Is Austin for me? (important life decision -- please help!) (Houston: school, living in)

[liloo]

First off even though it's been said-Come visit in person!
Secondly, it is NOT, I repeat NOT a big city.If that's what you're looking for ..you will be dissappointed. I know the population count is close to 700 thousand or something like that, but that includes a lot of nearby suburbs that don't really count as Austin.(Round Rock,San Marcos etc)
.) I'm aware that Austin is hot, but is it humid? The Midwest is extremely humid in the summer months, but I'm not sure how it compares to Austin in this regard. How often does it rain? Does Austin have many days of plentiful sunshine?

-The humidity imo is not too bad,and it does get more rainfall than you would imagine. It is very hot with many days of sunshine and high temps.

2.) Are there job opportunities in Austin for those people in the public relations field?

-NO. Unfortunately I have to agree with the above statement saying it's saturated. It can be really tough to find a job in that field in Austin that is willing to pay. I've also personally ran into A LOT of companies with shady practices here.(Example- admittedly firing you right before Christmas to save money and then trying to re-hire you for less money in Jan.)I got lucky, but I have had some bad experiences and have seen many friends deal with sketch employers.

3.) I've heard that Austin is quite a cultural mecca, and that it is rising in the ranks. Would you say there are plenty of cultural/artistic entertainment options in Austin?

-Compared to a big city, no. Actually, just no in general.There is a good music scene depending on what you are interested in. There are a lot of entertainment options in Austin....just not as far as theatre, art, dance etc are concerned. It's much more sports/outdoors oriented.

4.) I have a small dog (15 pounds). Is Austin a dog-friendly city? Would I be able to find decent/nice apartment complexes that allow small dogs?

-Definitely. Lot's of dogs lovers here and a lot of places to take them too!

5.) How does the cost-of-living in Austin compare to other major cities? For example, L.A., NYC, Chicago, Boston. What is the average rent for a decent/nice one-bedroom apartment located in or very close to downtown?

-Rent has gone up considerably in the past few years, but still FAR cheaper than any of the cities you mentioned....but those are large cities. Austin (even though it's grown as much as it has) is still a pretty small city. That said, if you can find a decent job here you should be fine. I think on average is less expensive than many places in the u.s.

6.) How close to the ocean is Austin, in hours? Are there any lakes in or near Austin? Living near the water is extremely important to me.

-If it's REALLY important to you, you will probably end up feeling slightly land-locked. However,the Colorado river runs through the middle of the city too.(Yay!kayaking!) To get to the ocean is not that long of a drive, (maybe 4 hours) but beware, some of the closest beaches ie. port aransas or galveston are kinda dirty.

With all of that said, you never know till you try it! I know it's not for me, but I also know plenty of people who wouldn't dream of leaving. Good luck!

[love roses]

I wish we could come up with another way to describe the beaches. They actually aren't dirty as in there is trash lying around. The water tends to be more silty, therefore it isn't blue and clear. Sorry to get off topic, but wanted to mention that.

[dick1973]

Try Seattle

[artsyguy]

Malaki beach in Corpus Christie isn't that way.

Originally Posted by love roses

I wish we could come up with another way to describe the beaches. They actually aren't dirty as in there is trash lying around. The water tends to be more silty, therefore it isn't blue and clear. Sorry to get off topic, but wanted to mention that.

Originally Posted by dick1973

Try Seattle

[artsyguy]

I bolded all the things I found true.

Originally Posted by liloo

First off even though it's been said-Come visit in person!
Secondly, it is NOT, I repeat NOT a big city.If that's what you're looking for ..you will be dissappointed. I know the population count is close to 700 thousand or something like that, but that includes a lot of nearby suburbs that don't really count as Austin.(Round Rock,San Marcos etc)
.) I'm aware that Austin is hot, but is it humid? The Midwest is extremely humid in the summer months, but I'm not sure how it compares to Austin in this regard. How often does it rain? Does Austin have many days of plentiful sunshine?

-The humidity imo is not too bad,and it does get more rainfall than you would imagine. It is very hot with many days of sunshine and high temps.

2.) Are there job opportunities in Austin for those people in the public relations field?

-NO. Unfortunately I have to agree with the above statement saying it's saturated. It can be really tough to find a job in that field in Austin that is willing to pay. I've also personally ran into A LOT of companies with shady practices here.(Example- admittedly firing you right before Christmas to save money and then trying to re-hire you for less money in Jan.)I got lucky, but I have had some bad experiences and have seen many friends deal with sketch employers.

3.) I've heard that Austin is quite a cultural mecca, and that it is rising in the ranks. Would you say there are plenty of cultural/artistic entertainment options in Austin?

-Compared to a big city, no. Actually, just no in general.There is a good music scene depending on what you are interested in. There are a lot of entertainment options in Austin....just not as far as theatre, art, dance etc are concerned. It's much more sports/outdoors oriented.

[homeinatx]

In the U.S., I have lived in New York, Chicago, L.A., Durham, N.C, and Austin., and traveled to many other places, mostly for work. I would say Austin is the best medium-sized city in the U.S. You won't have the cultural or culinary experiences of a global city like NYC, L.A. or Chicago, but you won't have the hassles either, i.e. traffic, expense, pretension. I much prefer heat to cold, so the weather is a plus to me. The outdoor possibilities are spectacular. Barton Springs, is to my mind, the most beautiful urban swimming hole in the world. Of the places I have seen, only the some of the beaches on the Isar river in Munich can begin to compare. Nowhere in the U.S. The suburbs of Austin are a slightly nicer and newer version of the suburbs anywhere. I would say Round Rock or SW Austin are cheaper versions of Orange County, L.A., or more expensive versions of the north side of Dallas or the west side of Houston. If you want a big new house and a strip mall, I would go to Houston or Dallas, you'll get the same for a little less money, and more amenities to drive further to. Central Austin is, however, a unique place: a little country, a lot rock 'n roll, a little big city, a lot cute old houses with big trees and neighborhood bars and coffee-houses. Sleepy but vibey, safe but edgy, rural-feeling but gritty. Pierced and tattoo'ed kids will call you "Sir" or 'Ma'am" in undeniably delicious BBQ and Tex-Mex joints. It is like nowhere else. Sometimes, Austin irritates me: the slowness of service, the demand of friendliness, the smugness of living in a place that knows it is on to a good thing, but has not quite worked out what that good thing is. I wish I could say to you, visit for a few days and you will know, but I hated it for the first three years I lived here- there is nothing decent to eat after 10 pm - and locals, don't send me to Katz's, which might be the worst restaurant in the world, or Kerbey Lane or Magnolia ( bad , but not remotely as bad as Katz's), but now I would not live anywhere else. Austin kinda crept up on me. It is a surprising place - overhyped but still under-discovered. Its charms are obvious but shifting. If you want a megalopolis, go to NYC, L.A. or Chicago, or if your Spanish is good, go to Mexico City, a much stranger, bigger, richer and poorer city than any of the aforementioned three, but if you want a city that is still feeling its oats, that has an affectionate but ironic relationship to its past and its present, with big skies and cynical, but warm smiles, give Austin a look. In Texas, both Dallas and Houston are more conventionally interesting cities - better restaurants, better museums etc, but Houston is a lesser L.A., and Dallas is a lesser Houston, and who knows what the hell Austin is. And that's why I like it. Sometimes for better, often for worser, it is its own event. On a good summer night, when it is still 90 degrees after dark, and the grackles are squabbling in the pecan trees and a siren is blaring in the distance, and some band I have never heard of plays on the patio, and the waiter is bringing the third margarita, I wonder why would anyone live anywhere else.

[artsyguy]

You can always go look at the bats in Austin. That is way fun. You are right about the slowness and smugness of services.

On a serious note I agree the state parks and nature preserves are very nice in central Texas.

Originally Posted by homeinatx

In the U.S., I have lived in New York, Chicago, L.A., Durham, N.C, and Austin., and traveled to many other places, mostly for work. I would say Austin is the best medium-sized city in the U.S. You won't have the cultural or culinary experiences of a global city like NYC, L.A. or Chicago, but you won't have the hassles either, i.e. traffic, expense, pretension. I much prefer heat to cold, so the weather is a plus to me. The outdoor possibilities are spectacular. Barton Springs, is to my mind, the most beautiful urban swimming hole in the world. Of the places I have seen, only the some of the beaches on the Isar river in Munich can begin to compare. Nowhere in the U.S. The suburbs of Austin are a slightly nicer and newer version of the suburbs anywhere. I would say Round Rock or SW Austin are cheaper versions of Orange County, L.A., or more expensive versions of the north side of Dallas or the west side of Houston. If you want a big new house and a strip mall, I would go to Houston or Dallas, you'll get the same for a little less money, and more amenities to drive further to. Central Austin is, however, a unique place: a little country, a lot rock 'n roll, a little big city, a lot cute old houses with big trees and neighborhood bars and coffee-houses. Sleepy but vibey, safe but edgy, rural-feeling but gritty. Pierced and tattoo'ed kids will call you "Sir" or 'Ma'am" in undeniably delicious BBQ and Tex-Mex joints. It is like nowhere else. Sometimes, Austin irritates me: the slowness of service, the demand of friendliness, the smugness of living in a place that knows it is on to a good thing, but has not quite worked out what that good thing is. I wish I could say to you, visit for a few days and you will know, but I hated it for the first three years I lived here- there is nothing decent to eat after 10 pm - and locals, don't send me to Katz's, which might be the worst restaurant in the world, or Kerbey Lane or Magnolia ( bad , but not remotely as bad as Katz's), but now I would not live anywhere else. Austin kinda crept up on me. It is a surprising place - overhyped but still under-discovered. Its charms are obvious but shifting. If you want a megalopolis, go to NYC, L.A. or Chicago, or if your Spanish is good, go to Mexico City, a much stranger, bigger, richer and poorer city than any of the aforementioned three, but if you want a city that is still feeling its oats, that has an affectionate but ironic relationship to its past and its present, with big skies and cynical, but warm smiles, give Austin a look. In Texas, both Dallas and Houston are more conventionally interesting cities - better restaurants, better museums etc, but Houston is a lesser L.A., and Dallas is a lesser Houston, and who knows what the hell Austin is. And that's why I like it. Sometimes for better, often for worser, it is its own event. On a good summer night, when it is still 90 degrees after dark, and the grackles are squabbling in the pecan trees and a siren is blaring in the distance, and some band I have never heard of plays on the patio, and the waiter is bringing the third margarita, I wonder why would anyone live anywhere else.

[kiacook]

Homeinatx - thank you so much for your post! You described the experience I've had with Austin almost exactly! Only I think I hated it for 6 years. At least I think I did...I could point out everything I hated about it - the overly enthusiastic city cheerleading, the lack of a major art museum or true downtown city library, too much burnt orange and UT fanatacism, slow-to-rude service by waiters/waitresses who would obviously rather be playing in their bands and are really too good to wait on anyone, pretentious hipsters with their Atari fixations and toy collections, douche-bag MBAs running/infiltrating a good many of the tech businesses and of course the looooong, hoooooot summers.

But I could never get myself to leave. It's almost like I knew there was something here for me but couldn't put my finger on it and couldn't leave until I did. I think the tough thing is so many people who live here won't admit there are downsides and negatives, but for me, once I accepted all that stuff, I could love Austin for what truly appealed to me - a mellow, live and let live place, with great music, a thriving do-it-yourself art scene, beautiful live oak trees, sunny skies, hassle-free commutes and decent job possibilities. I just bought a house in April and I couldn't be happier.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by kiacook

hassle-free commutes .

Oh, really?

[kiacook]

Mine have always been. It's possible here.