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Old 03-03-2010, 06:35 AM
 
362 posts, read 1,044,650 times
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A major Italian city with a second home in Tuscany
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Old 03-03-2010, 06:38 AM
 
Location: Austin,Tx
1,694 posts, read 3,622,951 times
Reputation: 709
1.San Antonio
2.Phoenix
3.Honolulu
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Old 03-03-2010, 07:18 AM
 
Location: SW Austin & Wimberley
6,333 posts, read 18,056,449 times
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Did you know in Boulder you are not the "owner" of your pet, but rather its "guardian"? Thus you have fewer rights and greater obligation, according to the government view of whether or not you are acting as a good enough pet guardian.

I'd personally rule out such places with "Nanny" laws (though Austin has some itself).

I would look for cities with similar characteristics as Austin: State Capital, large public university, decent climate, good airport with 1 hour, friendly state/city business climate, low taxes, low cost of living, diverse population/politics, ample recreation and entertainment options.

Whatever cities fit that criteria (I haven't researched it) would be on my short list.

Steve
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Old 03-03-2010, 08:38 AM
 
634 posts, read 1,448,334 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eichlerfan View Post
I admit the weather is much better in Oakland than San Francisco. My brother lives up in the hills, and it is pretty up there. However the school system is worse than other areas, and since Jerry's term as Mayor is over, the city has really been struggling again. Just too many problems, but then again I was born and raised in San Francisco, so there you are.
I lived around Lake Merritt, near the south shore of the Lake, near some of the "ghetto" areas, but I never felt unsafe. I had a friend whose mother lived in the hills. Without any intended slight to her mother or your brother, but it always seemed to me that the people who lived in the hills (Or Piedmont and Montclair) were very content to insulate themselves from Oakland's problems, and though they could hear gunshots in the distance, read about the city's challenges, few were ever interested in coming down from on high to participate in community efforts to improve Oakland.

I don't have any children so I can't speak to the school quality, but I will say that I have been extremely disappointed in Mayor Ron Dellums's lack of leadership and robust policy. The sooner that man is out of office the better off Oakland will be.

And yes, people from San Francisco love to poop on Oakland. There are exceptions though. I knew some people who were priced out of The City or just wanted less fog, they moved to Oakland and loved it. One guy even started referring to Oakland as The City, and San Francisco as The West Bay. Kind of cute.
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Old 03-03-2010, 09:15 AM
 
1,148 posts, read 2,780,650 times
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New Orleans doesnt sound too bad. Property tax on a 175k home is about $1200/yr. About 3x less than Austin.
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Old 03-04-2010, 04:48 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
62 posts, read 256,685 times
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Funny to see many folks wanting to head for Seattle or Portland. Moved from Seattle to Portland and now considering Austin. The Northwest is beautiful and has a lot of positives, but the drawbacks show themselves after a few years.

Portland > Seattle, fyi.
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Old 03-04-2010, 06:32 PM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,879,750 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spec 1 View Post
Funny to see many folks wanting to head for Seattle or Portland. Moved from Seattle to Portland and now considering Austin. The Northwest is beautiful and has a lot of positives, but the drawbacks show themselves after a few years.

Portland > Seattle, fyi.
It's not that surprising, especially with Portland. Those cities (like Austin) appeal to people looking to move for lifestyle reasons rather than career goals. They appeal to people willing to pay more than the norm for housing and accept less in salary, in exchange for things like natural beauty, vibe, entertainment options, etc. They appeal to people who don't need a mega-huge city to keep from being bored; the types that would get out and do outdoorsy things, exercise, attend festivals, and enjoy live music... ie, they are likely to create or take part in more independent activities, rather than depend on a pre-packaged experience like a theme park or recorded music club.

So, while the places are very different, they kind of appeal to similar audiences IMO.
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Old 03-05-2010, 09:38 AM
 
Location: Verona, WI
1,201 posts, read 2,415,796 times
Reputation: 830
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin-steve View Post
I would look for cities with similar characteristics as Austin: State Capital, large public university, decent climate, good airport with 1 hour, friendly state/city business climate, low taxes, low cost of living, diverse population/politics, ample recreation and entertainment options.

Whatever cities fit that criteria (I haven't researched it) would be on my short list.

Steve
I live in Madison, WI and it fits most of your criteria, except for the winter weather, and the property taxes can be kind of high. I've had several friends/coworkers that moved from Madison to Austin and liked it. Two moved back to Madison for family/work reasons but miss Austin.

If I was to move from Madison, Austin would be on the list of places to consider. I really dig the Southwest and West Coast vibe the most, so my list would include, in no particular order:

San Diego, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Monterey, CA
Sedona, AZ
Santa Fe, NM
Albuquerque, NM
Austin, TX
Pasadena, CA
Eugene, OR
Santa Rosa, CA
Tempe, AZ
Lexington, KY
Asheville, NC
Tampa, FL

Interesting that some posters mentioned Louisville, KY. I've only driven through there and haven't spent much time there. I'll have to check it out!
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Old 03-05-2010, 10:41 AM
 
Location: Austin
1,774 posts, read 3,794,721 times
Reputation: 800
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spec 1 View Post
Funny to see many folks wanting to head for Seattle or Portland. Moved from Seattle to Portland and now considering Austin. The Northwest is beautiful and has a lot of positives, but the drawbacks show themselves after a few years.
What are the drawbacks that you mentioned? The weather? I love rainy, overcast days more than sunny days...just wondering if weather is a factor in your opinion of the northwest.
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Old 03-05-2010, 11:09 AM
 
Location: Cypress, TX
587 posts, read 1,420,338 times
Reputation: 199
Quote:
Originally Posted by capcat View Post
What are the drawbacks that you mentioned? The weather? I love rainy, overcast days more than sunny days...just wondering if weather is a factor in your opinion of the northwest.
Have you ever lived there? I haven't, but here's my perspective on what you're saying and why I wouldn't want to, even though cloudy, overcast days are currently fabulous to me.

I grew up in Minnesota. We have months on end of cloudy days in the winter. It gets old. You start to CRAVE the sun. I got a sun lamp for my desk at work.

Fast forward to early 20's. Moving to Phoenix! Yay! They have over 300 days of sunshine a year! I'm in heaven!! Bring on the sun!

Fast forward 11 years. Sun? Ugh!!! I LOVE overcast, cloudy, rainy days! I'm now back in MN and have been since last June, but I'm STILL looking for the parking spots in the shade, etc, even though it's so cold out, parking in the sun would probably be a good idea.

Everything in moderation.
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