Older Gay Professionals? (Austin, Round Rock, Spring: best neighborhoods, to rent, condo)

[clariceIm]

Hey Austin! My partner is exploring a job option in Austin - we currently live in St. Pete, FL, a relatively good place to live peacefully being gay...we are two middle-aged lesbian professionals - wondering where would be the best neighborhoods to live in? Everything I read about Austin makes it sound like a great place to live, but am just curious about what we should look for at our age, to find similar couples and a community. Any advice is much appreciated...

[doctorjef]

Central Austin basically is your best bet. Hyde Park, Travis Heights, Clarksville, Zilker would all be good areas. Rosedale and Brykerwoods are a little more "family oriented" (hate that term) to an extent - especially the latter - but would likewise be good areas in Central Austin.

[hoffdano]

My industry, software, seems to employ many lesbians. Many more gay women than gay men. These women seem to live all over, either alone or as couples. The women I know earn high wages and can generally live where they want. I don't see a pattern or neighborhood of choice.

[Krunj82]

As a 40 year old gay Australian male who moved here from New York City a few years ago, I have to say that I think Austin is sufficiently gay-friendly that you don't really need to be right in the center of town (with its attendant cost and traffic) to enjoy the place.

When I moved here, I rented a house for 9 months near Round Rock, which is generally a pretty uninspiring place, and yet still met a ton of local gay and lesbian folks in my neighborhood, several of which became friends.

I subsequently bought a house in a new development at the far south of Austin, near the corner of Brodie and Slaughter Lanes, and my little community of 80 houses has nearly a dozen lesbian and gay couples living in it. We are all very pleased to be able to enjoy the greenery and quiet at this distance from town, and have seen nothing but gracious acceptance from our neighbors, at whose houses we all seem to meet up regularly.

As a person who has lived in 5 countries and 9 cities in my working life, I would counsel from experience that you need to rent a place for the first year or two after moving to ascertain whether you truly like it or not. Once you do that in Austin, you'll realize that your options are much richer than the "huddle close to the city center" approach would tend to suggest.

[doctorjef]

I can sympathise with that, having spent 10 years just a little farther down Brodie, in Shady Hollow (far south Austin). However, I can tell you that my partner and I were happier living closer to the centre of town, first downsizing to a condo on Manchaca Rd between Ben White and S. Lamar, and then moving to the Barton Hills area, just a couple of blocks off South Lamar. However, this isn't just about who your immediate neighbors are but also about the overall part of town you are living in. We preferred South Central Austin to far south Austin (the latter actually outside the city limits). However, it is absolutely true that there is no need to huddle in little ghettos in Austin; in fact no one really does that. Still, if we were moving back I would want to be in the Enfield, Clarksville, or Travis Heights areas preferrably, or perhaps in Zilker or Barton Hills.

[1mintjulep]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

Still, if we were moving back I would want to be in the Enfield, Clarksville, or Travis Heights areas preferrably, or perhaps in Zilker or Barton Hills.

I would too, but unfortunately, for what I could afford, I could only get about 300 square feet.

[TexasHorseLady]

I know gay couples all over the area - Dripping Springs, Georgetown, Elgin, Cedar Park,etc. - as well as Austin. Thing is, there's not such a big deal made about it, so if you didn't know (because of who they show up at parties with, say), you wouldn't know any more than you'd know the private sexual practices of any other neighbor that you didn't happen to be sleeping with. It's just not considered important in the overall scheme of things.

Some people appreciate this. Others don't, and really WANT to stand out and be considered different. So, whether or not you'll be comfortable in Austin really depends on your reaction when you "confess" you have a gay partner and the reaction is a somewhat puzzled, "Yeah, so?" rather than shock.

[clariceIm]

Thanks to all of you for your great insights! We'll see what happens...if she even gets an interview. Appreciate all the help - y'all are good folk!