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Austin gets in the 60sF in the day and upper 30sF/low 40sF at night in winter. Cool, but far from REALLY cold. Unless you're speaking of cold snaps. Not to mention, Austin's winter is much shorter than the PNW winters.
Austin gets in the 60sF in the day and upper 30sF/low 40sF at night in winter. Cool, but far from REALLY cold. Unless you're speaking of cold snaps. Not to mention, Austin's winter is much shorter than the PNW winters.
I remember several days in Austin when it was 15/20 degrees.
I remember several days in Austin when it was 15/20 degrees.
15-20 is rare, but yeah... it does happen there every few years (very briefly). It sucks when it does. The city isn't prepared for it and everything shuts down until the thaw. Overall, winters are pretty pleasant in Austin... which compared to the summers... are heaven. Not much is worse than an Austin summer. Except maybe a Dallas summer, or a Phoenix summer.
hmm i started a new thread b/c i didn't want it to be based on previous threads. i wanted a fresh look, objectively/subjectively from people's individual experiences and perspectives.
some ppl love chicago. i thought i'd love it here. but living in a place is far different from VISITING a place. i LOVED visiting. living here i realize what i really would like is a SMALLER, less busy city, LESS traffic, WARMER weather relative to chicago. What I do like about here is CULTURE, DIVERSITY, FRIENDLY people, LIBERALISM. so those are the things i'm seeking and wanting to not have.
i can't imagine austin summers. they sound suffocatingly terrible, and i hate bugs of any sort...i'm actually leaning towards seattle right now so that i can explore my outdoors hobbies a bit more. austin doesn't seem very outdoorsy to me?
But the rest of the year, Austin has more sunshine and warmer weather (besides the odd cold snap, in which temps may drop below Portland's winter temps). The OP already has stated in his/her other thread that the weather in Austin is better overall for him/her than the PNW.
But then, if that was the only consideration ... why is there even a question?
Every city on your list is going to have pros and cons. Personally I don't like cold winters, I don't like lots of rain, I don't like foggy, dreary weather, and I wouldn't want to be thousands of miles away from family, so that would rule out Portland and Seattle. Don't get me wrong - I LIKE both cities and love to visit that region, but living there is not an option for me.
So I'd choose Austin. I'm from the South and I'm used to the heat. I've spent lots of time in that area -even lived not far from there for several years - and I didn't notice any unusual bug activity or population. Yes, the summers are very hot, but in Austin it's a dry sort of hot. Even in the summer, the evenings and nights cool down considerably and it's great patio weather. The city has an amazing vibe and tons of fun things to do, and that's even before you get outside the city and into the Hill Country, which is achingly beautiful, especially in the spring. And then there's San Antonio and a little further south you have the Frio River area.
If you're into anything involving water, there are lakes, rivers, etc and Austin area people are really into water sports. Tons of hiking too. And don't even get me started on the night life or food options...YEEE HAWWWWW!
Winters are beautiful - cool but not generally too cold (though of course you will have a few cold snaps and some frost from time to time). Spring is fresh and filled with amazing wildflowers - and it starts in February. It's not truly HOT till June and may be hot through September, but by October, though it's still warm, it's comfortable, and like I said, the evenings, even in the heat of mid summer, can be very comfortable and pleasant due to the arid, desert-type air and pretty low humidity. I lived about forty minutes north of Austin and found it was very common, even in July, for the temps to drop into the low 70s and even 60s after sunset, with a nice cool breeze. Austinites do a lot of "patio living" during the long evenings of summer. Fall is very pleasantly warm and balmy.
Austin is fun and funky. And think about it - if the heat was truly unbearable, how come so many people keep moving to the area...and staying?
thanks, kathryn. i've only heard good things about austin.
i liked the weather when i visited last month. didn't like the sprawl, or traffic.
anyone not from texas, aka transplants like texas, seattle, or portland?? esp anyone from the midwest? i got frostbite yesterday. i hate chicago.
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