3 good reasons to live in Austin Texas (Houston, Corpus Christi: trip , work)

[dannl]

Can there be 3 good reasons to move to Austin Texas and beable to call it my home town.

[HoosierSweetie]

Originally Posted by dannl

Can there be 3 good reasons to move to Austin Texas and beable to call it my home town.

Yep!

In no particular order...

Great Music
Awesome BBQ
Friendly Folks

I moved here two years ago from the Los Angeles area...no regrets.

[proeye]

Originally Posted by dannl

Can there be 3 good reasons to move to Austin Texas and beable to call it my home town.

3 reasons not to move to Austin...

1. It's too hot!
2. I'm not into scorpions or roaches thanks
3. It's in the middle of nowhere (where is the nearest mountain? national park? decent ocean?)

[iguanas4]

No decent ocean nearby? Does that mean the Corpus Christi area (or would it be Padre Island??) is not a good coastal area? Or just not close enough? I love the Gulf Coast of Florida... is the Texas Gulf not as nice?

We are thinking of moving from Los Angeles, and easy beach access is something we're not sure we can do without.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by iguanas4

No decent ocean nearby? Does that mean the Corpus Christi area (or would it be Padre Island??) is not a good coastal area? Or just not close enough? I love the Gulf Coast of Florida... is the Texas Gulf not as nice?

We are thinking of moving from Los Angeles, and easy beach access is something we're not sure we can do without.

The Texas Gulf Coast is not the Carribbean by any means. It is even different than the Gulf Coast along Mississippi, Alabama & Floriday. Things have improved though. The days of the beaches in Galveston being awash in oil are gone. No more "WIPE YOUR SHOES/FEE" signs with large mats outside of EVERY establishment (thank goodness). You also have Corpus Christi, N. Padre Island, Port Aransas, S. Padre Island. If walking in the surf and listening to the waves crash on the beach is what you are looking for, it does still have that just like any other beach.

What you do have access to in Austin is a nice culture scene. Great music venues of all different varieties. The South By SouthWest (SXSW) is held in Austin every spring. You have the Hill Country, The Hill Country River Region that has an AWESOME State Park (one of the best in the state w/ the Frio River, Garner State Park), the Piney Woods of East Texas and then you can head out to West Texas for a change of scenery (it is NOT all flat, there ARE mountains in West Texas. Might not be Pikes Peak but they are "mountains"). You can head up to the Panhandle and check out Palo Duro Canyon and the show "Texas".

There is LOTS to do in Texas and in Austin.

[210]

Originally Posted by iguanas4

No decent ocean nearby? Does that mean the Corpus Christi area (or would it be Padre Island??) is not a good coastal area? Or just not close enough? I love the Gulf Coast of Florida... is the Texas Gulf not as nice?

The Corpus beach is not decent. Not by a long shot.

Flordia beaches/coast owns that of Texas, hands down.

We are thinking of moving from Los Angeles, and easy beach access is something we're not sure we can do without.

Then Houston or Corpus are you options, but if you're looking at Florida as well, then I'd go there for beach/ocean action.

Ours are downright shameful.

[iguanas4]

Originally Posted by 210

The Corpus beach is not decent. Not by a long shot.

Flordia beaches/coast owns that of Texas, hands down.

Then Houston or Corpus are you options, but if you're looking at Florida as well, then I'd go there for beach/ocean action.

Ours are downright shameful.

Thanks for that info about TX beaches.... I was starting to get the impression that they aren't that great, but you've confirmed it.

Florida would be ok with me (perhaps) but my boyfriend has vetoed it. Austin is about the only place we can agree on. We're planning a recon trip in about a week to check things out.

I hope we can make do with the lakes in Austin. We love SoCal, but are so tired of working 24/7 just to scrape by. I guess with all the money we'll save on expenses, we can take trips to CA or FL to see the ocean.

[RSTX]

I don't know if I would call TX beaches "shameful", but no, they do not compare to Florida or some other tropical area. South Padre is beautiful. I have not been to Galveston in 20 years, so I can't comment on it. Still, if you just want to feel some sand under your feet and take a swim you'll be ok here.

[Javier Garcia]

I need to contact people from Panhandle Texas.....Any help?
I´m from argentina and I,ve been in Austin in 1983...I think is a beatifull city. By the way, in the library of the University park I think ,there is a statue of Sarmiento, considered the father of letters in Argentina. Hugs. Javier

[lifertexan]

The Port A and South Padre beaches are not shameful by any stretch,even if not Caribbean.We were in Ft. Walton Beach a few years ago,and while they are pretty,extremely white,and cleaner (no seaweed),after the initial impression of beauty wore off I found them to be sterile compared to Port A.No shells wash up,no starfish,no coyotes in the early AM wandering around.The wave action was pitiful compared to the long in and out waves of Port A.I think the beach rises out of the Gulf in Ft. Walton too quickly,and cuts the wave action down to about 6'.By about 5 in the PM the waves had eroded a little 1 foot cliff into the sand.By contrast,waves at Port A will run 20-30' up the beach,leaving sand dollars and other shells for scavenging.I guess it is all what you like.I find laying out on a pretty but sterile beach boring after a few hours,and enjoy roaming the Texas beaches more.To be honest,aside from the initial beauty of the white beaches at FWB/Destin,I found it not very different than sitting around a big swimming pool with sand dumped around it.I will probably never waste a trip to Florida again just for the beaches.