Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You may choose to live anywhere you please, but don't complain about traffic saying "I can't believe how bad traffic is from Round Rock/Georgetown/Cedar Park/Pflugerville/Lakeway/Dripping Springs/Buda/<insert far flung suburb>/.... to downtown. I mean the CoA must do something to relieve my commute."
No, it shouldn't do anything. We simply said that if you want to avoid traffic, live close to where you work. But if you don't, you must face the consequences of going against our advice.
Now, I live way out in Steiner, but I work from home, so my commute is simply walking from my bedroom to my office and that can't be beaten, especially on rainy days!
You may choose to live anywhere you please, but don't complain about traffic saying "I can't believe how bad traffic is from Round Rock/Georgetown/Cedar Park/Pflugerville/Lakeway/Dripping Springs/Buda/<insert far flung suburb>/.... to downtown. I mean the CoA must do something to relieve my commute."
No, it shouldn't do anything. We simply said that if you want to avoid traffic, live close to where you work. But if you don't, you must face the consequences of going against our advice.
Now, I live way out in Steiner, but I work from home, so my commute is simply walking from my bedroom to my office and that can't be beaten, especially on rainy days!
Read my earlier post. also live in Steiner. Moved out here 11 years ago when there was absolutely no traffic. In fact, we moved out here from CofA to avoid that. At the time, my job was in Lakeway. My DH works off of 183. It was the perfect spot. We had no idea or way of knowing that there were going to be dozens of apartment complexes, housing developments, schools, shopping centers, hotels, etc. built along this corridor (with absolutely no infrastructure improvements to support them). We had know way of knowing the city would annex everything up to 1431 in Cedar Park. We didn't know Lakeway, a relatively sleepy little town for decades, was suddenly going to explode with development, all of which dumps onto 620 (which, as I mentioned, hasn't been improved to accommodate the growth). My DH still works in the same spot, but I do not. Should I pack up my family and move them if my job moves 7 miles from my house, forcing my kids to uproot school? I work off of 360, where there are absolutely no public transportation options. None. Even though it is within the City of Austin and always has been.
I am also confused as to everyone always assumes that people work Downtown. Most people don't. And most that do can't afford to live there. Hence, the reason a lot of people live outside the city.
Here's my plan:
1) Stop all illegal and legal immigration immediately
2) Place an onerous tax on all foreign residential real estate investments
This will
1) Slow the rise in real estate prices both here, in California and elsewhere
2) Increase real wages for Americans
3) Reduce the need for people to flee places like California, NY, Illinois, etc
4) Lower the U-6 unemployment rate (currently 10%)
5) Slow the number of cars and concomitant traffic on the road here and elsewhere
6) Reduce the national carbon footprint
7) Stop the global brain drain that's occurring as America steals the best and brightest from other countries
Read my earlier post. also live in Steiner. Moved out here 11 years ago when there was absolutely no traffic. In fact, we moved out here from CofA to avoid that. At the time, my job was in Lakeway. My DH works off of 183. It was the perfect spot. We had no idea or way of knowing that there were going to be dozens of apartment complexes, housing developments, schools, shopping centers, hotels, etc. built along this corridor (with absolutely no infrastructure improvements to support them). We had know way of knowing the city would annex everything up to 1431 in Cedar Park. We didn't know Lakeway, a relatively sleepy little town for decades, was suddenly going to explode with development, all of which dumps onto 620 (which, as I mentioned, hasn't been improved to accommodate the growth). My DH still works in the same spot, but I do not. Should I pack up my family and move them if my job moves 7 miles from my house, forcing my kids to uproot school? I work off of 360, where there are absolutely no public transportation options. None. Even though it is within the City of Austin and always has been.
No-one ever really knows what will happen in the future.
Thing is, 11 years ago, when you moved out to Steiner, you thought you had found a perfect spot...but...everyone else AT THE SAME TIME as you, was also scoping out that same perfect spot.
The main problem, is, as you said, that the infrastructure was not improved or expanded to support the growth.
Read my earlier post. also live in Steiner. Moved out here 11 years ago when there was absolutely no traffic. In fact, we moved out here from CofA to avoid that. At the time, my job was in Lakeway. My DH works off of 183. It was the perfect spot. We had no idea or way of knowing that there were going to be dozens of apartment complexes, housing developments, schools, shopping centers, hotels, etc. built along this corridor (with absolutely no infrastructure improvements to support them). We had know way of knowing the city would annex everything up to 1431 in Cedar Park. We didn't know Lakeway, a relatively sleepy little town for decades, was suddenly going to explode with development, all of which dumps onto 620 (which, as I mentioned, hasn't been improved to accommodate the growth). My DH still works in the same spot, but I do not. Should I pack up my family and move them if my job moves 7 miles from my house, forcing my kids to uproot school? I work off of 360, where there are absolutely no public transportation options. None. Even though it is within the City of Austin and always has been.
A real estate agent once told me "If there's no development there, expect it to come immediately." in response to my question about a piece of property in Steiner that I wanted to build in that was next to an "unprotected greenbelt". Well, about 5 years later that property was developed, and had I built my house there, my master bedroom would be facing the bedroom of the neighbor. So that agent gave good advice.
What I eventually decided upon was an area of Steiner where everything was already built-out and treed. It has worked nicely. The dedicated "preserve" is still a preserve and the areas that were not supposed to be preserves are now more or less being developed. This is exactly what the real estate agent told me. I appreciate his truth and honesty and I would go back to him in an instant (hint to other agents, just be truthful).
I can offer this prediction up to you. All of the property along 620 that is not preserve land will become developed in the next 10 years. If you move to the fastest growing city in the US, expect that things will be developed rapidly.
As to whether you should pack up, that's a decision your family has to make. Shorter commute and uprooting school or longer commute and keeping everything in place. Tough decision.
A real estate agent once told me "If there's no development there, expect it to come immediately." in response to my question about a piece of property in Steiner that I wanted to build in that was next to an "unprotected greenbelt". Well, about 5 years later that property was developed, and had I built my house there, my master bedroom would be facing the bedroom of the neighbor. So that agent gave good advice.
What I eventually decided upon was an area of Steiner where everything was already built-out and treed. It has worked nicely. The dedicated "preserve" is still a preserve and the areas that were not supposed to be preserves are now more or less being developed. This is exactly what the real estate agent told me. I appreciate his truth and honesty and I would go back to him in an instant (hint to other agents, just be truthful).
I can offer this prediction up to you. All of the property along 620 that is not preserve land will become developed in the next 10 years. If you move to the fastest growing city in the US, expect that things will be developed rapidly.
As to whether you should pack up, that's a decision your family has to make. Shorter commute and uprooting school or longer commute and keeping everything in place. Tough decision.
We bought an existing home in Steiner towards the front. We were well aware of the planned development for Steiner, as it was pretty spelled out. What we had no way of knowing was all the area around it and up to Cedar Park and down to Bee cave would be developed. Most couple don't work in offices next to each other. In order for us to live in a place we can afford in between our two jobs, we would still have just as much traffic, it would just be on different roads.
As you said, "If you move to the fastest growing cit in the US, expect that things will be developed rapidly." Well, everything IS developed rapidly, except for the roads, transportation, and infrastructure to support that development. That's what people are complaining about.
You may choose to live anywhere you please, but don't complain about traffic saying "I can't believe how bad traffic is from Round Rock/Georgetown/Cedar Park/Pflugerville/Lakeway/Dripping Springs/Buda/<insert far flung suburb>/.... to downtown. I mean the CoA must do something to relieve my commute."
No, it shouldn't do anything. We simply said that if you want to avoid traffic, live close to where you work. But if you don't, you must face the consequences of going against our advice.
Now, I live way out in Steiner, but I work from home, so my commute is simply walking from my bedroom to my office and that can't be beaten, especially on rainy days!
No the suburban cities should do something particularly round rock and pflugerville. Neither of them are "far flung". They are periphery suburbs. When we moved out here in 2005 the commute wasn't onerous at all. But thanks to the additional subdivisions, schools and retail there's so many damn traffic lights throttling the morning commute. On my county road there's basically a stoplight every mile it seems. Why can't round rock and pflugerville join metro? That's what irritates me. They're listening to that bunch of voters who don't have to really commute to work and that sucks. I can't telecommute. I work in a law office. Clients expect you to be in the office most if not all days of the week. It is frowned upon if you telecommute often. My husband is an architect at an f500 company that handles a state contract. Because the main client is the state he is in the office more than he's not. You have a cushy deal. Many of us dont. In my case though I can't/don't complain because we sold our house and deliberately moved farther north. We could've moved closer in and made my commute easier. Heck we can sell now and make a little money and move. But we didn't and I have no regrets. I have my little slice of heaven and I'm not leaving until I can no longer handle stairs. My house means a lot to me and I will not sacrifice my specific housing desires just to save fifteen minutes. Living centrally would get us a home below 2000 sq ft which I absolutely won't deal with. So I just suck it up. Love my job love my house. Not easy decision.
There's a whole great big state around us to sprawl into. Go for it!
You two (and a lot of other people as well) don't really understand the purposes of a city, do you?
Liberals hate urban sprawl and big carbon footprints but they hate the idea of borders more. What is the carrying capacity of Texas given the constraints of arable land and water? I guess we're going to find out.
* Imagine the country as the ACL Festival.
* Imagine there are two acts playing - Bob Schneider on a small stage and The Red Hot Chili Peppers on the main stage.
* The concert promoters know the venue can comfortably hold 100,000 people and they sell out the show.
* The concert goers show up to the show. Many head for TRHCP stage. Less head towards Bob Schneider.
* All of the sudden the concert promoters decide to sell another 100k tickets.
* Many who bought the new tickets head for TRHCP show. Less head towards Bob Schneider.
* Many people who wanted to see TRHCP suddenly realize they cannot even see the stage anymore so they head for the Bob Schneider show hoping that will be better.
I agree with most of what you say. But you know I find it Ironic that Austin is supposedly a liberal town, but yet they are so SET in their ways that they act like conservatives. I mean if you truly are liberal that means you are suppose to be more open to ideas, information, and new ways of doing things. But it seems like it is the complete opposite here, when it comes to sky scrapers, infrastructure, better transportation. In fact to give you an illustration, a city that I know of that is similar in size (population), has 1000% better infrastructure and they have very minimal problems with traffic issues and it was the state and city who helped to build their city up. Why they can't make that work here is beyond me. I really don't understand the criticisms here of trying to make the city better. I would think that everyone would like to live in a better place and to improve issues when they are needed. Also I can confidentially say this that in that same city and state, they seem to take care of the poor a lot better than they do here. It is very difficult here for a poor person to bring themselves out of poverty compared to other places I have lived and worked (sorry I know that this is off topic, but I think this goes with the liberal mindset that if they are truly liberal than that means they are suppose to be open to new and better ideas.)
I am no way trying to offend anyone here, this is just my own observation of this city.
liberal does not mean what you think it means. The strict dictionary definition sure. But here is a more accurate definition of liberal as it relates to politics
Quote:
Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need.
San francisco liberals are even worse than austin liberals for NIMBY building behavior causing housing shortages for exactly the people they pretend to care about.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
