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Old 09-08-2016, 05:55 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
4,573 posts, read 6,744,708 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddhaBlue View Post
This is very informative. I tend to take GreatSchools rankings with a grain of salt because the overall score is somewhat subjective with parent reviews being taken into consideration. I'm mostly looking at the actual test scores. Round Rock seems like a nice place due to the fact that is has some schools that perform well on testing and it is also an area with a lot of professionals living there. Mostly tech based if I'm not mistaken, which is desirable.
Round Rock is a city & Round Rock is also a school district. (RRISD) Round Rock the city is a nice city with good schools (& a few average schools).

But.....Ironically the "best schools" in RRISD are not located in RR, they are located in NW Austin.
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Old 09-08-2016, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
4,573 posts, read 6,744,708 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddhaBlue View Post
I know, you can own so much more in and around Nashville for a fraction of the cost. Nashville is a cute city too, really laid back. That and they have Vanderbilt. My father and two of my siblings went to Northwestern, and my father, mother, and one of those siblings also works for Northwestern. I have always heard that Vanderbilt and Northwestern are very similar.
Yes, they are.
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Old 09-08-2016, 05:58 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
4,573 posts, read 6,744,708 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddhaBlue View Post
This is extremely informative, thank you. Speaking of utilities, how much of those costs eat into your monthly expenses, especially during the summer months? For instance, we pay around $150 per month on electricity during the summer months with the air conditioning on full blast. Again, in a home around 1800 sf. How much would that cost in the Austin area? Thanks!
Probably $200-$250.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:00 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Antny12 View Post
We moved here from the southwest Chicago suburbs to Leander and couldn't be happier. Schools here are just as good as they are back in Chicago. The demographics here are also different then in many of the Chicago burbs. I'm sure this also has an impact too. In general there's many really good options here from top to bottom that are great options. Leander alone has 3 high schools including one that just opened this year. Cedar park has 2 great schools.. Westwood, vandergrift as well.

Tennessee is nice too.. We liked Franklin but now that we are here we don't see ourselves leaving ever. But there's pros and cons to both as with anything.

If I were in your shoes and your seriously considering Austin area id highly recommend looking into Georgetown, Leander, Cedar park, and liberty hill areas. All have good schools, plenty of things to do, Great shopping, growing fast, nice homes in all price ranges, newer subdivisions all over or there are plenty of homes that you can get some land, good schools, and so on.
I agree.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:04 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
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Originally Posted by BuddhaBlue View Post
This is great! Thank you! How do feel about the constant warm weather in Austin? I'm sure you have no desire to go back to the winters of Chicago, but do you miss having four true seasons?

True. We don't have "4 seasons", but winter time isn't a constant 62 degrees. A norther will blow thru knocking the temps down into the 40s (or 30s or 20s) for a day or two. Then it will gradually rise (for several days) up into the 60s or 70s (& it is glorious), then another norther will knock us back into the 30s. Rinse & repeat about 6-8 times each winter/spring.

Are the summers in Austin unbearable? My brother did his post doctoral fellowship at Rice University in Houston, and even when we visited him in MARCH, it was hot enough to make you want to die.
It's hotter then hell. But it's much less humid than Houston.

But there will be days where you might want to die.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:09 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trainwreck20 View Post
If you are taking I-35 in the morning from Georgetown to Killeen, and then back home again at the end of the day, you will not have any real traffic issues.

Bills are going to vary quite a bit depending on where you live. I am currently in the City of Austin proper, and our total city bill (electric, water, waste, sewage, misc) for the last 12 months was right at $3,600, or $300/month. We are not terribly thrifty or wasteful, just average.

The heat can be brutal, but it is dryer than Houston (Rice).

Southwestern University is in Georgetown. Not quite Northwestern (my wife is an undergrad alum from there), but a good university just the same .
I agree with all of Trainwreck's points. & I also like Southwestern....it's a very fine (small) liberal arts school with a lot of really nice kids that attend.
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Old 09-08-2016, 07:55 PM
 
895 posts, read 1,232,230 times
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To answer your questions.

It's hot as can be from March to October however it doesn't both us. I'll take the heat over the cold everyday. Plus in the evening and Mornings it does cool down.. Granted it's still quite warm but in winter in Chicago it doesn't warm up in the day so.. Haha.

We miss fall with the leaves.. and maybe a little snow on xmas day but that's about it. It does seem more people decorate for the holidays in Chicago to which we miss.

Biggest thing we miss is family/friends (many who want to move this way eventually themselves)and the FOOD. But we are completely happy here and honestly love it. It's a bigger adjustment for some, and for others like ourselves a pretty flush easy transition.
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:17 PM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,044,929 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddhaBlue View Post
This is very informative. I tend to take GreatSchools rankings with a grain of salt because the overall score is somewhat subjective with parent reviews being taken into consideration. I'm mostly looking at the actual test scores. Round Rock seems like a nice place due to the fact that is has some schools that perform well on testing and it is also an area with a lot of professionals living there. Mostly tech based if I'm not mistaken, which is desirable.
round rock would be a ridiculous commute. If you move to texas you will be giving up a lot, in return you should get a decent commute.

towns like georgetown or temple/waco are smaller towns and are reasonably equivalent to their central illinois equivalents (like springfield, peoria etc)

Housing is pretty inexpensive there and so your taxes should be lower. I would expect to pay in the 100/sq ft range or get some acreage.

School districts in texas are huge and the schools can vary widely. Round rock ISD has 4 or 5 high schools. Westwood is one of the best in the state (ranks a few places higher than westlake) but is an academic meat grinder.

LASA is a magnet in AISD that is hands down the best in the austin area.

What size town do you live in now? What kind of environment are you looking for? You cant judge waco by the branch davidians any more than you can judge the chicago area by 500 murders so far this year.

If you move to harker heights then you are reasonably well placed to get a job in austin proper eventually.
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:19 PM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,044,929 times
Reputation: 4295
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddhaBlue View Post
This is extremely informative, thank you. Speaking of utilities, how much of those costs eat into your monthly expenses, especially during the summer months? For instance, we pay around $150 per month on electricity during the summer months with the air conditioning on full blast. Again, in a home around 1800 sf. How much would that cost in the Austin area? Thanks!
we pay about 500/month for utils in the summer for 2800 sq ft. in the winter it is down to about 150/month. There are probably 4-5 months a year where it is 50/month.
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:22 PM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,044,929 times
Reputation: 4295
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddhaBlue View Post
This is great! Thank you! How do feel about the constant warm weather in Austin? I'm sure you have no desire to go back to the winters of Chicago, but do you miss having four true seasons? Are the summers in Austin unbearable? My brother did his post doctoral fellowship at Rice University in Houston, and even when we visited him in MARCH, it was hot enough to make you want to die.
Dont move here then I am from illinois and easily got used to the heat. I dont miss 4 seasons ever.

I get cold below about 75 now and 85-95 is comfortable in the shade.

If march was bad for you, you might be miserable. - get a pool.
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