Thinking about moving to Austin (Houston, San Antonio: sales, crime rate, house)

[jenks9]

My wife and I are considering moving to the Austin area. We went there for vacation in december of 06 and liked it. I would like to know a few things such as, How bad is the traffic? We live in New Hampshire now and both commute about an hour each way down into Massachussetts for work and the traffic is horrible. Also I hear the property taxes are bad for homes in NH a starter home costs about $225,000 to $250,000 and the taxes on it would be around $4,500 a year, is it that bad in Austin? How bad is crime in the Austin area? I use to have allergies when I was younger but not so much anymore and I hear Austin is bad for allergies and asthma which I have a little bit of but have noticed it gets worse for me here in the winter time, how bad is the heat in Austin in the summer and how long does it last? is it unearable? in NH summer is from June to August and it is hot and humid but not everyday. How do the jobs there pay in regards to the cost of living? and are there a good amount of jobs in Tech support/Helpdesk ? which is my job are these jobs easy to get there? I only have about 3 years of exerience and I only have my associates degree and my wife works in Human Resources she has about 6 to 7 years of experience and has her B.S. degree are there Human Resources jobs there? ANy help or info would be greatly appreciated. One last thing would we just be "yankees" to everyone there? I lived down in NC for a year and hated it because the don't like northerners and they were horrible to deal with because of this. Thanks.

Paul

[categ]

This is a great forum to get the info you are looking for. Many of the 'regulars' post some really detailed, helpful replies.

You'll find most of your questions have been answered in previous threads over the past few weeks.

Good luck!

[jwb123]

I hear the property taxes are bad for homes in NH a starter home costs about $225,000 to $250,000 and the taxes on it would be around $4,500 a year, is it that bad in Austin?

Austin is worse. Figure about $5000-$6000 (give or take) on a home in that range.

The traffic, in my opinion, is not bad. At all. But, someone (or a lot of someones) will have a different opinion than me on that.

HR and tech industry positions translate everywhere. I think both you and your wife will easily find jobs.

Check salary.com and this cost of living calculator to answer some of your questions...

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

The crime rate is very low.

I haven't heard of anyone being disparaging based on where you are from.

[gigi927]

As far as crime, you'd probably be better served narrowing down your area of Austin you're looking at and then make sure it's not overly crime-ridden There are so many suburbs and areas of Austin proper itself...personally Austin does not feel unsafe to me at all, even in some of the seedier parts I've driven around. But - I'm coming from having lived in 3 much larger cities and once you've been in the housing projects in Chicago, there's not really much comparison . It's all relative!

I would definitely look into the allergy and asthma thing as well. Depending upon what source you look at, Austin can be anywhere from the top 10 -100 allergy cities. The big bad allergy here is cedar, which is in the winter season.

I've never been to NH, but I'd say it's a fair assumption that you can expect a much hotter, longer summer here!

On the traffic front..for a city as small as Austin, I'd say the traffic is pretty bad, and I don't commute anywhere! but if you have a chance to avoid peak hours it's workable (perhaps with your help desk background, you can work a varied shift?)

Definitely check out monster.com for what's going on in the job market, too.

Good luck!
Best of luck with your search!

[jenks9]

Thanks for the replies, they are all helpful.

[neddy]

Hey I live in San Antonio but I know of a few Computer Science grads that are getting offers( from Austin area companies) getting around $60000 for tech/support

[anna32876]

First off, Austin is a very friendly city that is FULL of people from other parts of the country. I am an immigrant to the area myself and I have never experienced ANY problems with natives over my status. The crime is almost non-existent except in the very poorest parts off town (and your budget puts you WELL out of that range). In fact, Austin is usually cited as one of the cities with the lowest crime rates in the nation -- a huge change from the east coast. You will feel so safe here. And the racial tension that is so palpable in many cities in our country just ... isn't. It is a breath of fresh air. Everyone is working really hard, and for the most part they are working together.

People will tell you Austin is affordable because there is no state income tax, but that is a double-edged sword. Sales tax is around 8.25%, and property tax is weighted to the poor and middle class (there are tax breaks for people in homes worth over a million dollars). My mom has a house in your range and she pays over $5,000 annually to different taxing entities.

Also, Austin is one one of the fastest-growing cities in the country (#6 this year). In the ten years that I have lived here the population has DOUBLED, which is a strain on any infrastructure. They have recently finished a series of toll roads to help with the congestion, but it has gotten measurably worse each year. I'm not sure how it compares to the northeast, but it is no picnic at rush hour.

If you do move here, there are lots of bedroom communities called Municipal Utility Districts (MUD's for short) that offer tons of amenities like pools, hiking trails, recreation centers, childcare programs, exercise classes, and parades and events. They can be in the city limits or out, but they are nice neighborhoods, especially if you have kids or might have them. They are separate taxing entities, but you can get very nice new construction homes, often in excellent school districts.

If you are childless, I highly recommend trying to live close to downtown - we did for several years and loved it. Austin is the live music capitol of the world and everything -- the music, the people -- is eclectic. A favorite slogan is "Keep Austin Weird." It is pretty liberal for a Texas town (the Houstonites resent our being state capitol terribly!), but people are just great, friendly to kids, friendly to animals, friendly to people who are just different.

As for jobs, the tech market is always saturated, but you can easily find people like you who love computers. Jobs are not impossible to find because the economy is booming -- my husband is a techie too!

Weigh these facts before deciding, but if you do -- you'll LOVE it here!

[love roses]

Houstonians, not Houstonites.