Did anyone decide to retire to Austin, and now lives there (Dallas: HOA, insurance)

[OREGONRAIN]

Interested to know if any of the people that have chatted on this forum that researched Austin for retirement, have decided to relocate there, or already have settled in.

[romesq]

Hi OregonRain --

Yes, my partner & I have decided to retire to Austin. We have made an offer on a home and should close in late May. We have lived in New Orleans all our lives (I'm 59, she's 68) and have made our careers (law & medicine) here as well. Post-Katrina, we have come to the sad conclusion that it is no longer our time in our beloved NOLA and that we need a safer retirement base.

So, before we enter our dotage, we decided we'd better relocate while we still had at least one brain between us and sufficient energy to establish ourselves elsewhere. Our criteria for choosing a new retirement base were as follows (in no particular order after #1):

1. Moderately sized Progressive city/ gay-lesbian friendly
2. Major University in/nearby
3. Fine arts attractions
4. Warm climate -- we're GRITS (girls raised in the South) and our magnolia sap freezes quickly!
5. Out of the hurricane zone
6. Good medical system in place
7. Good school system (even though we are not trying to educate children, having vibrant young families around keeps an area striving for the betterment of all)
8. Within a day's drive of New Orleans (we both will continue to practice in NOLA part-time for the next few years)
9. Reasonably affordable housing
10.Welcoming Episcopal congregation/s
11. Tax burden/cost of living no greater than what we have in New Orleans
12. Decent airline connects to major cities.

As you might expect, there were not many candidates on that list.
Austin easily came to the forefront -- and the fact that my partner is a lifetime Texas Ex member/unrecovering Longhorn sealed the deal.

Property taxes are higher in Austin than NOLA, but that will be offset for us by the absence of income tax in Texas. Post-Katrina New Orleans is actually quite expensive for basic utilities, food, insurance etc., and we found Austin to be significantly less so. We were also impressed by the cleanliness of the area, the pride everyone seemed to take in Austin and what it has to offer, and a community spirit that appeared to us most welcoming. Austin's violent crime rate is also reported to be low. That is a major factor for us. (Regrettably, NOLA is experiencing a resurgence in crime now, even though the vast majority of the incidents are drug deals gone bad and are not located in the "good' areas. Still, it is hard to feel safe, and the sadness of the wasted lives takes its toll on everyone.)

So far, we've completed 3 scouting visits to the area, checking out the sights, UT, downtown, the restaurants, and of course the neighborhoods. We've lived in the close-in section of New Orleans called Uptown for years, so we're actually looking forward to having a bit more space -- we're more into watching birds in the greenbelt than living downtown amid more concrete (since we're GRITS, we know how miserable a concrete jungle can get in August.) Because we did not want to downsize yet, we did not consider a condo or retirement village/development, although there is one being developed near the home we are buying. It's called Querencia at Barton Creek. Condos, of course, seem to be everywhere, especially downtown and in the closer in "hot" areas immediately south of Town Lake.

We're not golfers, but if you are, there are certainly many, many courses here. Also, bike trails, lots of water activities, hiking etc.

Demographically, seniors make up about 10% of the population, according to the latest stats we located online.

Caveat: We have not yet moved to Austin and likely will move over in stages after we sell our NOLA home later this year (we hope). So, please consider our limited experience in actually being in Austin as you read our observations.

Hope this info assists you in your relocation decision.

[OREGONRAIN]

What a wonderful reply, I have met several from New Orleans that have relocated to Portland, I guess you know you are two of so many that knew in their hearts you would have to move at some point. Thankfully, you will be in somewhat easy reach of it for visits. If I should decide at some point to retire in the area, you seem like you two would be the nicest neighbors.

[romesq]

Thanks, OregonRain, for those kind words. You sound like a good neighbor also. We do hope and pray that the wonderful young people who are coming to NOLA to be a part of her rebirth will bring with them the strength and endurance to resurrect this almost 300 year old wonder of a place -- been here since 1718. Most folks don't know it, but over 30% of this nation's energy supplies passes thru our port. NOLA' s recovery is essential to this country.

Altho we will not miss the time and money spent just keeping up our wonderful old home, I know we will miss the sense of place and the connectedness we feel, just being a part of a place where so many have gone before us. Their spirits live here and urge on the young ones for whom it is their season in NOLA. We shall always love NOLA, even if it is no longer our season here, but we also look forward to bringing to Austin what she gave us in joie de vivre for over 40 years. Guess we'll just have to have a party and laissez les bons temps rouler!

[OREGONRAIN]

Yes good luck in your move to Austin, hope it will be a good move and a desirable place for you both to live.

[TexasMel]

One thing to consider in Austin is alergies. The cedars are really bad most of the year. Otherwise the city is great. My mom lived there for about 5 years. Finally moved to Dallas to escape the cedars.

[Florinator]

Originally Posted by TexasMel

One thing to consider in Austin is alergies. The cedars are really bad most of the year. Otherwise the city is great. My mom lived there for about 5 years. Finally moved to Dallas to escape the cedars.

Yep, I can attest to that. I grew up in Easter Europe, lived in Germany for 5 years, California for 8 years and moved to Austin last October. I had never had any issues with allergies before, just a mosquito bite here and there that would sometimes get a welt.

About 3 months after moving to Austin, I started being congested all day long... for 2 months... I had never had anything like that before, so I went to an allergist, took the test, guess what, most allergic to mountain cedar. I started an intense immunotherapy (allergy shots) and so far everything is going well. It's not cedar season yet though, the moment of truth will come next year in January

[CptnRn]

I have lived and worked in Austin since 1977. My wife and I have retired here. We do not have any children so that was not a factor. We discussed moving somewhere else but really couldn't think of anyplace we would rather live, even though we have more family in Colorado and Arizona. I would be willing to move to Colorado where my wife has family if she wanted to, but she doesn't, and I am concerned that the winters would be increasingly difficult on us as we age. I lived in a lot of other states before settling in Austin and am quite content here. There are growing numbers of people retiring in Austin or deciding to stay here and retire if they already live here.

We love the mild winters and the variety of recreation options available here. We have good health care providers here. I do have allergies to cedar and mold but have them under control. We love our house and it is paid for, we live in a good HOA with good neighbors, cost of living is reasonable compared to many places. We are quite happy here.

ABC News: Austin is the top place to retire and "Austin is not only vibrant, but inexpensive."

[CptnRn]

I meant to add this graph for Austin:

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I meant to add this graph for Austin:

Dang, the darkening beyond age 55 on your graph looks kinda ominous.