Anyone move to Austin....and hate it? (Houston, Howe: live in, assessment)

[AustinTraveler]

Originally Posted by Gooli

I am about to move to Austin!!! I am really scared but I hope that it goes good!!!!

Don't be scared. Austin is a great place to live and has really great people. Please don't read too much into over-the-top negative rants. Some people are just unhappy and need something or some place to blame it on.

Welcome!

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

Don't be scared. Austin is a great place to live and has really great people. Please don't read too much into over-the-top negative rants. Some people are just unhappy and need something or some place to blame it on.

Welcome!

I think you should be a little nervous, one post has over 750 posts on 10 reason not to move to Austin, and this is thread is nearing 300. Also keep in mind that alot of posts are that don't find austin agreeable are deleted. Almost like there is some agenda. Every state has the city that no one likes but Very few cites can boast as many negative posts as the "hate Austin" recieves. Don't trust me? check it out yourself

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

I think you should be a little nervous, one post has over 750 posts on 10 reason not to move to Austin, and this is thread is nearing 300. Also keep in mind that alot of posts are that don't find austin agreeable are deleted. Almost like there is some agenda. Every state has the city that no one likes but Very few cites can boast as many negative posts as the "hate Austin" recieves. Don't trust me? check it out yourself

But many of those posts (of the 750 cited above are people rushing to defend Austin) Additionally, if you check out Seattle's page, there are is a lot of hate and discontent up here as well. Look at other city data boards and you will find the same hate and discontent countered by city boosterism. Different people have different priorities, needs, and interests. That will necessarily affect how he or she perceives what a city offers.

People relocating from every part of the country sing Austin's praises on this site. Other people relocating from every part of the country decry the hype that pushed them into moving to the city. I think these sites are good in the sense that they offer an opportunity for people to ask specific questions about a place. However, relying on someone else's overall impressions of an area is not helpful in determining whether one should pick up and relocate. It is impossible to know what a poster's needs/interests/priorities are without an itemization, and it may be that the reader relying on them have a completely different set.

When I tell people we want to leave Seattle, they think we are insane because it is so beautiful up here and so "hip." Yes, being so beautiful means that many, many other people want to live here driving up the cost of living. It's hard to appreciate all of the natural beauty if one is stressed out about money all of the time. Additionally, being middle aged, I think we just find "hip" to be somewhat tiresome . As Professor Pausch said in his Last Lecture, I'll take earnest over hip any day!

Consequently, while it is good to read what other residents have say about a place if they provide specifics, remember that only you can know what your needs are. If you want a reasonable cost of living in a place known for its friendliness, with a touch of natural beauty, but with a slower pace of living than someplace like LA, and you can tolerate the heat, then Austin may be the place for you!

[sberdrow]

Have you guys been to the Austin area in the past 2 years? We were there last summer and they'd just put up these HUGE overpasses all over the place. Residents would tell us that they used to have nice views to look at before the big, concrets highways came overhead. A few of them are annoying toll roads (there aren't any tolls in the NW).

Also, in Austin (not the slightly hilly area by the lake that we all like but the main bulk of the city and its suburbs) the area is flat and featureless--unless you count the water towers popping up like Q-tips sporadically.

And lets not forget the nasty bugs. There was some sort of infestation of crickets all through town that found them swarmed on the walls and sidewalks of area businesses (and of course they had found their way inside these establishments as well). Driving at night, large prehistoric bugs would splatter across our windshield.

The humudity was intense for us as well. In the Northwest its tolerable. In Texas when you walked outside it was as if you'd been instantly smothered in a hot blanket. Lightening storms are cool--unless you happen to live in a low-lying area prone to flooding. Austin is also the only area I've lived in that had to have its very own weather channel because of the potential of your house being carried away to OZ by a tornado.

[mandib]

Austin is hotter than hell. And more humid. And full of people and cars and traffic and it's flat and ugly and miserable. People should not move here! Please don't move here. Save it for those of us who like it.

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

Have you guys been to the Austin area in the past 2 years? We were there last summer and they'd just put up these HUGE overpasses all over the place. Residents would tell us that they used to have nice views to look at before the big, concrets highways came overhead. A few of them are annoying toll roads (there aren't any tolls in the NW).

We do have tolls here now; there is a toll on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and a congestion toll on hwy 167 between Auburn and Renton.

Also the estimated toll for the new 520 floating bridge is as much as $6.00 one-way.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

Have you guys been to the Austin area in the past 2 years?

Yes, we were there for a week in April. Traffic is worse than when we lived there and there was more development out in my old neighborhood (Southwest by Oakhill). But I stand by my description. I suppose the humidity is relative. We moved there from the Northeast and it seemed like a dry heat to us!

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by mandib

Austin is hotter than hell. And more humid. And full of people and cars and traffic and it's flat and ugly and miserable. People should not move here! Please don't move here. Save it for those of us who like it.

I did my part for you. Now at least there is room for 3 more austin lovers at this time.

[Weatherguy]

I guess I'll have to weigh in on the negative side. Until about a year ago, I was the ultimate Austin fan. I couldn't get enough of the hills on the west side, and the general vibe. But for whatever reason, and I honestly don't know why, this city has gotten very dirty and seedy looking. You can't go anywhere without seeing litter along the roadsides and medians, and in vacant lots. Graffiti seems to be making a major reappearance as well. As much as I hate to admit it, when I was in Houston recently, I noticed perfectly clean boulevards, flowers all over, and a whole lot of obvious civic pride compared with the way it used to be there. In Austin, it's mainly weeds and litter. I do my job to keep my neighborhood clean but something citywide is amiss. Anyone else notice this? If not, I'll keep quiet, but if so, maybe we can talk about what we can do to reverse the trend.

[TexasHorseLady]

I haven't noticed it, but I'll make a point of noticing when next I'm driving around the city.