Moving to Austin TX

[scm53]

Originally Posted by Dr.Mom

For what it's worth, Texas is different from the Northeast (in many, many ways) in that they do not have Catholic schools for almost every parish. You may want to look into schools first, then choose your area from that if Catholic schools are a top priority to you.

Dr. Mom is right. This map from the Diocese, will show the location of all of the Catholic elementaries and HSs. As you can see, they are widely scattered.

Many great points before - especially the ones about defining "more land". If that means 80' front lots, then you have plenty of choices. Even 100' fronts are available, at a price ($700K and up, typically). If you want more, that will almost certainly mean going well outside of town, which then makes the Catholic education part tougher - but not impossible. All about trade-offs you can live with.

[centralaustinite]

Yes, and in addition to Catholic schools being widely scattered geographically (nothing like the density in the NW or midwest) they also vary widely in price, from under $6K per year for elementary school in a parish school (like Saint Louis or Saint Ignatius) to $16K+ for St. Gabriel.

OP please visit 2-3 times before moving. There may be many other things that you rely on the NE that you assume will be found here in central Texas and that might not be true.

[futurehouse]

Austin is an amazing place.....you can rent near the school that you like and then decide what suits you!

[TXmagCA]

There are fantastic public schools in districts around Austin: Lake Travis; Leander ISD; Dripping Springs ISD; Eanes (expensive homes there); Round Rock ISD. There are not that many private Catholic schools at all and you actually get as good an education at the districts I just mentioned because the parents are involved and care. We did private when we were in west Central Austin but now we are west of Austin in Dripping Springs and have had a fantastic experience with the High School. It's a conservative area and very family oriented. It's close enough to enjoy Austin. Plenty of planned communities with pools and parks or go the privacy route with acreage and pool as we did.

[whiskeyshivers]

I've lived in Austin for three years, and I just can't imagine a better place to live. Culturally, Austin has it all - live music, great Mexican food, outdoor culture (cycling, kayaking, running [especially around Town Lake]), and it's bike friendly. It's always sunny, and people that live in Austin love living in Austin. It feels like a vacation town. I can't advise you on where to buy a house or which school district to choose, but if you're looking for a city to live near, look no further.