Considering moving from Boston to Pflugerville, RR, or Houston TX!! Advice Welcomed

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by AK123

I lived in the city for several years, and worked in the city many more. Where in this thread was I "talking about how great"? All I said is I think you're full of it; you see nothing but the bad and you exaggerate it... from your spot in HI no less. It's gotten beyond whiny and absurd, doing it in so many threads. Like someone else said, time to move on.

I have to agree! Wink is a breath of foul air!!!! Definitely full of slander!

[atn1972]

I live in Pflugerville and have 2 girls in the elementary schools. The schools are rated 7 to 8 out of 10, similar to Round Rock area. Which is pretty good compared to Austin's schools which are 3-4/10, but most inner city schools are like.

$250K will get you a really nice place, but prices are climbing as we speak. I got my 3200SQft home, 4B 3.5Bath for $205K, 3 years ago, brand new. Pflugverville area is the best bang of the buck. Round Rock is next, then Austin area. Your price points in Plfugerville will be lower, but keep in mid that the property tax rates in Pflugverville is the highest compared to Round Rock and Austin areas.

Since Pflugerville is growing so fast, they have had to keep tax rates high. I pay 2.8% of my house in property taxes a year. Round Rock is like 2.4% and Austin is around 2.1%. So the home prices reflect the tax rates. As home prices go up, the tax rates are lower. Keep that in mind when looking at houses. You might think that a comparable home in Pflugerville is cheap, but you find that the monthly payment is about the same, since you pay more for the property taxes.

Also the water rates in Pflugerville is the highest in the area. For me I have to pay $100-$150/month for water and sewer. When I lived in Michigan I paid that amount every 3 months. I'm not sure why the water and sewer rates are so high here, but I think it has to something to do with deregulation and the business being a monopoly. So they can charge anything they want.

Yes Texas has no income tax, but they still have to get there money somehow.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by atn1972

I live in Pflugerville and have 2 girls in the elementary schools. The schools are rated 7 to 8 out of 10, similar to Round Rock area. Which is pretty good compared to Austin's schools which are 3-4/10, but most inner city schools are like.

$250K will get you a really nice place, but prices are climbing as we speak. I got my 3200SQft home, 4B 3.5Bath for $205K, 3 years ago, brand new. Pflugverville area is the best bang of the buck. Round Rock is next, then Austin area. Your price points in Plfugerville will be lower, but keep in mid that the property tax rates in Pflugverville is the highest compared to Round Rock and Austin areas.

Since Pflugerville is growing so fast, they have had to keep tax rates high. I pay 2.8% of my house in property taxes a year. Round Rock is like 2.4% and Austin is around 2.1%. So the home prices reflect the tax rates. As home prices go up, the tax rates are lower. Keep that in mind when looking at houses. You might think that a comparable home in Pflugerville is cheap, but you find that the monthly payment is about the same, since you pay more for the property taxes.

Also the water rates in Pflugerville is the highest in the area. For me I have to pay $100-$150/month for water and sewer. When I lived in Michigan I paid that amount every 3 months. I'm not sure why the water and sewer rates are so high here, but I think it has to something to do with deregulation and the business being a monopoly. So they can charge anything they want.

Yes Texas has no income tax, but they still have to get there money somehow.

Excellent Post atn. Good info on the schools, tax rates & utilities for Pville & RR.

I'd add that if one works in RR (or the Tech companies in North or NE Austin) & LIVES in RR, Pville or N. Austin, then the famous "Austin traffic" that non-austinites like to talk about & scare people about is pretty much a non-issue. Avoiding I 35 & Mopac (N/S) eliminates a lot of the traffic headaches that people experience in austin. Many locals easily avoid greater Austin traffic. It's mostly noobs & visitors/travelers from Htown & the Metroplex that sit on I 35 & complain about it. (Like there's no traffic in their fair cities. )

[Salgal1113]

As far as Pflugerville goes, there are parts that you want to avoid (the areas closer to I-35), but once you hit "old town" and head east, you'll find a pleasant, often charming town. Lots of festivals and family activities, nice parks and trails, good schools (again, those to the east are rated better than those closer to I-35). Still a lot of small-town feel. Great mix of people - both ethnically and age-wise. More and more locally-owned shopping and dining every year.

[RooCeleste]

Wow. Great impression of Texas and Texans you're putting out here with all the bickering about one city versus another. I'm pretty certain, having lived in/near Houston, Dallas, and Austin, that they could find a nice area to live in any of the three. Houston's not a dump, Austin's not all white hipsters, and Dallas isn't just snotty people. Austin traffic sucks and it isn't just "noobs or visitors" who sit on I35, either. There are thousands of native Texans who have been in Austin for years who have found that 35 is the least of the evils when trying to get to work. You will encounter traffic in any of the three big cities you mention.

If your spouse is working in Round Rock, you should be able to find a house in Round Rock, Pflugerville, or Cedar Park with a lesser amount of traffic (you will still encounter it), good schools, and more restaurants/shopping than you could ever want. (And the suburbs aren't just chain stuff despite what you might read on here) With a few exceptions, most of the areas in those cities are very safe. Our neighborhood in Cedar Park is very diverse: blacks, whites, Indians, hispanics, Asians, Turks, New Yorkers :-)....nobody really cares what race you are as long as you're friendly and a good neighbor! And that's in Williamson County -- gasp! So it isn't just a bunch of white conservatives like you might read on here. There are parks and hiking trails everywhere...never have to want for an outdoor space to enjoy! Home prices have skyrocketed of late (our appraisal went up $40,000 just this year!) and the tax rate sucks, but that's just part of life.

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have other questions and please disregard all the nastiness. People are generally very friendly here, regardless of which city you choose!

[hound 109]

My comment regarding the noobs & out of towners was a response to the 34 other posts that basically stated "don't move to Greater Austin the traffic is much worse than any other city". The "noob" reference is to the hundreds who move to Greater Austin & live far north & work south.....or vice/versa (when it could have easily been avoided).

I agree that the OP can find a good place to live (schools/price range/diversity) in Pville, RR (or CP). But I also stand by my it's easy to avoid traffic in Austin comment....if one lives near where they work. (& for the OP, it's doable).

& bickering between Austin/Houston & Dallas is time honored tradition....it's like the family getting together at Thanksgiving. Let's talk about Humidity next.... (but not High School Football).