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Sacramento winters as mild as Austin and less likely to drop below freezing.
Sacramento summers are much more comfortable than Austin. It cools dramatically daily in Sac in the summer, evenings, nights and mornings are very comfortable and the humidity is much lower in Sac than Austin.
Sacramento's Hill Country is 20 mins away with Real High-Elevation Mountains 1 hr away (Sierra Nevada Mountains - 5,000 ft. to 10,000ft.) with World Class Ski Resorts.
Sacramento is only 1 hr to 2hrs from drive-time from the Bay, Ocean, Beaches, and Redwood Forests. Austin is 4hrs to Ocean.
Sacramento Metro and Austin Metro near identical in size. Sac Metro Real Estate is less expensive than Austin.
SAC's Big University unlike Austin is located 15 miles West of Downtown Sacramento in Davis: The University of California, DAVIS. It's actually rated higher than UT Austin.
NATIONAL RANKING OF BEST PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN USA, US News & World Report, 2017:
#1 UCLA
#2 UC Berkeley
#10 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS (15 minutes from downtown Sacramento) tied with UC San Diego.
#16 University of Washington, Seattle #18 University of Texas, Austin
#38 University of Colorado, Boulder
#46 University of Oregon, Eugene
Here's something to remember: Austin may be "liberal" but it's an oasis in a wholly red state, and kicked around like a football by the Texas Legislature every two years. Travis County has been gerrymandered into FIVE congressional districts, so Democrats have little local representation at the national level. The Republicans control EVERY statewide office and agency, very right-wing Republicans typically. No. Carolina has been backsliding along this same path, too, in recent years. Local control is not honored at the state level, so expect to be at the mercy of state regulations and mandates no matter how "progressive" a city you opt for.
Oh, and Austin has the highest COL and housing prices in the state. You may be shocked at the cost of a home/rent here, plus the skyrocketing property taxes. Wages are NOT commensurate if you're not in a comfy tech sinecure. (lots of low-paid state, city, healthcare, and university employees here, we don't all have glamorous jobs).
I would take a closer look at Charlotte. Charlotte is growing at a very good clip, but it isn't quite to the level of insane growth that Austin is experiencing. This means that there is less of a risk of getting priced out in Charlotte versus Austin. Charlotte also has a pretty good social scene, it isn't quite Austin or Nashville in that regards but it holds it own. Charlotte also gives access for a weekend trip to both the mountains and the beach (only a few hours to get to both). When I was down there the people were quite friendly as well. Charlotte does every once in awhile get some winter weather, but it isn't common. In matter of fact, even Austin and San Antonio can get some winter weather every once in a blue moon. If you are south of I-40 and below 1,200-1,500 feet in the Carolinas, the frequency of winter weather decreases pretty rapidly.
Austin is the ultimate hot young professional city. If being in the hottest of social scenes is the most important thing for you then Austin is the #1 choice here. Austin wouldn't be too far from a beach trip and it does have the Hill Country nearby for scenery. The biggest con is going to be the rapid growth and the rising COL in relation to that.
Well, the "beach" would be three to four hours drive from Austin, at best. And the Hill Co. can be pretty in spots, but it's being overdeveloped fast. It's not as green and lush as what's in No. Carolina. Very arid and scrubby, with live oaks and juniper cedar and mesquite dominating.
And the COL in Austin just went up a tick while I was typing this.
Austin traffic is much closer to that of Atlanta and Houston than it is to Raleigh. So essentially big city traffic woes, but in a smaller city/metro (both pop. and density wise).
Yep. Testify, brother!
Austin notoriously ranks among the worst congested cities for its size in the nation. Check out some surveys/reports. They underplay the problem, if anything.
I have to plan to do anything on a weekday between 10 and 2, or I'll be stuck in traffic for hours; even getting out of this neighborhood can take 20 minutes during the rush period. And I-35 sits still even on weekends. The road system here is absolutely inadequate and under constant construction, and tollways spring up like mushrooms to fleece commuters.
I've been kind of eyeing the surrounding suburbs of Austin. Round Rock, Georgetown, Pflugerville,. etc
Not exactly downtown, but it seems affordable for a truck driving wage and it's not a super long ride on a bicycle or drive in a car either if one wants to experience the night-life.
Compare that to my fruitless search for apartments in the Denver metro area where everything is pretty much cost-prohibitive in a 20-30 mile radius!!
But I'd say go for Austin, or the cities surrounding it. If my no-degree having, truck driving self could locate affordability, then this should be an easy one for you, OP.
Believe me, if you lived in ANY of the above named Austin satellite towns, you would NOT be biking to Austin for anything, not if you wanted to live. ( Have you ever routinely biked twenty or thirty miles in 100-degree weather in heavily congested traffic?) These places are not connected by bike lanes or veloways.
Fort Worth is often overlooked but it's about the only other Texas city I'd consider living. It's attracted a lot of Austin emigres, who appreciate its slower pace, less congestion, and good value on home prices. It's got a strong arts and cultural scene, good restaurants, some historic neighborhoods with walkability to the central core, nice park system, a major university (TCU), a strong local Democratic presence (for what that's worth in a Republican-dominated state) and it's close enough to Dallas to go there if you must (and maybe ride the DART train instead of drive). On the downside, it has frequent bad weather, possible water shortages in its future, it's booming in the usual Sunbelt way so prices and COL will likely rise, and traffic will become worse. And there is a higher crime rate and more poverty than elsewhere.
But I'd consider moving there if I had to stay in Texas -- I've given up on Austin.
Believe me, if you lived in ANY of the above named Austin satellite towns, you would NOT be biking to Austin for anything, not if you wanted to live. ( Have you ever routinely biked twenty or thirty miles in 100-degree weather in heavily congested traffic?) These places are not connected by bike lanes or veloways.
LMAO. Biking from Georgetown to Austin? Awesome. I would never bike outside of downtown Austin to Soco. It gets dangerous.
totally agree with your prior post on Austin traffic. I-35 is a mess at all hours. Worst traffic in Texas.
Believe me, if you lived in ANY of the above named Austin satellite towns, you would NOT be biking to Austin for anything, not if you wanted to live. ( Have you ever routinely biked twenty or thirty miles in 100-degree weather in heavily congested traffic?) These places are not connected by bike lanes or veloways.
I find a way to get around. After having dealt with owning a vehicle again for the past, four years, I'm more than willing to kick it to the curb once it's paid off. Heat and humidity is no problem. Yes, drivers do have a tendency to run one off the road, but it's a hazard I'm prepared to put up with.
This overblown idea of dying if you bike commute in a certain area is getting kind of tired. We're all going to go at some point in time. Pick your poison.
That and I drive semis as a job, so sitting behind a steering wheel is getting quite tiring for me.
Plenty of other affordable areas in Texas, if you really want to deal with true Texan experience. Get enough of that country drawl here in eastern NM to the point where it's getting harder each day to not hit the bottle
I find a way to get around. After having dealt with owning a vehicle again for the past, four years, I'm more than willing to kick it to the curb once it's paid off. Heat and humidity is no problem. Yes, drivers do have a tendency to run one off the road, but it's a hazard I'm prepared to put up with.
This overblown idea of dying if you bike commute in a certain area is getting kind of tired. We're all going to go at some point in time. Pick your poison.
That and I drive semis as a job, so sitting behind a steering wheel is getting quite tiring for me.
Plenty of other affordable areas in Texas, if you really want to deal with true Texan experience. Get enough of that country drawl here in eastern NM to the point where it's getting harder each day to not hit the bottle
I love Austin, but biking from a burb into downtown Austin is just a bad idea. It won't work.
I find a way to get around. After having dealt with owning a vehicle again for the past, four years, I'm more than willing to kick it to the curb once it's paid off. Heat and humidity is no problem. Yes, drivers do have a tendency to run one off the road, but it's a hazard I'm prepared to put up with.
This overblown idea of dying if you bike commute in a certain area is getting kind of tired. We're all going to go at some point in time. Pick your poison.
That and I drive semis as a job, so sitting behind a steering wheel is getting quite tiring for me.
Plenty of other affordable areas in Texas, if you really want to deal with true Texan experience. Get enough of that country drawl here in eastern NM to the point where it's getting harder each day to not hit the bottle
LOL report back after the first month of commuting.
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