Dallas/Austin vs Atlanta (transplants, home, technology jobs)

[Shilr]

We are planning to move from
east coast to Texas (Dallas/Austin) but also considering Atlanta. We are in our thirties with little kids. Which place is better for the following? Thanks so much!

1. IT/software jobs (availability, competition etc.)
2. For raising a family
3. Traffic and ease of getting around places
4. Ease of making new friends
5. Weather
6. Outdoor activities
7. Partying scene
8. Cost of living
9. Public schools
10. Anything else you want to comment!

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Shilr

We are planning to move from
east coast to Texas (Dallas/Austin) but also considering Atlanta. We are in our thirties with little kids. Which place is better for the following? Thanks so much!

1. IT/software jobs (availability, competition etc.)
2. For raising a family
3. Traffic and ease of getting around places
4. Ease of making new friends
5. Weather
6. Outdoor activities
7. Partying scene
8. Cost of living
9. Public schools
10. Anything else you want to comment!

1. Austin is probably the best, but all 3 have a pretty big base.
2. All have pluses and minuses. If your job is in the city, I would put Atlanta last. But your job will probably be in the suburbs.
3. All have traffic problems, but Dallas probably has a slight advantage. Austin is 2nd but rapidly getting worse. Atlanta is 3rd. Biggest advantage for the Texas cities is they have more alternative routes.
4. Atlanta is probably the friendliest big city in the country. All 3 have a mix a people and you can probably find your niche. Certainly the kids can. Austin is very casual. Atlanta and Dallas are more formal.
5. Depends on what you like. Dallas and Atlanta are similar, but Atlanta is a little colder in the winter while Dallas is hotter in the summer. Atlanta has more rain. Austin doesn't have much of a winter. It gets hot in the summer, but not as much as Dallas.
6. Again, depends on what you like. Outdoor activities can cover a lot of areas. Austin probably has the most "outdoorsy" culture of the 3.
7. I'll let someone else address this.
8. There are some indices out there you can look up. This changes over time. I suspect you will find Dallas and Austin similar with Atlanta slightly higher. Before the recession, Atlanta was definitely higher, but Austin and Dallas have had a lot more housing inflation since then.
9. Dallas has very good schools in many areas of the Metroplex, Richardson and Plano in particular. Austin has good schools in Round Rock and Westlake and mediocre in the city. Atlanta has some very good schools in some of the suburbs (East Cobb, North Fulton, North Gwinnett) and awful schools closer in (with a few exceptions-there are some good elementary schools sprinkled in).

Lots of people go to school in Austin and never want to leave. I was different. Loved my time there, but was looking to move beyond school and start elsewhere. Austin is definitely a younger city. Very oriented towards government, the University of Texas and technology jobs. Lots of the Silicon Valley companies also have bases in Austin (or vice versa). Because people love it so much, salaries other than IT tend to be a little lower.

I've heard more than one person say Dallas and Atlanta are more alike than any two cities in the country. There's something to that, but Dallas still has more in common with Houston. Georgians are different than Texans.

[lastminutemom]

Originally Posted by bu2

I've heard more than one person say Dallas and Atlanta are more alike than any two cities in the country. There's something to that, but Dallas still has more in common with Houston. Georgians are different than Texans.

Cannot stress this enough -- though both places have lots of transplants. Texans often have a certain swagger that you don't see around here as much.

I adore Austin, love its vibe, but would only live there if we could have a manageable commute. Really, the same is true for all three cities.

Dallas and ATL are a lot alike, I think.

The economy in Texas seems stronger and I happen to think that in many of the good Dallas school districts there is a wider variety of housing prices, allowing easier access to the top public schools.

[gtcorndog]

Austin has the worst traffic of them all. They didn't build roads to keep up with their growth and they are paying for it now.

[afdinatl]

Atlanta wins in every category. The IT jobs are on the northside of Atlanta and that is where you will live to traffic shouldn't be much of a factor. Check our the area between 75 and 85 north of 285.

People only move to TX if they are on their last leg trying to get a job. If you have jobs in each city Atlanta is the easy choice. Our last call is later, we have better festivals, we are closer to your home city, we are closer to nicer beaches, more people visit our city, etc.

Cost of living, making friends and public schools (in North metro Atlanta) is about the same

[sedimenjerry]

I like all 3 choices. I think Texas has a better economy right now than we do (although from what I understand, Houston is doing better than DFW). However, it seems Atlanta does have a sizable IT market. Traffic is really bad in Austin considering its size. I don't think DFW traffic is as bad in most places but it depends on your individual commute. A commute on 35 in Austin will be worse than 85 on the southside of ATL. But a commute with the top end of 285 in Atlanta would be worse than 20 in DFW. Just depends.

Texas is definitely hotter. Having gone to college just 2 hours east of Austin, I know how hot it can be. September in and near Austin is just another month of summer. Dallas has slightly shorter summers than Austin but hotter and longer than Atlanta. DFW is basically the southern plains and weather is more variable and windier than Atlanta (not as many tall trees). My first visit to Ft Worth was in December 4 years ago. The high was 85. I visited again in May and the high was 70 after a few days of 90. It's hotter and drier. Austin, farther to the south, won't get as cold as DFW or ATL. Depends on what you like. I like the weather here in Atlanta more. The trees are better here. We have actual foliage and a great mix of deciduous trees and pines. Austin is right at the edge of the hill country. The west side in the hills is more expensive but has great views. The east side is in the plains but is cheaper. DFW has hills more like ATL but without the dense tree canopy. Austin is a great outdoorsy place. The culture is there and the hill country is great. Also have the river right next to downtown. DFW is lacking in this category. There's the Trinity River and its trails but it's just not comparable to here or Austin.

Austin is a very laid back and fun place. 6th street is all you need to know about nightlife there. You have great live music nightly and also the huge festivals like SXSW and ACL. Can't speak for DFW but I think it's more similar to ATL in how upscale it is. For schools I think all 3 are similar. Great schools in the suburbs, lacking in the inner city.

Like others have said, DFW and ATL are a lot alike. All the time I spent there with friends and it seemed like I was in Atlanta but in a different location (different climate and topography). Both are sprawling with very nice areas. Even sunrise/sunset times are similar! However, there is something to be said about being in Texas. Whataburger is king. As is Shiner. High school football is a huge deal. Trucks everywhere! Overall, you can't go wrong with any of those places.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by bu2

I've heard more than one person say Dallas and Atlanta are more alike than any two cities in the country. There's something to that, but Dallas still has more in common with Houston. Georgians are different than Texans.

It's my honest opinion that Dallasites, Houstonians and Atlantans are all just as similar as they are different. Dallas and Houston may be in the same state, but they are still in two different cultural regions, and there is as much distance between them as there is between Atlanta and Charlotte.

Plus, as someone else pointed out, all three cities are chock full of transplants nowadays, so making any regional distinctions among the natives is becoming more and more difficult.

To the OP: go where you get the job

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by afdinatl

Atlanta wins in every category. The IT jobs are on the northside of Atlanta and that is where you will live to traffic shouldn't be much of a factor. Check our the area between 75 and 85 north of 285.

People only move to TX if they are on their last leg trying to get a job. If you have jobs in each city Atlanta is the easy choice. Our last call is later, we have better festivals, we are closer to your home city, we are closer to nicer beaches, more people visit our city, etc.

Cost of living, making friends and public schools (in North metro Atlanta) is about the same

Tony, I think you are often too quick to award Atlanta all the top honors. Tony makes Texans look modest in terms of swagger.

I don't think Atlanta has anything like SXSW. Last leg or not, Texas has the jobs and Austin is big in IT as UT-Austin is a formidable anchor. And the party scene in Austin is legendary...6th street.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Tony, I think you are often too quick to award Atlanta all the top honors. Tony makes Texans look modest in terms of swagger.

I don't think Atlanta has anything like SXSW. Last leg or not, Texas has the jobs and Austin is big in IT as UT-Austin is a formidable anchor. And the party scene in Austin is legendary...6th street.

Legendary party scene? That's for younguns. And, Mathman, if oil stays below $80 per barrel for long, Houston is going to take it on the chin.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Legendary party scene? That's for younguns. And, Mathman, if oil stays below $80 per barrel for long, Houston is going to take it on the chin.

Houston's based on more than oil and $80 doesn't hurt, it just slows down the industry. Oil smaller part of Dallas. Austin doesn't have many oil related jobs.