If you're planning to move to Austin (especially from a bigger city)... (Round Rock: middle-class, foreclosures)

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

eepstein, Austin's been getting the kind of "press" it has now since before I came here in 1969. So, don't hold your breath.

.......or expect any real estate agents who rely on continued growth in Austin for a career in their field, and money from city data leads to agree with you about the same...

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

eepstein - you're mostly full of crap. You hate Austin and keep standing on traffic as your big issue. Austin has tons of things to do - just not the things you want to do. Please move to San Antonio or Dallas so you can go to theme parks.

Everyone here agrees traffic in Austin can be terrible. But it isn't terrible everywhere. And it is getting better (yes it is in many areas).

You keep saying crime is getting worse in Austin but you never cite any statistics. If you did - you'd see that crime is materially unchanged in Austin. Hence Austin scores in the top 10 nationally for crime against cities larger then 500,000. Austin's crime is lower than cities you keep bragging about like Sacramento, Portland, or Kansas City.

Gotta mention too that Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio both rank nationally in the top 10 for obesity and overweight adults. San Antonio ranked #1. See this report for more information. Those cities all lag in outdoor activities, fitness mindset, and general outlook for health.

California has fundamental problems that will have increasing effects over time. California's reliance on income taxes to fund the government are exactly what is causing its financial problems today. Sky high real estate costs show no relief. Calfornia was more severe problems with water, air pollution, and education. Arnold is bad, but Gray Davis before him was even worse. Yup the latest trends may start in California, but is that a quality of life issue for most?

Expatriate Californians largely propped up and maintained Austin's growth the last few years......take away the Cal tech businesses that Austin courts, the Cal real estate money that Austin courts, and the cash they spend in the metro, and you take away a whole bunch......the last thing Austin wants is a resurgent California, that begins to recourt former residents back in the area, and no longer pushes people out.......

If Texas keeps growing at the same pace, they will VERY quickly have the same problems as California.....they are already just a few percentage points from being majority minority, with the same immigration and alien problems, infrastructure and pollution costs, and essentially everything that toppled Cal...........California will have long got over and resolved those issues before Texas gets whalloped by the same growth issues...at that point people will move enmasse from Texas as well if things get bad per state budgets, infrastructure, pollution, school overcrowding, crime, and such...not that far away from it now, actually.

[eepstein]

It is a fact that long term growth can not and WILL not continue with the current lack of interest in infastructure improvement. The city council has pretty much turned up their noses at it and just continued to approve more condos downtown. Austin will indeed continue to cater to the rich who don't have much to commute and don't have to deal with Austin's classic "horse and buggy" roadway system.

With the high housing prices, its keep most middle income families into the suburbs. With no plans for an I-35, Mopac or 183 expansion/and or reconstruction, these families will continue to take longer and longer to get to work, spending more and more time away from their families. This will have a tickledown effect and Austin's quality of life will continue to go down.

I would definitely say that Austin caters to the rich! And thats just how the city council wants it! Screw the middle class!

Originally Posted by inthecut

.......or expect any real estate agents who rely on continued growth in Austin for a career in their field, and money from city data leads to agree with you about the same...

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by love roses

I'm actually going to agree with this, ESPECIALLY about the bike trails.

Austin is very stingy per spending for public projects......even the ones they DO agree to fund end up often insufficiently funded, like the rapid transit trains that are sidelined indefinitely.....the city can't maintain basic road structure for its automobiles, so it is quite a stretch to ask them to cater to bicyclists in any way.....god forbid they build bike lanes or trails with OUR tax dollars.....same with the lacking public park system and amenities, as well as central library district, one of the few major cities to install neighborhood branches in strip malls........

You get what you pay for.....OR you hire top-notch PR people to sell the city as nirvana to unsuspecting relocatees.......and let them deal with the reality after they've already moved here.

[eepstein]

I agree completely!! California is a huge state with so much to offer. It's simply going through some tough times now, but it will turn things around and once again be the powerhouse state that it has always been! You can't rule it out because of a few bad years.

As soon as things turn back around in CA, you can BET that Austin will start loosing people do to a reverse exodus. Of course Austin wants California to remain as crummy as it is now. But I got news. It aint happening! Its a temporary setback. Once everything stablizes again, people will see it in a whole new light.

Originally Posted by inthecut

Expatriate Californians largely propped up and maintained Austin's growth the last few years......take away the Cal tech businesses that Austin courts, the Cal real estate money that Austin courts, and the cash they spend in the metro, and you take away a whole bunch......the last thing Austin wants is a resurgent California, that begins to recourt former residents back in the area, and no longer pushes people out.......

If Texas keeps growing at the same pace, they will VERY quickly have the same problems as California.....they are already just a few percentage points from being majority minority, with the same immigration and alien problems, infrastructure and pollution costs, and essentially everything that toppled Cal...........California will have long got over and resolved those issues before Texas gets whalloped by the same growth issues...at that point people will move enmasse from Texas as well if things get bad per state budgets, infrastructure, pollution, school overcrowding, crime, and such...not that far away from it now, actually.

[lothartheterrible]

Originally Posted by SpreadingTruth

I'm only refuting some of b.s. I've heard about Austin in the past.

I actually quite like it here for my personal reasons. I was never expecting another NY or CA, but I think it's in bad taste when people throw around phrases like "this is the music capital of the world!"

I'm only telling it like I experience it... and I've tried to experience as much as I can. I felt it was my duty to write this rant so that someone else that can relate to my state of mind will read this and maybe think twice (or at least know what to expect).

There are so many things wrong with your post that I am not going to waste my time addressing them all. I only hope "SpreadingTruth" is not meant to be in relation to this type of post; "truth" is an arbitrary word and varies from person to person. Like, say with me; the "truth" about California is that it is an overall egocentric, self-indulgent, snooty, shallow and generally dirty place and that Los Angeles is the epitome of an overdeveloped urban cesspool. But again, that is just the "truth" as I see it. (And yes, I have been there. Many times. I wouldn't live there if I had a gun to my head).

Oh, and in relation to your superior California education, "public schools sucks" is grammatically incorrect, and the word is spelled "retarded".

If you appreciate everywhere you've lived before, then I'm certain there are dozens of flights daily from Bergstrom that can take your judgemental, hypocritical and self-important keister right back to LA.

[hoffdano]

but the overall crime has risen quite substantially over the past couple of years.

Please cite data to show this.

Data presented on the city's website tells a different story.

Crime totals are up in some categories between 2003 and 2008 - but as a rate (per population) almost all categories are down. Violent crimes in particular have DECLINED in the last five years.

But you can continue to make up data if you want.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by eepstein

I agree completely!! California is a huge state with so much to offer. It's simply going through some tough times now, but it will turn things around and once again be the powerhouse state that it has always been! You can't rule it out because of a few bad years.

As soon as things turn back around in CA, you can BET that Austin will start loosing people do to a reverse exodus. Of course Austin wants California to remain as crummy as it is now. But I got news. It aint happening! Its a temporary setback. Once everything stablizes again, people will see it in a whole new light.

Eepstein, you will notice there is a real estate agent on here that is positive about everything except California's resurgence, and he ironically is from California himself.......reason being, a huge part of Austin's recent growth is California related......the highest quality, highest skilled relos, with the biggest bucks to spend, come from California....same with the tech firms and venture capital.........take away all that and you really kill the Austin growth patterns quickly......

lastly, californians are about the most footloose and unpredictable people around......they are capable of reversing trends on a dime if things change......if California gets its act back together, Austin will have problems...they depend on Cal relos and cash far more than they care to admit...

[eepstein]

I think Austin will always have some growth just because it is part of the sunbelt which has been overall where most of the growth has been over the past 2-3 decades. However, you are absolutely correct. Without the Californians moving here, who moves to all those big condos being built downtown? Yes I am originally from California (the bay area) but haven't lived out there since 1998. I know for a fact, that people only leave California if they absolutely MUST! Basically if they are faced with being on the street. It isn't easy to leave. Many have come to TX temporarily until things get better out there.

The fact is, with a healthy California, there is simply too much you give up to leave. THe vast majority of Californians will ride out this diificult time and be so happy they did in the end. People who were silly enough to leave, will realize how much they gave up to do so. Austin (and TX for that matter) will never compete with California in any regard. Sure prices are higher out there, but you really get what you pay for.

As I suspected, half of the new condo projects have been cancelled downtown over the past year. Can;t believe they were approved in the first place, but this IS the Austin City council we are talking about here.

Originally Posted by inthecut

Eepstein, you will notice there is a real estate agent on here that is positive about everything except California's resurgence, and he ironically is from California himself.......reason being, a huge part of Austin's recent growth is California related......the highest quality, highest skilled relos, with the biggest bucks to spend, come from California....same with the tech firms and venture capital.........take away all that and you really kill the Austin growth patterns quickly......

lastly, californians are about the most footloose and unpredictable people around......they are capable of reversing trends on a dime if things change......if California gets its act back together, Austin will have problems...they depend on Cal relos and cash far more than they care to admit...

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by eepstein

I never said that crime in Austin was as bad as KC, Sac, or San Antonio. I simply said that is was getting worse and it is unlikely Austin would make it to any "safest mid size city" list again. I don't think it's dangerous by any means, but the overall crime has risen quite substantially over the past couple of years.

Yes, many cities are fatter than Austin, but the city makes it very hard to workout! Especially bike ride. I have never lived in a city that cares less aobut bike trails for it's citizens. I lived in KC for 4 years and they have miles and miles of bike trails up there (and a worse climate to go with it) Yet, Austin claims they are a bike friendly town. Amazing! Austin is more like a city to get killed in while riding a bike.

True, California doesn't have the best quality of life now, but that will change eventually. I say give it 5 years and things will begin to turn around. But, it will be a slow process!!

I think that California WILL turn it around, but it needs some really motivated and committed people to help that happen- sort of like you! Why not go back and help?