Austin vs Cary, NC - need your advice

[BentBow]

NC get more snowfall than Austin does.

[tfresca]

I've lived in both places and I feel Texas even Austin has a much more pronounced race issue than the RDU area. Cary is a great town. It's not a great place to party and eat at great restaurants but if you want to work and raise kids great place.

Originally Posted by homeinatx

For what it is worth: here are my 2 cents. I had a great job offer in Durham 3 years ago. I thought seriously about moving from Austin, but decided to stay for a number of reasons. While Austin feels suburban to me, the Research Triangle feels a lot more so. Chapel Hill is like Tarrytown - wooded, affluent and very dull. Cary and Round Rock are a very fair comparison. Durham felt like a southern New Haven - a very rich university surrounded by poor black people. And while race-relations in Austin are not great, they felt much worse in the Research Triangle. The Duke Lacrosse team scandal was spectacularly mismanaged, but it is symptomatic of bad tensions between town and gown, black and white, rich and poor, in a much worse way than anything I have ever felt or seen in Austin. I was told that the LGBTQ student center on Duke's campus moved into the basement because they were tired of having their windows egged, and 5 of the gay Duke faculty I met lived in Atlanta or D.C., and got on a plane twice a week to teach rather than live in Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill. One said to me - you could carry on living in Austin and commute!! If you moved the state capitol to San Marcos, you'd have Raleigh. For me, the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill MSA had all of the disadvantages of Austin - sprawly, parochial, a tad sleepy, with much less nightlife, restaurants, walkability etc, and none of the free-wheeling, hippy-go-lucky charms of Austin: nothing like Barton Springs, 6th street - which gets a bad rap on these boards, but is not a nationally recognized space for nothing, no East-side hipsterdom, no Broken Spoke, no food-trailer scene. no ACL or SbySW. it all felt like a smaller and prettier version of Collin County without Dallas or a bigger and uglier version of Round Rock, Hutto and Pflugerville without Austin. I chose Austin quite easily. Your mileage may vary - as they say on the internet.

[capcat]

Originally Posted by ghostcrabs

I have heard people call Austin the Silicon Valley of Texas - well maybe because of Dell, but otherwise it really isn't - it's actually quite overrated.

I remember that label a couple of decades ago, but thought of it as outdated now.

[Wisertime]

Originally Posted by feconi

I would say Austin is at least as "open-minded" as Raleigh-Durham. Having spent lots of time both places, I would apply that label to Austin before Raleigh.

As for the beauty of the two areas, I would say it is a close call. I love the tree cover in NC, but I also love the big hills and lakes in Austin.

I agree. I lived in Raleigh-Durham-Cary for 15 yrs (escaped yankee) and have visited Austin and liked it alot. I almost moved there. Austin to me has more of a "bigger city" vibe, while not being a big city and seemed quite a bit more open minded, but that could just be perception. The majority of people in NC take their religion very seriously and openly discuss it at work in my experience. The triangle is a decent/safe/affordable place to live, but its kinda dull and spread out. Many people travel on the weekends, because of its central location.

I don't know someone from SF would like it. I would love to live in SF Myself, but not sure I could afford it or not, but it cannot be beat for beauty, recreation and entertainment IMO. I found Austin prettier than Raleigh, because of the hills, views and river/lakes. Lots of trees in NC. You won't find a view in the triangle area. Its just different.

Both places are going to feel extreme in the summer. The humidity is disgusting for about 3 mos. Spring and fall are gorgeous though...but kinda like Sep-Oct in SF.

You might consider Asheville. Its always been a nice place to visit and has natural beauty and a slightly cooler climate due to elevation. Its surrounded my Mts and quaint. I couldn't tell you about the employment scene though. Its got more of that SF/Austinish vibe IMO.

[PatRoy1]

>>good school, great medical facilities, good culture and weather<<

We visit our son in Austin, our daughter in Durham, and my sister in SF. So, for what it's worth.

Weather will be quite a change. Summers are hotter than Hades in Austin. We were there two summers ago when it didn't get below 100 for weeks. Summers are about 10+ degrees cooler in NC but the humidity makes it just as miserable. Thank heavens for A/C.

Culture. Hmm? You talking museums or restaurants? Cary has a good Thai restaurant but everything else seems chain. There's a Chubbies Taco near Duke in Durham that is pretty tasty and Parker and Otis (which disappointingly, closed down for most of the holidays this year). Otherwise, it is slim pickings. We were there three weeks over the holidays and we couldn't ever find a decent BBQ place.

Whereas in Austin, you can't turn around without finding a great place to eat. Plenty of great BBQ, Thai, tacos, etc.

It also has the Alamo theater where you can watch a movie and they will bring you beer and hamburgers, etc. Might not sound like a big deal, but makes a nice night out when you have kids in tow.

Lots of places to listen to good music in Austin. Not so many in Cary, a few in Durham/Raleigh.

Don't know about the schools. But my opinion is that public schools tend to be more of a social experience these days and the kids that get a decent education are the ones whose parents read with them and take them to science museums, (good one in Durham), etc. My understanding is that SF public schools are a fright and that those that can afford it send their kids to private schools. Not sure if that is accurate or not. I think public schools in both Austin and Cary are both well attended. Cary schools schools seem well funded. The band has it's own semi to haul around instruments.

Cary seems a bit like a Disneyland town to me. It was a planned community about 40 years ago and it appears they didn't plan for homeless shelters, soup kitchens, or low income housing. You don't see any homeless people panhandling or sleeping in the Cary doorways.

There appears to be more poverty in Raleigh/Durham and Austin.

Duke medical facilities are well regarded. Not sure about Austin but I think people go to Dallas for serious problems. Lot of people don't seem to have insurance in Texas, for what that's worth.

Lots of colleges, Duke -- U of NC, NC State,...--in the Raleigh/Durham area. UT in Austin and Texas State south in San Marcos. There's always a bit of culture, plays and such, around college campuses.

My kids tell me that there are more tech/software job openings in Durham/Raleigh than Austin. But who knows. Be worth having a job lined up before you pack up the furniture. Both daughter and son struggled to find decent jobs in Austin. Other daughter found a good job w/benefits in Durham without a lot of trouble.

Anyway, good luck.

[CraigR]

Both Austin and Cary are consistently on those Forbes and CNN Money lists of top 10 places to live in America. Having relocated to Cary from NYC over a decade ago, and having spent some time in Austin, albeit just visiting, both are truly nice places to call home. Cost of living is similar. Housing is affordable and taxes are low in Cary. The schools in Cary are very good too. You can go to www.wcpss.net for more information on schools. I give the edge to Cary for its small town feel, and the amount of family friendly things to do here. Southern hospitality really does exist here as the people are truly friendly. The only difference I see is do you want your summers hazy hot and humid with a chance of afternoon showers for 6 months (Austin) or 4 months (Cary)!

[tfresca]

Lived in both, go to Cary if you have kids. If you were single and wanted to enjoy a scene Austin would be the place.