Considering Seattle => Austin

[Twincerely]

Originally Posted by malarkey

Is it just me? Or is there an amazing number of Seattle-ites wanting to make the move to Austin.

Let's form a club ;-)

I'm in!

This winter nearly killed me in Seattle. I can't handle 9 months of gloom anymore. I'm coming home to Texas where I belong!!!!!!!!

[malarkey]

Originally Posted by Twincerely

I'm in!

This winter nearly killed me in Seattle. I can't handle 9 months of gloom anymore. I'm coming home to Texas where I belong!!!!!!!!

Tell me about it. I don't even want to acknowledge the passing of the upcoming solstice.

[nwcubsfan]

< soapbox >

I moved here from Sumner, WA this past January, and I echo all of the sentiments from by PNW brethren.

Here's what I have to say about Austin suburbia specifically...

Public transportation here sucks rocks. Most of the suburban communities here seem isolated from downtown if you don't own a car. I'm OK with that...I own a car and can afford gas. If you want to live outside the city but commute, you need a car, and that's bad. People need and like options.

Now, I say this as the Puget Sound region can't seem to come up with a way to produce a better mass transit system. What they do have, however, is a fantastic bus system. If you live *anywhere* in King County (and parts of Snohomish and Pierce Counties) you can hop a bus and get to downtown Seattle with relative ease. I took Sounder commuter rail and it was fantastic (35 min train ride vs a 90-120 minute drive). The new light rail line seems a little worthless, but maybe it'll be better once they add on to it.

I don't mind the big box stores and all the restaurants. If I own a place in Round Rock, I don't want to have to go all the way into Austin just to do my shopping. Now, I wouldn't mind having to drive to the next community to get to Best Buy or whatever, so I would agree that companies don't need to put a presence in EVERY community. And yes, I like to support the little guy when feasible.

I love it here because you can have/do what you want. Live downtown if you hate sprawl. Live in the 'burbs if you like it. Live out in the sticks if you really want land. It's all here and it's up to you to choose what you want.

</ soapbox >

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by nwcubsfan

I love it here because you can have/do what you want. Live downtown if you hate sprawl. Live in the 'burbs if you like it. Live out in the sticks if you really want land. It's all here and it's up to you to choose what you want.

That was no soapbox, that was a very reasonable post about your experiences and opinions.

I agree with your final comments that I quoted, there really is a lot of choice here but the choices are diminishing due to the rapid growth and rising prices. Transportation is a major issue, and most of the beautiful areas in the "sticks" that are within 45 minutes of Austin are already pretty expensive. But you can still find some deals if you're willing to be a pioneer in one of the more hillbilly/redneck areas. Not that I'm naming those places, I don't wanna get in trouble with anyone!

[love roses]

If you're talking Granger, Thrall, or Taylor...Talk away! Just leave Hutto out of it

[TheHarvester]

Hutto would have been in the redneck mix 10 years ago, but now it's been completely overwhelmed by the expansion of Austin and Round Rock. Is Taylor still in the 19th Century? When I visited there about 12 years ago I went to a barbecue place where they had separate entrances for Blacks and Whites. Everyone was getting along fine, no problems to speak of, but there was this little issue where Blacks knew they had to enter through that back door and whites through the front, and they mostly had separate sides of the restaurant. It was so bizarre that I almost LIKED it, simply for the tourist amusement value. I had never experienced anything like that in my life! If only it had been a re-enactment of the past rather than a present-day reality...

[love roses]

No, it's not THAT bad. They probably kept it up for nostalgic reasons or something. Or as a note to how it was not so long ago. But it is still very redneck. You know, they are talking about making it freight central of the greater Austin area, since there is a large railyard there. They could really use the revitalization if it happens.

[twange]

Originally Posted by TheHarvester

Hutto would have been in the redneck mix 10 years ago, but now it's been completely overwhelmed by the expansion of Austin and Round Rock. Is Taylor still in the 19th Century? When I visited there about 12 years ago I went to a barbecue place where they had separate entrances for Blacks and Whites. Everyone was getting along fine, no problems to speak of, but there was this little issue where Blacks knew they had to enter through that back door and whites through the front, and they mostly had separate sides of the restaurant. It was so bizarre that I almost LIKED it, simply for the tourist amusement value. I had never experienced anything like that in my life! If only it had been a re-enactment of the past rather than a present-day reality...

Man, that's out Being a Yankee, I still find it strange when I'm in the South to see black folks living in rural areas driving pickups and such. Where I'm from, 99% of the black population live either in the city core or the inner-ring suburbs.

Here, if any restaurant had anything remotely resembling separate entrances, there would be riots! I guess there are some good qualities after all to living in decayed Northern manufacturing towns