Houston vs. Austin: For a single, black, grad student? (Dallas: apartment, neighborhood)

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by awecelot

I'm not looking for a fight. I'm pretty sure people on this board can back me up on this - the reason why I am here is to give sound advice to people.

You obviously didn't read my post. If you would have read it, you would have seen this:


I don't need to spew my anger somewhere else, because I'm not angry. It seems to me like you are angry that I chose to challenge your assertions about Austin.

Look, I'm sorry that you didn't have a good experience when you lived in Austin. However, just because Houston is better for you does not mean that Austin is not better for the OP. Dallas is better for me than either Houston or Austin, but that doesn't mean that Houston isn't better for you than Dallas and Austin. It's all about what we are looking for in a city, and based upon the OP's post, I felt like Austin was the best recommendation. I don't have anything to gain from it - I'm only here to help people make an educated decision.

I don't even know how to respond to the rest of your response to me, so I'll leave it to other posters who know that I am here to help others make decisions based upon the facts. Sometimes, that job involves correcting the assertions that others make.

Oh come on, I am certainly not angry but when you call someone ignorant you will not get a kind response from that.

Also it is not that I had a "bad experience" in Austin it was that I was totally shocked by the absolute lies and misguided hype about that city. Austin is not a place for people who are looking to move up in life, or looking for diversity, culture, excitement etc. It is so shocking to hear all of the hype and go there thinking you are making a good move only to get there and realize the hype was a big lie! I would not call that having a bad experience only a rude awakening...it was a good experience since I now know what Austin is really about. I am also here to help the OP make an educated decision especially since I have lived in both cities. I see what she is looking for and I gave an honest assessment and you call me ignorant and put down my assessment. Man o Man

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Bellydancing - Contrary to what an earlier poster said (don't think he gets around much, or he doesn't have a clue about Austin, one or the other), I took my very first bellydance classes in the early 1970's in Austin. Have been dancing off and on ever since. There's lots of bellydancing going on here.


I am a she not a he and yes I do get around a lot...it comes natural for adventurous souls and I have a huge clue about Austin.




I don't know if Houston or Austin would be a better fit for you, but I'm pretty sure you'd be happy in Austin.

That certainly is assuming ALOT

[awecelot]

Originally Posted by dldupuy

Oh come on, I am certainly not angry but when you call someone ignorant you will not get a kind response from that.

Also it is not that I had a "bad experience" in Austin it was that I was totally shocked by the absolute lies and misguided hype about that city. Austin is not a place for people who are looking to move up in life, or looking for diversity, culture, excitement etc. It is so shocking to hear all of the hype and go there thinking you are making a good move only to get there and realize the hype was a big lie! I would not call that having a bad experience only a rude awakening...it was a good experience since I now know what Austin is really about. I am also here to help the OP make an educated decision especially since I have lived in both cities. I see what she is looking for and I gave an honest assessment and you call me ignorant and put down my assessment. Man o Man

I never called you ignorant; I said that suggesting that bellydancing was nonexistent in Austin (which you did infer in your post) was ignorant. The ACT. Not YOU. I wouldn't judge something that I knew nothing of; I know nothing of you, so I would never judge you in any manner. I know a lot about the ACT of making an inference based upon bad information, when other information is easily available. I see it done a lot. That doesn't make the person who does it ignorant.

I'm sure that you and I agree that you have to choose cities based on what they actually offer, not based on the hype. That's what these websites are so useful for.

So, are we cool?

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by awecelot

I never called you ignorant; I said that suggesting that bellydancing was nonexistent in Austin (which you did infer in your post) was ignorant. The ACT. Not YOU. I wouldn't judge something that I knew nothing of; I know nothing of you, so I would never judge you in any manner. I know a lot about the ACT of making an inference based upon bad information, when other information is easily available. I see it done a lot. That doesn't make the person who does it ignorant.

I'm sure that you and I agree that you have to choose cities based on what they actually offer, not based on the hype. That's what these websites are so useful for.

So, are we cool?

Were cool.

I just find it so amazing how if anyone says one thing undesirable about Austin then the Austinites jump down the persons throat and insults the post...just go to their forum and see the attacks on people who do not view Austin favorably. It is truly amazing when someone speaks the truth then the data regulars will jump on the post and attack. Strange indeed If anything it should show the OP the type of thinking she will encounter in Austin.

[texdav]

I think that both have everything you list. But I also agree that Austin is a university city and houston is a city with universities. Personally I would pick Austin because it has great music and more of a college geared clubs etc. Houston is a businesss and medical city ;pure and simple.Both Rice and UT are very good schools that I would pick over U of H anytime.I will say that Austin and the surrounding hill country area is very popular in texas.If you like a big city then you might like houston tho.But like any big city it has bad areas and good areas. good luck

[love roses]

I am near Austin and have lived in Houston. You can find what's on your list in Austin, but I do agree with dldupuy. You will find a lot more of it in Houston. As far as dance classes, if you don't live pretty much Central in Austin, they will not be easy to get to. I looked into Irish dancing once and all the classes were closer to South Austin. In Houston, you can live just about anywhere and find a group close to you. Swing dancing is what I did in Houston.

I lived in Rice Village for a number of years. Several of my housemates went to Rice. Any of the inner loop areas near the major campuses have tons of things geared to college students and young professionals. There are several different "Club" neighborhoods, like Richmond Strip, Montrose, Rice Village, some parts of the Heights. Tons of small galleries strewn about as well as very large museums. Austin has lots of museums, but again, due to the size difference of the cities, it isn't on such a big scale.

Houston has Austin beat as far as racial diversity. There IS racial diversity in Austin, but there is also an East of 35 vs. West of 35 thing here where more minorities tend to live East of 35 as opposed to West of 35. Houston doesn't really have a dividing line like that, although there are neighborhoods scattered about that have more AA, Hispanic, Asian leanings. Both are actually similar in their political diversity.

Houston is not hilly like Austin since it's a Gulf Coast City, but there are lots of trees about. Austin and Houston both have so many festivals that, like THL says, you can throw a rock and hit one. Houston doesn't have SXSW, but it does have the International Fest. Houston and Austin both have good music scenes and many of the bands from either city travel back and forth for shows. Many of the clubs and restaurants that are in Austin can also be found in Houston.

I really think you should take a mini trip and visit both. I recommend not sticking to the main freeways in either city because I think you can't get a good feel of what a place is like if you just stay on the interstate. And like another poster said, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas are all very close to each other so if you pick one to live in, you can very easily take day or weekend trips to visit the other ones.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by dldupuy

Were cool.

I just find it so amazing how if anyone says one thing undesirable about Austin then the Austinites jump down the persons throat and insults the post...just go to their forum and see the attacks on people who do not view Austin favorably. It is truly amazing when someone speaks the truth then the data regulars will jump on the post and attack. Strange indeed If anything it should show the OP the type of thinking she will encounter in Austin.

dldupuy, sorry for the misunderstanding about gender, for some reason your posts just gave me that impression.

However, your posts not only said something undesirable about Austin, they said things that were simply not true. So, rather than responding to your post, I responded to the OP's post and questions about Austin with the information that I have about it based on about 40 years of living here (and finding all the things I mentioned in abundance, if not in the abundance that would of course occur in a city many times its size). The comment about not getting out much had to do with you saying things don't exist in Austin that are VERY easy to find and have been for decades, if you actually look intead of expecting THEM to find YOU. I was finding them easily long before the internet even existed - now, it's a cake walk.

It's no more of an assumption that the OP would be happy in Austin than it is that she wouldn't, by the way, so you're way off the mark there (and your bias is showing). Based on her criteria, she'd likely be happy in either place, and I had the honesty to acknowledge that.

[txstate]

H-Town hands up or down

[bamba_boy]

I split my graduate student career myself between Austin and Houston/Galveston as I did coursework on the Main Campus in Austin and research at an institute on the coast. One really isn't better than the other for a grad student, they just have different vibes. Houston is an amazing business town with great diversity, including a wonderful African-American scene probably only exceeded by Atlanta. Austin is an amazing college/state-government town with a major business scene that is comparatively small except for lobbying and computer/chip design - neither of which you are studying to enter. So Houston would have obvious advantages for starting to network, obtain internships, attend prof. assoc. meetings etc while you're still in school vs Austin. Also, as somebody mentioned before, there is huge competion for the jobs that ARE available in Austin for the huge contingent of UT grads that graduate each year so you'll probably have to leave town one way or another.

However, on the other hand, Austin is a wonderful experience for living near/on campus and having wonderful college-type experiences continue for you. Also, weekends in the Hill Country - upland lakes, Enchanted Rock, delightful little German towns, - beats Houston for sure, unless it's salt-water fishing, etc , that's your big interest.

It really boils down to whether you want your grad-school period of life to be an extension of your undergrad college days (Austin)or the beginning of your adult life (Houston).

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

dldupuy, sorry for the misunderstanding about gender, for some reason your posts just gave me that impression.

However, your posts not only said something undesirable about Austin, they said things that were simply not true. So, rather than responding to your post, I responded to the OP's post and questions about Austin with the information that I have about it based on about 40 years of living here (and finding all the things I mentioned in abundance, if not in the abundance that would of course occur in a city many times its size). The comment about not getting out much had to do with you saying things don't exist in Austin that are VERY easy to find and have been for decades, if you actually look intead of expecting THEM to find YOU. I was finding them easily long before the internet even existed - now, it's a cake walk.


It's no more of an assumption that the OP would be happy in Austin than it is that she wouldn't, by the way, so you're way off the mark there (and your bias is showing). Based on her criteria, she'd likely be happy in either place, and I had the honesty to acknowledge that.

Horselady I find it amazing how you are trying to make me look like I have said things that were untrue about Austin. I have never said one thing untrue about Austin! I said I have never heard of belly dancing in Austin not that it does not exist...go back and read exactly word for word what I said about belly dancing and find where I said it does not exist in Austin.



During my time in Austin I was out and about. I worked downtown at the Trauma center as a blood transfusion specialist, I explored all over that town and even in nearby towns. (Sorry I missed seeing the belly dancing....was not looking for it either!) Austin is just OK nothing special at all. The OP is looking for things that I can tell you are NOT in Austin. What you may think are great museums, diversity and culture in Austin is absolute absurdity compared to what Houston has to offer. You may have lived in Austin for 40 years however I have also lived in Houston for 43 years and base my knowledge from that. I know what Houston has to offer and I know what Austin has to offer. It does not take years to learn Austin since it so much smaller then Houston. Do you not think a big city person knows how to get out and explore a city?? I did get out and explore your city and I was not impressed at all. Is severely lacks fundamentally in many areas.

I would never assume where anyone would be happier. I have no clue if she would be happy living in Houston...all I can do is give her an honest assessment for what she is looking for. That is what I did in comparing the two cities for what she is looking for.

I will continue to spread the truth if anyone asks about relocating to Austin vs. Houston and they list interests that I can comment about. So get used to it because I am going to continue to spread the truth. I can take the Austinite attacks...that will not stop me from honestly helping people that are seeking knowledge. Houston is a world class city and Austin is a small college town with a well known college football team. Humm I wonder where you can really climb if you are ambitious in a small college town or a world class city....hummmmm My bias is showing????...wow interesting coming from a real estate agent...