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 spent a week in Boston a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It was an amazing city. I went to Wally's on Mass Ave and met some really, really cool folks. The nicest thing was that the people at Wally's said to me, "You know, it feels like you've been coming here for years!" You always hear so many ridiculous things about how Easterners are rude and inconsiderate, etc., but in my short time there I didn't find that to be the case. Another incentive would be the fact that my nephew just moved up to Boston (his mother was recently laid off from her position here in Austin).
Thank you also for reading my tome! I appreciate your response.
Philadelphia
Chicago
Minneapolis
New Orleans
Boston (expensive, yes, but someone dear to me lives there, and as mentioned, I'm not opposed to shared housing)
Pittsburgh (I'm told it's not nearly as cosmopolitan, still very much like Austin, but am curious about comments)
I would Boston at the top of your list. Minneapolis, though considerably improved, still doesn't strike as the most "diverse" city, demographically. I've lived in Philadelphia. It definitely has more of that urban-ness to it that you're looking for. But it remains a very "gritty" urban, and not very care-free or happy-go-lucky. I think it's improving in this regards, attracting more and more young people to its urban core who are just happy to be alive, working, going out, drinking, etc., but it isn't there yet. The entire city still feels a bit like it has a chip on its shoulder. Pittsburgh - I know little about it and hear good things, but alternatively, you're comment would seem to strike it off the list. You are trying to get away from the "Austin feel". New Orleans is interesting. It definitely is a unique city, loaded with unique culture, history, etc. Alternatively, it is still a relatively small city (again, relatively compared to Chicago or Boston) and you sound like you are currently drawn to more of the larger metropolis' that just have option after option after option after option of things to do. Not the New Orleans won't have a lot of things to explore, but I think it will also have some of that southern-ness to it that all of the other cities on your list lack, and that you might be trying to leave.
That leaves Chicago and Boston. Both are probably great options, but I'd choose Boston because (1) it has a really good friend of yours there already, (2) it is less "isolated" than Chicago, in the sense that you can head down to NYC every once in a while, maybe stretch it and make a trip to Philly or DC every once in a while, head north to Montreal or Toronto, shorter flights to Europe, etc. Chicago has the Midwest cities close by, but would you really want to visit. That said, Chicago is larger, apparently has a somewhat better urban lifestyle ("downtown living") and should equally fulfill what you're looking for. I don't think you can go wrong with either.
I only know it from a short vacation but Pittspurgh jumps out from your list. Very good for affordability, culture and public transit. Kind of low on the diversity factor. Plus it has hills. How do you feel about topography?
First and foremost, thanks to all of you for reading my post! I know it was pretty long and wordy, but I wanted to get my point across.
JayZ (sweet!): I think you're right. Boston is starting to feel like a real choice. I've been there already know it a bit, and have no doubt that I would be able to carve a niche for myself. And well, the someone who's there (my favorite person in the whole world, like my nephew, he'll be six next week!), it would almost be worth it just to be near him.
Dayton: Believe it or not I had thought about Cleveland for a bit. Even Cincinnati! I'm not averse to Midwest cities outside of Chicago it's just that I don't know much about them and to be quite frank I have been tainted by the somewhat vanilla depictions of the Midwest. But I'm not saying it's probably not a fabulous place! It's just that I've met around four people here in Austin who moved from Ohio to come to Austin (why, I have no idea) and they claim that Austin beats anything they had there. One was from Cleveland, two from Toledo, and one from Columbus.
Creek: Topography is huge. I really, really miss the topography from California. But! I don't mind flat if the urban topography (I just made that up, so I'll explain) is more interesting than what I've got now. In other words, I enjoy nice architecture and would love to live somewhere where the homes are not cookie-cutter model homes built for subdivisions and quick sale. There's way too much of that in Austin. The few "cute" neighborhoods consist of homes from the 1940s and 1950s and are usually small cottage type homes. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the more historic neighborhoods have destroyed their homes in favor of the current box-like architectural digest styles. I understand there are probably very sound environmental reasons for doing so (or maybe they had a mold problem, who knows?), but I guess I'm sort of a fan of traditional design.
Also, I'm not really worried about the economic pulse. Not as worried as I probably should be. I'll do anything. Dishes, mop floors, cut grass. I couldn't really find any gainful employment in Austin and had to settle for a very, very unsatisfactory position in order to have ANY kind of income. So I'm not out to chart new career territory.
Again, thank you all so very much for chiming in on this!
Be forewarned! This is a loooooong post! If you read it, I'll be forever grateful.
WHERE I STAND
I am a 32 year old woman of biracial heritage (father was African American, mother is Latina) who is now residing (trapped, really) in Austin, Texas and is determined to make an escape by June of 2010. I was born in Texas, raised here, but am unlike most Texans in that I have none of the nativist, bizarro-world devotion to the place. I'm a citizen of the United States. I could care less about being Texan. Being born in Texas hasn't done a thing for me and for all I care if I'd been born in Iowa or South Dakota it would be just fine with me. In fact, the best moments of my life to date have all been moments when I've been lucky enough to escape this place. Once, before I'd had the privilege of leaving Texas and seeing other places (San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Portland, Boston, Oaxaca), I was in love with Austin and ready to sing its praises to any who would listen. But then again I only had Houston, Dallas, Abilene, and San Antonio as comparisons. Now I know better. Austin is hot, boring, sprawly, has horrible public transportation, has aesthetically uninspiring architecture, and is incredibly homogenous and limited as to cultural offerings (Austin bills itself as the "live music capital of the world" but it's usually always the same types of bands for the same types of crowds, and I'm too old to be going to 6th street or any other street to drink with college kids), unfounded obsession with all things University of Texas (I'm an alumnus of the University, but have made it a point to make sure NOTHING I own is burnt orange and would sell my diploma back to the place if I thought they would purchase it, that's how much good my Football U education has done me).
Previously I lived in the SF Bay Area. I worked in San Francisco and lived in Oakland. I loved it. It was everything I wanted. The people were always very friendly and welcoming to me, but what was really important was that it was a genuinely cosmopolitan environment with an array of adult cultural offerings alongside your more conventional fare. I took myself out on a date one weekend in San Francisco (I went to WonderCon, the Chinese New Year Parade, and finished with a night at the Symphony). I also miss the museums in the Bay Area, thus am hoping to find something comparable in my next home. Unfortunately, with California's financial collapse came job loss. Unable to find another job before my savings ran out I was forced (very, very unwillingly) to return to Austin. Here in Austin (which shockingly tries to compare itself to San Francisco at times . . . I can only conclude that such comparisons are made by people who have never been to San Francisco) the only two "big" occurrences are the ACL and SxSW festivals. Most of the people who frequent the festivals don't live in Austin anyway and seeing as how I don't give two farts about "live" music, I don't feel like paying $200.00 to see indie bands with hordes of drunk college kids and tourists. At all other times the bands that one sees are musicians who never really had the talent to make music outside of Austin and are basically one notch above street buskers. Kudos for following your dreams (I guess), but really, how many more bad musicians can one place accomodate?
And then there is the lack of a diversified economy (or public transportation infrastructure making it possible for anyone to avail themselves of jobs. The first thing people assume when scheduling job interviews is that you MUST have a car, so they tell you about parking spaces, rather than mention nearby bus stops, and if they learn you are relying on Austin's public transportation they are then loath to offer you a position because everyone knows that Austin's Capital Metro is notoriously unreliable). The wages one earns in Austin are depressed due to the overabundance of university graduates who will take a job making $9.00 an hour, a job which would pay double that in most other cities. I searched or work for seven months in Austin and only found a part-time job in a warehouse as a forklift operator which will not permit me to work more than 19 hours a week. In San Francisco I worked as a legal assistant to a securities attorney in the Financial District. My current job offers no benefits, my skill set is not being enhanced, and there is no room for advancement. And I'm employed with the behemoth University so many here revere. Employers in Austin take advantage of the Peter Pan syndrome most of its applicants have bought into--they don't mind being 40 year old waiters/video clerks/barristas so long as they get to live in "hip" Austin. No thanks. You really do have to grow up eventually.
Austin is a fine place for people who have lower expectations or don't mind going to Eeyore's year after year, Spamarama again and again, or being required to be in their car for EVERY SINGLE THING. I don't want to own a car, so you can see why Austin is not a good fit for me. And cycling, while certainly an option in some places, not the best option in Austin in light of how many cyclists get smashed by SUVS in this place, not to mention that riding in the summer months here, well, I'm not out to die of heat stroke.
Austin is fine for people with families who felt house poor and don't mind living in master-planned suburban gated communities which require them to drive 45 minutes to reach Austin proper and engage in its supposedly "weird" offerings.
Austin is fine for retirees who enjoy the 80 degree fall temperatures and again, don't mind driving everywhere.
Austin is fine for many people. I'm just not one of those people. I have to get out of this place.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
Affordable Housing: I am not married (nor do I care to be), don't care about the dating scene, have no children or pets, so living with others is not an issue. I lived with two roommates in Oakland and the arrangement, while not ideal, was a trade off I felt was worth making.
Cultural Amenities (the Old Fogie Kind): I miss having museums (plural) with stunning galleries and world-renown collections from which to choose from; I'd like to have more than just coffee shop studios, office building lobbies, or small two-room studios. Austin has one "big" museum (the Blanton), the Harry Ransom Center (also affiliated with the local University), and a spattering of the aforementioned studio-type venues, but that's it.
Public Transportation: Texas is car country. They've no desire to acquire the mindset needed to invest in their public transportation infrastructure. People are wedded to their vehicles. I don't want to own a car. I don't own one now and I pay for it. It takes me two hours both ways (4 total) to get to work because the buses here are as worthless as they come. Austin can't even get its worthless commuter train system running (which helps not one bit seeing as how it only serves a small surburban sliver), and I expect to be long gone by the time they finally get it together. I want to live somewhere with a decent, dependable public transportation infrastructure (buses, trains, etc).
Library System: It's important for me that I live somewhere with a great library system. In California I was floored to learn that one need only live in the state and provide proof of residence to get a library card. In Austin, you often have to pay for one if you're not within certain utility districts. That seems shameful to me.
Four Seasons: I'd like to live somewhere with actual seasons. It's the end of October here, it's 82 degrees, and I've broken a sweat walking outside. I'm sick of it. No more heat. Hot and hotter are not seasons. I'm ready for an actual change in temperatures when the fall months arrive. And no, the cold doesn't frighten me. One can always wear layers and thick coats, stripping down naked is not an option and the beloved Barton Springs is often closed due to cleaning, drought, or some other infestation.
Aesthetics: I'm sick of big box sprawl. I like density. Seeing as how I have no desire to be married and own a home and all of that jazz, I just want to live in a nice, walkable neighborhood with interesting architecture. I'd like to be able to walk to the store, library, coffeeshops, or other such things. You can't do that in Austin unless you can afford to live in the "cute" neighborhoods which are now overpriced and not really that cute to begin with, in my opinion.
Diversity: I'd like to live somewhere where I can meet people from ALL OVER THE WORLD because they often choose to mingle together. Austin's diversity is one of hipsters and tech executives, which is fine, but not really what I want. Oftentimes if I stop somewhere in Austin for a quick drink I am the only person of color. I have many white friends, but it is a bit disconcerting to often be the only minority. In Oakland I met people from South America, Africa, Canada, Scotland, England, France, Israel, Palestine, Jordan you name it! In turn this meant a broad array of culinary and artistic representations. I miss that.
Sports Teams: I'm a rare female in that I love sports. I usually spend my evenings with Sportscenter. On my afternoons off you'll find me watching PTI or Around the Horn. As such, I want to live somewhere with REAL professional sports. No more college town obsessiveness.
Here are the cities I'm considering: (Please note that I fully intend to take a scouting trip before making any commitments, but your insights would be so greatly appreciated).
Philadelphia
Chicago
Minneapolis
New Orleans
Boston (expensive, yes, but someone dear to me lives there, and as mentioned, I'm not opposed to shared housing)
Pittsburgh (I'm told it's not nearly as cosmopolitan, still very much like Austin, but am curious about comments)
Any other suggestions you might have would be appreciated. Again, if you read all of this I cannot begin to thank you enough.
I hope you have a pleasant day.
Cheers!
Dallas and Houston offer a majority of those things you list; no need to talk down on the state because your experience in Austin and if you've really experienced Dallas and Houston than you'd know they are nothing like Austin and offer way much more.
Anyways, I'd definitely eliminate New Orleans. What you think about DC???
Dallas and Houston offer a majority of those things you list; no need to talk down on the state because your experience in Austin and if you've really experienced Dallas and Houston than you'd know they are nothing like Austin and offer way much more.
Anyways, I'd definitely eliminate New Orleans. What you think about DC???
That I know of . . . talking "down" a state is not against the posting rules. Especially, since all I write is my opinion. And, with all due respect, I was born in this state I'll speak of it how I please.
I want to get OUT of Texas. Texas=Not where I want to be. Finito. I have no desire to be here. I'm happy for you that you like it. Good! Great! Fantastic! I, however, don't.
I lived in Houston for nine months before I dropped out of law school. It's too spread out, and doesn't meet a lot of my requirements. And again, I want out of Texas. No more red states.
I would be weary of New Orleans. There are many people in Houston from Louisiana in Houston, and from what I understand, the state and New Orleans its self is in very bad shape and has been long before Katrina. This is due to wide spread corruption on a the state and city level. It seems like things are getting better, but it will be a long up hill battle. New Orleans is a fantastic city, but this doesn't sound like what your looking for.
Why not the Seattle and Portland? If I ever had to leave Texas, than Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco would be my top three choices.
I would be weary of New Orleans. There are many people in Houston from Louisiana in Houston, and from what I understand, the state and New Orleans its self is in very bad shape and has been long before Katrina. This is due to wide spread corruption on a the state and city level. It seems like things are getting better, but it will be a long up hill battle. New Orleans is a fantastic city, but this doesn't sound like what your looking for.
Why not the Seattle and Portland? If I ever had to leave Texas, than Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco would be my top three choices.
Poor New Orleans. She gets no love. My main reasons for even considering New Orleans were that I have a friend whose sister lives there and would be able to assist with general issues of acclimation. My friend resides in Austin (she teaches at ACC and her husband is a professor at UT, but her heart is still very much in New Orleans) and she is always, always trying to convince me that the city is in dire need of a youthful (though I'm certainly no spring chicken at 32) infusion lest all of the prognostications of certain demise come to pass. I've never been to New Orleans so I can't speak to its health or sickliness post or pre-Katrina. I know that a lot of people do still love it and are sad to see it in its current state and the idea that I might be able to actually live somewhere where I might potentially contribute to a community's rebirth was marginally appealing. I don't know. My friend has offered to take me to Jazz Fest with her next May, so that will be my first glimpse of her, but I know that cities during such events are not quite what they are during normal day to day living.
As for Seattle . . . haven't been, but I have a friend who lives out there and would be willing to house me during a scouting trip. And Portland, I've been to visit, loved the look and feel of the place, the Max was AMAZING to use, but . . . and this is going to sound horrible, but it's not meant to . . . it's very, very WHITE. There's not much ethnic/racial diversity to the naked eye, but I know it's there! Esperanza Spaulding is from there! On top of that Portland has one of the worst unemployment rates in the country right now. I'm not even sure I can swing a monkey-gig like the one I have here in Austin.
And San Francisco . . . ooooooooh The City. When I lived in Oakland I spent a lot of time playing around with her steep curves. I loved Muddy Waters in the Mission, Big Mouth Burger, the Chinatown library, all of the cool bars and food in the Outer Richmond, and just sitting on Ocean Beach and listening to the distant drone of ships' (often obscured by the fog) horns. I've thought about making my way back to her realm . . . but if I go back to the Bay Area, I'm going to Oakland. What can I say? I hella <3 her.
Dallas and Houston offer a majority of those things you list; no need to talk down on the state because your experience in Austin and if you've really experienced Dallas and Houston than you'd know they are nothing like Austin and offer way much more.
Anyways, I'd definitely eliminate New Orleans. What you think about DC???
Oh the old New Orleans punching bag again, eh?
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.
She gets no love. My main reasons for even considering New Orleans were that I have a friend whose sister lives there and would be able to assist with general issues of acclimation. My friend resides in Austin (she teaches at ACC and her husband is a professor at UT, but her heart is still very much in New Orleans) and she is always, always trying to convince me that the city is in dire need of a youthful (though I'm certainly no spring chicken at 32) infusion lest all of the prognostications of certain demise come to pass. I've never been to New Orleans so I can't speak to its health or sickliness post or pre-Katrina. I know that a lot of people do still love it and are sad to see it in its current state and the idea that I might be able to actually live somewhere where I might potentially contribute to a community's rebirth was marginally appealing. I don't know. My friend has offered to take me to Jazz Fest with her next May, so that will be my first glimpse of her, but I know that cities during such events are not quite what they are during normal day to day living. 
