commute to San Antonio (Houston, Dallas: apartment, to buy, taxes)

[gomanaustin]

Hi, I have a job offer in north San Antonio but the only problem is I didn't like it when I visited. It was very flat and hot, not very pretty. I know it won't be like the bay area, where I am right now, but I hear that Austin is very similar to northern CA. Looking at google maps, it shows a little over 1 hr drive, which is what I drive now. Do many Austinites drive to San Antonio for work daily?
I would like to find a 2 bedroom apt. in west Austin by the hills, preferrably under 1300/month. I hear the weather is nicer and it is very scenic with lakes and natural springs in the city limits. Everyone tells me to look only in Austin, and that the suburbs of Round Rock and Lander are endless sprawl of housing tracts. Any further insight is appreciated.

[MtnLion512]

Even near the lakes and hills, the weather and scenery won't be too much different than San Antonio, not similar to northern CA at all in that regard. The weather is no "nicer" and it will still be extremely hot and humid for a looooong stretch starting soon.

You're also not likely to find anything at that price point that's particularly close to Barton Springs or the lakes. That commute will be horrible. I believe there is pretty hill country scenery in western SA. However nothing will be anything like the Bay Area. I don't personally know any Austinites who live in the city limits & drive to SA for work.

[ImOnFiya]

Austin is in Texas and Central Texas can get very hot and dry from May thru September. You are not moving to California 2.0.

In terms of the desired work commute, it is not unusual: there are many Austinites who drive to San Antonio for work and vice versa. It normally takes 50 to 70 minutes, but it is doable; however, it's best that you do the commute between 5-7AM. During morning rush hour, southbound I-35 traffic tends to snarl in San Marcos, New Braunfels, in San Antonio city limits between FM 1604 outer and I-410 inner loops.

Good luck!

[gomanaustin]

Thank you both for the quick replies. I'm just trying to get a feel for Austin before I visit, I live in San Leandro and have only left California to visit Oregon and Washington, so if I sound a little naive about Texas it's because I've never been until my visit to San Antonio. From what I saw of San Antonio was just not appealing. I'm hoping the hill country looks different from the mole hills to the west around Boerne, we have speed bumps taller than those. And the only trees were short bushes, someone said they were cedar trees, but didn't look like the cedars that I've seen. The pics I've seen of the Colorado River around Austin were surrounded by cliffs and ridges. And another lake had tall trees and pines around it and looked kinda swampy. It looked very pretty. I go rock climbing and hiking in the mountains here in California, and really want to try horseback riding out there, so any recs would be appreciated.

The temperature in San Antonio was 85 in EARLY APRIL! and muggy as H***. I saw on my weather app that Austin was 75, 10 degress cooler usually? And I figure since it is up in the hills, the humidity would be a little lower. I know that if I drive an hour or so inland from the bay, it gets much hotter in Stockton. I do realize that it can get up in the 90's in Austin for a few months in the summer, so I guess I'll be in the A/C until I can adjust to the heat.

I understand the housing prices are climbing quickly in Austin, so I sense the urgency to buy now while its cheap, thats the word around here anyway. So if I must up my budget a little, then its OK.

I was wondering what's wrong with the rest of Texas? Why is Austin the only place that's different? I've heard that Houston has jobs but its ugly, and Dallas is too much like L.A., too spread out and flat, and that it takes hours to get from one side of the metro to the other. San Antonio reminds me of Fresno, no thanks....

Like I said, my impression of Texas comes from what I've heard from people after visiting Austin. In fact, some of my friends just came back from South-by-Southwest and they had a blast. And all you hear now is Austin, Austin, Austin in the bay area. I'm looking to visit next month. Thanks again for the info.

[janejanejanejanejane]

You should visit when it's hot and miserable out. Get the thought of it being like cali out of your head. The hill country is pretty, but it's no cali.

[Sam.adams33]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with any part of Texas. In fact, every inch of it is Shangri La compared to San Leandro.

There will be zero meaningful difference in the weather between SA and Austin. It won't be "in the 90's" - it'll be heat indexes above 100 and 90 at midnight.

That drive would be closer to 2 hours.

Nothing about Texas is going to replicate the Bay Area - which is a feature, not a bug. From what you've shared, it's really not a good fit. I'd turn down the job.

[texasgirl1]

My husband goes to San Antonio a few times a week for work. From the Steiner area (West Austin) to North Central San Antonio, it always takes 2 hours each way.

[Idlewile]

As someone who grew up/lived as an adult where you are coming from (25 years), Northern California is really nothing like Austin or central Texas. I suspect, based on your narrative, that you may take a lot of what you have in CA for granted (which is only natural, I did the same)... these things are not part of central Texas. And the weather? A fluke... some days San Antonio is a tad hotter, some days Austin is but based on what you described -- 85 and muggy -- you may have a real tough time adjusting to the strength and length of the heat here because that is what most people here consider PERFECT spring weather. For the record, this has been a cooler spring than in the last few years it seems.

[RooCeleste]

I would rather slowly poke my eyes out with a dull butter knife than drive from Austin to San Antonio every day. The farthest out I would even begin to consider would be Canyon Lake area, and I'm sure that's still a hassle with San Antonio rush hour traffic.

I would suggest you come visit Texas yourself and make your own decision, instead of taking other people's descriptions to heart. Houston is a huge world-class city and it's not uglier than any other city. It has its parts, yes, but so does Austin, so does Dallas, so does San Francisco and LA.....it's no different. Dallas is fabulous. Austin is FUN if you're here visiting...get in traffic daily, pay the taxes, etc and a lot of that fun goes away. It is nothing like Northern California, other than the fact that there are a lot of Californians here.

Housing is not "cheap". Those locations you envision yourself living with cliff and lake views will run you a lot more than $1300/month. Most people who pay $1300/month for an apartment are looking at another apartment off their balcony in Round Rock. You will not be living out by the lake for that price.

This is Texas, not California. It is HOT and it's hot everywhere in the very long summers that we have. This spring is unusually cool but it won't be so for long; summer usually goes from April/May to eh, sometimes Christmas. I can remember many Thanksgivings where it was just too hot to wear even a long-sleeved t-shirt. If you move here, all the complaining in the world and all the comparisons to California in the world won't change the weather (believe me, I hear it daily). It's going to be hot and probably very dry. (I've lived all over the state in my 45 years and it's hot everywhere, whether it's North Texas, NE Texas, far South Texas or Central Texas). You learn to adapt or you move away.

I apologize if I sound short, but it has become a constant for people to think Austin is utopia, move here, then constantly complain about the heat, the lack of rain, the deer eating their plants, the bugs, the lack of "real" Italian/Chinese/bagels/whatever kind of food, the....

[janejanejanejanejane]

They don't call Houston the armpit of Texas for nothing. Just sayin.....lived there for 18 years and do everything I can to never move back.