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Hi there! This is my first post and i thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself by giving my impressions of Austin.
Just a lil background on me...My husband and I are relocating to Austin this summer due to my job. We currently live in the DC/MD metro area for about 3 years now, before that we lived in Phoenix, AZ for a year and a half (hated it lol) and before than we lived in St. Louis, MO (hubby's hometown) for a lil under 2 years. So we've been moving fools for the past 4 or 5 years or so. Hopefully, this move will be the last for a LONG while, lol.
Anywho, I'll just go down my points and comment from there, lol
City Atmosphere: When we landed and were on our way to the hotel, streetviews and general look of the city looked very comfortable...homey...laid back and unpretentious, I guess. I like how the buildings aren't intimidating and it seems I would be comfortable driving around myself. I know that in some cities that I have touched down in in the past I felt quite intimidated and felt that I would never get used driving around or recognizing things. Austin just felt familiar to me (i mostly grew up in Louisville, KY so Austin reminds me of a much more lively Louisville lol)
notables: The major streets/highways have varying names, that will take time getting used to. I saw no critters, but its winter time, so there's that. Your skyline is BEAUTIFUL!
Traffic: Ok, so...coming from where I live..the DC Metro area....traffic in Austin is a breeze....and this is even with that plane crash traffic holding folks up. It didnt hardly look like the parking lot highways we have in the DC area, so i was more than pleasantly surprised. It was easy zipping through the city from downtown to NW Austin and back. I was very happy about that. I can see why folks dont like traffic in Austin, noone likes to be driving under 40 miles an hour unless its to come to an intentional stop, but yea, Austin traffic is LOVELY!
Notables: I was really curious about the toll road, but never got to see/take it. Austin has some bad drivers (tailgating and all) just like any place else. The stoplights are horizontal instead of vertical.
People: Most everyone was VERY pleasant and nice. I ran into a couple of off folks, but hey, thas everywhere. In general, people spoke, offered to hold doors and was generally cordial. You have to pull teeth in order to get similiar cordial behavior from folks in this area.
Notables: I see where the "Keep Austin Weird" comes from...there are some very weird characters in Austin...i liked it tho
Activities/Amenities: Austin RULES in this area. Seriously. Not saying there wasnt anything to do in St. Louis, Phoenix, and DC/MD, but WOW...just looking at your events calendar, im like, how do ya'll CHOOSE between it all? Plus there are so many attractions and just...STUFF to do there, the choices are awesome, lol. And, most importantly, everything seems accessible. Here, in the DC area, you have to fight to attend big events...or heck, even small events. Between the ridiculous traffic and the non-existent parking, you have to gather up the courage to go out. We can alleviate that by riding our Metro, but lo and behold, you have to fork over all your money to pay for rent or a house to be in close near the Metro (or for the parking and fare PERIOD lol). Im sure Austin gets really packed for each event too, but I dont yet feel like it would keep us from attending...ah well, maybe im being dreamy, lol.
Notables: 6th street at night is a veritable wonderland...OH and there REALLY IS live music most EVERYWHERE in Austin...there was even a stage inside the airport, lol. Ya'll have more parks than a little bit, i really love that. Oh and you love your pets/dogs...pet rent is almost non-existent there, lol.
Weather: It was misty/rainy and kinda hazy early in the days, but they evened out with a little sunshine. But basically 60 degree hazy/rainy days HANDS DOWN beats the 1+ feet of snow we are still trying to get rid of in the DC area (i figure Old Man winter is giving me a grand send off lol).
Notables: The weather does change pretty fast, but this is not exclusive to Austin (i think every city we're lived in think they are the only city that goes through that lol). I cant wait to see how things look in the spring and summer...I do worry about my AC bill there lol. Also, im not jazzed about your tendency for hail storms, but hey, thas what garages are for, right? lol
I general, I Austin is pretty awesome, i loved to feel of it, I liked the activities, the people were friendly, the scenary is gorgeous and I cant wait to relocate there this August.
If any potential/future Austin relocators have any questions, fire away
Austinites, you have a beautiful, lovely city and you should be proud. I look forward to joining you soon.
Hi there! This is my first post and i thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself by giving my impressions of Austin.
Just a lil background on me...My husband and I are relocating to Austin this summer due to my job. We currently live in the DC/MD metro area for about 3 years now, before that we lived in Phoenix, AZ for a year and a half (hated it lol) and before than we lived in St. Louis, MO (hubby's hometown) for a lil under 2 years. So we've been moving fools for the past 4 or 5 years or so. Hopefully, this move will be the last for a LONG while, lol.
Anywho, I'll just go down my points and comment from there, lol
City Atmosphere: When we landed and were on our way to the hotel, streetviews and general look of the city looked very comfortable...homey...laid back and unpretentious, I guess. I like how the buildings aren't intimidating and it seems I would be comfortable driving around myself. I know that in some cities that I have touched down in in the past I felt quite intimidated and felt that I would never get used driving around or recognizing things. Austin just felt familiar to me (i mostly grew up in Louisville, KY so Austin reminds me of a much more lively Louisville lol)
notables: The major streets/highways have varying names, that will take time getting used to. I saw no critters, but its winter time, so there's that. Your skyline is BEAUTIFUL!
Traffic: Ok, so...coming from where I live..the DC Metro area....traffic in Austin is a breeze....and this is even with that plane crash traffic holding folks up. It didnt hardly look like the parking lot highways we have in the DC area, so i was more than pleasantly surprised. It was easy zipping through the city from downtown to NW Austin and back. I was very happy about that. I can see why folks dont like traffic in Austin, noone likes to be driving under 40 miles an hour unless its to come to an intentional stop, but yea, Austin traffic is LOVELY!
Notables: I was really curious about the toll road, but never got to see/take it. Austin has some bad drivers (tailgating and all) just like any place else. The stoplights are horizontal instead of vertical.
People: Most everyone was VERY pleasant and nice. I ran into a couple of off folks, but hey, thas everywhere. In general, people spoke, offered to hold doors and was generally cordial. You have to pull teeth in order to get similiar cordial behavior from folks in this area.
Notables: I see where the "Keep Austin Weird" comes from...there are some very weird characters in Austin...i liked it tho
Activities/Amenities: Austin RULES in this area. Seriously. Not saying there wasnt anything to do in St. Louis, Phoenix, and DC/MD, but WOW...just looking at your events calendar, im like, how do ya'll CHOOSE between it all? Plus there are so many attractions and just...STUFF to do there, the choices are awesome, lol. And, most importantly, everything seems accessible. Here, in the DC area, you have to fight to attend big events...or heck, even small events. Between the ridiculous traffic and the non-existent parking, you have to gather up the courage to go out. We can alleviate that by riding our Metro, but lo and behold, you have to fork over all your money to pay for rent or a house to be in close near the Metro (or for the parking and fare PERIOD lol). Im sure Austin gets really packed for each event too, but I dont yet feel like it would keep us from attending...ah well, maybe im being dreamy, lol.
Notables: 6th street at night is a veritable wonderland...OH and there REALLY IS live music most EVERYWHERE in Austin...there was even a stage inside the airport, lol. Ya'll have more parks than a little bit, i really love that. Oh and you love your pets/dogs...pet rent is almost non-existent there, lol.
Weather: It was misty/rainy and kinda hazy early in the days, but they evened out with a little sunshine. But basically 60 degree hazy/rainy days HANDS DOWN beats the 1+ feet of snow we are still trying to get rid of in the DC area (i figure Old Man winter is giving me a grand send off lol).
Notables: The weather does change pretty fast, but this is not exclusive to Austin (i think every city we're lived in think they are the only city that goes through that lol). I cant wait to see how things look in the spring and summer...I do worry about my AC bill there lol. Also, im not jazzed about your tendency for hail storms, but hey, thas what garages are for, right? lol
I general, I Austin is pretty awesome, i loved to feel of it, I liked the activities, the people were friendly, the scenary is gorgeous and I cant wait to relocate there this August.
If any potential/future Austin relocators have any questions, fire away
Austinites, you have a beautiful, lovely city and you should be proud. I look forward to joining you soon.
Great post. I often wonder what people think when they come for a visit. It's nice that you took the time to tell us what you thought. The summers are generally hot hot hot here so be prepared for the heat. Although we get used to it pretty quick. I have had a hard time getting used to all the cold weather we have been having. We got a sneak peak at spring this past weekend but we are about to get another winter storm with freezing precipitation tomorrow. Sigh.
It's good to see a more reasoned approach to evaluating Austin than what is often presented by some anti-Austin trolls on this forum, people who see nothing good about much of anything in life other than their own ability to spend the day griping about everyone and everything beyond their control.
There's one person in particular here who might show up in this thread saying the usual "There's absolutely NOTHING to do in Austin!" This demonstrates a pitiful state of existence. Even if one lives in a town of 300 people, you can always get together and play board games, go for a walk, do some volunteer work to improve the town, or visit the nearest hospital to give comfort to those who are lonely and trapped in their beds.
I've given up on trying to track what's happening with music in Austin because the quantity is way beyond comprehension and I don't know how to find out who I'd like to hear any more. So I've taken to attending lots of lectures such as book signings/talks at Book People, lectures presented by the Center For Inquiry, and academic presentations on the UT campus. There are many brilliant minds in this town and it's not hard to find an event featuring a Nobel Laureate discussing his or her work.
It would be great if everyone in Austin had such a positive attitude as yours. The haters should leave, as they contribute nothing of value to the city and only serve to make it a less friendly place. But, alas, most haters will hate every place available to them. As Buckaroo Banzai famously said, "Wherever you go, there you are."
Great post. I often wonder what people think when they come for a visit. It's nice that you took the time to tell us what you thought. The summers are generally hot hot hot here so be prepared for the heat. Although we get used to it pretty quick. I have had a hard time getting used to all the cold weather we have been having. We got a sneak peak at spring this past weekend but we are about to get another winter storm with freezing precipitation tomorrow. Sigh.
It's been the opposite for me... I HATE the summer here and have never gotten used to it. However, I am absolutely loving the winter we're having
Spring and Fall, though, are absolutely perfect in Austin.
I agree about the traffic. I was in DC recently and was stuck in traffic for about 1.5 hours. It was PAINFUL, I wanted to jump out of the car and run into the trees!
Austinites complain about traffic, but it's really not that bad considering other cities have it far worse.
Pre-welcome to Austin, you'll love it here. Moved here from Seattle 10 years ago and never looked back!
I agree about the traffic. I was in DC recently and was stuck in traffic for about 1.5 hours. It was PAINFUL, I wanted to jump out of the car and run into the trees!
LOL! I grew up there and know what you mean, especially in the areas where the Beltway runs through Montgomery County and it's banked. Nothing like slowly sliding out of your seat because of gravity while trying to get home. We used to call the DC Beltway the worlds only continuous parking lot.
Also, like the OP, we've lived in Phoenix too, and LOVE Austin, for many of the same reasons. Great post, Bravebird79.
If you've lived in Phoenix then the summers here will be a breeze for you. In fact I was laughing this past summer when everyone was saying it was "hot" ... don't worry, it is nowhere NEAR as bad as Arizona!
Bravebird79: Thanks so much for your post! I am also wanting to move (in NW OH, currently- so I doubt an explanation is needed...lol). Austin is on my list for possibilities, as well as Houston, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, (and in my dreams- HI and The Keys. ) So thankyou very much for the recent and from what I could tell, an unbiased perspective. Any thoughts on the Raleigh or Chapel Hill areas? Being in DC, have you possibly heard anything that would have someone choose them over Austin? What else can you tell me about the differences between the east coast and TX? Hopefully others perspectives can help me narrow my list even further. Thanks so much in advance!
Spring and Fall, though, are absolutely perfect in Austin.
Amen to all that! This winter has me spoiled and I'm not ready to give up such luxuries as leaving my windows all the way up when I park in the sun, and not feeling like I'm getting into a broiling hot oven when I return. It's nice to be able to wear all my clothes, most of which get stored for half the year because it's never cool enough for them. It's wonderful to get outside and exercise in the cooler weather. And the humidity is generally so much lower.
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