Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm currently in the search of a place to call home. I'm 25 and will be graduating in May with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy degree. I'm originally from IL but want to move somewhere where I do not have to put up with snow and can golf nearly year round. My current interests are Austin, TX and Phoenix, AZ but could be persuaded into other areas of the continental US. Sticking points... I'll be in the healthcare field so access to hospitals and being in states with good Medicare reimbursements would be key and I'll be a fresh grad and therefore not financially stable - high cost of living would be out of the question. Little more about myself - will be relocating with fiance, we like to eat out a lot, enjoy attending sporting events, we don't do the club scene, I like to workout so access to decent gyms would be good, love cars, love to hike, would like to take our dog with us, and most importantly LOVE to golf. If anyone could help me weigh the Pros/Cons of AZ and TX or any other state you can think of it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Phoenix has great golf but more importantly sits in a state of natural wonders: Arizona. Hard to beat that if you're into hiking and the outdoors. Austin has the hill country, which is pretty in its own right but frankly can't be compared to Arizona (or Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, etc). Phoenix would win in this department for both golf and hiking.
Phoenix is huge and sprawled out with no real discernible urban core, and has bad traffic. Austin has bad traffic too, but is far more compact. Austin actually does have an urban core, and rightly boasts of being the live music capital of the country (Phoenix is not remarkable at all in this regard). Austin probably wins in that department easily.
Climate-wise, neither are perfect. Phoenix has hellish summers lasting about 5 months or so, but the other 7 months are about as good as you'll find anywhere. Austin's summers are marginally better than Phoenix (you trade extreme heat for high humidity), but the winters are far less predictable than Phoenix and it's far less sunny year round in Austin than in Phoenix. Still, if your goal is to avoid snow and golf year-round then either would probably work. I'd say overall Phoenix is slightly better climate-wise due to lack of humidity and abundant sunshine.
Texas is generally low-tax (except for property tax)and favorable cost of living, though in both categories Austin is the easily the worst in Texas. Arizona does have income tax but it's fairly low, and property taxes are low there. Property values in Phoenix have fallen substantially and are actually fairly affordable at this time. Which one is to your advantage will depend on your situation. If your income is high (and you don't need to live in a huge house), then Texas is better, but if not, then Arizona is likely better.
Austin probably has more going on in its economy and jobs, but the presence of UT and its graduates always makes it challenging to get in them. Phoenix is actually a bit underpowered in its economy for such a huge city, though to be fair Phoenix has a huge number of retirees who aren't taking up jobs. Overall, though, there are likely more good jobs in Austin than Phoenix, so Austin has advantage there.
Austin... its a lot smaller, but a lot more fun. Phoenix will beat Austin out on winter weather (but not by a vast amount), but its hotter for longer in PHX. Austin is also a better bet for jobs, and TX in general definitely beats AZ for jobs (and just about everything else). I think Austin is the far better choice.
It's true that Austin is far more compact than Phoenix, but that says a lot more about how unbelievably sprawled Phoenix is than anything else. The entire Phoenix metro area has a few somewhat walkable districts, but literally 99% of it is wreckless car-oriented sprawl.
Austin is no Chicago or San Francisco (or even Milwaukee), but it's a pedestrian's paradise compared to Phoenix.
It's true that Austin is far more compact than Phoenix, but that says a lot more about how unbelievably sprawled Phoenix is than anything else. The entire Phoenix metro area has a few somewhat walkable districts, but literally 99% of it is wreckless car-oriented sprawl.
Austin is no Chicago or San Francisco (or even Milwaukee), but it's a pedestrian's paradise compared to Phoenix.
When I visited Phoenix for the first time last year, I couldn’t believe it. I had never seen an entire city built like that before. People talk about LA being one big suburb, but Phoenix literally is. It felt like Orange County or the Inland Empire in the desert. It makes LA feel like Manhattan. I wasn’t even that impressed with the walkable areas. Mill Avenue is just a single street of college bars. Old Scottsdale was nice, but something about it felt manufactured and fake to me. Kierland Commons is an outdoor mall, not a city neighborhood. Phoenix is also still building freeways like it's the 1950's. That’s not to say I hated Phoenix. Quite the contrary, I loved the desert, especially South Mountain Park and I took a drive up to Sedona, which should be mandatory for any visitor to Arizona. I definitely can see why someone would decide to live in Arizona. However, if you’re looking for a “city environment”, don’t look there.
Well out of all the major cities in TX, Austin has the highest cost of living. Just letting you know there are cheaper options if you like Texas, but without the hills.
As for the healthcare industy, both Dallas and Houston,moreso Houston, are better for this.
Both Dallas and Houston would have more sporting events and Houston's venues are centralized in the urban core, while Dallas' venues will be all over the place with half in the suburbs(and not in the same suburb) and half in the city. Dallas and Houston have actual pro-sports, but UT is pretty good initself anyways.
Cimate wise, both Austin and Dallas are better than Houstons. Though all humid, but Houston the most.
Not sure about golf, I would assume gyms are accesisble in all cities? I think all are pretty dog-friendly. Economically, Houston and Dallas are more stable, moreso Dallas. And Houston has the most diverse eating options, which comes with having the most diverse population.
Austin. I personally have never been to Phoenix, but I know a few people from the area, and I don't hear too many good things. The weather is usually dry (as compared to ATX's humidity), but far hotter and for longer periods of time. Plus, isn't there some problem with the drinking water in part of the city?
Both cities are growing considerably, though I believe Austin takes the cake for best job market, and especially Physical Therapy would be good in such an active city. So overall, I would go with Austin.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
