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i was curious if anyone on this board has moved from austin to chicago, and has any opinions or advice concerning their move?
firstly, i'm originally from indiana (richmond, bloomington, south bend, etc.). i grew up in the midwest, and wholly understand the area for what it is and certainly for what it isn't. for as long as i lived in northern indiana, i've only been to chicago a handful of times, for whatever reasons. i've always enjoyed my time there, and knew that chicago could someday be a city i could love to live in. we really should have moved there in the first place, but sometimes mistakes are better off made, as i'm still glad we got out of indiana and the midwest for at least a little while.
my wife and i moved to austin in december of '08. we decided to move on somewhat of a "planned-whim" after our wedding. we had a great connection in austin and the city was in financial reach from our budget, so we took the leap. we were interested in leaving indiana for quite some time, for abundantly obvious reasons, as the state is deprived of jobs, culture, and generally anything at all to do.
so off to austin we went. we were excited, but always apprehensive about the relocation, as we had original concerns that never could be shaken off. unfortuantely, since our time in austin, alot of our concern eventually became a reality. i was the instigator in this venture, so maybe i should just start listening to my gut...? our expectations for austin were never out of rational proportion, yet we still feel like we've been entirely let down. as this is a thread to discuss chicago, and not austin, i won't go into too much detail over our disinterest in austin, unless asked. however, i will say that austin is hype, and not worth the hassle of it being in texas. we wanted to move somewhere we could settle down and stay for at least a few years, but that just is not austin. so away we go...
my wife has a gigantic family, and misses them too much to be so far away in a city and state that we don't find to be worthy of the distance. personally, i could be in australia and not feel like i was too far away, as long as it was worth it. chicago was an option when we were still in indiana looking to relocate. however, as the instigator once again, i wanted to move somewhere further away from the midwest, and austin fit the bill. well it turns out that chicago has *almost* everything i'm looking for in a city, and austin has very few subjectively redeeming qualities.
we're both in our mid 20's with no kids, and are still capable of taking relocation risks, which is exactly what our move to austin was. however, despite the risk and realization that austin isn't for us, the city has provided me with a great job to move elsewhere with and my wife now has a great education with the same availbility to relocate to any major metro area. i'm a 911 operator for apd, and my wife is an aspiring hair stylist. we think that both of these experiences couldn't have been obtained in indiana in the current economy, and for that we're grateful. austin is a transitional city for many, including us. we feel that within the next year we'll be able to leave austin. ideally, i want to move to san francisco, portland or seattle, as i've found nothing more beautiful in the u.s. than the northwest. but chicago is a near 2nd choice, and it's within a couple hours of family, so it conquers the debate.
we are looking for a city with:
classic architecture (the majority of the architecture in austin is a downright eyesore. most new buildings are trying too pathetically hard to be modern, while most older buildings appear very institutional with no creative stronghold to be found. imagine a majority of government building oriented design scattered throughout a vast and cement urban sprawl. it's make me feel like i live in a lego set that's been spray painted grey, it's so boring.)
vibe (legitimate vibe, not the sensation that a city exploits to promote tourism. i want to walk downtown and feel like i'm part of something important, not surrounded only by new and excessive high rise housing. in south austin there are pockets of great little neighborhoods, but they're very very small and few and far between.)
racial diversity (i'm white, but i must say i'm getting rather tired of looking at my fellow white people. i've always felt more comforatable around a multitude of ethnicities, and while austin may be diverse for texas, it's certainly not when compared to the rest of the country.)
musical diversity (whoever named austin the music capital of the country should be scorned. austin so greatly lacks of musical diversity it should be a crime to represent it as such. it's certainly not that austin is void of music, it's that to me the general musical them is only repetition. if you like plain ol' "rock and roll" or very unfocused rock a billy, with really no taste in specific genres, than austin has more than enough music for you. however, if you like hip-hop, electronic, post rock, hardcore, etc, than you'll notice just how much musical angst a person can endure. i realize this is all subjective, so take my statements lightly. i'm a multi instrumentalist, and find nothing redeeming about austin's music scene when compared to cities that don't even claim titles such as "music capital". it all seems to be designed for tourism, not for the residents. we're looking for a more fair balance of music designated for tourism, and "real" music)
public transportation (we are absolutely sick and tired of driving everywhere. literally EVERYWHERE. ideally, we would be in heaven if we could ditch our car and didn't have to drive anywhere again. i went years with only riding a road bike everywhere i needed to go, and it was one of the best times in my life. we would love to live in a city that provides us with more than ample public transportation. if there ever was a public transportation system that doesn't care at all for "the public", it's capital metro. they're corrupt, bankrupt and currently owe the city in excess of $50 million of which they are currently refusing to pay - http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...ty-198719.html. basically, you can get to san antonio from austin in a car quicker than you can go from downtown austin to north austin on a bus. no rail system, limited stops, limited buses, horrible arrival times, etc makes cap metro unusable)
thanks ahead, and i look forward to hearing back from people that have made the same leap out of austin, to chicago.
Last edited by absolutely; 01-29-2010 at 03:09 AM..
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Quote:
Originally Posted by absolutely
i was curious if anyone on this board has moved from austin to chicago, and has any opinions or advice concerning their move?
firstly, i'm originally from indiana (richmond, bloomington, south bend, etc.). i grew up in the midwest, and wholly understand the area for what it is and certainly for what it isn't. for as long as i lived in northern indiana, i've only been to chicago a handful of times, for whatever reasons. i've always enjoyed my time there, and knew that chicago could someday be a city i could love to live in. we really should have moved there in the first place, but sometimes mistakes are better off made, as i'm still glad we got out of indiana and the midwest for at least a little while.
my wife and i moved to austin in december of '08. we decided to move on somewhat of a "planned-whim" after our wedding. we had a great connection in austin and the city was in financial reach from our budget, so we took the leap. we were interested in leaving indiana for quite some time, for abundantly obvious reasons, as the state is deprived of jobs, culture, and generally anything at all to do.
so off to austin we went. we were excited, but always apprehensive about the relocation, as we had original concerns that never could be shaken off. unfortuantely, since our time in austin, alot of our concern eventually became a reality. i was the instigator in this venture, so maybe i should just start listening to my gut...? our expectations for austin were never out of rational proportion, yet we still feel like we've been entirely let down. as this is a thread to discuss chicago, and not austin, i won't go into too much detail over our disinterest in austin, unless asked. however, i will say that austin is hype, and not worth the hassle of it being in texas. we wanted to move somewhere we could settle down and stay for at least a few years, but that just is not austin. so away we go...
my wife has a gigantic family, and misses them too much to be so far away in a city and state that we don't find to be worthy of the distance. personally, i could be in australia and not feel like i was too far away, as long as it was worth it. chicago was an option when we were still in indiana looking to relocate. however, as the instigator once again, i wanted to move somewhere further away from the midwest, and austin fit the bill. well it turns out that chicago has *almost* everything i'm looking for in a city, and austin has very few subjectively redeeming qualities.
we're both in our mid 20's with no kids, and are still capable of taking relocation risks, which is exactly what our move to austin was. however, despite the risk and realization that austin isn't for us, the city has provided me with a great job to move elsewhere with and my wife now has a great education with the same availbility to relocate to any major metro area. i'm a 911 operator for apd, and my wife is an aspiring hair stylist. we think that both of these experiences couldn't have been obtained in indiana in the current economy, and for that we're grateful. austin is a transitional city for many, including us. we feel that within the next year we'll be able to leave austin. ideally, i want to move to san francisco, portland or seattle, as i've found nothing more beautiful in the u.s. than the northwest. but chicago is a near 2nd choice, and it's within a couple hours of family, so it conquers the debate.
we are looking for a city with:
classic architecture (the majority of the architecture in austin is a downright eyesore. most new buildings are trying too pathetically hard to be modern, while most older buildings appear very institutional with no creative stronghold to be found. imagine a majority of government building oriented design scattered throughout a vast and cement urban sprawl. it's make me feel like i live in a lego set that's been spray painted grey, it's so boring.)
vibe (legitimate vibe, not the sensation that a city exploits to promote tourism. i want to walk downtown and feel like i'm part of something important, not surrounded only by new and excessive high rise housing. in south austin there are pockets of great little neighborhoods, but they're very very small and few and far between.)
racial diversity (i'm white, but i must say i'm getting rather tired of looking at my fellow white people. i've always felt more comforatable around a multitude of ethnicities, and while austin may be diverse for texas, it's certainly not when compared to the rest of the country.)
musical diversity (whoever named austin the music capital of the country should be scorned. austin so greatly lacks of musical diversity it should be a crime to represent it as such. it's certainly not that austin is void of music, it's that to me the general musical them is only repetition. if you like plain ol' "rock and roll" or very unfocused rock a billy, with really no taste in specific genres, than austin has more than enough music for you. however, if you like hip-hop, electronic, post rock, hardcore, etc, than you'll notice just how much musical angst a person can endure. i realize this is all subjective, so take my statements lightly. i'm a multi instrumentalist, and find nothing redeeming about austin's music scene when compared to cities that don't even claim titles such as "music capital". it all seems to be designed for tourism, not for the residents. we're looking for a more fair balance of music designated for tourism, and "real" music)
public transportation (we are absolutely sick and tired of driving everywhere. literally EVERYWHERE. ideally, we would be in heaven if we could ditch our car and didn't have to drive anywhere again. i went years with only riding a road bike everywhere i needed to go, and it was one of the best times in my life. we would love to live in a city that provides us with more than ample public transportation. if there ever was a public transportation system that doesn't care at all for "the public", it's capital metro. they're corrupt, bankrupt and currently owe the city in excess of $50 million of which they are currently refusing to pay - Cap Metro balks at paying debt to city. basically, you can get to san antonio from austin in a car quicker than you can go from downtown austin to north austin on a bus. no rail system, limited stops, limited buses, horrible arrival times, etc makes cap metro unusable)
thanks ahead, and i look forward to hearing back from people that have made the same leap out of austin, to chicago.
I tried a lot of cities in my late teens and 20's, having a place not work out for you happens. It's always better to have tried it and have it not work out than to regret not trying a city.
Here's my take on Chicago and other cities you mentioned based on the criteria you listed:
classic architecture:
Chicago definitely has it, San Francisco has it, Seattle sort of has it, Portland - not so much, but prolly better than Austin.
vibe:
I think what you're talking about relates to a dense CBD and good public transportation. In the US the only cities that do that for me are NYC, Chicago, and parts of DC and Boston.
racial diversity:
Once again, Chicago definitely has it. A lot more so than SF, Portland, or Seattle. There are sizable Hispanic and Asian communities in SF, with a large African American community in Oakland.
musical diversity:
Chicago and SF would be your best bets.
public transportation:
Once again I think Chicago is your best bet. SF is certainly livable without a car, but I found BART to be a hybrid of commuter rail and traditional subway service - the distances between the stations is much larger than Chicago, NYC, or Boston. Muni does have decent service, but having Muni and BART as separate entities can some commutes pretty expensive. Portland is in the process of building a great public transit system, but due to the density of the city the stops seem very spread out to me, and I've ended up renting a car on most of my trips there. Seattle has good service, but it can be tough if you don't work downtown.
All the things you are looking for seem to fit the definition of an older, large, high density city. If you were looking for great outdoor recreation I'd definitely reco Portland or Seattle, but Chicago or SF seem to be your best bets. Since your wife misses her family I think that pretty much makes your decision for you.
Our expectations for austin were never out of rational proportion, yet we still feel like we've been entirely let down. as this is a thread to discuss chicago, and not austin, i won't go into too much detail over our disinterest in austin, unless asked.
Not to stir the pot, but can you elaborate on your issues with Austin? It seems like a very cool city and a good alternative to Chicago for someone wanting a smaller city feel.
Me too, I want to hear what else you hate about Austin. I used to live in Chicago and Austin and now live in New York and agree with a lot of what you said. Austin is great for a college-aged person or someone with a family in my opinion. It is overrated now but used to be an uniquely awesome place. Chicago sounds like what you're looking for; in your question, you pretty much answered it yourself. Most of the threads on Austin's page is about moving there, so many people moving there and honestly not enough jobs. Good quality of life for now but its going to change for the worse if the population growth doesn't slow.
Austin to me is a cool little college town I think. It has its appeals but I prefer Houston (which is where I am now). Growing up in Brooklyn, I always feel that I need to live in large cities. Hope to come up to Chi for a day or two during memorial day weekend since I have a wedding in Iowa.
Anyone recommend those segway tours?? Never thought I would be one of those tourists.
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Nice!
