Why is Austin better that Dallas? (Houston, San Antonio: amusement parks, tech jobs, to buy)

[mimimomx3]

Dallas is a huge. It has more museums, professional sports, transportation, housing and employment options. Austin is smaller. There's no comparison, really. I guess it would be like saying, why is Miami better than Key West? I agree with the poster above...go where you get the job.

[jobert]

There is a huge difference between Dallas and Dallas suburbs.. I would not doubt Dallas proper is 34% white. Austin is better integrated than Dallas. and it shows. White people in Dallas wouldn't dream of living south of I-30 within 10 miles of downtown - with very rare exeptions. I would say draw a 10 mile radius from downtown...the southern half of that pie is 10% white or less. I think Dallas has a squeekier shine to it. Austin traffic is bad, but you can live within 8 miles of downtown in a decent neighborhood of new houses for 200K or less. To do this in Dallas requires tearing down and building custom - a $400K minimum endeavor should you choose to do so. The housing stock is better in Dallas to start with but the inner suburbs contains housing who's number is coming up soon: (50's bungalows, 60's ranch style, etc.) If you move to Austin, it is still possible to move to a place where you will not end up spending 3 hours a day in a car like you would in Dallas. People who move to Austin and then choose to spend 3 hrs a day in a car are idiots and have defeated the purpose of moving to a smaller town, but that's a different story. Dallas has more oppurtunities for you to blow your money, err.. I mean "entertainment". evvvverrything in Dallas costs money to do - nothing is free. Austin is a more active community, with low-key activities if you want them, and more upscale if you choose (2nd thru 4th streets are kinda "pushed up"). Austin is 1/4 the size of dallas, and so are the amenities (with the same scale) meaning you are just as likely to live within a mile of a grovery store here as you are in Dallas, for example. Austin has better scenery and day trips are shorter if you want to visit place such as Gruene, Bastrop, Wimberley etc. Day trips in Dallas are to Okla. and Shreveport to gamble - a 4-5 hour undertaking in all..ugghhhh
Austin keeps it real as much as people say it's 'hyped' etc. I lived both places, and I recommend Austin.

[jobert]

I moved from Dallas recently. There were certain 'absolutes' about Dallas I couldn't deal with. numero uno was the crime. Pretty much living in half the city of Dallas proper you could hear gunfire at night. I did not feel safe at all in the city. Only Uptown and the Park Cities (million $+ homes) could you not expect you window to be smashed when you walked out to your car in the morning. The only places free of crime are the far flung suburbs which brought me to absolute #2: The sprawl. The Metroplex is about 80 miles wide and 60 miles from north to south. Waxahachie to McKinney. If you want to hang with people they're like "Cool, come out to my house in Wylie.." I reply to them " not cool, I would rather stick a fork in my eye.." So I'm not a fan of the Los Angelesque sprawl of Dallas.

[sxrckr]

Move where you get a job.

In some ways it's better, in some ways not.

Dallas is a huge metro while Austin still retains many aspects of a college town.

Personally, as much as people love to bash Houston I think it's the best of both worlds if you live somewhere inside the Loop, such as Montrose or the Heights because you'll have the museums and culture of the big city (as in Dallas) but a much more laid back atmosphere, trees and even some weirdness (as in Austin).

Of course in each city, there are areas of Austin more like Dallas (some generic '$30k millionaire' burbs come to mind) and areas of Dallas more like Austin (such as Lakewood and even parts of Oak Cliff these days).

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Exiled Texan

Dallas is bigger. Arguably cheaper RE options and decent light rail set up. Tends to have a very segregated, master planned feel to it. They have been doing lots of work to make their down town trendy, etc. The M streets area is nice. Dallas seems to me to have more of the white collar jobs of Texas, at least in finance, etc. I'd guess the job market may be marginally better that way.

Austin is Weird. Hard to explain. Smaller, but growing. Growing, but limited infrastructure to support. Seems to on the verge of many changes, and not clear they will all happen. Whether it is on the cusp of becoming better or worse is up to your perspective. Funding for a lot of these projects is drying up. IT is definitely one of the strongest sectors, but tends to be smaller companies. Our manufacturing sector needs to transition into greater demand areas quickly. Maybe it will. It is still a college town. Very young. Makes me in my mid 30s feel old. I personally think living close in in Austin is more expensive than Houston or Dallas. If you are more "granola", Austin may be better for you.

My advice, go where you get the darn job. You will find your own type and fit in either place.

HTH

Well said......growth can be not so good when funding for infrastructure dries up.....people keep on coming to Austin, and the roads are the same
carrying cap. they were 5-6 years ago........and still no rapid trans to speak of........very hard to say where Austin will be in 3-5 years....
broke, per its infrastructure, is a possibility...lets hope not

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I think you will run into bad traffic in both cities. As for feeling as you were in the minority, I am not trying to sound rude, I am just stating a fact. If you feel like a minority in Austin, you will feel that way even more so in Dallas. Demographically, Austin is 60% white. Dallas is about 34% white. I was just pointing that out for honesty.As for "Keep Austin Weird", that is code for keeping Austin lbreal and unique because Austin is unique in the sense that the feel of the city has more in common with a place such as Berkeley or Madison,Wi than many Texas cities. it's Texan to a different beat. Music in Austin has often been dubbed "rebel country" .

Actually, I got it wrong. I was going off of an older estimate. Austin is 52% white.

[Exult.Q36]

Austin dosent compare to Dallas but it is a growing town that deserves some attention and recognition

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by kdogg817

Austin dosent compare to Dallas but it is a growing town that deserves some attention and recognition

True.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by mobert

My family and I are considering relocating to Texas in the next year or so if my company continues layoffs and my job is cut. We are considering Dallas and Austin because there seem to be a lot of software development jobs there - according to Indeed.com. I have done some research myself already about both areas but I wanted to get some input from locals about why they think one city is a better place to live than the other.

Now I know the definition of "better" depends on who you are. Some people might say Austin is better because it is a bit warmer. Some might say Dallas is better because it is a little cooler - just a hypothetical example.

So just tell my why YOU think one is better than the other. Give me all the dirt you can. Be honest and don't hold back anything.

Thanks very much

Have you made your decision on which city you will chose?

[Danbo1957]

Dallas is the gateway to Hell.