Got my list, so how do I make a decision?

[CandyApple]

Well, I'm living in Austin now. We'll see how this turns out. Now that I'm in the lower 48 it'll be easier to visit places because I can take the bus to get there instead of flying 4000 miles. I've already taken one trip and got to see some scenery on the way.

Austin's colder than I expected. I thought this winter we'd have maybe 1-2 really cold days and the rest would be pretty pleasant, but it had gotten cold quite often, being t-shirt warm one day and practically freezing the next. I'm glad I brought my down jacket.

P.S. - they do sell goat milk at a lot of the grocery stores here.

[wade_word]

Originally Posted by CandyApple

I've (finally) decided which towns in Texas to visit!

Definitely: Portland, Port Lavaca, Austin, and Denison.
Plus (90% sure): Either Fredericksburg or New Braunfels. Of the two, I'm leaning towards Fredericksburg because it has less crime and is farther from S.A./Austin, and so is likely to have fewer commuters moving to it (which would result in rapid growth and astronomical prices before I'm ready to buy).

My plan is going to be either:
5 days apiece for Portland, Port Lavaca, Austin, and Denison.
OR:
4 days apiece for Portland, Port Lavaca, Austin, and Denison, plus 4 days for *either* New Braunfels or Fredericksburg.

Right now, I'm comparing the two cities and am deciding whether to "rule them in" or "rule them out". I'm going to call the chambers of commerce, plus do a little web searching, and of course anything you guys want to say about the two, or particularly informative threads you could link to would be great.

My big worries are:

-What if I go to Texas, and don't like any of the towns?
-What if I go there, and can't find out enough about the towns to decide whether I want to live there?
-What if I like more than one? How do I pick the "best one"?

It seems like as time passes each move gets harder. I'm hoping to find one city I can be happy with enough to settle down in on a permanent basis. I would stay in Anchorage, but I can't tolerate the winter weather for the rest of my life (or even another season). I've literally got a one-way ticket out of here.

What can I do while I'm in each town to get the best "feel" for it, and the most information, etc., to decide if it's someplace I want to live? Besides the visitors center and chamber of commerce, what else should I do? What questions should I ask? What routes would give the best tour of town? How do I dig up the details that are important to my decision? How much can I learn just by looking at the town? Is there anything I should keep an eye out for? What things will I not be able to learn in a short visit, no matter how well planned my trip, and will only find out after living there a period of time, perhaps years?

Then, after I visit, how do I best weigh the choices? Once I'm done visiting, I'm gonna spend a couple days in a motel room to go over things and decide which I like best. Two days is not a lot of time to make such a big decision. Any tips?

Heck, I'm having a hard time deciding which to rank first pre-visit. I'm having a hard time finding enough info to make decision, I'm sooo stressed about moving that what info I do find I'm having a hard time absorbing, and the amount of things I need to consider is overwhelming. Then, on top of that, I'm having a hard time being honest with myself about what means the most to me in a town (Can I live without the beach? Are bats better, or a lake?).

How would you compare those six towns? How would you describe these towns? If you had to choose one to live in, which would you pick, and why?

Is there much difference, weather-wise, or are they about the same for heat, hail, rain, and thunder? How do they compare price-wise? People-wise? Other-wise?

"What are you looking for?" you ask? Someplace where I'll be happy, my kid will be happy, it's cheaper to live than Anchorage, and some day I can afford a house. Let me know if you need more detail.

Besides that, I have some big concerns about some of the towns.

Since I'll be renting, I'm not too worried about the house being destroyed in a hurricane (that's the landlord's problem ... until I decide to buy a house ... but there's always insurance for that, right? ), but I am concerned about how to evacuate, as I won't own a car. I've e-mailed a few "official sites", and am waiting for a response, but if someone would like to chime in on the subject that would be great.

My other concern is about the nuclear research reactor in Austin. I'm a bit leery of nuclear stuff. I emailed the university (probably picked the wrong address- hope they forward it) and am going to call about it (the Austin visitor's center gave me the phone #), but I'd like to hear any comments about it. If it was a power plant, I wouldn't move near it, but a "research reactor" (less radioactive material/danger I assume)?... I don't know.

You can always try the northern tier of the Metroplex. It's where I'm at, it's where the jobs are, it's where the people are, and it's close enough to everything.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by CandyApple

Well, I'm living in Austin now. We'll see how this turns out. Now that I'm in the lower 48 it'll be easier to visit places because I can take the bus to get there instead of flying 4000 miles. I've already taken one trip and got to see some scenery on the way.

Austin's colder than I expected. I thought this winter we'd have maybe 1-2 really cold days and the rest would be pretty pleasant, but it had gotten cold quite often, being t-shirt warm one day and practically freezing the next. I'm glad I brought my down jacket.

P.S. - they do sell goat milk at a lot of the grocery stores here.

Well, hi there neighbor! Welcome to Austin. I'm suprised that you found this winter colder than you expected, but don't worry -- you're down jacket shold not be seeing use for the next 7 months or so. We do, rarely, see one last cold front in late March/early April... but probably not! Be prepared for shorts weather until Halloween or so.