Moving to Austin (house, rent, companies)

[xan85]

I might be moving to the Austin area soon, my Fiance is a computer programmer and from what I hear there are lots of Game companies in Austin. I am ashamed to say I fell in love with Austin from the Real World. Regardless I am really pushing to move to that amazing town, everyone I talk to about Austin says nothing but great things. I am a native Floridian, as far as Climate goes I hear it is very similar (minus the humidity). How far are the beaches, parks, attractions to Austin? I read somewhere there is a lavender fesitval about an hour North of Austin. I am also really interested in South by Southwest. Anybody have any cool suggestions on things to do in Austin that arent very touristy?

[mark311]

Well I guess you would probably want to eat at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant on San Jacinto as it use to be the "Real World" house.

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant - 301 San Jacinto Blvd - Austin, TX 78701

[Jessica Todryk]

There is a lot of music in Austin, including South by Southwest, which you already mentioned. I'm glad you're choosing to move to Austin, it is a great city to live in. Try South 1st St; Freddie's let's you bring your dog and they have free brisket tacos during happy hour. Doc's on South Congress is a great place to watch the SOCO crowd and take in a game. The lavendar festival is near Fredricksburg so you should check out the vineyards while you're out there. Lots of parks all over town, but I really love walking around Lady Bird Lake with my dog. If you have a dog, there is a fenced in dog park really close to down town. Good luck with the move!

[jread]

Originally Posted by xan85

I am a native Floridian, as far as Climate goes I hear it is very similar (minus the humidity).

Understatement of the year My wife was born and raised in Orlando (Winter Park) and her parents have since moved to Ocala. We go there annually for Christmas/Thanksgiving and usually spend about a week there. Florida's climate is absolutely miserable for me and there's no way I could live there. I remember coming back to Austin after a week at the beach in Florida during July, and although it was 90 degrees outside in Austin, it felt wonderful in comparison. Austin will feel like a desert to you. My wife thinks it's too dry here and that it's bad for her skin. If you talk to Californians, though, Austin is a tropical rain forest. I guess it's all relative. Austin does have colder weather than FL does and is a little hotter in the summer, but the humidity is so much lower that you won't even notice.

Anyway, you will love Austin after coming from FL. If you miss the beach, it's only a few hours away (I personally couldn't care less about the beach).