Austin vs. San Antonio (living, best, cost, better)

[EvanAnn]

I'm sure this thread is over done and people are tired of discussing it... But instead of reading thread after thread of what others may be looking for and trying to relate it to our wants/needs, I figured I'd just make my own!

My husband and I are in our late 20s and currently live in Orlando, fl. I love Florida for many reasons... No income tax, politics (we are libertarian/conservative leaning), beaches... But my husband is from Mexico and were just ready to move on to something new. We hate Orlando anyways... Land-locked, super humid, somewhat ghetto, tourist trap... What's the point of living in Florida if you're nowhere near a beach!?

I just graduated with my Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and, pending passing my certification exam, I'm looking for a new job in a new city. We've toyed with the idea of several cities, all for different reasons. Our list (and in no particular order):

Austin, Tx- lively, young city with lots of art, music and outdoors activities

San Antonio, Tx- beautiful, historic city with fun attractions, cheaper

San Diego, Ca- yes it's in liberal Cali where I'd probably struggle with the politics, but beautiful beaches and great weather. Also probably most expensive option, furthest to move (most expensive move) but jobs readily available in my field

Charleston, Sc- historic, beach, nice people

Some important factors for us are affordability, having water nearby to relax and play in, outdoor activities, dog friendly- we have a Great Dane and a dachshund/chihuahua mix, my husband is from Mexico so having some sort of Latin influence in the area would probably help him feel less out of place. I have family in Texas so it would be nice to find a place there that suits us well... I'd consider Corpus Christi and Galveston but it seems there are a serious lack of jobs, at least in my field. My husbands uncle has a house in Houston... I've never been but he doesn't like Houston as an option for whatever reason. We don't have kids and aren't sure yet we want them.

Ok so I think that's everything! Thoughts???

[KC_Sleuth]

I lived in Austin for two years. Great city. My wife and I have been to SA a lot of times and even toyed with the idea of relocating there. SA is a city I really want to love, but there are a few things I can't get my head around:

1) SA is a great town for tourists...the Riverwalk is a lot of fun, the historical sites are neat, and now that the RW has expanded to the Art Gallery and Pearl Brewery and then down to the Missions it is a great way to see some of the city.

2) Once we ventured a bit out of the touristy areas I had trouble finding areas that I could call home were I to relocate there. Brackenridge Park is cool. Alamo Heights is nice. We even looked at the USAA area up in the northwestern part of the city beyond the 410 loop. It seemed like the lawns - even in the nice parts of the city - were not as green and manicured as we are accustomed to here in Overland Park, KS.

3) I noticed a lot of litter around the city. I hope that SA steps up its beautification efforts throughout the city because it has a lot of potential.

4) A lot of the housing stock seemed to be more on the run-down side in places we saw. I thought that maybe near where the Spurs play there would be a neat entertainment area. No dice. There was a lot of peeling paint and upkeep didn't seem to be a huge priority in a lot of areas.

We may still relocate there some day - I really love the weather and culture of the area.

[Shock]

this thread isn't overdone. most of the self-righteous egos in the Texas forum are in the houston vs austin vs dallas threads. SA people don't have an ego which is why it was recently ranked the 3rd friendliest city in the US.

first impressions is that SA is more of a family-oriented city where as austin caters more to the younger college crowd. SA has been making large strides to compete with austin in that regard though to attract a younger generation.

with that said, first things first, find what job gives you the better offer between the 2 cities. but if its fairly even i would move to the north side of SA. its a lot easier to get around and explore SA. but the main reason is that cost of living is less in SA and you're only an hour away from Austin. I have driven there to eat at wafflehouse (SA doesn't have wafflehouses anymore) and came back later that morning. basically im saying, you can still get the best of both worlds by living in the more affordable city of San Antonio and hang out at Austin whenever you desire.

SA has a lot of spanish speakers. as you or your husband may already know, the population is mostly hispanic. you and your husband should have no problems in that regard here. in regards to your last paragraph, in all honesty, it sounds like you would happily live in the Stone Oak area in SA. and as far as going to the coast, that's only about 2 hour drive from SA. we go a few times a year and relax at port aransas, corpus christi, padre island, etc. as you can see, SA is in a very centralized part of Texas so it's easy to get to various locations. let me know if you have any further questions, and good luck in your searching.

[radiolibre99]

San Diego is liberal but it's also surrounded by the conservative suburbs. La Jolla is very conservative.

[TXEX06]

Go to Austin or San Diego! San Antonio...Blahhhh!!!!!

[TXEX06]

Originally Posted by KC_Sleuth

I lived in Austin for two years. Great city. My wife and I have been to SA a lot of times and even toyed with the idea of relocating there. SA is a city I really want to love, but there are a few things I can't get my head around:

Interesting. My neighbors in Southtown are a semi retired couple from KC and love SA. They have a home in the downtown area of KC and SA. Guess they found their niche.

[FriendlyAlien]

Originally Posted by EvanAnn

We hate [San Antonio] anyways... Land-locked, super humid, somewhat ghetto, tourist trap...

BTW, I voted SA over ATX just because ATX thinks so highly of itself, it really doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks...

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by FriendlyAlien

BTW, I voted SA over ATX just because ATX thinks so highly of itself, it really doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks...

[rynetwo]

If you don't want to be landlocked then I wouldn't choose San Antonio or Austin.

[Gunion Powder]

I swear I wish the word "ghetto" could be banned from the forums. It is a specific term referring to a segregated and highly impoverished neighborhood. I highly doubt this is a major concern in the city of Orlando.