staying in phoenix versus moving to austin?? are they much different?? (Houston: best neighborhoods, sales)

[nankjay]

Husband and I currently live in a suburb of phoenix,az. We have been here for 4 years and there are things we love aboutit, however, we never felt at home and we have a complicated situation.

I am disabled and some of the biggest issues we are having is that I cannot drive and getting around in phx without driving is impossible. Also... we are way too far from others in our family. We WERE going to moe to florida, where my family is, but way too many cons of florida and we wil not be happy there. We are considering austin for several reasons and i am wondering if these would make a big difference in our being able tofunction without family:

- It is virtually impossible to get around az without a car...not many walkable neighborhoods here and I am homebound most of the time
- People VERY conservative, unlike myself and my husband who are very liberal
- Very hard to make friends in AZ..people are very "surface nice" but not interested in long term friendships and they move all the time
-Austin SEEMS less expensive than AZ (we currently rent)
- Miss the greenery, lakes...love stuf to do on the water
- Austin a bit closer to florida (a bit) than AZ
- ifestyle seems to be more in line with US
Lack of culture in AZ and no real city
'We are music fanatics!!!!
Only public transp in az is outdooors and requires you to wait in 110 degree weather.

Are any of these true?? Are people in austin friendly? Is it possible to get by with no driving? Is there public transp sysem there? What is the weather like??? I have an intolerance to heat and humidity, however i can deal for a few months...what are winters like? I am originally from NY and I could never go back to freezing cold winter again either....also..does weather dchange alot because my body is sensitive to constant barometric changes. Also...what are best neighborhoods for walkability and public transp and close to the nigthtlife and most supermarkets, restaurants, etc?? I have a friend who grew up there and we don't chat much anymore but I remember her something about 6th street or livingin south austin or something like that. If so, what do rents go for for around a 2-3 bedroom townhome (we want to avoid apartment living because it is difuculr with my disease (too much to write...noise sensitive, cannot climb stairs so dont want anyone above me, parking issues, etc) Right now we got a great deal and pay $1050 for a 1300 sq ft 2br townhome...what would be expect to pay being close to downtown austin?

Also...what is there to do in austin...we are nature lovers, husband loves to hike, we like to go boating, walk in parks, scenery, day trips, zoos, cultural events, festivals, and more. Oh I should mention...I am 38 and hubby is 41....we have no kids (not by choice ;(....are they are childless couples or would we have trouble making friends without kids.

How are the social services there and healthcare system?

Sorry to ask so many questions but trying to see if Austin would be a bit fit for us than Phoenix, which has it's good points but we never felt at home with the people, lack of culture, transportation, so many people are from areas where they have kids early so hard to meet childless couples, miss the greeery, lakes, etc. Deal breakers for moving would be if they also had no trans system, if weather was bad year round and if cost of living was not much lower and finally if the winters got too cold because i am sensitive to both extreme heat and cold

Thx for any insight you might have and if you have any questions for us that might help you better answer whether a move to austin would be in our best interest, feel free to ask away

also...how far is nearest beach from austin? I miss it so much but not enough to move to florida, where the rest of my family lives.

[artsyguy]

Warning: Do not move to Austin.

There are NO jobs available.

The traffic is hellish at all times of the day. You cannot get anywhere without a car.

The city is overcrowded similar to a village in China.

The Democrats are highly traditional and two-faced. They are not your status quo liberals from San Fransisco. The city is run like The Soviet Union. Don't believe me? Then watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbnoDkS36Dc

Everybody literally worships The University of Texas at Austin as if it were a God. It is like a sick and demented religion there. You cannot oppose or question The University because they will have people come after you. Literally. The campus looks like The Gaza Strip.

There is NO arts district at all. There is NO culture. The music is nothing special. The mini-Zoo is falling apart at the seams.

The businesses are corrupt and two-faced like Enron.

The people are lame. They think seeing bats taking dumps under a bridge and getting high and drunk on 6th street is "fun". There is a transgendered man named Leslie that people mock and hate.

The heat in Austin is pure Hell 8 months out of the year.

[nankjay]

my husband can transfer anywhere so not a problem..i appreciate your umm...upfront advise..i would like to get more input though..you sound just a bit biased thx

[Trainwreck20]

- It is virtually impossible to get around az without a car...not many walkable neighborhoods here and I am homebound most of the time

Much of Austin is very hard to get around in w/o a car, but there are some areas where it is possible. Most of them, however, are in the downtown or central area, which will be more expensive. There are a few specific locations in the 'brubs that you may be able to get to a decent amount of destinations w/o car, but they will be very limited.

- People VERY conservative, unlike myself and my husband who are very liberal

I would hesitate to compare people, because I am not familiar with Phoenix and I suspect the exact location within the city would have more impact than the overall city culture, but I suspect that, by and large, Austin is not really that conservative.

- Very hard to make friends in AZ..people are very "surface nice" but not interested in long term friendships and they move all the time

Again, a general statement that is hard to really nail down. I see you have no kids, which does seem to be a default method of meeting friends, along with work. I can't say that people are running around looking for friends, but I am on a first name basis with about a dozen of the people up and down my street. If I really wanted to further a friendship, I would assume that I could.

-Austin SEEMS less expensive than AZ (we currently rent)

Complicated equation, can't answer for you, since it will vary from situation to situation. My rule of thumb is that dual income in modest housing will generally come out way ahead. It sounds like you are single income and might be looking for a little more pricey housing (central?), so it might come out more expensive. Property tax runs about 2.5% for central Austin and there is no state income tax.

- Miss the greenery, lakes...love stuf to do on the water

Austin will be greener than Az, but it isn't florida or Georgia, either. The lakes can be nice, but you will have to drive a bit to get to them (unless you buy on the lake, but no walking of public transit to speak of).

- Austin a bit closer to florida (a bit) than AZ

On paper, but probably more direct flights from Az. If you are driving, much closer. There are some direct flights, though, but not familiar with the details.

- Lifestyle seems to be more in line with US

Might be hard to say...you mean us, not U.S., I am guessing?

Lack of culture in AZ and no real city

Austin has a smaller city core and some neat areas. For a city its size, there are some neat stuff, but (as you will see a lot about) it does not have world class museums or shows. Personally, I kind of like the more approachable, smaller scale of the cultural activities.

'We are music fanatics!!!!

Lots of music, but how much is good and how you like to experience may not mesh. But again, there is always many, many people playing somewhere.

Only public transp in az is outdooors and requires you to wait in 110 degree weather.

Ditto (except 100 degree heat and more humid). They do have some special services, but I am not familiar with them.

Before giving you neighborhood or area advice, the big question is what is your price range? Assume taxes will be ~3% of sales price.

[nankjay]

oh i meant more in line with us, as in my husband and I....we are single incomw but hubby does well and we do fine in AZ which is more expensive.

As for waiting for transp..when does it start to get hot in austin? we have a looooooonnng summer and it can start getting warmer mid march/april.

[artsyguy]

Austin is scorching hot from late march into early october. Have fun in Austin. Believe me. You will hate it.

Originally Posted by nankjay

oh i meant more in line with us, as in my husband and I....we are single incomw but hubby does well and we do fine in AZ which is more expensive.

As for waiting for transp..when does it start to get hot in austin? we have a looooooonnng summer and it can start getting warmer mid march/april.

[nankjay]

doesn't cool down until end of oct often.

[achtungpv]

It's so wonderful that artsytroll is completely and utterly fascinated with Austin. He fights his internal turmoil by obsessively monitoring the Austin forum and slagging the city at every opportunity with the hope that the more he says he hates Austin the closer he'll get to convincing himself that it's true. But, you can't do it, artsytroll. You are an Austin Lover. Just admit it. It wasn't a choice. You were born that way. Be honest with yourself. You're not alone. Come out of the closet.

[nmnita]

ok, you want the truth, I think you have already pretty much gotten it:

As for the heat, no Austin isn't 110 degrees often but it is humid and does not cool down much at night. It isn't as bad as Houston at least. Like most of Texas the temps start to climb in May and yes, it can easily last until Oct.

The music and 6th street is pretty much for the kids (collage age) but it there is some.

You can't get around at all or hardly at all without a car. That in itself will make it a place you may not want to consider.

It is certainly more liberal than probably Phoenix or most of Texas. After all it is a university town, but it isn't a huge city and is still on the conservative side. Unless you are really way left you would be fine.

Are the people friendly? I am a firm believer people are as friendly as you want them to be. I have never found a place when everyone is totally rude or totally friendly. I do like the people in Texas but you have to make the effort to show you are interested in their life to make friends.

Yes, it is greener and there is more outdoor activities at your door way like the rivers and the hill country.

The cost of living will be very similar. As for a townhome versus an apartment, remembe Austin isn't very large so you may not have as much choice as you would like.

I hope this helps a little. It sounds to me like you may want to look at yourself and what you really are expecting in life. No place is going to offer you all the things you are looking for, I am not sure Austin will offer you many period.

Nita

[artsyguy]

How can you make friends with people who are trying to rip you off at restaurants or professors cheating you out of an expensive education? Sorry but the city is full of selfish losers.

Originally Posted by nmnita

ok, you want the truth, I think you have already pretty much gotten it:

As for the heat, no Austin isn't 110 degrees often but it is humid and does not cool down much at night. It isn't as bad as Houston at least. Like most of Texas the temps start to climb in May and yes, it can easily last until Oct.

The music and 6th street is pretty much for the kids (collage age) but it there is some.

You can't get around at all or hardly at all without a car. That in itself will make it a place you may not want to consider.

It is certainly more liberal than probably Phoenix or most of Texas. After all it is a university town, but it isn't a huge city and is still on the conservative side. Unless you are really way left you would be fine.

Are the people friendly? I am a firm believer people are as friendly as you want them to be. I have never found a place when everyone is totally rude or totally friendly. I do like the people in Texas but you have to make the effort to show you are interested in their life to make friends.

Yes, it is greener and there is more outdoor activities at your door way like the rivers and the hill country.

The cost of living will be very similar. As for a townhome versus an apartment, remembe Austin isn't very large so you may not have as much choice as you would like.

I hope this helps a little. It sounds to me like you may want to look at yourself and what you really are expecting in life. No place is going to offer you all the things you are looking for, I am not sure Austin will offer you many period.

Nita