Please give me 10 reasons why NOT to move to the Austin area. (Houston: universities, moving)

[TexasHorseLady]

I was told by my friends neighbor that he dosn't base his opinion about people on race or religion but on Social class when he told me that I couldn't belive it,and it's not just him alot of people in Austin are like this.

This leaves me wondering where your friend's neighbor is from, because this is NOT classic Austin - classic Austin is Liz Carpenter throwing a party and inviting (and having attend) everyone from Lady Bird Johnson to the checkout lady at Liz's grocery store. People in everything from jeans to formal dress in line waiting to get into Jeffrey's. Everyone from college students to legislators pulling up their sleeves and helping clean up when Sam's BBQ burned years ago.

Granted, a lot of people have moved in and changed that dynamic, sadly - but it's still there, and that's Austin. Judging people on their social class is so far off from classic Austin that it's sort of the anti-Austin.

[lisamikefoster]

Austin has it's upside...and a lot of downside.

Downsides:

Traffic. I'm not talking about rush hour. EVERY city has that...but Austin has bad traffic all the time. It makes going downtown to enjoy the citylife a chore...so much so that you avoid the city, then what's the point of living there? Seriously the traffic is bad.

Sprawl. Outside of a few funky districts, it's really just box stores and franchise restaurants. It's a lot like any other larger city in America and the sprawl is uncontrolled and ugly.

Heat. Sure, living in Texas, one shouldn't complain about the heat...it's a fact of life, but so still...it's REALLY hot!

Allergies. I had read in one article that Austin was the 2nd worse city for Asthma and Allergies, behind only Louisville. I concur...it's always some allergy season, and the air polution is pretty bad for a city this size.

Property taxes. Property taxes are out of control. For a $200k home, expect to pay $5000 per year in property taxes. Before I moved to Texas, I had no idea what my property taxes were in other states...meaning they were so low, I didn't really bother to care....that changed fast in Austin.

Education. I'm going to get hammered here too...but if you have kids in school, there are better public education options elsewhere in the US. Texas is VERY invested in standardized, high stakes testing..more so than any other state I've ever lived in...I have 3 kids in school, and it's one of the prime reasons I'm leaving. I find the public education system here to be lacking in opportunities and too heavily focused on standardized tests.

Transportation. No real public transportation to speak of. Sure there is CAP Metro...but it's a joke and not really a viable source of transportation for working adults. Most cities this size have good public transportation...better anyway than Austin. Their public transportation system is good for a city of 200,000, however, Austin is much larger and they really need to address their infrastructure issues.

Uncontrolled growth. There is no comprehensive growth plan to speak of in and around Austin...it's making the outskirts and suburbs less and less attractive and disjointed.

Did I mention the traffic....seriously...it's bad....


On the upside, lots of cultural amenities, great music scene, fun parks, and like any city, it is what you make of it. One can have fun and be busy in Nome Alaska, and one can be bored in New York City....it's all about the individual.

However, Austin as a whole is over-rated and over-grown....once you get away from the cultural centers around UT and the funky South Congress area...it's suburban sprawl like Denver, Reno, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Omaha, Columbus, etc.......but at least with Denver, Reno, and Salt Lake City, you have a view of the mountains!

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by SouthBayTodd

i live in the LA area (horrific traffic on freeways here) and have visited Austin several times. in comparison, i don't see the traffic as an issue. i didn't even notice any real traffic by LA standards.

And that makes traffic here good? If you lived in Fredricksburg, you'd think Austin traffic was hellacious. It's all relative. Honestly, I can't blame blame people for wanting to leave CA. There's no way I'd ever live there.

[jrs99]

The people in question are originally from Florida....but the other I don't know

[scongress1234]

Originally Posted by lisamikefoster

Austin has it's upside...and a lot of downside.

Downsides:

Traffic. I'm not talking about rush hour. EVERY city has that...but Austin has bad traffic all the time. It makes going downtown to enjoy the citylife a chore...so much so that you avoid the city, then what's the point of living there? Seriously the traffic is bad.

Sprawl. Outside of a few funky districts, it's really just box stores and franchise restaurants. It's a lot like any other larger city in America and the sprawl is uncontrolled and ugly.

Heat. Sure, living in Texas, one shouldn't complain about the heat...it's a fact of life, but so still...it's REALLY hot!

Allergies. I had read in one article that Austin was the 2nd worse city for Asthma and Allergies, behind only Louisville. I concur...it's always some allergy season, and the air polution is pretty bad for a city this size.

Property taxes. Property taxes are out of control. For a $200k home, expect to pay $5000 per year in property taxes. Before I moved to Texas, I had no idea what my property taxes were in other states...meaning they were so low, I didn't really bother to care....that changed fast in Austin.

Education. I'm going to get hammered here too...but if you have kids in school, there are better public education options elsewhere in the US. Texas is VERY invested in standardized, high stakes testing..more so than any other state I've ever lived in...I have 3 kids in school, and it's one of the prime reasons I'm leaving. I find the public education system here to be lacking in opportunities and too heavily focused on standardized tests.

Transportation. No real public transportation to speak of. Sure there is CAP Metro...but it's a joke and not really a viable source of transportation for working adults. Most cities this size have good public transportation...better anyway than Austin. Their public transportation system is good for a city of 200,000, however, Austin is much larger and they really need to address their infrastructure issues.

Uncontrolled growth. There is no comprehensive growth plan to speak of in and around Austin...it's making the outskirts and suburbs less and less attractive and disjointed.

Did I mention the traffic....seriously...it's bad....


On the upside, lots of cultural amenities, great music scene, fun parks, and like any city, it is what you make of it. One can have fun and be busy in Nome Alaska, and one can be bored in New York City....it's all about the individual.

However, Austin as a whole is over-rated and over-grown....once you get away from the cultural centers around UT and the funky South Congress area...it's suburban sprawl like Denver, Reno, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Omaha, Columbus, etc.......but at least with Denver, Reno, and Salt Lake City, you have a view of the mountains!

What hit me immediately was the ugly sprawl. ALL over. And the small area that WAS unique, with lived in-established neighborhoods with park systems, with long settled in residents, were few and far-between. Also, while much is fun, its mostly located in a tiny part of the city, which is loaded with college kids drinking on week-ends, and out-of-towners tying a few on. I was thinking it was like Portland, very compact and locally-based, but I saw as much sprawl as anything in Arizona. Its an okay place, but can be very cold as well, and I mean in a human sense. Much of this is due to the transient nature. Established areas have local watering holes, tight-knit communities, and such. While some of Austin is like this, the vast majority is transient, and it isn't as easy to get to know the people, many of which are new as well, as they make it out to be. Much of the activities are teaming with college kids, which can get old at times, especially if you have a family. On the positive side, how could Austin POSSIBLY live up to the national hype? I mean, thats why they call it hype, after all. No city can possibly live up to high expectations, whether its Honolulu. Portland, NYC, Chicago, Boston, or Key West, for that matter. They all have downsides, and Austin is simply a growing Texas city, more unique in some ways than the norm, but far more typical of any growing city anywhere, per the traffic mess, transient neighborhoods, marginal people eking out a living, some on streetcorners, and such. A panacea for those looking to escape their home cities, it is not. Per those escaping "awful" places like Detroit or Cleveland, ANY place out of the rust belt, outside of Chicago and Minneapolis, would be an improvement. Finally, Austin is what you make of it, and presents the same opportunities that any other growing city in the past has. It is no different in any fundamendal way from all the other growing cities, has the same problems all growing cities have, and will inevitable dissappoint those looking for Utopia.

[nasanerd]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

And that makes traffic here good? If you lived in Fredricksburg, you'd think Austin traffic was hellacious. It's all relative. Honestly, I can't blame blame people for wanting to leave CA. There's no way I'd ever live there.

I'm considering moving to the area to go to grad school at TX State. However, my first love is California. You cannot judge the state based upon Los Angeles, or any other area for that matter. California is the most geographically diverse area in the world. If you live in the Central Valley, you are 2 hours from the ocean (and the features of the coastline change dramatically even within 50 miles), 2 hours from beautiful Sierra mountains, a few minutes from rolling foothills (think Little House on the Prairie - it was filmed there), about 5 hours from the desert or 3 hours from the high desert and 8 hours from the Redwoods, among other formations. If you have never seen northern California by car, I highly suggest you put that on your list of to-dos. There are roads that wind through the state and you will travel hours on them without seeing another vehicle.

LA Traffic is bad, but it pales in comparison to Atlanta gridlock (compounded by poor planning with 3 major interstates joining downtown, idiot drivers that can't stay off their brakes and a ridiculously poor excuse of a public transit system.) I live in the DC metro area now where there is no reprieve from the traffic, it's 24/7. You get what you pay for - I'd much rather pay what many believe to be astronomical real estate prices in California (which, again, is localized - you can't evaluate the entire state based upon the real estate prices in SF or Santa Monica) to have access to the amazing and diversified natural beauty that it offers.

[nomore07]

Originally Posted by jrs99

How is it weird...I listed 10 reasons not to move to Austin.#1 is "it has a bad homeless problem"this is a negative...how do you get this as a positive...And snobby...I was told by my friends neighbor that he dosn't base his opinion about people on race or religion but on Social class when he told me that I couldn't belive it, and it's not just him alot of people in Austin are like this..these are all objective opinion about things that are negative about the city...if you want start a thread on "what are 10 reasons to move to Austin"

True. It's becoming that way as more people flood here from Dallas.

[imaterry78259]

Austin is an over hype city. Nothing really that special about it but it does have some interesting bohemian stores and a big university.

[Megan1967]

Okay.... I gotta say, those of you who complain about the traffic in Austin must be driving in a different city than I was last week.

The traffic was not a problem at all. Drivers were courteous, even during rush hour. I just don't get it what all of the kvetching is about.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

Here is a typical rush hour on I-35! But...I have dealt with worse in other cities!