2014. You're moving to Austin with wife and kids. Where do you choose to live? (Houston: to rent, homes)

[lwright84]

Hi all, I've been lurking here for quite awhile reading a ton of threads and trying to get as much info and perspective as possible. I'm having some trouble finding more recent information, as many of the threads I've come across by searching are years old. I'd really like to get some perspective on how things are looking in the next 6 months and going forward. First, some brief background:

We are a young family (wife and I in our late 20s, three kids 4-10), and we currently live in the DFW Metroplex where we have been all our lives together. My wife is a homemaker and currently homeschooling our oldest/youngest. I work as a Sr. Desktop Support Tech / Systems Admin currently making between 50-60K. We own a 4/2 1700 sq. ft home in a suburb between Dallas & Fort Worth, and I commute to Downtown/Uptown for work every day.

The reasons we want to move vary, but mainly we are ready to be somewhere new. She was born & raised here, I've lived here since I was 3, and we live 5 minutes from where we both graduated high school. Outside of the claustrophobia, we are also wanting to live somewhere that has more outdoors activities and a more active community in general. We are not health nuts, but we are sick of being so sedentary and not having many options nearby other than gyms and a few boring, crummy parks. I also have a passion for filmmaking and want to pursue it more (not really much up here save for corporate/commercial work).

Our main concern is being able to do and experience more as a family, and to be able to take advantage of a city that provides resources and events for their residents (festivals, workshops, kid's activities, cultural events, etc). We're already pretty confident in being safe in most of Austin (certainly more than DFW). We are interested in good schools as well, in case my wife decides to go back to work. We are not against living in another suburb, but are also prepared to downsize to be in an area that offers more stuff conveniently nearby. Though I hear Austin may have some suburbs that offer a good mix of convenient amenities and suburban living.

Oh, and we are not really into the bar/club scene (never have been). We'd much rather go see a movie at the Alamo, catch an art exhibit, or eat at a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I say this because I know Austin proper tends to cater to the college crowd and that scene. We'd love to be able to experience the perks of the Austin area without living next to that kind of stuff, if that makes sense. That might come across poorly, but I'm not intending to be condescending or offending so I hope I didn't do either.

Anyway, for those gracious enough to still be reading, thank you. I'd love to hear your recommendations. Especially if there are any up-and-coming areas of Austin that you think would suit us well. We're not planning to move until the end of the year, so we're definitely interested in any forward-thinking or future-planning ideas (as opposed to say, what area might have suited us 2-3 years ago). Also, I should note we are considering Houston as our "plan B" should it seem like Austin just won't work out for us. We feel Austin has more of what we're looking for, but we understand it's also very crowded and with a higher COL currently, so we're trying to be realistic. We're just ready to move!

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your time.

[mark311]

Just by your salary, I'm guessing areas of Round Rock or maybe Leander would be what you're looking for. What is your housing budget? Just remember that Austin doesn't offer as many big city amenities like DFW, but as stated here before, the suburbs which is what you'll be able to afford won't be a ton different than where you live now.

[EzPeterson]

It will really all boil down to work location and budget.

[centralaustinite]

So . . . do you have jobs lined up in Austin? The job market here is more competitive and the salaries can be lower than DFW. Do you want to rent or buy a home? And what would be your price range for either buying or renting?

I don't think that Austin will offer THAT much of a change from DFW. Moving incurs a lot of hidden costs, you might want to think twice before jumping especially if you don't have a job lined up.

[lwright84]

Originally Posted by mark311

Just by your salary, I'm guessing areas of Round Rock or maybe Leander would be what you're looking for. What is your housing budget?

That remains to be seen. We are really considering putting most of our stuff in storage (or selling it) and renting for a year.

[mimimomx3]

Up and coming? I think of Kyle and Buda. How about San Antonio? I think SA has a great lifestyle, and is significantly cheaper than Austin and more conservative. It's worth considering.

[mamacatnv]

We recently relocated from N. NV to Leander. Housing was affordable, the schools are great and its on the edge of the hill country. Its pretty, close enough to civilization to offer everything we could desire in regards to shopping and entertainment as well as parks, lakes and lots of other activities. My hubs commutes to Austin and uses the toll roads. I commute to the hill country and its all reverse for me.

[lwright84]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

So . . . do you have jobs lined up in Austin? The job market here is more competitive and the salaries can be lower than DFW. Do you want to rent or buy a home? And what would be your price range for either buying or renting?

I don't think that Austin will offer THAT much of a change from DFW. Moving incurs a lot of hidden costs, you might want to think twice before jumping especially if you don't have a job lined up.

I do not, but I am beginning to search. I'm seeing a decent number of openings for positions that I could do (though obviously not as many as in DFW). They might not all offer the same salary range, but we are willing to downsize as necessary.

We are open to purchasing or renting. As I said above we will probably rent for a year first. Plus, I'm not sure I'd be able to easily purchase a home in another city with no residency or job history, even if we did find a great deal. Price range would be ~$1000 monthly, a minimum of 2bd/2ba (3bd ideally). We do have some savings to use for this move as well.

[lwright84]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

Up and coming? I think of Kyle and Buda. How about San Antonio? I think SA has a great lifestyle, and is significantly cheaper than Austin and more conservative. It's worth considering.

We had considered it, but I was under the impression it was largely Hispanic. Neither my wife or I are bilingual and I feel that might be a mark against me in a competitive job market. Is that a realistic concern? If not, we would consider it again.

Could you expound further on how you feel SA compares to Austin in regards to what we're looking for?

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by lwright84

We had considered it, but I was under the impression it was largely Hispanic. Neither my wife or I are bilingual and I feel that might be a mark against me in a competitive job market. Is that a realistic concern? If not, we would consider it again.

Could you expound further on how you feel SA compares to Austin in regards to what we're looking for?

San Antonio does have a significant Hispanic population, but it's such a nice blend of the "real world". city Data reports:

Hispanic - 838,952 (63.2%)
White alone - 353,106 (26.6%)
Black alone - 83,365 (6.3%)
Asian alone - 30,596 (2.3%)
Two or more races - 15,415 (1.2%)
American Indian alone - 2,771 (0.2%)
Other race alone - 2,105 (0.2%)
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 1,097 (0.08%)

As for why I recommend San Antonio, I'm assuming (maybe I'm wrong, if I am, I apologize, I mean no insult) that your family is conservative due to your wife being a stay at home mom and homeschooling. San Antonio has a very strong homeschool community. There are tons of family friendly attractions- Fiesta Texas, Seaworld, Schlitterbaun, 3 good museums, historical sites. You're 1/12 hours away from the beach. I know there are lots of good, solid neighborhoods.

I obviously love Austin, but if you are a young conservative family on a budget, I would look to San Antonio. Austin is lots of fun, but so expensive.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/San-An...#ixzz2VXW8aUs3