Is Austin a good place for the newly retired? (Houston: house, neighborhoods)

[G Grasshopper]

I need someone to fill me in on why Austin is a great place to live if you are retired. I have read a lot about the high tech opportunities and why Austin is a great place to raise children, but what about if you aren't going to get a job or raise children any more? Why would a couple in their early 60s love living in Austin? Are there areas that are more friendly to such people in terms of volunteer opportunities, social networks, etc.? What about recreation that does not involve bars and beer?

[TexasHorseLady]

There are museums. (Not huge ones, but quite a few.) There's the various free concerts. There's lots of stuff going on at the university that isn't exclusively for young folks. There's quite a few good restaurants for going out to eat. There's a bazillion Austin Meetup groups where you can find people with similar interests. You can check with KUT.org (click on "Get Involved) for volunteer opportunities, among other places. You can also get information on things going on in the area there, as well.

[Trainwreck20]

There are a lot of good places to retire. Austin is not a bad place at all to retire, depending on what your interests are, but it may depend a lot on your finances. To tell you the truth (looking a wee bit into the future) we will probably not retire directly in Austin or right near Austin, mainly because of the high property values - and the resulting high tax bill.

[compSciGuy]

I lived in Travis County (including Austin) for 17/18 years of my life (including elementary school to university). Compared to areas near Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, Austin is definitely not a good place to raise children. Sounds like you are reading propaganda from some of those high tech employers looking for workers. Maybe for the ultra-liberal wanting a true inner city lifestyle, in that case I would agree that inner city Austin is probably much safer than Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

The Austin lifestyle is mainly focused on the individual not families, ... in their 20s either in college, or single, workaholic and / or irresponsible. I can't really fathom how it would be attractive to most people in their 60s, unless maybe they were an old pervert wanting to look a scantily clad young co-eds.

[TexasHorseLady]

I raised children in Austin (11 years apart in age, so I got a good feel for it), and have lived in the area for 40 years come September, and have friends who have done so. Most of those kids are grown now, so we can see how it all turned out, which is always useful for evaluating how good an area is for raising children.

It's a fine place to raise children, with lots of options and amenities that are kid-friendly. Depends on how you raise them, of course.

I wouldn't raise a child right in downtown Austin (I wouldn't live right in downtown Austin, come to that, it's not my style), but there are plenty of neighborhoods, good schools, etc., for the young family.

There are also plenty of amenities for someone later on in life (she says, being there herself), if they care to seek them out. Ones that don't involve ogling coeds. (Also not my style.)

[Moonlady]

I'd love to retire here, simply because I've lived here for a majority of my life and I like the area more so than most other places I've been. However, I can't afford to live in my house in retirement because of the property tax. We will probably end up moving out of the Austin area (and maybe even Texas) to retire. Like Trainwreck said, a lot depends on your finances. If you can afford it, I think Austin is a great place to be, but it's not for everyone.

One of my good friends recently retired from the State and she enjoys going to plays, lectures, museums, getting involved with social groups and volunteer activities, so there is a lot to do besides go to a bar and drink beer!

[orngkat]

We have been here for 20+ years but will retire/move elsewhere in a matter of a few years. Property taxes are too high and with all the newcomers and growth the general atmosphere feels crowded and chaotic. Or maybe we are just ready for a little less rush. It is definitely a youthful city which is either a plus or minus depending on your outlook.

[angielt]

I think it depends on what you want to do in your retirement and if you have family in the area. If you are still going to be working, how close you need to be to major medical, hobbies, etc. My parents decided to move here as they got closer to retirement after living in Dallas for years because there was a lot more they wanted to do in Austin and they did not want to stay in the Dallas area. They also lived in Florida in Boca Raton years ago and enjoyed it while they lived there but did not want to go back. They both grew up on the east coast and had no desire to ever live in a cold winter environment again. The finally decided to live southwest of downtown for the quality of life and the amount of outdoor activities. They have good friends that moved to Georgetown and it was a good fit, it just depends on personal taste and budget. You just have to check out all areas to see what you really want. Go to different towns on vacation when you get the chance and you will either connect with an area or you won't. Just make sure you explore more than just a small area like downtown---you need to see all of it before making a judgement: south austin, dripping springs, buda, kyle, wimberley, new braunfels, kingsland, lakeway, johnson city, cedar park, round rock, leander, liberty hill, georgetown, hutto, manor, elgin, bastrop.....you need to circle the outskirts of a major city. There are also some great areas between Austin and San Antonio. Explore texas parks and wildlife and go off the beaten path. There are several areas mentioned above that if I only saw just one of those areas I would never have moved here.

[blusteel]

There have been some excellent comments here. I'm also in the boat some others mentioned earlier: When we retire, we plan to move out of the city after living here 30+ yrs because of the tax appraisals, noise, traffic congestion, and general chaos in that order. Even though there are many events that are open to older residents, I feel more out of place attending them than I did 10-15 yr. ago. The city is really geared to a younger population. There are plenty of smaller towns and communities in central TX that are attractive if one wants to live in a more senior-friendly environment and keep Austin ammenities close-by.

[G Grasshopper]

[There are plenty of smaller towns and communities in central TX that are attractive if one wants to live in a more senior-friendly environment and keep Austin ammenities close-by.[/quote]


Can you give a few examples of smaller towns and communities that have a senior-friendly environment? (We are not interested in Sun City, as it would seem to be too segregated by age for us.)