Please give me 10 reasons why NOT to move to the Austin area. (Victoria: hardwood floor)

[greasergrrl]

Hi - I grew up in Austin and have lived in Seattle for 15 years. Last year I visited Austin in April and suddenly decided to move back (probably the weather!) and did a lot of investigating. The home prices seem slightly cheaper in Austin and I was really looking forward to getting an outdoor pool but decided to stay here because:

The beauty. Sure Lake Travis is beautiful but I have 200 ft pine trees in my front yard here and can see snow covered mountains on a daily basis.

The weather. Austin is so !#%(&!#% hot in the summer - I think a Texas summer is more annoying for longer than Seattle's cold season. And sure it rains here a bit but it doesn't rain for very long and the summers here are amazing. Most people I know don't have air conditioning - I've never had it here and have only wanted it about 5 times in 15 years.

Critters. Not only do we not have snakes, but we don't have fire ants, cockroaches, giant mosquitos (we have some but not like in Texas), tarantulas, scorpions, etc. I can even leave my deck door open without a screen. Don't underestimate this - I've had plenty a nice outing ruined by fire ants and mosquitos down there.

The people. Sure, Austin is a liberal oasis in a conservative desert, but it's all relative. For example, the Clintons have been visiting here lately and not to strengthen their support against the Republicans, but to strengthen their support against Obama!

All in all, Seattle is an amazing place and I'll probably live here for the rest of my life

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by greasergrrl

Hi - I grew up in Austin and have lived in Seattle for 15 years. Last year I visited Austin in April and suddenly decided to move back (probably the weather!) and did a lot of investigating. The home prices seem slightly cheaper in Austin and I was really looking forward to getting an outdoor pool but decided to stay here because:

The beauty. Sure Lake Travis is beautiful but I have 200 ft pine trees in my front yard here and can see snow covered mountains on a daily basis.

The weather. Austin is so !#%(&!#% hot in the summer - I think a Texas summer is more annoying for longer than Seattle's cold season. And sure it rains here a bit but it doesn't rain for very long and the summers here are amazing. Most people I know don't have air conditioning - I've never had it here and have only wanted it about 5 times in 15 years.

Critters. Not only do we not have snakes, but we don't have fire ants, cockroaches, giant mosquitos (we have some but not like in Texas), tarantulas, scorpions, etc. I can even leave my deck door open without a screen. Don't underestimate this - I've had plenty a nice outing ruined by fire ants and mosquitos down there.

The people. Sure, Austin is a liberal oasis in a conservative desert, but it's all relative. For example, the Clintons have been visiting here lately and not to strengthen their support against the Republicans, but to strengthen their support against Obama!

All in all, Seattle is an amazing place and I'll probably live here for the rest of my life

I moved here from Seattle seven years ago. Seattle is way overpriced and I was so depressed there because of the rain. It isn't diverse at all, my Mom said, "why is everyone white" and she is white. It freaked her out when she visited that there was no diversity. There are mice everywhere, I'd rather have the bugs in Texas than mice, ick. I love the sun so I'd have to say Austin all the way.

[CelticOm]

I moved to Austin last year from Los Angeles. I lasted 10 months before I came screaming back to L.A. The worst thing? Flying cockroaches as BIG AS YOUR HEAD. I made the mistake of taking an apartment on the woods because it was the only place I could find with any charm at all (the apartments suck beyond the telling of it, and don't even get me started on the mold issues) and had a beautiful view, but the roaches apparently live in the woods and they swarmed all over the building and my balcony at night. Totally freaked me out. And NOTHING kills them. They just laugh at you.

Second, I am a person who loves heat and humidity, but come on. In summer, you try to dry off after a shower and two minutes later you're drenched again. The sun going down at night makes no difference at all. Austin is a very dog-friendly city, but my poor dog had no life because of the climate, and you never get a break from it except during an active storm - which I loved, but power outages are frequent.

I was only there for less than a year so I don't know what's normal there, but that one year was enough. Someone said the last two summers were mild. I am originally from Minnesota and I am no stranger to extreme climates. I left Minneapolis because I can't stand to be cold - hell, L.A. is too cold for me - but if that was mild you can keep it. Also, I was surprised at how windy it is there, especially in winter.

I thought it would be a great intellectual place, being a college town and all, but really it's just a bunch of frat boys getting drunk on 6th Street. Unless you're really a night-life person who loves going out to hear live music, there are a lot better places to live. I did enjoy the bats that live under the Congress Ave. Bridge. And the tortoises.

Utilities are high and they tack on a lot of weird extra fees.

Back to the apartments - I thought such a supposedly artsy, eclectic town would have cooler places to rent, some kind of character, but all of the apartments are square, boring, carpeted complexes, and many of them not well-maintained at all. Good luck finding wood floors; if you're lucky you might find Pergo. Like anywhere else, the more appealing areas are a lot more expensive. Most of the residential areas outside the city are not interesting at all - tons of franchises, especially on the north side.

The topography on the west side of the city is very pretty. West Lake Hills is a nice area with very good schools, but you will pay more to live there. If you go further out, you can buy a decent 3 or 4 bedroom house in a subdivision for $220-$250K. Personally, I'd rather be shot dead than live in a subdivision, but that's just me. Stay away from the east side. Cedar Park, Leander or Georgetown on the north side might be less but like I said, there's nothing of interest up there at all, it's just suburban. I just don't know why anyone would move to Austin to live in an area like that. What's the point?

South Austin is more eclectic and fun, but if you go too far south it gets pretty grungy. Lots of chain link fences and people who leave tires in their yards and cars up on jacks, or tacky yard stuff. Nothing pretty at all.

Austinites complain about the traffic. Coming from L.A., I always thought that was amusing, but for a city that size it really could be better. I don't think they have planned the city very well at all. I couldn't find a hardware store on the south side to save my life; I needed a 1" paint brush one day and actually had to go to Home Depot for it (later I realized I could have gone to a paint store, duh... still, not very convenient). If you do move there you should consider opening a hardware store on S. Lamar, you'd probably make a killing.

A lot of Katrina refugees made their way there and the crime has gone way up. I had a scary experience in a convenience store that was beyond anything that's ever happened to me in L.A.

Town Lake is cool, but not as clean as I would have liked, and there is no separate paths for bicyclists and pedestrians. Many of the bicyclists are rude and I was always looking over my shoulder for some jerk about to run over my dog. But Matthew McConaughey (a frequent resident) did run by me one day on the lake path - shirtless. Yeah, ladies, just as impressive in person. I digress.

What do I miss? A couple of really great fast food drive-through's: P. Terry's Burger Stand (awesome lemonade) on S. Lamar and Baby Greens (drive through salads, why has no one else thought of that?!) on S. 1st Street. Whole Foods Market is headquartered there, although there are only 2 of them. The one on the south side is massive. And the airport is close to downtown and easy to navigate. Apart from that, not much.

Maybe L.A. has spoiled me, but I just wasn't that impressed. Everyone I met there who was a native talked about it like it's the greatest place on earth, and it always seems to be on the lists for top places to live. I guess I just don't get it. Like someone else pointed out, everything is relative. Good luck.

[davidt1]

I moved to Austin last year from Los Angeles. I lasted 10 months before I came screaming back to L.A. The worst thing? Flying cockroaches as BIG AS YOUR HEAD. I made the mistake of taking an apartment on the woods because it was the only place I could find with any charm at all (the apartments suck beyond the telling of it, and don't even get me started on the mold issues) and had a beautiful view, but the roaches apparently live in the woods and they swarmed all over the building and my balcony at night. Totally freaked me out. And NOTHING kills them. They just laugh at you.

As an LA resident who is looking into moving to TX, I appreciate your input.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by greasergrrl

Hi - I grew up in Austin and have lived in Seattle for 15 years. Last year I visited Austin in April and suddenly decided to move back (probably the weather!) and did a lot of investigating. The home prices seem slightly cheaper in Austin and I was really looking forward to getting an outdoor pool but decided to stay here because:

The beauty. Sure Lake Travis is beautiful but I have 200 ft pine trees in my front yard here and can see snow covered mountains on a daily basis.

The weather. Austin is so !#%(&!#% hot in the summer - I think a Texas summer is more annoying for longer than Seattle's cold season. And sure it rains here a bit but it doesn't rain for very long and the summers here are amazing. Most people I know don't have air conditioning - I've never had it here and have only wanted it about 5 times in 15 years.

Critters. Not only do we not have snakes, but we don't have fire ants, cockroaches, giant mosquitos (we have some but not like in Texas), tarantulas, scorpions, etc. I can even leave my deck door open without a screen. Don't underestimate this - I've had plenty a nice outing ruined by fire ants and mosquitos down there.

The people. Sure, Austin is a liberal oasis in a conservative desert, but it's all relative. For example, the Clintons have been visiting here lately and not to strengthen their support against the Republicans, but to strengthen their support against Obama!

All in all, Seattle is an amazing place and I'll probably live here for the rest of my life

Im Originally from Portland (Vancouver Wa) and I think you Naaaaaailed it. I would like to add that everthing seems so bleached out to me there. Austin was so bright looking. Seattle is the 2nd most beautiful place in North America. Vancouver BC has a half a step ahead of Seattle. Austin....well I just didnt get it. I would say that daily..."I just don't get it". I really beleived I was the only one who did not care for it. I honestly could not find anybody who felt the same way I did. I did not move back to the PAC NW, I moved back to Colorado. Its very pretty too in the Rocky Mountains. More sunshine...the sunshine I though I was going to get in Texas (but only got flash floods). Lots of pine trees, not the 200 feet trees you have, but they are evergreen trees. The 14K ft snow peaks are very impressive, although I do miss looking at those volcanoes.

[ogre]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

1. Bad traffic, and a car is absolutely crucial here
2. Becoming homogenized (anywhere USA)
3. Hellishly hot in the summer
4. Not very diverse-- not a lot of quality ethnic food
5. In Texas (Ignorance, backwardsness, crazy christian-fascists who want to control others' lives)
6. Unattractive sprawl: Walmarts, highway access road developments, cookie cutter subdivisions
7. Not as pretty as locals think it is, relative to the rest of the US.
8. Far from the ocean, mountains, other worthwhile cities
9. Almost no real walkable neighborhoods, and the few neighborhoods worth anything are becoming prohibitively expensive for most people
10. Cops are out of control (probably not a concern if you are white/middle class though)

I'm dropping in to the TX forum from out of state, because I'm researching graduate schools and UT is a possibility, so it would be good to learn something about life in Austin. I have two questions:

1) A number of posts on this thread have said it's "impossilble" to live in Austin without a car. How close to the truth is this? Please keep in mind that I don't mind a bit of a walk--I even enjoy it--as long as I'm not using up half my day having a real hike to get everywhere. Also bear in mind that I'd be an overworked grad student who would most likely not have a lot of time for entertainment beyond the basics, like the occasional night out at a movie or a restaurant. I'm mostly interested in knowing whether I could live within roughly a mile, maybe a bit more, of campus, and be able to walk to some of this basic entertainment, as well as the everyday businesses I'd need to patronize in order to buy what I'd need to stay fed and scrubbed.

2) The points made in the post I've quoted here make Austin sound like any old generic, quickly-thrown-together, sprawling Sun Belt city. Where's all the lovable weirdness I've heard that Austinites are emphatic about wanting to preserve? Was the user who made this post just missing something, or is Austin not what I've heard it is?

[twange]

Originally Posted by ogre

I'm dropping in to the TX forum from out of state, because I'm researching graduate schools and UT is a possibility, so it would be good to learn something about life in Austin. I have two questions:

1) A number of posts on this thread have said it's "impossilble" to live in Austin without a car. How close to the truth is this? Please keep in mind that I don't mind a bit of a walk--I even enjoy it--as long as I'm not using up half my day having a real hike to get everywhere. Also bear in mind that I'd be an overworked grad student who would most likely not have a lot of time for entertainment beyond the basics, like the occasional night out at a movie or a restaurant. I'm mostly interested in knowing whether I could live within roughly a mile, maybe a bit more, of campus, and be able to walk to some of this basic entertainment, as well as the everyday businesses I'd need to patronize in order to buy what I'd need to stay fed and scrubbed.

2) The points made in the post I've quoted here make Austin sound like any old generic, quickly-thrown-together, sprawling Sun Belt city. Where's all the lovable weirdness I've heard that Austinites are emphatic about wanting to preserve? Was the user who made this post just missing something, or is Austin not what I've heard it is?

You will get opinions from all directions on this site. If you visit, depending on where you stay and what you do, you might have a different impression than the next person. I moved here in September but have been here before, so here's my quick take.

I'm a walker/bikerider and a driver. The public transportation here isn't as good as it needs to be. The city boomed really fast and it's trying to figure out which way things will go. That being said, the bus system here is decent if your are in or around central Austin(make sure you know what this means!). Depending on where you live, I think you could survive(especially as a student) with a bike and a bus pass. Some people will disagree but I think it's all perspective. I like walking and biking even if it takes a little longer. Sometimes I'm lazy and I just drive. I think the combo works well here.

Austin is not a generic, lame sunbelt city. It does have elements of that, but this is 21st century America...it's everywhere(except maybe NYC). If you know where to look, Austin has some really charming, fantastic neighborhoods full of interesting people and small businesses(Personally, I like the South/Central areas of South Congress, South 1st, Bouldin Creek and all the areas in between). You need to see for yourself. Do the research, get a bike and ride/walk around the whole city. That's the only way to get it IMHO.

[twange]

Oh and P.S., I wish this damn thread would die already...it's been going on for months.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by ogre

1) A number of posts on this thread have said it's "impossilble" to live in Austin without a car. How close to the truth is this? Please keep in mind that I don't mind a bit of a walk--I even enjoy it--as long as I'm not using up half my day having a real hike to get everywhere. Also bear in mind that I'd be an overworked grad student who would most likely not have a lot of time for entertainment beyond the basics, like the occasional night out at a movie or a restaurant. I'm mostly interested in knowing whether I could live within roughly a mile, maybe a bit more, of campus, and be able to walk to some of this basic entertainment, as well as the everyday businesses I'd need to patronize in order to buy what I'd need to stay fed and scrubbed.

2) The points made in the post I've quoted here make Austin sound like any old generic, quickly-thrown-together, sprawling Sun Belt city. Where's all the lovable weirdness I've heard that Austinites are emphatic about wanting to preserve? Was the user who made this post just missing something, or is Austin not what I've heard it is?

When you are talking about the UT area and living near campus, it's a completely different experience than what most posters are talking about. That's like a whole different city, one that is very walkable and has excellent public transportation (UT Shuttle system is more utilized, more frequent, and more accessible than regular Capital Metro). You can definitely live without a car -- in fact, having a car in that area can be expensive (parking) and a hassle. Plus, the older neighborhoods with the quirky reputation are closest to you when you live around UT (except maybe SoCo).

As you start living in the suburbs, working at some of the major companies outside of the city center, it does become more of a generic sprawl experience. The hill country, parks and lakes are still beautiful, though.

[car957]

In defense of South Austin,

South Austin is more eclectic and fun, but if you go too far south it gets pretty grungy. Lots of chain link fences and people who leave tires in their yards and cars up on jacks, or tacky yard stuff. Nothing pretty at all.

I live in South Austin. Sure, we got some tacky areas but most of us take pride in our homes and neighborhoods. I've said it before and I'll say it again: For every bad area of South Austin you find, I can take you to some equivalent areas in North, East and yes West Austin.

I'm happy your home in LA. Sorry it didn't work out and good luck.