Is Austin similar to Houston (Baytown, The Woodlands: house, job market, neighborhoods)

[rox011]

I've been to Houston plenty of times (the Woodlands area) and never liked it. We are considering relocating from Miami FL to GA but we keep hearing good things about Austin. I have never visited Austin so I would like to know if there is any comparison to Houston and its suburbs. I find Houston to be so industrial and brown. Is Austin similar?
We love the outdoors and would like to replace the ocean with some nice lakes and parks.

[AK123]

The Woodlands industrial and brown???

Are you sure you weren't in Channelview, Baytown or something?

I've lived in both Austin and Houston. Austin does have nice lakes and parks, but I can't really compare it to Houston for you at this point since your description of Houston sounds off.

[plaidmom]

Austin is a lot smaller than Houston and does not have Houston's industrial base. It has more hills and rugged, limestone-y terrain.

Austin has trees (oak and "cedar") but will probably look "brown" to those from the Eastern half of the U.S.

You might try searching on-line for images of "Lake Austin" "Town Lake" and "Lake Travis" and decide for yourself.

Good luck!

[Trainwreck20]

Austin is more of a 'music' town, whereas Houston has an incredible range of arts.

Austin has worse traffic at specific times and places, where Houston has bad traffic over a wider area and for a longer time.

Houston is BIG (for better and worse). Austin is not, yet.....

Houston is more Humid (noticeably) with slightly lower temps in the summer (usually).

It almost never freezes in Houston and rains about 50% more (in inches) than Austin, so it can be borderline rainforest looking. Not sure about the dry and brown.....

Houston has a very low cost of living, where Austin was recently right at the national average. You can get A LOT of house in Houston for not much money.

Houston is coastal...close to beaches...and Hurricanes....

Houston is pretty dang flat (except for the highway overpasses), where Austin is hilly to the West and flat to the East.

There are a multitude of other differences, but that is some idea

[rox011]

I guess being fom the east coast most areas will look brown to me since the soil and all is different. I know the Woodlands have lots of trees and Woodlands itself isn't industrial but the surrounding areas look like they are. I will take a look at lake travis and will be traveling to Austin soon to see for myself. I found pictures of Georgetown and it seems very pretty. Is it safe and do you guys recommend it?

[Trainwreck20]

I found pictures of Georgetown and it seems very pretty. Is it safe and do you guys recommend it?

Lol...sounds kind of funny asking if G'town is safe .

Yes, it is a generally safe town...too far out of Austin for 'residual' crime. There is a thread on this forum about enforcement in Wm county (G'town is the county set), you might find it interesting. Anyway, the county used to be known nationally for being tough on crime. First time possesion of marijuana - overnight in the jail. Domestic disturbance - 24 hours in the jail for 'cool down'. Many other examples. Anyway, supposedly the drug traffic coming up from the south starting re-routing around the county instead of risking going through. Some find this a little too safe, others love it. Of course, times have changed, so I don't know the county that well anymore.

It really is a fairly nice 'mid' size little town. There are some nice older neighborhoods and the lake is very nice for a small town. Nice town park, too, and a small university (Southwestern). Quite a few Austin commuters, since there is not a real strong local job market other than service industry, maybe. Also, still much cheaper than closer in to Austin.