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Old 09-18-2009, 03:06 PM
 
9 posts, read 11,241 times
Reputation: 17

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I'm about to graduate with my MA from LSU and considering moving to Austin to live/work, in addition to possibly establishing residency for UT. I've never been to Austin, but UT is probably the best school in the area for my field in regards to Ph. D. Aside from South Congress, or whatever hip acronym they're calling it, is Austin a decent place for a single guy to move? I'm not crazy into the party lifestyle (don't drink, go clubbing, etc. We're not all drunk Cajun wackos, that's just our tourist campaign ), but do enjoy live music and good eating. In addition, is cost of living feasible for a guy who's probably going to be teaching, or at least comparable to Baton Rouge? Also, what is the general feeling towards Round Rock? I know it's supposedly the spot for families, but is the commute towards downtown decent? Are there good local food spots there or is it all chains?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 09-18-2009, 05:10 PM
 
Location: Hutto, Tx
9,249 posts, read 26,589,946 times
Reputation: 2851
The Commute is decent and there are local spots to eat. One of my neighbors out here was a single guy, then he got married and moved to Central Austin, just the opposite of many people who may be single, live downtown, get married, then move to suburbs/bedroom communities.
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Old 09-18-2009, 06:21 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 48,835,400 times
Reputation: 9477
Quote:
Originally Posted by Studakris View Post
I'm about to graduate with my MA from LSU and considering moving to Austin to live/work, in addition to possibly establishing residency for UT. I've never been to Austin, but UT is probably the best school in the area for my field in regards to Ph. D. Aside from South Congress, or whatever hip acronym they're calling it, is Austin a decent place for a single guy to move? I'm not crazy into the party lifestyle (don't drink, go clubbing, etc. We're not all drunk Cajun wackos, that's just our tourist campaign ), but do enjoy live music and good eating. In addition, is cost of living feasible for a guy who's probably going to be teaching, or at least comparable to Baton Rouge? Also, what is the general feeling towards Round Rock? I know it's supposedly the spot for families, but is the commute towards downtown decent? Are there good local food spots there or is it all chains?

Thanks in advance.
MA in what? That could be lots of things. Austin is a larger town in a very large metroplex. Clearly there could be more oppourtunities here, and you will probably earn a higher wage, but cost of living is also higher. If you are young and single you may want to live closer to downtown so you can participate in more activities where you can meet other single people. But I'm sure Round Rock has some nice single people also.

Austin, TX http://www.city-data.com/city/Austin-Texas.html
Austin Population in July 2008: 757,688
Males: 389,562 (51.4%)
Females: 368,126 (48.6%)

Median resident age: 29.6 years
Estimated median household income in 2007: $48,966 (it was $42,689 in 2000)
Estimated per capita income in 2007: $29,443
Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $195,500
Austin: $195,500
Texas: $120,900
Median gross rent in 2007: $829.
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2007: 17.5%

Races in Austin: White Non-Hispanic (52.9%)
Hispanic (30.5%) Other race (16.2%) Black (10.0%)

2008 cost of living index in Austin: 87.1


Baton Rouge, Louisiana http://www.city-data.com/city/Baton-...Louisiana.html

Population in July 2008: 223,689.
Males: 106,292 (47.5%)
Females: 117,397 (52.5%)
Estimated median household income in 2007: $32,984
Estimated per capita income in 2007: $21,121
Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $142,000
Median gross rent in 2007: $698

Races in Baton Rouge:
Black (50.0%)
White Non-Hispanic (44.7%)
Hispanic (1.7%)

2008 cost of living index in Baton Rouge: 87.8
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Old 09-18-2009, 07:26 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
60 posts, read 188,206 times
Reputation: 36
There actually are some fairly cheap rentals in the hyde park area. pretty close to downtown. more things to do. i live north of west campus and anything i want to do i have to drive to get there. i don't like it.
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Old 09-18-2009, 08:24 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,185,524 times
Reputation: 24736
Louisiana Longhorn is in Round Rock, and it's the best Louisiana cooking I've had outside of . . . well . . . Louisiana. (Best chicken and sausage gumbo I've ever had, maybe even including my own, and that's saying something.)

There are also a lot of local restaurants in the Austin area - what do you like to eat?

The commute from Round Rock to UT (which technically isn't downtown, but is only minutes from it) is decent.

What kind of activities (besides music, which is found downtown but also in a lot of other parts of town, something a lot of people seem to forget) do you enjoy? What are you likely to be teaching, and would it be at UT or elsewhere? What price range are we looking at, and are you thinking apartment or house?
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Old 09-18-2009, 08:28 PM
 
Location: Austin
2,522 posts, read 6,014,386 times
Reputation: 707
Quote:
Originally Posted by Studakris View Post
I'm about to graduate with my MA from LSU and considering moving to Austin to live/work, in addition to possibly establishing residency for UT. I've never been to Austin, but UT is probably the best school in the area for my field in regards to Ph. D. Aside from South Congress, or whatever hip acronym they're calling it, is Austin a decent place for a single guy to move? I'm not crazy into the party lifestyle (don't drink, go clubbing, etc. We're not all drunk Cajun wackos, that's just our tourist campaign ), but do enjoy live music and good eating. In addition, is cost of living feasible for a guy who's probably going to be teaching, or at least comparable to Baton Rouge? Also, what is the general feeling towards Round Rock? I know it's supposedly the spot for families, but is the commute towards downtown decent? Are there good local food spots there or is it all chains?

Thanks in advance.
Tip....don't ask internet strangers for advice per major life decisions...make them for yourself by doing your OWN homework, and going to the campus and city yourself for an extended period of time, rather than relying on information many times removed from your own needs and concerns......

Plato's cave of imagery(internet) isn't the best place for personal advice, especially crucial decisions, which could just as well be made by a magic 8-ball.....

What a strange world we live in...we won't talk intimately or get to know the people we actually live with/near, but will expound to no end on personal decisions, under the safe guise of a "handle"........

Go figure!
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Old 09-18-2009, 10:13 PM
 
Location: Jackson, MS
1,008 posts, read 3,379,668 times
Reputation: 609
Quote:
Originally Posted by inthecut View Post
Tip....don't ask internet strangers for advice per major life decisions...make them for yourself by doing your OWN homework, and going to the campus and city yourself for an extended period of time, rather than relying on information many times removed from your own needs and concerns......

Plato's cave of imagery(internet) isn't the best place for personal advice, especially crucial decisions, which could just as well be made by a magic 8-ball.....

What a strange world we live in...we won't talk intimately or get to know the people we actually live with/near, but will expound to no end on personal decisions, under the safe guise of a "handle"........

Go figure!
Do you jump on everyone who is considering moving to Austin and just asks a few questions regarding real life experience? What makes you think the guy is not doing other research outside of online forums?
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Old 09-18-2009, 10:17 PM
 
804 posts, read 1,957,742 times
Reputation: 459
http://www.city-data.com/forum/austi...ts-futile.html
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Old 09-18-2009, 10:39 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,185,524 times
Reputation: 24736
Quote:
Originally Posted by inthecut View Post
Tip....don't ask internet strangers for advice per major life decisions...make them for yourself by doing your OWN homework, and going to the campus and city yourself for an extended period of time, rather than relying on information many times removed from your own needs and concerns......

Plato's cave of imagery(internet) isn't the best place for personal advice, especially crucial decisions, which could just as well be made by a magic 8-ball.....

What a strange world we live in...we won't talk intimately or get to know the people we actually live with/near, but will expound to no end on personal decisions, under the safe guise of a "handle"........

Go figure!
inthecut, I've not seen you hesitate to offer advice and opinions on here. So isn't this a bit hypocritical?

Also, it's an enormous assumption to think that just because someone asks here, they're not doing research elsewhere.
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Old 09-18-2009, 11:35 PM
 
9 posts, read 11,241 times
Reputation: 17
Rest assured, I am seeking out other forms of research than just this site. However, I was hoping to find out some inside dirt from some residents. But if it helps, here's some more dirt about my situation.

I'm 25, never-married, and own a large golden retriever/yellow lab mix who'd more than likely be making the move with me. I'm getting my degree in American History, emphasis on Cultural. I'd rather stay in the South than venture up to the coasts (family, being from here originally, etc.), and since I've been in Baton Rouge for forever, I'm looking at Austin. As for jobs, I'm looking mainly at community colleges and high schools to teach. (certified here, prior experience etc. Granted, I know I'll have to get certified to teach HS in TX, but the process looks relatively painless)

Hobbies/Interests: Pretty much any free time I have outside of school/studying during the week is spent with my dog, so good dog parks and the like are a must. I do like to go out on the weekends, mainly to eat and hear live music; Baton Rouge doesn't have the biggest live music scene but I've grown used to it. Also, big fan of bar trivia/watching my beloved Saints play whilst eating cheesesticks (I've resigned myself to the fact I'll be buying NFL Sunday ticket wherever I end up moving. And forget about seeing LSU, but I hear UT Football is good). Favorite food types are Mexican, Italian, and Greek. Love good seafood, which I know will be hard to come by in Austin, but it's a trade off since hurricanes are rare for ya'll.

As for housing, I'm pretty open to either renting or buying. I've got enough saved for a good-sized down payment on a house, but like everyone else in the world, I'd like to get the biggest bang for my buck.

So there ya go. Advise away. BTW, thanks for the solid info so far.
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