Please change my mind about moving to Austin (Houston, Dallas: house, established neighborhood)

[mm57553]

Originally Posted by iceshots

I didn't see anything in that article that referenced property tax? Are you implying that Texas property taxes were included in the state burden?

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I conceded that Texas has higher property taxes (percentage-wise), but the lower taxes in other areas (illustrated in the article) balance it out. PA = lower property tax + state income tax. TX = Higher property tax + no state income tax. Hope that makes sense. Also, homes in Austin cost A LOT less than homes in areas like Philadelphia. We paid $280,000 for our 3100 sq foot house in Steiner Ranch 3 years ago. This same house would have easily cost twice that where I used to live. So, although I pay obscenely high property taxes on it, I would pay lower taxes on it in PA but make up for it in a much higher mortgage payment.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by love roses

yes, there are killer bees in Austin. There was a news story last year about a family visiting their building site in the Dripping Springs, maybe Buda area, and a hive of them was irritated by a passing motorcycle backfire and the family was swarmed and residents were told to stay inside for a number of hours afterwards. Noone was seriously hurt, thankfully, and it is not very common to be swarmed, but it can happen. I'm not trying to scare the op off, but it is true.

Well, I'd put that in the same statistical category as someone getting struck by lightning. Sure, it happened, and we can talk about it, but it ought not be given any value whatsoever as a datapoint for someone deciding whether or not to move to Austin.

We had a pretty good dump of snow (7 inches maybe) that lasted a day in the sun a two days in the shade about 5 years ago. People were out with their kids at 2am to play in the snow. We do get ice storms - generally one a year - and those are dangerous to drive in. Yes, the place shuts down for those as the government here hasn't invested millions of dollars in snow/ice removal equipment just to combat one storm a year.

And when we do get the rare snow, who wants to go to work when you can stay home with the kids and build a magnificant snowman and slide down the road on cardboard, and meet neighbors that you've never seen in 8 years of living in the neighborhood.
This picture below I took Jan 16, 2007.

[Mckellyb]

Good answers.We're Texas naitives, and while we've not lived anywhere east of Dallas, we have encountered much harsher climates and worse critters.Colorado high-country. Sure, the mountains are beautiful, but when your 60 minute commute turns into 4 hours because of a snow storm...which dumps 45" of snow in a day, no lie...and you spend two days unable to leave the neighborhood because the road grader used as a snowplow broke down...well, it can be a drag.I'd still love to go back, but Denver is a little bit of a strange town. I can't put my finger on it, but if you're not a native, and especially from Texas, you're not all that welcome.Portland, OR. It doesn't rain so much as it drizzles for 8 months of the year. However, you can grow nearly anything in your backyard. Got to experience an earthquake, which was interesting. I'll take my chances with tornadoes....Nevada. More specifically, Vegas. Not the town you see on television. It's a poor town with multi-billion dollar casinos in it. Unless you clean rooms, drive a cab, sling drinks, or deal cards, good luck not starving to death."But it's a dry heat!"Um, over about 108, dry is irrelevant. I've experienced 117F, official airport temperature, and while 8% humidity makes it slighlty less horrible, I'm back in Texas and not complaining about 103F. I've been in Savannah in July...ugh. Would have considered moving there, as it's just beautiful, but I could not stop dripping sweat while sitting still. Pass.There were no bugs to speak of in Vegas, but black widows were pretty common. Never saw a scorpion, either.In Austin, you'll likely never see a snake. I like snakes, and will look for 'em, but I can't find 'em. Scorpions...unlikely in-town. Now waterbugs...you might have a few around...it depends on the immediate area's environment.Landscape. I just thought Texas was flat...then I drove I-10 from Jacksonville, west. I could not leave FL fast enough! The hill country is nice. Rolling hills, nice roads, a very conveinent 'get away' place which is just next door.Every place on the planet has its downside. The key is determining what is most important to you, as you're the one who must live with it. We tired of the west coast rudeness, so it was back to Texas.

[love roses]

yes, there are killer bees in Austin. There was a news story last year about a family visiting their building site in the Dripping Springs, maybe Buda area, and a hive of them was irritated by a passing motorcycle backfire and the family was swarmed and residents were told to stay inside for a number of hours afterwards. Noone was seriously hurt, thankfully, and it is not very common to be swarmed, but it can happen. I'm not trying to scare the op off, but it is true.

Well, I'd put that in the same statistical category as someone getting struck by lightning. Sure, it happened, and we can talk about it, but it ought not be given any value whatsoever as a datapoint for someone deciding whether or not to move to Austin.


That's why I wrote in that post that it was uncommon

[Mckellyb]

My apologies for the compelte lack of paragraph format in my above post. The board has been nuking paragraphs on me for a couple of days, unless I edit, but I started too last night, started something else, and didn't finish. You get only 96 minutes to edit, so....

Wherever there isn't a space after a period '.', that's supposed to be a new paragraph.

Oh, and I think I saw a rattlesnake, today! A dead one, sure, and it was about 35 miles west of town on 1431, but still.... 8-P

Actually, it wasn't likely a rattler, just a larger-than-normal (much larger) snake.

Board-folk, I'm still not allowed to have carraige-returns (enters) to make paragraphs. Of course, the text formatting has also required I type the code to do it, y'know, pointy parenthesis, then 'i' for italic, close pointy parenthesis. I forget what that's called right now, but it's been a very long day after a whopping four hours of restless sleep last night....

[Jenni5]

Thanks for all the information.

Yes, the housing prices in Texas are incredibly reasonable. Now how much do your houses grow in value? For example, if you buy one now for $300,000 will it be worth more in five years or pretty much the same?

I wish we had your housing prices in PA. It's just horrible up here. At least in the suburbs that I live in. If we bought a house that sold for $300,000 in Texas up here it would cost easily $600,000+. Ridiculous and I refuse to pay that.

I've been asking my husband what he thinks of Austin and so far he hasn't come to a definite "yes, he wants to relocate". I think because the scenery is just so different than by us and of course the heat. He's not sure what to think. Although he and I both were born and raised in Florida so we should be used to it but it's amazing what a few years of living up north will do to you.

He said that we need to thoroughly research and maybe take a trip out so I can see it, as well. I agree. I don't want to make a decision blind.

I love all the information you guys have provided. I'll continue to monitor the boards and ask questions that come to mind.

[iceshots]

[quote=Jenni5;4756227]
I've been asking my husband what he thinks of Austin and so far he hasn't come to a definite "yes, he wants to relocate". I think because the scenery is just so different than by us and of course the heat. He's not sure what to think. Although he and I both were born and raised in Florida so we should be used to it but it's amazing what a few years of living up north will do to you.

He said that we need to thoroughly research and maybe take a trip out so I can see it, as well. I agree. I don't want to make a decision blind.

quote]

We are three born and bred Canadians who will be taking the plunge into the Austin heat next week. Looking forward to it. We have been travelling to work in Austin over the last two years and I have got so used to the heat I feel that this summer has been way too cold up here in Toronto.

Yeah the scenery is different, but that is why change is good. Its a different kind of beauty. About the only thing I will miss would be the fall colors. I have had enough of snow. I am ready to retire the shovel and snow tires.

I would definately recommend taking a trip or two to check everything out. As I said, my wife and I have spent so much time in Austin working that we know (more or less) exactly what we are getting into. I cannot understand people who will pack up and move without ever visiting a place to see what it is like. I would never have the guts (or nerve) to do that.

Good luck with your decision.

[Jenni5]

Yeah, that's why I need to see it for myself.

We actually accepted the transfer to PA before I even saw it up here. We did do two househunting trips but again, we had already agreed on the move. Thankfully, I liked it up here.

It was too cold when I first moved up here and I HATED the first winter and driving in the little snow we had but I've grown to like it. We don't get near as much snow as you do in Canada, though. No snow tires for us and only enough snows maybe 2-3 times all winter where we need to shovel our sidewalk. These have been mild winters for us so I'm sure I'll really be ready to move after we get a bad one.

Good for you on your move to Austin. I hope you settle right in and really love it there. Maybe we'll be joining you down there in the next year or so.

[austinnewby]

Jenni,

I moved here a few months ago from Florida and want to reassure you that Austin is terrific! I grew up in Texas but not in Austin ( I did go to college here, thought) and just moved back after years in South Florida. Here's what I have seen and not seen.

Scorpions--I have never seen a scorpion in Texas and I was born and raised in Houston. I did see one a few weeks ago in Arizona during a short visit. I understand from friends here that if you move into a new neighborhood or on the far west side of town where there is construction, you may find them but not so much in established neighborhoods.

Rattlesnakes--I've seen them only in the zoos. I have seen garden snakes but nothing big.

The Heat--It's terrible in the summer--it gets to 100 but it is much dryer than in South Florida but still worse. I can go jog in the middle of a summer day in South Florida but I can't do that here unless I do it where there is lots of shade, like at Town Lake. However, the heat doesn't last as long as it does in Florida. It's already starting to cool down here and has been around 92-95 degrees here this week with a breeze. In Florida, August and September were the hottest months and temps in the 90s went from June -Sept.. Not so here. It didn't get into the 100 range until mid June here and now it's almost over.

Seasons--yes, the leaves turn but not the brilliant colors that you have up there. You'll see some orange and yellow leaves but not all clustered together. It's a more subtle change. In winter the cold fronts come down from the north and it freezes but that lasts one or two days and then it warms up into the high 60s and 70s until the next cold front comes through. Don't usually get snow here but you get ice storms. Don't try to drive when those arrive. It's pointless.

Crime--can't get over how little of that I see here compared to South Florida. I haven't heard a single gunshot in Austin but I used to hear them in the distance all the time in Florida. I sleep much better here because I feel safer here, however, I am not letting down my guard. Crime can happen anywhere. However, it seems like it is not so random here like in South Florida. I hear the east side is more prone to it than the west side but I am not sure if that's true.

Scenery--Austin is full of hills and lots of trees. Areas called greenbelt are protected from development so you can have beautiful scenery to look at from your window if your house backs up to greenbelt. You can see deer grazing on front lawns all the time. This area is very environmentally friendly and beautiful. No alligators in lakes here. I used to swim in them when I was a student at UT and never heard of anyone even seeing one. It's too cold here.

Family stuff--schools are great here and lots of family activities. There's always some festival going and lots of parks. There is a running trail on Town Lake that goes for miles--it's beautiful and full of moms and dads pushing baby joggers, families biking and lots of dogs. Barton Springs and Deep Eddy are both public spring fed pools. In the summer you can catch the bats flying out from the Congress Avenue Bridge at sunset. I hear it's quite a sight. Then there are all those lakes and plenty of museums. It's a very family friendly city. It's better than I remember it when I spent four years as a college student loving this place. I am delighted to be back and I hope that if you move here, you will feel the same. If I were you I'd come visit to see for yourself. Good luck!

[llkltk]

You should just come here in person, that way you can decide if you like it.