Please give me 10 reasons why NOT to move to the Austin area. (Industry: insurance, neighborhoods)

[david4455]

We live up in the Pacific NW and are seriously considering relocating to the Hill Country or southern 'burbs of Austin.

Everything I have heard and read says "go for it".

Please share with me some reasons why NOT to move to Austin. What did you discover after you moved that you wish you had known before.....

Thanks.

[AustinGuy]

There have already been lots of threads on this topic if you look through the forum history, but I'll give you the #1 & #2 reasons not to move here from the Pacific NW:

- Weather: HOT HOT HOT!
- Lack of good coffee on every corner

[austin-steve]

What do your wife and kids say about it?

[david4455]

Originally Posted by AustinGuy

There have already been lots of threads on this topic if you look through the forum history, but I'll give you the #1 & #2 reasons not to move here from the Pacific NW:

- Weather: HOT HOT HOT!
- Lack of good coffee on every corner

Can you give me a few key words to look under...my first few "searches" turned up nothing.... thanks.

[cdelena]

Hot weather
High property taxes
High electricity rates
Relatively high insurance rates
35 traffic
Growing congestion
Limited direct flights from airport
Long way to popular national parks, ocean, mountains
Industry focus primarily technology
...

Not saying it is terrible, but you did ask for some downsides.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

As AustinGuy stated...
1. Weather....HOT! (you will acclimate!)
Other reasons...
2. Traffic...every city has traffic issues (you'll adjust)
3. Bad drivers...some blame it on the out of towners moving in, but I think a lot of it has to do with a very large component of college kids who don't care how they drive.
4. BUGS/ANTS/SNAKES/SCORPIONS....this is the only reason I can find why not to move to Austin that is justifiable

The pros far outweight the cons in my opinion.

Check out this thread...

http://www.city-data.com/forum/austi...where-its.html

[McJ]

cedar fever, mold and grass allergies

[Stevedawg]

Hot
Traffic
Crazy drivers in Dodge Rams
Not really that pretty
Lots of entertainment and nightlife aimed at college kids
Congested
Sprawl
High Tech environment

[achtungpv]

The bugs are the worst. Everyone complains about the scorpions, mosquitoes, spiders, 3" roaches, etc. But the worst to me are the freaking gnats that circle you while you're outside during the summer. I forget every year until June when they come out.

The heat and humidity combo is bad too. Go outside, even at 8am, for 15 minutes and you'll be drenched in sweat. Everyone says you get used to it, but I've been in TX all my 34 years and Austin is the furthest north I've ever lived. It gets worse to me every year.

[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)