Moving from Phila to... Austin (Spring, Portland: unemployment rate, transfer, school)

[Dr.Mom]

I live 45 minutes outside of Philly now and agree with most of the previous posts. Like any place, Philly has its positives and negatives. I think doctorjef had a great idea to explore some of the more suburban or rural areas surrounding Philly, you'll find some amazing things. Right around the corner from me is a huge lake with some of the best wind surfing in the state. Also, the head of PA's Fraternal Order of Police lives down the street from me and says he chose this township because we have the lowest crime rate in the state.

Austin has many, many positives and I definitely think you need a trip there (not just a weekend either) to see all it has to offer. You should keep in mind though that the summer heat is intense and the cost of living is not as low as you may think it is. Good luck with your decision!

[brattpowered]

I have lived in Austin for several years and have visited Philly extensively with possible plans on moving there some undetermined day in the future. The cities are VERY different places.

To start off with, Philadelphia is much prettier (outside of the ghettos). Fairmont Park beats Zilker, Center City beats downtown Austin, the green, lush surrounding 4-season countryside beats the scraggly, brown, dried up creek beds and draining lakes of the Hill Country (although there are a few gems like Hamilton Pool), and the historic rowhouse cityscape beats the predominantly cinderblock and ticky-tacky standalone suburban (even in the middle of town) "architecture" in Austin. Philly is dense and historic, while Austin is spread out and newer. In Philly you feel like you are part of a living, breathing, real CITY while in Austin you just kind of live your life.

Austin is a lot safer, no doubt about it. And from my experience, while the people are not necessarily worse in Philly, they are much less likely to strike up a conversation with you or feign politeness, so it is probably easier to make friends in Austin. Austin is also infinitely more educated than Philly and although it is in the Northeast, I could sense that a larger proportion of people in Philly are insular and racist than in Austin. Austin also considerably more civic pride. A lot of people who live in Philly have an intense hatred for their own city, but this is not the case in Austin. Throwing trash around and being disrespectful to your surroundings in Philly is taken for granted, but it would get you a harsh admonishment in Austin.

If you like to visit other cities or take day trips in general, Philly wins hands down. It's hours to a day away from NYC, DC, the Jersey Shore, Boston, Cape Cod, Chesapeake Bay, Poconos, Catskills, etc. The only worthwhile city near Austin is New Orleans, which is 8-10 hours away. The beaches in Texas are really lackluster and sometimes disgusting. The Texas landscape is pretty much flat and boring, and only Texans seem to disagree.

While the outdoor activites outside of Philly are better than the ones outside of Austin, it is probably easier to live an active, outdoorsy lifestyle on a daily basis in Austin. There is essentially no winter. Also, the water is not polluted like in the Philly area, so you can go swimming in natural areas that are pretty much in the center of town or close by.

So yes, these two cities are very different and both have their advantages and disadvantages. You just need to take it all in and make the best choice for yourself.

[Lumerian Feast]

Just to add to the cost of living discussion:

I lived in Baltimore, which is fairly comparable to Philly for cost of living -- perhaps a shade cheaper. I found the cost of living in Baltimore and Austin to be about the same. Car insurance was cheaper in Austin, but property taxes were higher. There's no state income tax, but it did seem like there were fees for a lot of things that are free in other cities (e.g. taking stuff to the dump). The higher your income gets, the more the lack of state income tax makes up for other stuff. If you'll be waiting tables or some other college-y type job where you'd get most of your taxes back anyway, the lack of state income tax doesn't really matter.

[doctorjef]

I would say that you really should visit Austin in the summer so you can decide if you can live with the heat -- please imagine that it can be like that essentially from May to mid-October: daytime temps in the 90s, with stretches of up to 2-3 weeks of triple digits day after day. The winter weather, of course, is so much better than the Philly area, but you should see if you can deal with the down side, which is the endless hot summer.

Another aspect as the previous poster pointed out is how you may react to the topography and native flora. The Hill Country is semi-arid and has a particular beautry of its own. However, it's not the beauty of Northern Delaware or the Southeastern PA horse country. I'm a weird case, because I've spent so much of my life in Texas, particularly Austin, but I also spent a significant chunk of my childhood in Virginia and DC. Although I find the Hill Country beautiful, to me subjectively the vegetation and nature of the Mid-Atlantic is how things are "supposed" to look. The green, the woods, the rolling hills, the split rails, the farms of this area are so restful and nurturing to my soul. That may be an important consideration for you too, pixie30.

Austin does look rather artificial compared to even a lot of the small towns of PA and MD with their 19th century brick and stone construction, punctuated by the occasional 18th century structure.

Austin has a great quality of life but be sure that what you will be leaving in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast isn't too much of a sacrifice. There are other options besides moving out of the region altogether; however, I can understand why you'd want to get out of Philly.

[love roses]

The only towns I know of with architecture anywhere near as old as the Eastern states would be San Antonio and some of the other towns in S. Texas/RGV. But, they aren't comparable in style.

[doctorjef]

No, but San Antonio has a cool downtown. I'm not just talking of the Alamo and the cathedral, but also of the treasure trove of art deco buildings. It's really a fantastic collection of Spanish Colonial and Moorish inspired art deco architecture. Austin's downtown is much less interesting. The missions of the San Antonio mission trail are also something to see.

[hoffdano]

I think Doctorjef and brattpowered's posts are very fair about Austin.

I lived in Northern Virginia for some time and Seattle for a bit less. Visited many places.

For natural beauty I think Seattle and the Pacific Northwest are near the top. Mountains in Colorado (or Switzerland!) are beautiful too. And the northeast and east cost have a more traditional beauty.

But Austin has its own kind of beauty. It does brown-out in the summer - starting already. Today's forecast is 99 degrees and it reached 101 yesterday. That's hotter than usual for mid-June. But humidity has been moderate to low and it is "nice" outside.

It is accurate to describe Austin as "newer" compared to Philly or Boston. We just don't have the history of early settlement as those cities. Since land has generally been plentiful things are spread out. You have space here. Some don't like space, others do.

[doctorjef]

Thanks for mentioning the browning that takes place in summer. Frankly, to me that's much worse than the heat itself. Yet I can recall that in July of 1973 I came down to attend the second summer semester at UT and was amazed at how green, overgrown and wet Austin was. In general the summer weather in the 1970's seemed to be milder in Austin than it has been for the past 20 years or more. Again, that's something for a newcomer to consider. Will you get too depressed seeing all the brown grass on unwatered areas and the wilted trees by mid- to late-summer? I'm sure some people would find these aspects very negative, even though others will hardly notice them.

[mm57553]

I forgot to mention the heat. It's going to be in the 100s all week, and it's technically not even summer yet. It does get that hot in Philly, but it doesn't last for more than a week or so. This will last through September - something to remember. Honestly, I find it too hot many times to do a lot of the outdoorsy stuff here in Austin.

And I also didn't mention the topography, some other posters explained it well. The Austin area, even the Hill Country, is just not as classically beautiful as the rolling hills of the PA countryside. And we lack the huge trees.

I can't stress how important it is to visit here first. I would also recommend looking at some areas on the outskirts of Philly. Center City is great, but there is a crime issue (which has gotten worse since I left). Check out Manayunk or even places like Media. I grew up in Media and it's only 15 miles from Center City. Crime is non-existant, there is a great main street with tins of quaint shops, restaurants, and pubs, and trains that run into the city all day if you don't want to drive. Manayunk is technically still in Philly but is like it's own little town. Loads of things to do, a short train ride into Center City, and it's right on the river.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

Thanks for mentioning the browning that takes place in summer. Frankly, to me that's much worse than the heat itself. Yet I can recall that in July of 1973 I came down to attend the second summer semester at UT and was amazed at how green, overgrown and wet Austin was.

The trees stay green during the summer; it's the grass, particularly the homeowner-installed St.Augustine and other thirsty varieties, that brown up in the summer if drought conditions are present... July 2007 was particularly rainy and green, on the other hand.

The times when Austin is really brown is in the winter of a drought -- grass is dormant, trees are brown or without leaves. Like this past winter. I honestly thought many of those trees wouldn't come back (dead from drought).. but most of them did come back, and are plenty green now.