Scared to Move! (Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville: how much, home, neighborhoods)

[Jking]

Passionate people of Austin please soothe my fears. The closer I am to moving to texas with a family of 6, myself included, I freak out. Here I am finally relocatiing 24 hours away from my home state (NY) for 31 years and I am scaaaaaaaaaaared.

Will we make it?
Is this for us?> ( We are black,if this affends any body, sorry. I am just being honest. I heard some things I've ignored, but the darkness is surrounding me the closer I get there)
Is there really a gang problem out there?
Do Police pick on you for being blessed with color?
Is Round Rock a good place to start?
If so, how are the schools there?

Please, helpful Austin give a sister some advice. Especially my people of color and my people of Gods character and my people of intergrity?

Thanks

[p-ville]

Hello!

I really dont think you have anything to be scared of.... I will answer a few of your questions the best I can.

Gangs- I am sure they exist, but in my opinion they are probably everywhere. I do not see this as an issue, especially in Round Rock.

Schools- My family lives in Pflugerville (which is between Austin and Round Rock) -- The pflugerville schools have been really good and I hear the Round Rock Independent School District is better.

Round Rock- I think this is a great place to start and stay!! Growing very fast and just a great area. Housing is affordable for Austin and especially compared to other places in the US.

Race- Like gangs I know race plays a factor everywhere, but this is not because of an area - it is because of bad people. In my opinion the vast majority of people in the Austin area dont think about ones race.

I hope this helped with some of your worries... Texas is different from NY but really think you will love it!!

Best of luck!

[Rose Red]

Where in N.Y. are you moving from? I'm Puerto Rican - pretty dark skinned and I have have had no problems fitting in or making friends. I live in Round Rock and some may call me naive, but I just assume that there are gangs everywhere. I'm sure Austin has some, I'm sure Round Rock has some hidden somewhere.

Before I moved to RR people warned me about the cops in Williamson County - that they are pretty tough. I don't think that was based on a persons' skin color just that they are tough on everyone.

The schools in Round Rock I hear are pretty good & the main reason we chose Round Rock. My daughter won't start school for another two years but you could google Round Rock School District to get some info. Lots of family places to go to.

What's that old saying? If you can make it in N.Y. you can make it anywhere? If you have no friends and family it might be tough the first few months or so. You'll be out of your element and learning your way around gets frustrating. A lot of streets have more than one name which makes traveling interesting. I'm not shy in stopping and asking for directions since I'm directionally challenged.

If you want to make it you will. Best of luck to you!

[koalabebe]

Will we make it?
Is this for us?> ( We are black,if this affends any body, sorry. I am just being honest. I heard some things I've ignored, but the darkness is surrounding me the closer I get there)
Is there really a gang problem out there?
Do Police pick on you for being blessed with color?
Is Round Rock a good place to start?
If so, how are the schools there?

Please, helpful Austin give a sister some advice. Especially my people of color and my people of Gods character and my people of intergrity?

Thanks[/quote]


I am moving to Austin this summer and I think that you will be fine.
There are a couple of things I know:
1. Round Rock ISD is really good especially the Westwood HS. It's a highly rated school from my research (check on www.greatschools.net).
2. Round Rock is pretty mixed area from my two visits to Austin. There are a lot of Asians due to the IT companies. So, you do not have to worry about it at all.
3. From my visits (twice) to Austin, I found people are extremely nice and friendly. I am from Michigan and I really feel the southern welcoming from the people in the grocery stores, internet, and everywhere. When I searched online for Jewish temple and got several emails/responses from different Jewish organizations in Austin although I only sent one email. People in Austin are so friendly and they just want to make sure I can talk to them if I have any questions. You will be fine and you will love it!!!

[MJinAustin]

Originally Posted by Jking

Will we make it?
Is this for us?> ( We are black,if this affends any body, sorry. I am just being honest.

Yes! You'll make it. It's VERY different from New York, but if you relax and make some friends (maybe find a church?), and try to learn about Texas and the local customs, I think you'll be fine! I think you'll find people to be very friendly. I mean you can be friends with anyone over a BBQ sandwich and a beer!

Originally Posted by Jking

Is there really a gang problem out there?

There are gang problems everywhere. Drug problems everywhere. I think it's a matter of educating kids on keeping focused on what's important! I don't think Austin has any more share of these problems than any other city.

Originally Posted by Jking

Do Police pick on you for being blessed with color?

I don't really know the answer to that question - I'm Caucasian...however, someone said that Williamson County cops don't let things slide...that's true!...but that's for anyone, not just people of color. I've seen plenty of African-American police in APD...I would guess there's not an issue in the department.

Originally Posted by Jking

Is Round Rock a good place to start?
If so, how are the schools there?

Yes, Round Rock is a good place to start! There are a variety of types of neighborhoods in RR so just do your research and visit the different areas before you commit to one. Westwood HS is very good and pretty diverse, with people of ALL color and from all over the world (literally).

My husband moved here from Connecticut. He'd lived there the first 30 years of his life. I think he had to adjust to things here because it is different, but now he says he'd never go back. The grey dark cold winter was just too much for him. If you like a little heat and a lot of sun, you'll enjoy the weather here.

[S6Sputnik]

Originally Posted by Jking

Please, helpful Austin give a sister some advice. Especially my people of color and my people of Gods character and my people of intergrity?

Thanks

I have none of those , but I think you will have a swell time . As NIKE's slogan says: "JUST DO IT"

[nolatx]

JKing,

You should have nothing to worry about! I live right on the edge of Round Rock/ Pflugerville and work in downtown Austin. I have to honestly say that this whole area is one of the most diverse and progressive communities I've ever lived in. I am originally from New Orleans and have moved quite a bit.

My neighborhood is a wonderful mix of different races and cultures and it really is a nice family neighborhood. It really is very diverse. Sure, there are some parts that have gangs but that is everywhere and I've never encountered anything that made me feel unsafe at all.

You should have no trouble fitting in and I think you'll find that everyone in general is very welcoming and less reserved than other states. I understand your apprehension as I am also moving out of state again (to Maryland) and I will absolutely miss Austin/ Round Rock. Welcome to Austin!

[jread]

Nobody in Austin really cares what color you are; they only care if you're a decent person. We don't have segregated neighborhoods based on race, ethnicity, sexuality, etc., everyone just mixes in. There are definitely areas that are predominantly Mexican or predominantly Californians, but if you go searching for "the gay neighborhood" or "the black neighborhood" or "the Asian neighborhood", you will not find them. I live in south Austin and the neighbors next to me are white, the neighbors across the street are Indian, the other neighbors are Mexican, a Japanese family walks by with their kids every day, down the street is a black family.... so on and so on. I think this is pretty representative of what you will find in most areas here.

[austinonline1]

From one sister to another, you will be fine! I moved here a year ago from NJ/NY and I love it. Frankly, I did experience some culture shock and surprises:
1. The Black population is only around 10% and that was a surprise for me. There is certainly a lot of diversity in many other factors but I was surprised at how much of an impression that made on me. The churches here as everywhere else in America are pretty segregated, so I saw many, many folks of color at the churches I visited on Sundays. There are certainly peope of many colors across the neighborhoods and suburbs but the most concentrated neighborhoods of color are on the east and south sides. I know a couple of Black people in Pflugerville and Round Rock and they like it (I live in central Austin so can't comment on those personally, nor do I have kids so don't really know about the schools - although I did an alumni interview with a senior at a Round Rock public school for Princeton and he got in, so there's one isolated comment on their school system!).
2. You might hear about a history of issues with the Austin Police Department - there have been incidents with shootings that raised concerns. However, I have been really, really impressed with the new police chief (a Hispanic man who has taken a lot of measures to restore community confidence and partnership) and the force's leadership team and proud of the progress they're making. Maybe it doesn't make the news, but I haven't heard much about a lot of big gang activity - I don't know.

I moved here alone without knowing many people at all and I love it. People just seem to be happy to be here, and that makes a big difference. Please feel free to PM so I can welcome you when you arrive!

[2happy]

JKing- I am a woman of color who happens to be married to a white guy. 20 yrs this summer-YEAH!!!! We have visited the DFW part of Tx on a few occasions and have always felt the people of Texas were kind and welcoming. I have always enjoyed my visits and would definitely consider living there. What you must realize is that if someone has an issue b/c of race it is their issue and not yours. Ignorant people come in all colors, shapes and sizes. If you are a child of God, then you know the Word says, God does not give us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. The kind of fear you are talking about comes from satan and it works to bind and paralyze you. It keeps you from moving forward in life. If you desire to move with your family do not allow fear of the unknown or fear of not being accepted, etc to make you stay behind. It is better to go in faith, believing Jesus Christ is with you, than to stay behind regretting you did not go.