Austin or San Antonio? Please help me! (Houston, Dallas: live, prices) - Texas (TX) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

jendoug · 01-11-2008, 12:11 PM

I just moved to the Northwest side of S.A. near Helotes in July 2007. I previously lived in Austin for 13 years. I really like both cities but they are nothing alike. San Antonio is more conservative overall and even though it's a big city, my interactions with people have had more of a smaller town feel. Overall, people are generally very friendly and kind. I noticed this pattern as the weeks progressed when I moved here. From service professionals to shopkeepers to other parents on sports teams and at school--they've been so friendly. Austin on the outside is going to look like a more beautiful and interesting town but the people are less warm and friendly on the whole. There is sort of this whole snobby intellectual artsy I'm better than you attitude that prevails around Austin. I'm saying this as a person who has always considered herself "an Austin person". I went to college there and was determined to go back and live there. Coming from Dallas, Austin seemed laid back and friendly. Now I see that San Antonio has Austin beat by far in that arena. You will also get more house for your money in S.A. Locals will say that the traffic in S.A. is horrible but coming from Austin, it is no big deal. Austin traffic is horrible! The thing I miss the most about Austin is all of the wonderful restaurants. Especially the cafes with all of the wonderful fresh food. I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants. Anyways, hope this helps.

mikey1984 · 01-11-2008, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jendoug

I just moved to the Northwest side of S.A. near Helotes in July 2007. I previously lived in Austin for 13 years. I really like both cities but they are nothing alike. San Antonio is more conservative overall and even though it's a big city, my interactions with people have had more of a smaller town feel. Overall, people are generally very friendly and kind. I noticed this pattern as the weeks progressed when I moved here. From service professionals to shopkeepers to other parents on sports teams and at school--they've been so friendly. Austin on the outside is going to look like a more beautiful and interesting town but the people are less warm and friendly on the whole. There is sort of this whole snobby intellectual artsy I'm better than you attitude that prevails around Austin. I'm saying this as a person who has always considered herself "an Austin person". I went to college there and was determined to go back and live there. Coming from Dallas, Austin seemed laid back and friendly. Now I see that San Antonio has Austin beat by far in that arena. You will also get more house for your money in S.A. Locals will say that the traffic in S.A. is horrible but coming from Austin, it is no big deal. Austin traffic is horrible! The thing I miss the most about Austin is all of the wonderful restaurants. Especially the cafes with all of the wonderful fresh food. I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants. Anyways, hope this helps.

Haha, I think they serve fresh food in S.A as well. OMG, It is not all chain. San Antonio has the same quality of eating establishments as well. I don't think any of Austin restaurants made the list of top rated restaurants in the U.S. One of San Antonio's French restaurants ranked 6th best in the country.

As far as traffic problems, one day Austin will have a freeway system, it now has one on par with Waco's. Austin has no choice but to build Light rail. San Antonio has a little more breathing room, thanks too the exstensive freeway system.

oldmanshirt · 01-11-2008, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jendoug

Austin on the outside is going to look like a more beautiful and interesting town but the people are less warm and friendly on the whole. There is sort of this whole snobby intellectual artsy I'm better than you attitude that prevails around Austin. I'm saying this as a person who has always considered herself "an Austin person". I went to college there and was determined to go back and live there. Coming from Dallas, Austin seemed laid back and friendly. Now I see that San Antonio has Austin beat by far in that arena.

It's intersting that you make this statement, considering my overwhemling impression of Austin the past few years is that it's becoming like something of a mini-Dallas.

As jealous as I admittedly am of Austin's downtown high-rise boom, it's impossible to deny that the city is selling it's soul in it's efforts to become a big, cosmopolitan city. There's no more of the quirky personality I used to feel when I visited as a child; now it seems more like a wannabe Seattle or San Francisco, but with none of the history, culture, or complexity of those places. Love it or hate it, SA has somehow always been able to pull off the big city and small town thing simultaneously, and has never tried to be anything more than what it is.

oldmanshirt · 01-11-2008, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Insomniac

coming in to SA from either 35 on the northeast side or 10 on the east side isn't a very good way to access San Antonio. Quite frankly, both those drives are very unappealing for the most part. 35 after 1604 becomes a view of billboards, car dealerships and industrial buildings all the way into Downtown. For 10, coming in from east Bexar to downtown it's mostly rural land up and until just before 410 when it becomes industrial as well and then mainly lower middle class housing. What also leads to the unappealing nature of the drives is the freeways are quite old and in need of repairs/upgrades. Though I believe plans are in place to do so.

Back in October i was driving home from Ft. Worth, and for the first time I finally noticed just how. . . well, let's say "unremarkable" SA looks from I-35. It then dawned on me that this may be part of the reason why our friends up the interstate believe that SA is a "poor" town or whatever. Driving in on I-10 from the east is even worse. You basically drive through Seguin, see nothing for about 20 minutes, then see some huge new subdivisions to the north, then more nothing, then houses, then all of the sudden there's downtown. It's really an up-close look at one of SA's most non-metropolitan angles, and if that's all that you see of SA outside of downtown, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was much more than an overgrown El Paso or something.

In contrast, the most impressive freeway corridors in the city, 281 north through Stone Oak, the airport, the Olmos Basin and Midtown, and I-10 "West" (actually north) past the Rim, USAA, and the STMC, are the ones that are probably seen by the fewest out-of-towners. Eh, go figure. I kind of like that natives are mostly able to enjoy those areas by themselves, anyway

Having said that, I-35 north will be the best way to view all the new Fort Sam construction

smuboy86 · 01-12-2008, 12:08 AM

I-35 will also be a prime place to witness the rebirth of Windcrest, and Rackspace.

neddy · 01-12-2008, 06:47 AM

After living in SA for years then moving to Austin over the summer I have to say that Jendoug is right in the laid back feeling. People always said Austin was laid back but SA is about as reclined on the couch as you can get and still have a pulse! People are still friendly here but more so in SA. I miss SA for all the food. Tex MEx is different here but I have heard that we are getting Mamacitias here so I will be happy with that and well Rudys and Golden Wok are in the area also! Never thought I would miss Bill Millers wntil there is not one on every corner to get a tea from!

imaterry78259 · 01-12-2008, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanshirt

It's intersting that you make this statement, considering my overwhemling impression of Austin the past few years is that it's becoming like something of a mini-Dallas.

As jealous as I admittedly am of Austin's downtown high-rise boom, it's impossible to deny that the city is selling it's soul in it's efforts to become a big, cosmopolitan city. There's no more of the quirky personality I used to feel when I visited as a child; now it seems more like a wannabe Seattle or San Francisco, but with none of the history, culture, or complexity of those places. Love it or hate it, SA has somehow always been able to pull off the big city and small town thing simultaneously, and has never tried to be anything more than what it is.

You hit the eight ball right in the corner pocket. I totally agree with you

Insomniac · 01-12-2008, 02:09 PM

If the new Walters Street Overpass is any indecation of how 35 will eventually look (whether it has tolls added or not) I think 35 will probably out do Dallas' Central Expressway as best looking freeway.

Guerilla · 01-12-2008, 02:19 PM

I don't think so. It will come close though. I think US 59 SW through the Inner Loop in Houston is the best. Some nice greenery and ivy's growing up the side with a lot of nice signature bridges.

Insomniac · 01-12-2008, 02:32 PM

Come on Guerilla, 59 isn't even in the same league as CE in Dallas. I know you're a strong Houston jocker and what not but come on you can't be serious. Though that is of course your opinion and you are most certainly entitled to it but when I lived in Houston there was not one time when I was driving that stretch of 59 that the design or aesthetics wow'd me or impressed me. I mean,. the white arched bridges are kind of cool but that's it. The ivy along the the walls was just that, ivy along the walls. I've seen boulders placed in medians in Nevada, I've seen art work on walls in other states. The segments of 1604 in far north SA that run through craved limestone beat out 59's Ivy walls.