Looking for advice from New England transplants on a move to Austin...

[pixel8ed]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

I came to Austin from Connecticut in 1992. I have very mixed feelings about Austin. I caution many to "not believe the hype." Austin seems to be infatuated with itself. While it seems 100% better than any other city in Texas, for me, it does not compare to New York City, Boston or Miami.

I'd like to hear more about how Austin and Miami compare. I miss NYC for it's urban density and multicultural feel. However, I love the warmer weather here in Austin. I'm plotting my next move though and I'm curious about Miami.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by austinaggie

How is Boston a MUCH bigger city than Austin when it has a population of just under 600,000?

The Boston metro area is made up of countless suburban cities and towns. When you consider the exurbs it stretches into Southern NH and Northern RI, meaning millions of people within 1 hour or less of Boston. Fortunately there is the subways, buses, streetcars, and especially the Commuter Rail trains that travel some 50 miles outside of downtown Boston. As bad as traffic is there, I would hate to see the area without all that transit especially with the winters that can come to the area.

[paars350]

Thanks all for the input. The spots for me to check have settled on Austin and Charlotte, NC. Santa Barbara, CA is a far off dream but may just end up getting a visit too. The grad school opportunities alone in the three cities are enough reason for me. Thanks for the help.

[readymade]

I'm originally from Boston and now live (for the next week or so, heh) just south of Santa Barbara. I guess the Santa Barbara area is one of those "you love it or you hate it" places. My husband & I hate it which is why we're moving to Austin. We don't surf, and we rarely go to the beach. We're not into art made with sea shells. We found ourselves making the LOOOONG drive to LA more and more as the years went on (to see independent movies, bands, etc...). We wanted to find a place with more of an urban feel like Boston but with warmer weather. I've LOVED Austin both times I visited.

Also, in regards to Boston being a bigger city... you have to take the various awesome cities around it like Cambridge, Somerville, Medford (just kidding), etc into consideration... it's not just Boston proper.

Anyway, that's my two cents. I wish I could give a better New England perspective on Austin, but that'll probably take a year or two of living there.

[twange]

Originally Posted by readymade

We're not into art made with sea shells.

What about driftwood? Scrimshaw?

LOL!

Have a safe move and WELCOME!

[marylee54]

ok, I'll probably get flamed for this, but I've found the people here to be a little too "religious" Seems everyone wants to "pray" for you, or "pray" about whatever. No, don't get me wrong, I'm all for freedom of religion, but also for freedom from religion. BTW, I'm Lutheran.

But it seems everyone wants to pray about everything. I guess I got hyper sensitive to it when I broke my ankle, was in a cast several months, seems everywhere I went people would say "I'll pray for you" That's so phony--if they prayed for everyone they said they would that's all they would be doing! Not one of those "praying people" would so much as offer a hand, never once offered to help with a lift to work, gorcery shopping, etc. I guess they prayed about it!

[twange]

Originally Posted by marylee54

ok, I'll probably get flamed for this, but I've found the people here to be a little too "religious" Seems everyone wants to "pray" for you, or "pray" about whatever. No, don't get me wrong, I'm all for freedom of religion, but also for freedom from religion. BTW, I'm Lutheran.

But it seems everyone wants to pray about everything. I guess I got hyper sensitive to it when I broke my ankle, was in a cast several months, seems everywhere I went people would say "I'll pray for you" That's so phony--if they prayed for everyone they said they would that's all they would be doing! Not one of those "praying people" would so much as offer a hand, never once offered to help with a lift to work, gorcery shopping, etc. I guess they prayed about it!

I've heard people say this but I haven't experienced it myself in the year I've been in Austin. What part of town do you live? Maybe that has something to do with it. Also, I think that for many people these days "pray for you" is colloquial for "keep you in my thoughts".

At least that's how I view it anyways

[Trainwreck20]

Dunno about the praying for you (Lord knows I could use it ). I have been here for decades and have yet to run across it, at least that I can recall.

[MJinAustin]

Re: praying........I've actually had some people say that they would pray for me (after daughter's multiple surgeries) and I just blow it off. It's not ill-intentioned and they aren't trying to get me to go to their church, so I just chalk it up as it's what they think is a supportive nice thing to say. I have to say though, that you'll get A LOT more of that in Dallas than you ever will here. I think it depends on where you live and what your circle of friends are going to be. There's probably more of the religious support in the burbs than there is in Central Austin.

Back to the subject...although Austin is not the urban mecca that some older more established coastal cities are, we were just driving through downtown yesterday and there is QUITE a lot of construction and development that is intermingling with local favorite places that I think is going to lead to a very nice downtown. Downtown already a local destination place to go out, but I think the development is getting broader. When we moved here 10 years ago, 6th St bars were the main drag, but I don't see that so much anymore. Now 4th St is a great place to have dinner, and when I walk down 2nd Street, it feels like San Francisco. There are so many condos being built down there, that the businesses will follow to support the residents. I think it's becoming a very vibrant area that will be good for the city.