Moving from California to austin! pros and cons? (Houston, Dallas: transplants, how much)

[Jana K]

Originally Posted by hound 109

So you're saying that LISD is "the best" with the "best" schools? Better than schools found in RRISD (or the best 2-3 schools in AISD) ??

LISD has many good schools & a couple of fine school tracks....but you're giving the OP inaccurate info.


Also, kids attend schools, not the District (& it's Lake Travis, not Travis isd).

Newcomers (with kids) who focus on Districts or Zip Codes will take twice as long to understand the drill as those who focus on School Tracks or Feeder Patterns (instead of "Districts")....& Neighborhoods (instead of Zip Codes).

I said it was the best of the list she had: Round Rock, Pflugerville, and whatever the others were she mentioned.

I know it is Lake Travis, but thanks for your help.

[mrwumpus]

I'm a SoCal native who visited Austin area recently. I can tell the OP that the traffic can seem worse in TX when it's moving (jammed traffic seems all the same). I think this is because traffic seems more chaotic in TX.

In SoCal everyone drives fast, so it's rushed, but as long as it's flowing and you keep up, it's easy to drive in. In TX about 30% try to drive fast all the time, another 40% drive "normal", and then 20% drive like small town old ladies. These three types combined made driving in TX much harder for me and convinced me I'd be in a wreck sooner or later.

[Rynldsbr]

Originally Posted by coffeebreakwhatever

He is in construction...upper management MEP Superintendent. Hospitals, schools, universities, casinos, hotels, food processing plants etc. All commercial or industrial work. Is there much of that there or is it all residential?

There is commercial and industrial construction here. The state continues to grow. However, as others have already mentioned, oil industry is down right now so the management from the biggies in oil are taking positions in other industries.


The biggest section of commercial growth is really happening around the DFW metro and particularly the northern edge of Dallas. I have no knowledge of the housing market there but that may be the job market that gets you here.

[355spider]

Lots of guns and Republicans. You'll hate it. It's awful.

[G Grasshopper]

I suggest that you go to Austin for at least a week during July. See if you would really enjoy the weather. Its true that lots of places in CA can get that hot, but they usually cool off at night; not so in Texas. Also, hot weather in CA is interspersed with more moderate times. In Texas it is unremitting. You are living in a blast furnace for months at a time. If you are OK with that, fine. There are lots of Texans who are OK with that.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

In the spirit of "not sugar coating anything", can I ask what ethnicity you are? Are you "white", or Asian or Indian or a different ethnicity?

Strange question. Why would that matter at all?

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Holly81

Hi there, my name is Holly. My husband and I and our 1 yr old daughter are considering moving to the Austin area this fall. We currently live in Long Beach, ca. About 20 miles south of Los Angeles.. we are currently looking at the suburbs of north Austin, specifically cedar park, round rock, pflugerville, and Georgetown/Leander.. I'm really just looking for any information on the Austin area? Pros and cons? Traffic? Job opportunities? Etc.. we are looking for something a little bit slower paced than LA with more space and more affordable home prices. I know the weather can be brutal in summer. But honestly anywhere outside of California there's going to be some weather so that's not a deterrent for me. I've lived in Chicago before, so as long as I'm not dealing with temperatures below zero I'm fine. Don't need to sugar coat anything, just lay it in me.. thanks😊

You are correct about the weather. There is no place you can move to get weather like CA and that's one reason why CA costs are so high.

Austin suburbs are typical main street USA with good schools and jobs available. Traffic, however, is not typical. Decades of anti-automobile local leaders have saddled us with some of the worst traffic in the USA and it's not going to get better in our lifetime. So my advice is to live AND work in the same suburb if at all possible. Avoid commuting to downtown if at all possible.

My other advice is to rent for at least six months before selecting a permanent location.

[JohnKneedep]

I moved from LA to Austin. Here are the cliff notes when comparing LA to Austin:

- Weather in Austin is much worse than in LA. Too hot, too humid, too much rain (for my liking), more cloudy, more windy, more storms
- Much more insects, bugs, etc. both indoors and outdoors
- People are more reserved, not as open as they are in LA
- Drivers are often too careful, drive like old ladies, merging into highways at 30 mph
- Very few city attractions compared to LA
- Nightlife sucks big time compared to LA
- Outdoors not as fun or as diverse as it's in SoCal

- Traffic is much, MUCH better (for someone from LA)
- Everything is cheaper
- People are very nice once you get them talking
- People are more laidback and just living the life

Overall, LA is a better place to be for many reasons, but it's overpopulated and much too expensive.

[Hopeful for Life]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

I suggest that you go to Austin for at least a week during July. See if you would really enjoy the weather. Its true that lots of places in CA can get that hot, but they usually cool off at night; not so in Texas. Also, hot weather in CA is interspersed with more moderate times. In Texas it is unremitting. You are living in a blast furnace for months at a time. If you are OK with that, fine. There are lots of Texans who are OK with that.

Not only that, but the stifling humidity and allergies! I lived in Woodland Hills, Calif during the Summer once. It was extremely hot and mildly humid. Texas in the Summer is comparably hot, but much more humidity. I suffer from the mold allergy that I have developed.
If you were lucky enough to buy your home when it was cheap, there is absolutely no reason to leave SoCal. I was stupid enough not to do so and would struggle too much if I continued to make it there. But, damm!!- I sure do miss it!! I miss my friends, the openness, the ocean, the history, the pro-people ways of the govt (except for coddling illegals), the weather, the fact that I could see just about ANY movie that was released. If I could be zapped back to the mid-90s, I'd buy every SO Cal property that I could find-LOL. Austin, Tx is ruined from the way that I knew it. It's hard for me to see what the attraction is. But, that's just my opinion. To each, his own.

[earthisle]

Austin climate is much more cloudy. I've been back in Austin a year, and sunny days are rare enough that they're a treat. The weekends tend to be overcast and/or rainy-- Murphy's law