Austin, TX -- Is it really where its at?!!! (metro, top 10)

[twange]

Originally Posted by nsid23

And to further the fact I wish I was packing up and moving today....you're going to an art opening tonight, and I'm stuck inside due to an ice storm

I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio...so I feel your pain. My sister lives in Minneapolis and it's currently 2 degrees. Ouch

[Mack wild]

Wow I just read through this whole thread. I still haven't made up my mind about Austin but it seems that the people who don't like it arn't getting involved in Austin.

I checked out Austin on wiki and the amount of events and special occasions and public get togethers they have are amazing, I've never seen nor heard of so many traditions in a city before. I love outdoor festivals and outdoor concerts and I love going out to bars and clubs. An abundant night life is important to me. If you need Opera and high class entertainment than Austin may not be for you though. It seems the jobs are still plentiful if your not overly picky as well. It seems those that have a problem with jobs are people who have a particular taste for a "high class" type specialty job. It just seems like there are plenty of options and ways to get involved in this city and keep yourself busy and enjoying the culture in Austin.

The only concerns I have about Austin at this point for being a good fit for me is:

1) One of the things I can't stand about where i live now is the attitude of some people when I go out. There is a very territorial and somewhat aggressive vibe overall. I hear some people say that the attitude here is a bit too "cowboyish" and I am wondering if that is comparable to the type of vibe that I dislike here. I like people who are friendly and social and not always looking to out-alpha eachother at every given moment -- people who are just laid back and cool with other people. (I know Austin is considered friendly and all but friendly to me isnt just about someone who smiles or says hi to you when you pass them, or surface level pleasantries. To me friendlyness is the ease of which you can interact with and mingle around people without catching an attitude from them or constantly being "sized" up)

2) Seems like the heat would get to me, I would need a place to cool off. There seems to be a lot of people who say cool waters are easy to find in Austin but having traveled to Florida several times I find the waters and pools, even that coming from showers -- they tend to be "warm" and not packing the coolness I need. I also am still hung up about poisen snakes being where I go to swim and dirty water. When I think of bit Texas cities I wonder about the usability of the water, if its clean, if its cool, if it's free of dangerous creatures -- that sort of thing. I live in the Northeast so we are use to water that is swimmable. I know one of the biggest complaints I hear from Texans that relocate up here in the Northeast is how damn dirty and uninhabitable the water is compared to here.

That's pretty much my two major hangups at this point. Considering both the positive things and the concerns I have, would you guys say I am pretty accurate?

[love roses]

I think in the case of your #1 comments: If any of this attitude is going on, I am not positive it's from the natives. I've noticed a little more of a Californicated attitude happening in Austin as far as keeping up with the Jones's and East vs. West of 35, etc...This attitude was not prevalent 10 yrs ago.

As for #2...Our water is cool to downright freezing, it's not dirty but I think people could be a little better about this. Lake Travis is the biggest culprit with people throwing beer cans in the water (although every year divers clean it up). As far as the lakes there are no dangerous creatures. The rivers, in some cases, you may need to be aware of snakes. But what river anywhere in the country doesn't have ANY snakes? Are you sure some of those Texans weren't transplanted from somewhere else before they got to Texas? I think that's an inaccurate assumption

[Mack wild]

Originally Posted by love roses

I think in the case of your #1 comments: If any of this attitude is going on, I am not positive it's from the natives. I've noticed a little more of a Californicated attitude happening in Austin as far as keeping up with the Jones's and East vs. West of 35, etc...This attitude was not prevalent 10 yrs ago.

As for #2...Our water is cool to downright freezing, it's not dirty but I think people could be a little better about this. Lake Travis is the biggest culprit with people throwing beer cans in the water (although every year divers clean it up). As far as the lakes there are no dangerous creatures. The rivers, in some cases, you may need to be aware of snakes. But what river anywhere in the country doesn't have ANY snakes? Are you sure some of those Texans weren't transplanted from somewhere else before they got to Texas? I think that's an inaccurate assumption

Well if I moved there I would be transplanted from the Northeast and in the northeast there are no dangerous animals of any kind in any water, the water is very refreshing to jump into if your hot -- and it's blue.

[texastrigirl]

Comment on the cleanliness of the waters in the Austin area. Lake Travis is pretty darn warm by the end of the summer and even into October and is not the cleanest lake but not the worst either. Lake Austin quite a bit colder...you might want a shortie to water ski a bit of the year and Town Lake is not the best place to swim health-wise. Barton Springs is lovely and freezing which feels great after a long run or on a 100 degree day. I did a lot of triathlons in the Austin area and coming from the Midwestern lakes and Colorado prior to Austin, I personally think they are pretty dirty. I now live in the Seattle area where the lakes are amazingly clean but you need a wet suit much of the year. There are snakes in the lakes (or rather rivers of TX). Personally have seen them in Town Lake (non-pois...bottle snakes and copper snakes) and a water moccasin in a cove in Travis. I was in the boat but it was darn silly to see all of the diaper floaters come zipping out of the water when it was sighted. Have never seen snakes in the lakes in IA, MN, CO or WA. They are probably in IA lakes but the rest are too cold for the most part. Also, there was a wacky bacterial infection in the news last summer that killed 14 people, most of the them in TX then in FL. Apparently it thrives in waters that don't cool off much. This is the news story. KCBD, NewsChannel 11 Lubbock |HEALTH ALERT: Lake LBJ Deaths Linked
Basically a good rule of thumb is not to go in the lakes for 48 hours after a torrential rain storm in TX due to the stuff that is stirred up.

[texastrigirl]

Also comment on Iowa City vs. Austin. I went to undergrad at Iowa and my husband went to McCombs at UT for grad school. As much as I love IC, I think Austin would be the better fit for someone your age. It's a much bigger city with more diverse opportunities. The grad population in IC seemed pretty serious, many of them married with families. I had lots of friends go to Law School, Med School and BSchool at U of Iowa and it seemed to be a less diverse experience than we experienced at UT. I think the weather alone can drive that because you have to spend time indoors from Nov-March in the Midwest and in Austin, you are outside and are more social.

[Mack wild]

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

Comment on the cleanliness of the waters in the Austin area. Lake Travis is pretty darn warm by the end of the summer and even into October and is not the cleanest lake but not the worst either. Lake Austin quite a bit colder...you might want a shortie to water ski a bit of the year and Town Lake is not the best place to swim health-wise. Barton Springs is lovely and freezing which feels great after a long run or on a 100 degree day. I did a lot of triathlons in the Austin area and coming from the Midwestern lakes and Colorado prior to Austin, I personally think they are pretty dirty. I now live in the Seattle area where the lakes are amazingly clean but you need a wet suit much of the year. There are snakes in the lakes (or rather rivers of TX). Personally have seen them in Town Lake (non-pois...bottle snakes and copper snakes) and a water moccasin in a cove in Travis. I was in the boat but it was darn silly to see all of the diaper floaters come zipping out of the water when it was sighted. Have never seen snakes in the lakes in IA, MN, CO or WA. They are probably in IA lakes but the rest are too cold for the most part. Also, there was a wacky bacterial infection in the news last summer that killed 14 people, most of the them in TX then in FL. Apparently it thrives in waters that don't cool off much. This is the news story. KCBD, NewsChannel 11 Lubbock |HEALTH ALERT: Lake LBJ Deaths Linked
Basically a good rule of thumb is not to go in the lakes for 48 hours after a torrential rain storm in TX due to the stuff that is stirred up.

So the water was dirty and dangerous then, but you went in it anyways and adjusted I take it? How is Lake Austin and Barton Springs? Those are the colder waters .. are they also cleaner and less dangerous? I guess what I am asking is if I was to move there would I not be able to find any place where I am willing to swim or what?

[TexasHorseLady]

There are snakes in the lakes (or rather rivers of TX). Personally have seen them in Town Lake (non-pois...bottle snakes and copper snakes) and a water moccasin in a cove in Travis.

What's a copper snake? A copperhead I know, but that is a poisonous snake, and not likely to be found IN the water. What's a bottle snake, too? I thought, growing up with 40 snakes in jars in my back yard so I'd be able to identify them and not pick up the "bad" ones, that I knew most of the snakes in Texas, but I'm not familiar with either of those.

[scongress1234]

Originally Posted by TheHarvester

Even though you made a valid point, your writing indicates you may have been indulging in a wee bit too much of some sort of mind-altering substance. An English teacher would deplete the ink from at least 3 red markers correcting your two sentences.

But I do agree with you about the city being highly over-rated. And I absolutely LOVE Austin, it's my favorite city in the USA. I have no logical reason for feeling this way, and I can step back from my personal feelings and recognize the FACTS about this place relative to (as you suggested) a great city like San Francisco.

I may have quoted this earlier in this thread, but it bears repeating. A writer in the Village Voice (NYC) said of Austin in the early 1990s that Austin is an adolescent city that's fascinated by its own pubic hair. It's struggling to grow up, but it tends to attract lots of adolescent-minded people like myself and that preserves the vibe that I love so much about this place. If you don't like places that have a feeling of adolescent rebellion and self-righteousness then Austin will seem EXTREMELY over-rated. I happen to be stuck, at the age of 51, with the mind of a 15 year old. I'm home, and I'm happy.

True, Austin does seem to be engaging in a collective masturbation of sorts, probably to the latest top 10 list.....LOL....the comparison of Austin to an adolescents' fascination with his own pubic hairs is hilarious.......heard that before, maybe in the VOICE, as I was reading it about that time.....
Indeed, the city is about that vain!

[twange]

Originally Posted by scongress1234

True, Austin does seem to be engaging in a collective masturbation of sorts, probably to the latest top 10 list.....LOL....the comparison of Austin to an adolescents' fascination with his own pubic hairs is hilarious.......heard that before, maybe in the VOICE, as I was reading it about that time.....
Indeed, the city is about that vain!

You know, I forgot how far back this post goes: before I even knew I was moving here!

It's too bad that guy (Harvester/Deeptrance were the same person) isn't on this forum anymore. Not having his input is a loss