Are the relos moving to Austin some of the least grounded/established in the areas they are coming from? (Houston: real estate, loans)

[eichlerfan]

First off I'm reading this thinking just how many people as you describe (thriving in their own area) would actually give up everything to move to Austin? I'm betting not many unless it was a job transfer or an even better oppertunity than what they already have. I love Austin, but it's not like it's the last great place to live after all. I can only say in our case we are moving to Austin because it's somewhat in the middle of the country, and it doesn't snow. Let me explain - my husband's sales territory is the entire U.S., and by being in the middle of the country it will cut down on his flying time in most cases by about 3 1/2 hours. We are currantly on the west coast. We picked Austin because of it's location, weather (no snow), and we like the city a lot. We are both natives of CA, and all of our family and friends are here, but for us it's all about a quality of life too. My husband travels extensivly for his job, and so much of his business is midwest and east coast. If there is a way to cut down on his flying time then we will do what we have to do. But would we give up everything we have here just to move to Austin because it's Austin? No way. Great city, but it's not that great.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by Moekazi

I know a couple that recently moved to the Round Rock area from east LA. Neither had jobs before they left. Neither had jobs lined up before they moved.

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That's awesome. I could think of no better place to move than RR if you are watching your budget.

[mimimomx3]

In order for me to leave Austin, DH and I would have to get at least double what we make here. There aren't many places to which we wouldn't go for that kind of money.

[Idlewile]

I'm not sure you really "have a good read on this".

I guess I am one of those "relos" you are referring to as we are considering a move from the Denver-Boulder area. My husband and I both have big career jobs here, good jobs. I suppose we're upper-middle class. We are very well-connected professionally and personally here; we are grateful for these connections and would miss them dearly. We live in a house we built three years ago. We have a toddler and another one in the queue. Schools are of utmost importance to us and we had planned to move into another district close by in 2.5 years to ensure our kiddos get the best in public schooling possible. That said, we will need to drop over 420K for a very average, barely 2000 sq ft house in that district.

In the meantime, we just figured out we'll drop 100K in full-time child care until our kids are in 1st grade.

It seems extraordinary and absurd you can earn as much as our family does but watch it all go out the window for childcare and toward an average house to ensure good schooling.

My husband's work is quite rare and hard to come by as it usually only exists in big (artsy) cites with high COL; the only other cites offering the same professional scene that ALSO have a lower COL than here in Denver are Austin and Atlanta.

We are most interested in putting our family first and not have every decision we make for our family be dictated by money. Thus, I will put my career on hold until our kids are in school (we then wont have to pay for childcare), cut our net income in half, buy a 250K house in Austin AND have exemplary schools. While still living in a distinctive, cool town with a good quality of life.

We care about our family's well-being too much and take our responsibility as parents too seriously to, in your words, "take our chances on Austin." We've done our research -- not just on Austin -- but on our financial and professional situations, as well as what's best for our children.
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[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal Wahine

You continue to beat this subject into the ground, over and over and over. Why? This I believe is as valid a question as the ones you repeatedly ask here. I'm genuinely curious as to why you wish to continue starting new threads to discuss the same subject. Is it because you are not getting the answers that you seek?

Oh, and in order to stay on-topic, I think jennibc's reply is spot-on for many of us. For me, marriage to a native is what brought me here.

Actually, this particular question was on my mind for the last three years I've been in Austin. BTW, any reply that is honest is spot-on. There is no correct answer ala a game show here. Giving a reason why you/yours came to Austin, and the chance you were willing to take per leaving friends/family/business networks/connections is good enough.............

My thoughts on this really came down to just a few points......I think that it is far easier to make a move when you are under 35, which accounts for a huge % of Austin relos......you still have not quite established yourself either socially or economically, and are more willing to take a stab at a new life, or at least what you imagine a good life to be.......I think many people were from very nondescript suburban areas, and just got tired of the generic nature of the same. Unfortunately, Austin has a bunch of that as well, so I would imagine that the high cost of housing in the central and thereabouts region reflects that attraction to something more real, eclectic, and earthy....or at least something more real than Tempe, Simi Valley, Newport Beach, and all the other sundry suburban regions have to offer....

I also think many relos were escaping the cold weather in the midwest, northeast, and PNW, and Austin was the only southern city they felt comfortable in, or at least the only one that advertises on a plethora of media that it would be the only place they would feel comfortable in...

Finally, we have the economic refugees, running away from awful situations out in Michigan, Ohio, California, Vegas, Florida, and such....

I really thought much and hard about this over the last few years.....this began when I first moved here and was shocked at how much the Austin area looked like Schaumburg, Illinois, a burb with a ton of big box and strip/mega malls.....I thought, What the hell is this PR buzz about Austin about, as I would never be caught dead in Schaumburg while I lived in Chicago, yet this new place looked largely just like it......but I did enjoy the central areas much, and hung there and still do most of the time....However, I've been in many cities central districts, and it is nothing less or more than the others.....San Diego's gaslight DT, Indianapolis' Broad Ripple neighborhood, Atlanta's Bucktown, Orlando's College park area, Milwaukee's third ward, pretty much the entire city of San Francisco, Portland's dynamic DT and closed in neighborhoods, Miami's South Beach, Houston's Montrose, much of New Orleans, Vegas's strip and thereabouts, Nashville's music row, and on and on.......

I just though that Austin's PR dept was so brilliant in selling something that was no different than most other cities.....selling the "sizzle" just as readily as any Madison Av. advertising agency....

As I said, Austin does a wonderful job of selling itself....

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Just curious, how much is the average TEMP JOB in Austin?

For example, in SF, it seemed like they were possible in the $18/hour range...whereas San Diego, which is also quite expensive, seemed to be significantly lower - like hard $10/hour, and hard-pressed to find something a few more more - for just basic word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint skills.

Not many in Austin are over 16/hour, and most in those areas you mention would cluster under 14/hour......actually, many tech jobs are also contractual, but with a bit more possibility of it becoming permanent. Though I hear that tech is quite stingy per hiring outright at the moment. Contractual is a noncommittal way for them to get the help they need, with the possibility of jettisoning it at will.......I don't think any temp jobs, shy of a few high end specialties in top cities like NYC, LA, and Chicago pay more than 18.....

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by jobert

a sound hypothesis for some. I think a lot of people relocate for white collar jobs such as myself. Those that come with little and have little lined up are in for a rude awakening when they see the cost of living in this town. It's not expensive, but it's expensive for someone who has no job, or is making $7/hr. That said, I think they will coagulate into the megapartment complexes up north that you speak fondly of. I don't think you beat things to death, but you keep re-phrasing them with slightly different angles each time. It's fresh, pessimistic, but fresh.

addendum: many of the people who post something to the effect of: "I'm thinking of moving there with no job because it sounded like fun" (which is about 30% of the posts) rarely follow up to tell everyone how it wen,t or if they moved. The may be so SOL they can't even make it to a cpu for all we know.. speculation of course.

ITC, you should start a thread for all those who moved here without jobs - asking them how things worked out.

BTW, Jobert, it is really hard to post often on something as restricting as a single city topic and remain fresh....and...unless one suffers from multiple personality disorder, most of their posts will follow a theme, with minor variations, per their particular personality and proclivities per Austin.....

Honestly, mine is a love/hate relationship(Austin), and was from the first week I came here and got panhandled from halfway house moochers on 6th and thereabouts......I really hated the traffic, and this is from someone coming from Chicago, with some of the worst traffic in the nation.....I'll pull out of HEB, and almost get clipped by some bonehead not looking.....was shocked at how few people stop for joggers/pedestrians (worse than chicago, and thats saying something).....I'd see really tacky retail crap that I would never step foot in back home all over the city....really bad signage....and so on...

But I would run into much that still remains beautiful and unique, and forget about all that......at least three times a week I'd see something wonderful, hear something wonderful, and think that this really IS a great place......oh, and the MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My god, the music.....everywhere.....Zilker, stores, storeFRONTS, clubs, backyard parties, festivals every weekend.........Eeyore's blew my mind the first year I was here in '07.....I met several good friends I still hang out with that day.....found the place I hang most every month the second wednesday, in a huge old backyard that a group of local hippies have been holding for years...SXSW was so wonderful as well...had a badge and got into everything.....so electric when the city buzzes a few weeks in march every year(already got my stuff in the mail for '10, starting in just 4 1/2 months)....and some of the people were really sweet and fun to hang with.......

So my Austin relationship is very polarized, and prob always will be....

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by south side chap

Crikey. I've read some insulting, misguided generalizing nonsense in my time but the post at the top of this page takes the biscuit.

Quite how the OP thinks that he can have an even vague idea why I (a "relo") might have decided to settle in Austin is beyond me. I'm certainly not going to take the bait, and would merely say that the OP has no idea about my circumstances or the majority of "relo's" that he speaks of, and he does him/herself a disservice by dressing up opinions as questions.

Oh, and a question in the style of ITC, is what do you, forum people, make of the frequent use of .... as punctuation. Some might say that it is exceptionally poor punctuation that could be construed as quite annoying indeed but one or two others might have a different view. Mostly, I would blame poor punctuation on this forum on badly educated people who have moved to Austin recently, and, therefore have no right to live here and should go back to where they came from.

I can't wait to see the replies on that one.......................

I have no idea why so many people have "relo-ed" to Austin, though I think it a very interesting query, considering its the most popular relo city right now........something is definitely wrong when someone takes great offense at being asked why they moved to a region.......

I think, and still do, that those that have a solid and large social network, call it your "rock", if you will, will be far more reticent to make a move across country where they know not a soul, barring the reality of their loved one getting transferred, or such reasons that were mentioned about the same......those that are single have nothing to lose, and I think that explains the large % of singles that make the Austin move.

Frankly, not everyone is that willing to just pull up stakes and say, "The hell with it, I/we're moving to Austin, where we know not a soul from Adam"......though in a country with 300 million, with a quarter of the pop of China, there will always be plenty of people willing to chuck it all and leave.......

Side issue: Are there any OTHER viable relo places that offer the supposed amenities of Austin, or is Austin the ONLY one worth considering? In a country of 300 million people, and thousands of places, I find it hard to believe only one(Austin) is on the radar of so many people......That's exactly why i thought, and still do, that PR has a huge amount to do with it...How would anyone, including myself, have even considered Austin without reading about it on the national media(and it is still very much popping up, even in this recession)? Surely the majority of relos were media/internet driven to Austin, loath as they would be to admit it.....which proves that this is largely a media creation....for what that's worth......and, that some other "place du jour" will take over the cultural meme reins when the Austin meme gets spent, as all memes do.

No one wants to admit they are media driven, but this is the reality in our present day....who wants to admit they bought a product per the media, let alone that they made a major life decision(moving), per the same?

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Moekazi

That's a great thread topic.

I know a couple that recently moved to the Round Rock area from east LA. Neither had jobs before they left. Neither had jobs lined up before they moved. Left no family, just friends. They just bought and moved into a house that's better than the one they left. The house they bought was cheaper, so they have some cash to live on for a while. I won't say things worked out well for them because i think it's premature to do so until they start getting income.

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That was very common for several years(living on the proceeds of the house that was worth far more than the Austin average). Many, but not all, were californians escaping the fiscal nightmare that is creating lockdown situations per public levies, and has been for several years....until the appraisals went south and houses could not be sold(underwater), more than a few people essentially slummed in Austin with the cash, and helped prop up Austin's retail and service sectors......that day is over, and won't come back again.....the same scenario raised the average Austin home price quite a bit as well.....

Just a one-off scenario, not to be repeated again....

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by eichlerfan

First off I'm reading this thinking just how many people as you describe (thriving in their own area) would actually give up everything to move to Austin? I'm betting not many unless it was a job transfer or an even better oppertunity than what they already have. I love Austin, but it's not like it's the last great place to live after all. I can only say in our case we are moving to Austin because it's somewhat in the middle of the country, and it doesn't snow. Let me explain - my husband's sales territory is the entire U.S., and by being in the middle of the country it will cut down on his flying time in most cases by about 3 1/2 hours. We are currantly on the west coast. We picked Austin because of it's location, weather (no snow), and we like the city a lot. We are both natives of CA, and all of our family and friends are here, but for us it's all about a quality of life too. My husband travels extensivly for his job, and so much of his business is midwest and east coast. If there is a way to cut down on his flying time then we will do what we have to do. But would we give up everything we have here just to move to Austin because it's Austin? No way. Great city, but it's not that great.

Most honest reply I can imagine....just a pragmatic move, and a wise one.....the city is palatable enough for someone intelligent to feel comfortable, no snow(but 3-5 months of Palm Springs/Barstow heat, and I've been to Barstow), and fun enough.......hard to weigh options with a major move, one that could last a lifetime, but they have to come from somewhere....the top options on everyones ledger almost always include weather, entertainment options, perceived safety/friendliness, and SOME familiarity with the area, if only from hearing about it in the media year after year.......

Now Austin wins the contest, but, sooner or later, some other city will be in the spotlight. Even Vegas, which I actually thought would never lose its job magnet status, tanked the last few years, and is experiencing a net exodus........

I can vouchsafe just one thing...the next city du jour will prob be in the sunbelt, though I might be surprised, seeing that Madison, Wisc. and Seattle were at the top of the top 10 lists long before Austin jumped on the national radar......

BTW, Yoko Ono is singing on Jimmy Fallon right now, and I forgot how much she sounded like the B-52's......so surreal!