Any stories from New Englanders Relo'd to Austin ? (West, Early: safe, homeless)

[Mike78613]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

I think that moving somewhere strictly because of its 'lower cost of living' is a really bad idea. It's also slightly insulting, but whatever....

Shhhhhhhhhhhh............

Please keep the rumor going. It's really to only way to find the truth. Let them come, we have a surprise for ya.

[Gimmethecreeps]

Originally Posted by expatvermonter

Pehaps people say what they really feel in writing what they can't in person due to etiquitte. My home state of Vermont used to be affordable until it was taken over by rude, obnoxious people with trust funds and bad attitudes from NJ. NYC, and MA. I have only met one California. She was dressed like Malibu Barbi, and thought the world owed her a living. I have a LOT of nice things to say about people (who deserve it). I love (Rocky Mtn) westerners, mid-westerners, southerners. They are nice genuine people who really care if you have an affordable place to live and food on your plate! First time I went to Florida I didn't understand what a damn yankee was. I had to explain I was a Vermonter, and that didn't apply to us. Although now most Vermonters have been displaced by high taxes, greedy employers from one state to our south (so as not to offend) who pay minimum wages, landlords from the same who charge $1,200 for a 2 BR apt. Etc Etc. The truth is the truth, greedy self centered people come from only a few epicenters in this country. They are the ones responsible for the wall street/housing mess. A prime example is Madoff! He epitomizes the ilk that is spreading like a cancer into rural America in search of new locations to put Starbucks!

Enough Said!

I just wanted to take the time to tell you that you're unintelligent, either completely misinformed or spewing garbage out your ass, and your generalizations about people are cliche and outdated at best. You're crying because your landlord charges 1,200 for a 2BR apt in Vermont? Please, your lucky if you find a 2 bedroom apartment for a price like that in a good part of new jersey. Your cost of living didn't go up because of "People from New Jersey with trust funds" It wen't up because the world is in a Global Recession, and while New Jersey was hit extremely hard by it, forcing people to look elsewhere for work and a more reasonable cost of living (My father was forced to take a job on the other side of the country to support his family, and now only gets to see his Wife and 4 children, one who is mentally disabled a few times a year) Vermont was most likely an optimal choice. You could also factor into the equation the difference in population density between Vermont and New Jersey, I've yet to see Vermont's numbers in that field, but I'd imagine they're drastically lower than ours.

As far as "not being a Yankee" in the south, I'd imagine just about everyone who lives north of the mason-dixon line is a yankee to a true southerner, but thats just me using logic in a conversation, very much unlike yourself.

" I met 1 woman from Cali, she was like Malibu Barbi" where do you get your material? It's like a bad Seinfeld act from the 80's or something. Still watching saved by the bell or something? That's about as lame as me saying "Yeah I met some ****** from vermont last night. He had a bottle of maple syrup under his arm and was wearing Ski boots at the bar..."

I also found your judgement of people by where they buy their coffee priceless, considering if you buy a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts in NJ, you'll probably spend 2 bucks and change. If you go to Starbucks, its 4 and change. Your looking at a difference of 2 bucks. I'm interested to know where you buy your coffee, so I know how to judge what pathetic human beings drink in the morning.

[kittymama]

About museums:

I lived in Boston for 3 and a half years. When I first moved there, I decided to go to one of the museums to check out an exhibit on the ancient Egyptians. When I got there, I realized that I had seen this exhibit before - in sixth grade! It turns out that it went on tour to a museum in Dallas and we went on a school field trip to see it. Of course, the exhibit's home was in Boston and you could always see it there. But a lot of those exhibits tour the country from time to time. I suppose you have to weigh how often you want to go to the museum to see if that is important. A lot of musical groups and other productions go on tour as well and there are cities in Texas big enough that they will visit. If you like to go every week, then you might find Texas to be a cultural wasteland comparatively speaking. However, if you go to that stuff occasionally, you will probably find the lower cost of living to be worth it.

[LTMOMOF2]

My family just moved here last July from Mass!! We miss our Sox! and Pats!! But you can get the MLB and NFL package on cable or with Direct TV! That's how we survive! My son just saw dunkin Dounuts the other day here! There is alot to do here in Texas for the young and older family. We love it so far! We chose the Lakeway area for the school system and that took me 3 months to find and ALOT of interviews later. We love the weather and believe me you will as well!! Contact me if you need any more help!!

[readymade]

I think it's kind of ridiculous to move or not move somewhere because of Dunkin' Donuts. (not that you're doing that, heh). I mean, it's OK... but not the end-all-be-all of donuts and ESPECIALLY not coffee (which I used to call "hot dog water"). There are some great coffee shops here in Austin that aren't chains. I went to a great drive-thru one today! Can't remember the name, but it was on Lamar across from "Cheapo" (which my husband says is the best used CD store he's ever been to. And he's practically been to them all. Like, in the US).

ANYway, I would advise anyone who didn't like the heat NOT to move here. Just like I would advise anyone who disliked the cold (like me) NOT to move to NYC, Boston, or Chicago.

I don't know what all the hate is over the restaurants in Austin. I've rarely had a bad meal here. And I eat out too much (I just went to Perry's Steakhouse for my birthday. Holy. Crap. It. Was. Good!).

In regards to the list:
1) Weather (Hate the heat) - I love the heat, so disagree with you there
2) Ability to travel internationally with ease (Lots of int'l flights from JFK/EWR) - I agree
3) Not having to spend a lot time in my car... - that depends on where you work vs live (would be the same ANYwhere)
4) Making a higher salary that seems more commensurate with my education and experience - I think it pretty much evens out. You make more $$ in NYC because you pay more to live there. You make less in Austin because you pay less to live here. Personally, I make $2K/year more than I did in Los Angeles, but my take-home is more because we don't have income tax.
5) Religious tolorance and sophisitcation (Please, don't start) - I'm going to start. HAH! You spelled sophistication wrong! (I should talk, my spelling is atrocious although I'm beginning to feel like a spelling genius after reading some of the posts on this board) Anyway, compared to Los Angeles & Boston people DO seem more religious here. My HR person said a prayer at our company Thanksgiving potluck and thanked Jesus. I was kind of shocked, actually. But, whatever. Live & let live. I know several people who are always mentioning their church. Not in a bad way or anything... more like a "I have a church thing tonight." or "A woman from my church..." No one's tried to push religion on me. A lot of people seem to go to church here, heh. I don't count that as a lack of sophistication (or sophisitcation), though. What the hell do you want? Women in beehive hairdoes smoking cigarettes with holders and saying "dahrling!?"
6) Restaurants scene... - I think the restaurants here are fantastic! I don't know what you're talking about.
7) Professional Sports teams - I'm not into sports so I can't comment on this. I've never seen so much burnt orange in my LIFE as I have here. Sox fans got NOTHIN' on Longhorn's fans!
8) Access to beaches - I was never much of a beach person, but we have lakes here. I do kind of miss the ocean, though.

[Theseus]

Originally Posted by Hollytree

I spent 10+ years in Austin.

Pros:
Laid back lifestyle
Sunshine and lakes
Some nice parks
Culture emanating from UT itself

Cons:
Extreme debilitating unabating heat
Attitude (nowhere but Texas provincialism)
Gun toting
Limited cuisine

What finally prompted our move back to NE was the unchecked growth, traffic, and sprawl happening in the Austin area and the lack of an ocean.
Especially missed the ocean!!!

Also, be aware that the most desirable houses in Austin are the closest in to the city center and they are 500K and up for what in NE would be 350K maybe. The biggest cheaper homes require a long commute.

You're comparing home prices in a city (Austin) to an entire region (New England). Compare apples to apples: It is nearly impossible to find a SINGLE BEDROOM condo in downtown Boston for under $400k, let alone a home. A "home", which would be a townhouse typically, would be well over a million dollars in downtown Boston... and that's not just on a few of the toniest blocks, that's anywhere in the South End, Back Bay or Beacon Hill areas. I live in downtown Boston and have been ruminating a move to Austin for many reasons, such as the absence of pro sports team (Boston's pro sports obsession is off putting to me), the weather, Whole Foods mother store (we have WH, too), friendly people and particularly how much you can get for your dollar in a downtown Austin condo (a pool, health club, wireless internet, etc). I can't afford to live in a similar size place that offers those amenities in Boston and my 1200 sq. ft. condo is appraised at $680K! And to the poster who says people from the Northeast won't be happy, please state your personal feelings or objective information -- it's not helpful to tell other people whether or not they will be happy. In fact, it seems you're trying to scare certain types of people away. I'm from a little town in upstate NY and there's no correlation between that and my preference for urban living.

[VerBoston]

Thank you for all your comments; I appreciate your advice and insight.

I would like to shut down this thread if someone can tell me how.

And who knew how opinionated people can be about coffee

[Jennibc]

Only the moderators can shut down a thread. Once once starts, it takes on a life of its own. Sometimes they will close a thread because a flame war erupts or if something has veered way off topic.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by readymade

3) Not having to spend a lot time in my car... - that depends on where you work vs live (would be the same ANYwhere)

If you prefer not to spend time in your car there are cities where public transportation is a viable option. On the CT coast, I took the train in to NYC... In Chicago I was able to take the EL from O'Hare to the Loop... In some cities its very possible to walk to bicycle to walk. I have a friend in Colorado Springs who bikes to his office 3 seasons a year. Spending time in your car is not mandatory everywhere...

[readymade]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

If you prefer not to spend time in your car there are cities where public transportation is a viable option. On the CT coast, I took the train in to NYC... In Chicago I was able to take the EL from O'Hare to the Loop... In some cities its very possible to walk to bicycle to walk. I have a friend in Colorado Springs who bikes to his office 3 seasons a year. Spending time in your car is not mandatory everywhere...

I used to take the train every day to work & back in Boston. Driving is HEAVEN compared to that. You see pretty much the worst humanity has to offer when taking the T (in Boston, anyway). I got knocked down and slammed into more times than I could count by businessmen in a hurry. I saw people shove pregnant women out of the way just so they could get a seat. Or no one offering the guy on crutches their seat. All on a daily basis.

Horrible. That was a really really depressing time in my life. All because of taking the train. I lost faith in humanity for a few years (and never really got it back, come to think of it). It's one of the main reasons I quit my job and stopped working in the city.

Personally, I try to never live more than a 20-30 minute drive (in traffic) from where I work. But, as jobs become more scarce, I know that can be difficult to do. I like my job, but I'm thinking about looking for something else as it takes 20 minutes to get there and 45 minutes to get home.