Considering moving from Phoenix to Austin (Houston, El Paso: Valentine's day, real estate, rent)

[dsk635]

Hi All,

I am currently working in Phoenix in the hi tech industry. I am considering moving to Austin for personal reasons. I will rent initially but plan to buy a house hopefully by end of this year and also plan to start a family soon. I have visted Austin but was not long enough to get a good idea of the city.

I have a few questions about Austin in general - hoping you can give me a clearer picture.

1) How bad is the humidity? Since I come from Phoenix I am used to the heat but in Phoenix its dry heat. I have not really expericed the combination of humidity and heat.

2) How are the real estate prices in Austin? Is it comparable to Phoenix? We will probably be looking for a decent sized starter home.

3) How is the work culture, especially in the tech industry? Bay area-like or more laid back?

4) Are there any decent, good ranked MBA schools around?

5) Outdoor activites - Are there any good parks, hikes around Austin. There are a lot of big cities and parks that are at a decent drivable distance from Phoenix (Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Grand Canyon etc). Does Austin offer something similar? I know, Texas a big state but still.....

6) I have seen some posts about allergies in Austin. Is it really that bad?

Any other issues/compromises that I should be aware of and factoring in?

Appreciate all your feedback!!
Thanks!

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by dsk635

Hi All,

I am currently working in Phoenix in the hi tech industry. I am considering moving to Austin for personal reasons. I will rent initially but plan to buy a house hopefully by end of this year and also plan to start a family soon. I have visted Austin but was not long enough to get a good idea of the city.

I have a few questions about Austin in general - hoping you can give me a clearer picture.

1) How bad is the humidity? Since I come from Phoenix I am used to the heat but in Phoenix its dry heat. I have not really expericed the combination of humidity and heat.

2) How are the real estate prices in Austin? Is it comparable to Phoenix? We will probably be looking for a decent sized starter home.

3) How is the work culture, especially in the tech industry? Bay area-like or more laid back?

4) Are there any decent, good ranked MBA schools around?

5) Outdoor activites - Are there any good parks, hikes around Austin. There are a lot of big cities and parks that are at a decent drivable distance from Phoenix (Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Grand Canyon etc). Does Austin offer something similar? I know, Texas a big state but still.....

6) I have seen some posts about allergies in Austin. Is it really that bad?

Any other issues/compromises that I should be aware of and factoring in?

Appreciate all your feedback!!
Thanks!

1) bad is relative. It has been 41% in my house for the last few days and has been uncomfortably dry (lips cracking etc). But it did just rain so humidity is probably up. In the summer it can be 60% which you will get used to. When it is hot it is dry. It is mostly humid for a week after a rain. However this year we basically had no rain so it was dry.

2) This should be easy for you to find online. There are many cost of living comparison sites. It is unlikely that many people are current with phoenix housing prices, but we can tell you all about austin.

3) more laid back than the bay area

4) You could easily find this online, but UT is ranked 25th by business week

5) Yes, but good is obviously relative.

6) either you have them or you dont. I have lived here 15 years and dont have them. But many people I know are completely debilitated by allergies. You could get tested before you decide to move - mold and cedar are the big ones.

[Idlewile]

Austin97 provided a good summary so I'll comment on just 1 and 6.

1) I came from a very dry climate as well (CO) and the humidity is not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Perhaps because it was so hot without rain last summer? Sure it's humid before and after rain but other than that I wouldn't consider Austin humid in my book. Nothing compared to east coast steamy summers, at least thus far. Who knows, maybe I'll be eating my words next summer.

6) Cedar fever is in the air now. This is my first experience with it (wasn't here this time last year) and it's awful and I am used to various hay fever allergies. Cedar makes me feel like I'm actually sick with a cold (throat issues on top of the sneezing and pressure) and my eyes itch terribly even with 12 hour antihistamine drops every 5 hours. That said, I'm allergic to many things... molds, trees, etc. so I wasn't surprised to be affected. I will need shots in the future as Zyrtec 24/7 and eye drops don't cut it. I think they say Cedar Fever is generally prevalent from Christmas to Valentine's Day so 2/14 can't get here fast enough.

[Seoid]

Originally Posted by dsk635

1) How bad is the humidity? Since I come from Phoenix I am used to the heat but in Phoenix its dry heat. I have not really expericed the combination of humidity and heat.

2) How are the real estate prices in Austin? Is it comparable to Phoenix? We will probably be looking for a decent sized starter home.

3) How is the work culture, especially in the tech industry? Bay area-like or more laid back?

4) Are there any decent, good ranked MBA schools around?

5) Outdoor activites - Are there any good parks, hikes around Austin. There are a lot of big cities and parks that are at a decent drivable distance from Phoenix (Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Grand Canyon etc). Does Austin offer something similar? I know, Texas a big state but still.....

6) I have seen some posts about allergies in Austin. Is it really that bad?

Any other issues/compromises that I should be aware of and factoring in?

I moved from El Paso to Austin years ago...

1. The humidity is not that bad- but you will notice it especially at first. Within 2-3 years, I didn't notice it anymore unless it was exceptionally high. And now I live in Houston and miss the Austin humidity

2. No clue what Phoenix's market is like but Austin's market still seems to move pretty fast. I found it to be a bit expensive but my expectations are to live close in.

3. Tech is very laid back. My brother is in tech and he's only had one job where he had to "dress up" and even then it was polos and jeans.

4. UT's MBA program is ranked... and St. Edward's also has a decent program.

5. Austin is full of outdoor activities right in your backyard with all of the greenbelts. Longer drives can take you to some other places like Enchanted Rock.

6. I had terrible allergies in El Paso but it took 3-5 years to develop any allergies in Austin. But everyone's different- and you may not have any reaction. I still do not have cedar fever after 15 years of living here.