburgh, but not much. Salaries are comparable.
12) Easier to get a house with some land in PA.
13) Pays to like the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Pays to like the Longhorns in Austin.

Most people I talk to when it comes down to a here or there thing.... they'll always throw the "horrible" weather at you. Depends what you like better and what you can live with. Depends on if you are a normally happy person or not. Some people just can't handle the snow, so any city with snow will never win. Others like me tailgate in 20 degrees at nine in the morning

[wvualum]

Thanks for the reply dbsteel, after thinking about it for a few days I'm going to give it a few more months..probably not going to go down to Austin unless I absolutely can't get nothing in the burgh. Austin does seem like an awesome city, but I think its hard to beat Pittsburgh. I would rather have it snowing in late March like it is up here now then it being miserably hot for several months out of the year. The snow doesn't bug me at all and I love the 4 seasons. I know once I get that first job just to get me moved down to the burgh it will be all uphill from there!

PS: Go Steelers!!

[BriansZ]

I grew up in Pittsburgh and left about 15 years ago. I don't like the snow, so Austin is a better city for me. It sounds like you don't mind the seasons in Pittsburgh, so you'd be better off staying. IMO, Pittsburgh is a beautiful city. They've done a great job cleaning it up over the years and I enjoy going back to visit because the city does offer a lot.

As far as real estate, I was surprised by how expensive homes are in the suburbs of Pittsburgh now. Maronda homes are similar to KB Homes out here, and they are selling for $300k+ out in Butler County. New home construction in Pittsburgh is booming just like Austin.

[dbsteel]

Originally Posted by BriansZ

I grew up in Pittsburgh and left about 15 years ago. I don't like the snow, so Austin is a better city for me. It sounds like you don't mind the seasons in Pittsburgh, so you'd be better off staying. IMO, Pittsburgh is a beautiful city. They've done a great job cleaning it up over the years and I enjoy going back to visit because the city does offer a lot.

As far as real estate, I was surprised by how expensive homes are in the suburbs of Pittsburgh now. Maronda homes are similar to KB Homes out here, and they are selling for $300k+ out in Butler County. New home construction in Pittsburgh is booming just like Austin.

I agree. Nice new or relatively new homes are in the $200-$300K range. I paid $270K out in Murrysville. Not horrible, but a little more than I expected back here. But, there is more house and land too than what I sold there. I'd say all in all, the housing is pretty similar, with rent being cheaper here.

[dbsteel]

Originally Posted by wvualum

Thanks for the reply dbsteel, after thinking about it for a few days I'm going to give it a few more months..probably not going to go down to Austin unless I absolutely can't get nothing in the burgh. Austin does seem like an awesome city, but I think its hard to beat Pittsburgh. I would rather have it snowing in late March like it is up here now then it being miserably hot for several months out of the year. The snow doesn't bug me at all and I love the 4 seasons. I know once I get that first job just to get me moved down to the burgh it will be all uphill from there!

PS: Go Steelers!!

By the way.... I'm not really trying to shoot down Austin for you. In fact if you have a house to stay at down there, and you are in your 20's, it might be a great place to get going. You can always move back at some point if you've had your fill. I was just pointing out that there are plenty of things that I missed that no matter how much sun and tequila I got, I still missed them enough to get back at some point. So I did. Personally for jobs, I thought Dallas and Houston were stronger, at least in my field. Those cities are easier to travel from too. There is no denying to get going in life, you may have to find a job elsewhere for awhile. I did the DC to Austin to Pittsburgh route.

[parasitius]

Originally Posted by dbsteel

5) Definitely a good party scene in Austin.... so it was fun in my 20s and 30s, but the overrated entertainment district is really no different than the Southside in Pittsburgh which gets no pub.

As one who is actively hunting for an opportunity down there, this really scared/depressed me. It's really nothing special different that Pitts.? Is there no city in this entire country with proper clubs? Even in the smallest unknown cities of 2-4 million in China (went as an exchange student ) you could find awesome night clubs with MANY attractive females of legal age.

Coming back I have kind of hated the US ever since, nothing fun here. I'm just over the way in Youngstown and at 30 I feel like a child in the bars, most of the "chicks" are at LEAST 10 years older than me. It is so rare to see an 18+ attractive female, that when I did see one for the first time in 6 months in Starbucks the other day... I probably scared the **** out of her with incessant staring.

Was thinking if I could make the move perhaps I could score a first date since coming back to USA (it's been 5 years)

FML

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by parasitius

As one who is actively hunting for an opportunity down there, this really scared/depressed me. It's really nothing special different that Pitts.? Is there no city in this entire country with proper clubs? Even in the smallest unknown cities of 2-4 million in China (went as an exchange student ) you could find awesome night clubs with MANY attractive females of legal age.

Coming back I have kind of hated the US ever since, nothing fun here. I'm just over the way in Youngstown and at 30 I feel like a child in the bars, most of the "chicks" are at LEAST 10 years older than me. It is so rare to see an 18+ attractive female, that when I did see one for the first time in 6 months in Starbucks the other day... I probably scared the **** out of her with incessant staring.

Was thinking if I could make the move perhaps I could score a first date since coming back to USA (it's been 5 years)

FML

Pittsburg


Austin

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by parasitius

As one who is actively hunting for an opportunity down there, this really scared/depressed me. It's really nothing special different that Pitts.? Is there no city in this entire country with proper clubs? Even in the smallest unknown cities of 2-4 million in China (went as an exchange student ) you could find awesome night clubs with MANY attractive females of legal age.

Coming back I have kind of hated the US ever since, nothing fun here. I'm just over the way in Youngstown and at 30 I feel like a child in the bars, most of the "chicks" are at LEAST 10 years older than me. It is so rare to see an 18+ attractive female, that when I did see one for the first time in 6 months in Starbucks the other day... I probably scared the **** out of her with incessant staring.

Was thinking if I could make the move perhaps I could score a first date since coming back to USA (it's been 5 years)

FML

Perhaps you should concentrate your search in American cities in the 2-4 million range, Austin is much smaller than that.