Are the hills in Austin impressive if you're coming from a mountain state? (Houston: purchase, scorpions)

[kylerboys]

I'm from Idaho and moved to Florida for a few years (flat as a pancake!!) After living in FL, we moved to Austin. We fell in love with the hill country (we live in Dripping Springs)!!! It was soooo nice to have elevation again!!! In Idaho we lived in a mountain valley (Boise) so the land was flat but we had foothills and mountains in the background. In the hill country, it's hilly everywhere not just in the background. I really like it. Lots of pretty windy roads and views.

[Austin97]

one thing about mountains is that when you are in them you never feel like they are that much above you. When you are on the plains and are looking at them in the distance, yes they are large.

[10scoachrick]

For us flatlanders up north/west, a quick drive out 1431 to the west toward Marble Falls is pretty scenic, if not all that impressive from a true elevation standpoint. I think that drive out from Cedar Park westward is similar to the one on 360 near the bridge...just a little reminder of how spectacular the landscape can be. Just don't make that drive an hour before sunset! That glare is a killer!!!

[joqua]

It's important to know that Austin is located on the Balcones Fault zone, and more specifically on the Mt. Bonnell Fault. As you can see from the map, the west side of Austin is "in the hills" while the east side is in a flat coastal plain that once was mostly farm lands. Since the map doesn't show the city limits of Austin, for reference consider Town Lake to be downtown Austin. The Mopac Expressway basically follows the fault line. IH-35 is more or less the eastern edge of downtown.

[ScoPro]

I don't really understand the purpose of the OP.

The Hill Country is called that because.... they are hills. Nobody is claiming they are mountains.

The scenery is nice and can be beautiful, but one can't compare grapes with watermelons.

I lived in Monterrey, Mexico which is surrounded on three sides with some gorgeous mountain scenery that provides a beautiful backdrop.

Austin topography is just right, IMO.

[mamacatnv]

I came from Reno, NV - the hills here are not even comparable. I lived at the base of a mountain, walked out my door every morning to a mountain view


There is nothing like that here but the rolling hills of the hill country are beautiful in their own way, however, they are not mountains by any stretch of the imagination.

[radiolibre99]

After living in LA I was sorely disappointed with the hills in the hill country. They were very small compared to the hills in LA. That doesn't mean the hill country isn't gorgeous.

[petro]

It's silly to compare hills to mountains—they are obviously not the same. The hill country is made up of ... hills, not mountains. That said, I find the Texas hill country stunning and the landscape very unique.

[testmo]

There are hills in the hill country which is not austin. But they are dusty spread out hills not rolling hills. If verdant hill scenery made a city desirable western Kentucky would be as high priced as silicon valley.

[Campeador]

They weren't to me. I'd lived in the Sierra Nevadas (both the original ones in Spain and the US's version) and then the Sierra Madre Occidentales before moving to Austin and found the topography very unimpressive. During the 7 years I lived in Austin, however, I biked and hiked the hills quite a lot and came to love them. I also really enjoyed the fresh, cool water that the Hill Country has.

Now I live in Fort Worth and wish I had the very impressive topography of Austin at my doorstep!

Everything is relative!