if you moved to Austin recently, are you happy with your decision? (Fort Worth: rental market, how much)

[steph410]

so would you say that Austin is more laid back and not as materialistic as some other places (even in the suburbs)? one of the things we want to get away from in our eventual move is the focus on spending, buying, upgrading , competition with your neighbors, etc. i don't want to teach my kids that mentality.

Originally Posted by austin-steve

2) People who come from cultures (some California areas for example) where their sense of status, well being and "fitting in" is defined more by what they do for a living, economic position, and their consumer consumption habits than it is their personality and core being. It's a bummer to show up in Austin thinking you're hot sh*t only to find out nobody cares about your superficial veneer. The result is, some find it hard to make friends because they've never learned to connect with people in the manner most common in Austin.

[UKexpat]

We moved to Austin from the UK about 5 weeks ago and so far, haven't regretted the decision for a second. Yes we miss our family terribly, but skype is great for speaking to them. Every day I look out the window and think 'Wow! I LIVE here!' We've found a great apartment, a great church and amazing people. Thank you Austin for being so welcoming to us!

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by steph410

... one of the things we want to get away from in our eventual move is the focus on spending, buying, upgrading , competition with your neighbors, etc. i don't want to teach my kids that mentality.

You get away from that mentality by getting away from the people who live that way, no matter where they live, Austin or not. Yes, Austin has some materialistic people, and "keeping up with the Jone's", and if you buy a house in a culdesac populated by those people, then there you go, right back at square one. But they would be in the minority overall.

Conspicuous consumption and materialism do not represent the predominate embedded culture of Austin. Is there a culdesac in Steiner or Circle C with people exactly like those in Orange County? Perhaps. But it's up to you, once you're here, to connect with and form relationships with those you like and avoid the ones who don't share your values. You do that be getting out and doing things and meeting people. It's not that different from Jr. High - same rules of thumb apply.

Good luck,

Steve

[jdevelop2]

Originally Posted by steph410

so would you say that Austin is more laid back and not as materialistic as some other places (even in the suburbs)? one of the things we want to get away from in our eventual move is the focus on spending, buying, upgrading , competition with your neighbors, etc. i don't want to teach my kids that mentality.

A study just came out that said people in Austin spend more on non housing expenses than anywhere else in the country. To be fair the study used a mean which can be skewed and misleading.

That said, I firmly believe the mantra that people in Austin aren't that materialistic is absurd. Maybe compared to Beverly Hills or Newport Beach but not when compared to most of the country. Austin's downtown is full of luxury condos and apartments and the west side has more luxury homes and mansions than you can count. The roads are filled with BMWs, Range Rovers, and Mercedes and on most days I see at least a few cars in the $150,000+ range. Austin supports a Saks, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus and has well over 10 bottle service nightclubs now.

Don't take me wrong, I love Austin and personally feel that all of these things are signs of a hardworking and innovative population. I just laugh when I hear people talk about how non materialistic a city is that currently has 1,932 homes listed for sale over $500k and 600 listed over $1m.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by jdevelop2

A study just came out that said people in Austin spend more on non housing expenses than anywhere else in the country. To be fair the study used a mean which can be skewed and misleading.

That said, I firmly believe the mantra that people in Austin aren't that materialistic is absurd. Maybe compared to Beverly Hills or Newport Beach but not when compared to most of the country. Austin's downtown is full of luxury condos and apartments and the west side has more luxury homes and mansions than you can count. The roads are filled with BMWs, Range Rovers, and Mercedes and on most days I see at least a few cars in the $150,000+ range. Austin supports a Saks, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus and has well over 10 bottle service nightclubs now.

Don't take me wrong, I love Austin and personally feel that all of these things are signs of a hardworking and innovative population. I just laugh when I hear people talk about how non materialistic a city is that currently has 1,932 homes listed for sale over $500k and 600 listed over $1m.

You're confusing wealth with materialism. Two different things.

[intmd8r]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

You're confusing wealth with materialism. Two different things.

Exactly. You can be blessed with money without it being the basis for who you are!

We left Austin after having our son because that culture is also very "keeping up with the Joneses". Like stated, that exists in most large cities, but whether or not it's the predominant mindset is the difference. We found Austin to be far more concerned with who we are as people than what kind of car we drive.

We also do not want our son believing his worth is wrapped up in what he buys, so we got out! Austin, here we come!

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

For the purposes of answering, I "deem" 1985 to be "recent".

Yes, I love it here so much I've remained for 25 years and plan to never leave.

I will say that there are certain types of people for whom the move might not turn out great.

1) Those who underestimate or didn't fully realize the impact of leaving family and/or close long term friends behind. I know of some examples of this, where people just miss the place and people they left so much, that it wouldn't matter how great Austin is, they want their family/friends back again.

2) People who come from cultures (some California areas for example) where their sense of status, well being and "fitting in" is defined more by what they do for a living, economic position, and their consumer consumption habits than it is their personality and core being. It's a bummer to show up in Austin thinking you're hot sh*t only to find out nobody cares about your superficial veneer. The result is, some find it hard to make friends because they've never learned to connect with people in the manner most common in Austin.

3) People who have unrealistic expectations, or think that pulling a "geographical" to Austin will somehow cure their general unhappiness with life and themselves. We get a lot of those whiners on the forums here. Yes, Austin is a great city in many ways, but in many other ways, it's just as plain vanilla as Anywhere USA once you leave the central core areas.

And no matter where you go, there you are. Negative, unhappy, friendless people will remain so in Austin, not because of Austin, but because of themselves. But they'll of course tell you about all of Austin's shortcomings.

Finally, if you are a person who asks not what Austin can do for you, but what you can do for Austin. If you are one who likes to contribute to your community and be part of it through your participation and giving back, Austin offers abundant and ample opportunity to fulfill that life mission no matter your demographic category or economic status.

Come on in, the water is great!

Steve

Okay, so I tried to give you some rep points for this but it says I have to spread them around first (and I thought I did! I tried to spread them around!). Especially the part bolded above, but most of it is right on.

I came here 40-odd years ago, and stayed, so I don't count as "recent".

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

You're confusing wealth with materialism. Two different things.

And this. Some of the least materialistic people I've known have been the wealthiest (as in, could buy small countries - or football teams - wealth, both new and old money).

[TexasHighDef]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

For the purposes of answering, I "deem" 1985 to be "recent".

Yes, I love it here so much I've remained for 25 years and plan to never leave.

I will say that there are certain types of people for whom the move might not turn out great.

1) Those who underestimate or didn't fully realize the impact of leaving family and/or close long term friends behind. I know of some examples of this, where people just miss the place and people they left so much, that it wouldn't matter how great Austin is, they want their family/friends back again.

2) People who come from cultures (some California areas for example) where their sense of status, well being and "fitting in" is defined more by what they do for a living, economic position, and their consumer consumption habits than it is their personality and core being. It's a bummer to show up in Austin thinking you're hot sh*t only to find out nobody cares about your superficial veneer. The result is, some find it hard to make friends because they've never learned to connect with people in the manner most common in Austin.

3) People who have unrealistic expectations, or think that pulling a "geographical" to Austin will somehow cure their general unhappiness with life and themselves. We get a lot of those whiners on the forums here. Yes, Austin is a great city in many ways, but in many other ways, it's just as plain vanilla as Anywhere USA once you leave the central core areas.

And no matter where you go, there you are. Negative, unhappy, friendless people will remain so in Austin, not because of Austin, but because of themselves. But they'll of course tell you about all of Austin's shortcomings.

Finally, if you are a person who asks not what Austin can do for you, but what you can do for Austin. If you are one who likes to contribute to your community and be part of it through your participation and giving back, Austin offers abundant and ample opportunity to fulfill that life mission no matter your demographic category or economic status.

Come on in, the water is great!

Steve

Bravo!!! Very well put and true!!

[eepstein]

I moved here from Kansas City back in 2003 for a job opportunity in southwest austin. Granted it was a fairly decent step down in size from KC ,at first, the city didn't seem so bad, but as I lived here longer and longer and realized the overall arrogance of what this city stands for, I grew to hate it. The people are mostly self centered and full of themselves. Worst of all, the city council and government only cares about rich people (something I never encountered in any other place I lived) I could go on and on about all the things this city lacks (compared to other similar cities) but i'll spare you.

I have worked for several transit agencies in the past 15 years (regional planning,etc) and am hoping to get back out to California in the next few years (possibly back to the front range as well). I have some buddies that work for the RTD Denver and SacRT (Sacramento) but unfortunately, the jobs aren't there at this point. It's pretty much a waiting game right now.

But, to answer your question, if I could do it again, I would have NEVER moved to Austin. As a well travelled person around this nation of ours, there are simply too many nicer cities out there with significantly more to offer than Austin.

Originally Posted by steph410

i'm just curious, if you recently moved to Austin:

where did you move from? and

are you happy with your decision? (Also, what part of Austin did you move to)?

any details would be greatly appreciated. thanks!