Where's the very last place in the Austin Metroplex you'd live? (Round Rock: transplants, for sale)

[UTHORNS96]

As for me, I wouldn't want to live anywhere too far west of Mopac. The people either seem bland or incredibly stuck up. Leander and Cedar Park are not for me either. But I also want to be away from the hipster "Keep Austin Weird" crowd that has infested Central Austin. So for me, North East Austin does quite well.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by FreewayTitan

As somebody who has lived in Steiner Ranch for two years now, I can assure you Steiner Ranch is a diverse community with a much nicer setting than Leander, Round Rock, etc. Yeah, I will admit the houses aren't quite as creative but the nice setting and community feel makes all the difference. Also, I work from home, as do a large percentage of the residents. I highly doubt you've even known a Ranch resident, as most will tell you it's an excellent place to live. I will admit though, the fact that we are self-employed and primarily work from home and/or commute to Lakeway played a role in deciding where to buy.

To answer the thread, I think it would be anywhere north of 45-toll and south of Ben White. I'm not a big [boring] suburbs guy unless it's just the right area.

Steiner Ranch isn't a "boring suburb"? No offense, but it kind of is. It is a master planned community akin to Avery Ranch albeit a bit more sprawling. Many Austinites do consider Steiner to be a far flung, bland suburb even if it has an Austin address.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

Well, it depends. "family-oriented" is very often a "code" word for "White upper middle class straights". It's like when I hear a politician saying he supports "family values" and you know he is about to bash him some gays.

Even if you don't take "family-oriented" to mean the above, it usually means "Dozens of children constantly running around with no supervision".

There are a lot of people who value and relish the idea of going to a restaurant, or a movie theater, or moving to a neighborhood, where there are...NO...children. It doesn't make them bad people. It's perfectly normal if you don't have children to not want to be around children. Or to not want to live in a neighborhood or town where it's CONSTANTLY about the local football team, or tons of kids knocking on your door trying to sale you crud from their school fundraisers, or going to your local grocery store and not being able to walk up and down the aisles because there are 80 screaming kids there running around while their mothers pretend not to hear or see them. I have friends (albeit who live in NYC) that PURPOSELY choose neighborhoods to live in that are often to expensive for "growing families" because it lessens the chance that their upstairs neighbor will have a screaming brat stomping at all hours of the day.

Some of us, myself included, are COMPLETELY TURNED OFF by the idea of having to share our space with children. So towns or neighborhoods that CATER to families and children are not really high on our list of places to live.

I personally would not care where in Austin I live. I have lived on Riverside and Rundberg, in Round Rock and in Pflugerville. I lived on Parmer Lane and I35 when that was considered to be the "country" and you actually saw gopher holes all along the highway driving up there. After a while, they are all pretty much the same. I just want to live somewhere that's quiet and a close commute to work. Once you are inside your house, pretty much every neighborhood looks the same, at least to me they do. It's not of tantamount importance to me that I am in a "hip" or "cool" neighborhood.

Agree. Different strokes for different folks. I have two kiddies, so I admit that family oriented is a definite plus for me

[UTHORNS96]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

Well, it depends. "family-oriented" is very often a "code" word for "White upper middle class straights". It's like when I hear a politician saying he supports "family values" and you know he is about to bash him some gays.

Even if you don't take "family-oriented" to mean the above, it usually means "Dozens of children constantly running around with no supervision".

There are a lot of people who value and relish the idea of going to a restaurant, or a movie theater, or moving to a neighborhood, where there are...NO...children. It doesn't make them bad people. It's perfectly normal if you don't have children to not want to be around children. Or to not want to live in a neighborhood or town where it's CONSTANTLY about the local football team, or tons of kids knocking on your door trying to sale you crud from their school fundraisers, or going to your local grocery store and not being able to walk up and down the aisles because there are 80 screaming kids there running around while their mothers pretend not to hear or see them. I have friends (albeit who live in NYC) that PURPOSELY choose neighborhoods to live in that are often to expensive for "growing families" because it lessens the chance that their upstairs neighbor will have a screaming brat stomping at all hours of the day.

Some of us, myself included, are COMPLETELY TURNED OFF by the idea of having to share our space with children. So towns or neighborhoods that CATER to families and children are not really high on our list of places to live.

I personally would not care where in Austin I live. I have lived on Riverside and Rundberg, in Round Rock and in Pflugerville. I lived on Parmer Lane and I35 when that was considered to be the "country" and you actually saw gopher holes all along the highway driving up there. After a while, they are all pretty much the same. I just want to live somewhere that's quiet and a close commute to work. Once you are inside your house, pretty much every neighborhood looks the same, at least to me they do. It's not of tantamount importance to me that I am in a "hip" or "cool" neighborhood.

So on one end of the spectrum you have "xenophobic family oriented straights" and on the other end you have "selfish urbanite pricks". I wonder which side will win?

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by UTHORNS96

Too many coloreds for you?

Heh, I was going to post a snarky reply to that post, but decided not to bite. This time.


- signed, someone who is slummin' it East of 35.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Austin97

maybe we dont have a common understanding of what the stepford thing is all about..

<<The word "Stepford" can also be used as an adjective ("He's a real Stepford employee"), or a noun ("My home town is a Stepford"),[5] denoting servility or blind conformity, or a seemingly perfect society hiding a dark secret.>>

No, I understood perfectly. The folks in the area I mentioned fit that bill pretty well.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Agree. Different strokes for different folks. I have two kiddies, so I admit that family oriented is a definite plus for me

And coming from an extremely crowded, expensive place like New York City, I am sure the bright lights and big city of downtown Austin (lol) hold very little appeal to you, because you have seen the real deal, and Austin just don't compare. You've been there and done that.

Whereas someone that just moved to Austin from somewhere in Podunk Texas will probably think downtown Austin is the MECCA of counter culture living.

You are right. Different strokes for different folks.

Although I wish people on this board (not you) would lay off the "east of I35" bashing. East of I35 is a fine place to live. Of course, I don't mind being the only white person in a neighborhood, which is where I think a lot of the complaints about east Austin stem from on this board.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by UTHORNS96

So on one end of the spectrum you have "xenophobic family oriented straights" and on the other end you have "selfish urbanite pricks". I wonder which side will win?

It's too bad that 99% of the population falls into the middle of this spectrum, and not on either end of it. But to hear people on this board talk, every neighborhood and city in central texas lands firmly in one or the other.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

Although I wish people on this board (not you) would lay off the "east of I35" bashing. East of I35 is a fine place to live. Of course, I don't mind being the only white person in a neighborhood, which is where I think a lot of the complaints about east Austin stem from on this board.

I get sick of it too. Namely because it falsely discourages people from moving to neighborhoods/cities that happen to be east of 35. To me, it's code for "Beware, there are more lower income minorities in that part of town". That is patently false. As with anywhere, there is a mix of demographics, racial and economical. I wouldn't trade where I live for the world.

[LakeTravisAlum]

Originally Posted by UTHORNS96

Too many coloreds for you?

You're hilarious, but.....no. I just don't like that side of Austin because I absolutely love the hills in West Austin. East Austin is as flat as anywhere else in Texas. If you're going to live in Austin, why not live in a really pretty hilly area? If I wanted to live in Dallas, I would.

Honestly, I would never live anywhere east of Mopac, and Mopac is not a dividing line of race at all. Race has nothing to do with it. It just simply has to do with the landscape and topography for me.