HIppie-ish family looking into Austin for relocation (Round Rock, Spring: spring break, to rent)

[happy2bjustmommy]

Hi,
All of a sudden, my husband and I are considering a major relocation. Pretty much, starting over, somewhere. Austin seems to be where i am focused on now. We are currently in the Phx Area.
We are a bit Hippie-ish. Homeschool, cloth diaper, non-vaxing, home birth, keep the earth a greener place to be, kind of people. Some might say Granola.
From what i have read so far, i am really intrigued with the city. Being from AZ, rattle snakes, scorpions, and other desert critters dont bother me. Also being from AZ, i dont think your temps are "hot" as i have read many times on these boards. LOL and the winters seem comparable to AZ winters. And i LOVE that you all seem to get rain! That is very exciting. Less people that Phx is a great plus too!
I am hoping we might be able to move to a suburb community. I am not one for living "IN" any city. I want to get out, have a yard, less traffic, quiet neighborhood. I am thinking round rock would be a good fit. Just looking to see if i can find a 5 bedroom house near there, or a 4 bedroom with a den, or bonus room. I have time for this.
My husband is activily looking for work there. He is a manager of application development. SInce there seems to be quite a bit of tech jobs there, hopefully, his search will be a successful one.

Anyway, i have been reading a lot on this site, trying to learn all i can. I have LOL many times about trader joes. LOL I love it, but i can live without it. LOL

So i guess i am wondering about a few things. How is the soil for gardening? I would love to have a garden, since it is nearly impossible here.
Are there many home school groups in the area, that are secular or all inclusive? We like the kids to get to know a lot of different people, not just people of our same beliefs, and family style. As an Educator, i also am interested to hear if there is a lot of free, or inexpensive, family, educational things to do? Hiking, culture, animals and trees to study, just about anything that can be looked at from an educational eye.

And lastly, if we were going to take a trip, just to check it out and look from a possible resident, point of view, when do we want to go? Is there a time, that people just dread, or a time when people just LOVE?

Thanks, i wil keep reading these boards here, but thought i would ask a few family specific questions, that my search didnt turn up an answer for.

[jobert]

I would not recommend Round Rock. It is a very conservative, automobile based existence whose only redeeming qualities are the public schools and tech centers. In terms of tolerance, Sheriff Joe Arpaio would feel right at home with the Williamson Sheriff's dept. It's also turning into the largest area of sprawl in the Austin area. If being close to Round Rock is important, I would look east towards Hutto, Taylor or Plugerville.

[thedogatemyhomework]

Agree with Jobert - I don't think Round Rock sounds like a good fit for you.

I would consider South/Southwest Austin. There are a lot of suburb-type parts to it, but also some rural bits that sound like your cup of tea.

[TexasHorseLady]

South Austin, but finding a 4 or 5 bedroom house that's affordable may be a bit tricky - what's your price range? Some parts of Cedar Park (yes, really, folks - you don't think you know all the places where the REAL Austin has gone into hiding, do you?). Surprisingly, you might find some of what you want in Georgetown, as well, depending on the area.

Dripping Springs would be a good place to look, but it's a bit far out and you'd have to find just the right pocket of soil for gardening.

Some parts of Oak Hill, but same thing as Dripping Springs regarding soil.

Mostly, east of IH35 is good land for farming/gardening, unless you find some of the pockets, due to the change in soil right about the highway from east to west.

Apache Shores (west of Austin, Lakeway area, zip code 78734) is another possibility that might fit - very eclectic community with techies and hippy types and such alongside mansions and McMansions, big houses, little houses, mobile homes - used to be a lake community when it was out in the boonies and it shows.

There are LOTS of home schoolers all over the area.

While you're here, be sure to check out BookPeople and the Whole Foods flagship store downtown, also Central Market. You may be able to find sympatico people and associations there (on their bulletin boards, etc.).

Try not to come during SXSW if you want to get a chance to see the city - it's a bit crowded then. April and May are beautiful months if you can come then.

As an old Austin hippie (from the original wave) myself, welcome to Austin! We need more folks to help us Keep Austin Weird (in the original, not the marketing, sense).

[happy2bjustmommy]

Texas Horse Lady,

Thank you for your in depth reply. We will be looking to rent for a while. We want to get to know the area, before we commit to buy anything. We asre certainly willing to look all over, as long as it would not be more than a 45 minute commute for my husband. He is applying for jobs in Austin. I just prefer to keep him to myself, so i dont want him on the road all the time! LOL
I have found some 4 bedroom houses, and they seem to be under the 1500 per month max we have( of course, depending on the salary my husband might get offered, we might have to go down, or be able to go up)

We will not be coming during the SXSW or spring break. Benefit of homeschooling is we can take off and go, whenever we want. LOL

I love Whole FOods. I shop there all the time, and i am glad there are so many of them in TX.

jobert and thedogatemyhomework-
I am certainly not sold on round rock. It is just really hard to do a search for houses and communities on the internet, when you have no idea what the location is like. THe ones i have found like round rock and rollingwood, are nice. I just dont know what parts of actual Austin are like. THat is why we are taking a trip. I appreciate the tips for sure! we will check out south/ SW austin! Thanks

'
'As far as Sheriff Joe goes. I happen to like him, for the most part. I am pretty conservative. However, i feel he is getting a bit old, and a bit too blunt for my taste, and i am not sure who will get my vote this year. LOL IF the Sheriff dept over there is similar, i think i will like it!

Thanks so all. I am so excited! I have been wanting to just go somewhere else for many years, and my hubby is finally on board! I never thought Texas would be on that list, because i thought it was different than it appears to be. But now, i am quite obsessed with the idea of Austin.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by happy2bjustmommy

We are a bit Hippie-ish. Homeschool, cloth diaper, non-vaxing, home birth, keep the earth a greener place to be, kind of people. Some might say Granola.

Originally Posted by happy2bjustmommy

'As far as Sheriff Joe goes. I happen to like him, for the most part.... LOL IF the Sheriff dept over there is similar, i think i will like it!

My head just exploded.

[happy2bjustmommy]

Originally Posted by jobert

My head just exploded.

lol yes, i am the rare breed of "crunchy conservative" lol

do you understand now, how i have a hard time fitting in?? LOL

[TexasHorseLady]

Ah, yes, one of us! The ones who vote on the issue, not the party, and don't toe the party line of ANY party? That does get us in trouble with just about everybody sooner or later, doesn't it?

Nice thing here is, except for a few outliers for whom politics is the be all, end all of life (which means, in my opinion, they really need one - a life, that is), most folks won't know or care what your party affiliation is as long as you're a good neighbor.

Whole Foods not only is here, it started here - I can remember when it was a tiny little store that was more of a co-op type affair than the megalithic behemoth it is today. (There's a restaurant in that building now, and a cheapie CD store in their second location before they moved, tired of being flooded out on a regular basis.)

And, yes, lots of people have misconceptions about Texas. I have clients from the West Coast that come here, telling me their friends all think they're crazy to want to come to Texas, and they get here and fall in love and then all their friends want to move here. They figure out that the stereotypes are just that and bear little relationship to the reality.

I think you're going to have a blast.

[atxcio]

You asked when to visit, maybe you should visit around April 24th so you can check out Eeyore's... lots of crunchies/hippies there, the liberal ones with their kids. Lots of younger people, too, but it's an all-ages gathering... and pretty much all locals, so it's not like the hotels and restaurants fill up like during the touristy festivals.

Eeyores Birthday Party

April could be a complete crapshoot regarding weather, but that might be something you like. Could be stormy, mild and clear, or already blazing hot and dry. You just never know.

[passionatearts]

Austin is a great place that you'll probably like, but have you guys also considered Eugene, OR and/or Portland, OR? Eugene is about as hippy dippy as you can get, and Portland is another center for hi-tech jobs.