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My wife and I are both high-tech professionals and are considering a move to Austin from the Silicon Valley in the next couple years. The primary reason is that we're looking for a better quality of life. We probably make a combined 300k and have income growth potential, but the dream house for us in the perfect neighborhood is elusive. We're in our mid 30s, have an infant son and plan to have another kid in the next couple years. We're very much into outdoors recreation, love the food/wine scene etc. Here is what we really like about the Silicon Valley:
-Job opportunities
-Good weather year-round
-Liberal atmosphere
-Access to cultural attractions of SF
-Sporting events (college and pro)
-Amazing food and wine options in the area
-Outdoors recreation (hiking, biking, etc)
-Weekend getaways (Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Tahoe, Yosemite, etc)
-Family is nearby
Here's what we dislike:
-Incredibly high cost of living (see above)
-The rat race here
-Difficulty in meeting like minded friends in this area
-Traffic/congestion
-Sometimes too liberal (we're liberal in our political/social views, but aren't big advocates of catering to the homeless/drug addict population, for example)
My question is whether Austin would be a good fit for us. I've lived in hot weather before (Phoenix) and in general, I like it. Haven't lived long-term in a humid environment though. Austin looks very cool to us as a city, but I'm wondering if it has enough to offer for us along with places to getaway on weekends. I know it won't match this area, but are there cool getaway spots? Is it a lot easier to make friends there? I'm guessing that people are friendlier in Texas. Will our job opportunities be limited, or does this seem like a viable option? We prefer living near a city and in/near a walkable area. Are we going to find something like that in Austin with good schools and a safe neighborhood at a reasonable cost? We can likely afford much more than the average house and can probably go up to $800k or even more, but don't want to be spending $1-2M for the dream house, or that would defeat the whole purpose of moving.
Not that I can answer any of your questions, but we are looking at moving from San Jose to Austin as well. My wife is doing all of the research on the schools and we have found that Cedar Park has a good balance of affordable houses and good schools (but we aren't limiting ourselves to that area). Scary thought of moving out of state for the first time, but I'm really done with the big city life for many of the reasons that you stated. Good luck!
My wife and I are both high-tech professionals and are considering a move to Austin from the Silicon Valley in the next couple years. The primary reason is that we're looking for a better quality of life. We probably make a combined 300k and have income growth potential, but the dream house for us in the perfect neighborhood is elusive. We're in our mid 30s, have an infant son and plan to have another kid in the next couple years. We're very much into outdoors recreation, love the food/wine scene etc. Here is what we really like about the Silicon Valley:
-Job opportunities
-Good weather year-round
-Liberal atmosphere
-Access to cultural attractions of SF
-Sporting events (college and pro)
-Amazing food and wine options in the area
-Outdoors recreation (hiking, biking, etc)
-Weekend getaways (Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Tahoe, Yosemite, etc)
-Family is nearby
Here's what we dislike:
-Incredibly high cost of living (see above)
-The rat race here
-Difficulty in meeting like minded friends in this area
-Traffic/congestion
-Sometimes too liberal (we're liberal in our political/social views, but aren't big advocates of catering to the homeless/drug addict population, for example)
My question is whether Austin would be a good fit for us. I've lived in hot weather before (Phoenix) and in general, I like it. Haven't lived long-term in a humid environment though. Austin looks very cool to us as a city, but I'm wondering if it has enough to offer for us along with places to getaway on weekends. I know it won't match this area, but are there cool getaway spots? Is it a lot easier to make friends there? I'm guessing that people are friendlier in Texas. Will our job opportunities be limited, or does this seem like a viable option? We prefer living near a city and in/near a walkable area. Are we going to find something like that in Austin with good schools and a safe neighborhood at a reasonable cost? We can likely afford much more than the average house and can probably go up to $800k or even more, but don't want to be spending $1-2M for the dream house, or that would defeat the whole purpose of moving.
Please always remember that the Austin area is unlike those other places you've lived. Phoenix, while hot-hot, has a lot less humidity; there are tons of pros and cons for that, alone, and you probably already have heard them.
Phoenix is brown; Austin is green.
The Austin area, while no longer promoting the laid-back lifestyle that was once a living part of the town's "vibe," continues to offer a lot as far as outdoor activities are concerned: jogging/walking/biking trails, eateries, upscale restaurants, very good museums & historic places, neighborhood parks, and even public swim parks. Most of these are available within the Austin City Limits, too!
Most of the independent school districts are rated very highly, for when your young-un joins the droves of students.
You can drive for a few hours and see Dallas; you can drive for a few hours and see Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, and even Brownsville. They all have their own kind of charm.
Drive for about 1.5 hours and get to San Antonio (great town, lots to do), Blanco, Fredericksburg, Llano, Lampasas - all towns out in the Hill Country with their own brand of charm, too.
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Now, before I start sounding like a Chamber-of-Commerce promo or something, you also need to know about the things that make the Austin area a little less desirable. Things like: slow-moving, "international"-drive-all-over-the-road style traffic, heat - and LOTS of it, re-scheduling your daily activities around the heat/humidity index, only being able to shop at one "Trader Joe's" - albeit a newly-opened one, not having big mountains anywhere-nearby (closest ones are in far West Texas), no SF Giants to root for, no Farty-Nooners to build a new stadium for (I actually consider that a 'positive'), among others. I'm certain that there are others who can add to this list, too.
You're in your 30's?? Perfect! Austin has re-engineered itself, focusing many of its activities & events for young Families, young singles, and (young) students. You should fit right in, there.
I recently read on a San Antonio blog that Austin is considered the "hipster haven" in Texas. So, as professionals, y'all might just fit into that category, too.
- PLEASE excuse me if maybe my post has more negatives than positives; you see, I kinda grew-up in the Austin area, and have seen its transformation from a great small city, to a "hip" medium-sized city, meanwhile losing a lot of the "personality" that once made it so popular for me. I know I'm beyond-the-pale of "hipster-ism," and thus look at what Austin (now) is, and can honestly say "I can't go back there" ...
Lastly, I'd recommend spending a week looking around, there. Check-out the nightlife; check-out the lower-than-normal Highland Lakes; check for the things y'all value. If you see things that y'all can "relate" to, then the Austin area will probably be a good fit. If y'all don't, then maybe you should reconsider moving there.
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Whichever way y'all go ... getting out of California will be the best move y'all ever make!
I moved here from the Willow Glen area of San Jose 2.5 years ago and my only regret is that I didn't get here sooner.
Come on out for a visit and check out the Steiner Ranch/River Place area around Lake Travis. Beautiful area, close to downtown, everything nearby, and the 3200-square-foot, $350,000 houses here would go for $1,400,000 if you could pick them up and put them in Silicon Valley.
How Austin stacks up:
-Job opportunities
Fastest growing area in the country. If you are in tech, this is one of the hot new places to be.
-Good weather year-round
The weather is great most of the year. During the brutal summer, the weather is great early and at night - you just stay inside during the day. On those late/July-August 104 degree days, I play golf at 8am when it is 75 and nice and finish by 12:30 when it is mid-90s and not terribly different than a very hot California day. I try and say in from 2-5 when the weather is brutal, but by 7 it is okay and you can watch the sun set and eat outside at 9pm and it is a wonderful 80 degrees. We don't have anything like the Houston humidity here.
-Liberal atmosphere
It isn't the Bay Area, but it wants to be. The vibe in Austin is very different than elsewhere in Texas, and while it is still much more conservative than CA, it is very laid back and loose. Besides, there TONS of Californians here.
-Access to cultural attractions of SF
We can't compete. But major musical acts, touring plays, comedians, etc. all come through town. Our big upside is tons of live music. We have art and museums, but not SF in quantity. Then again, we have SXSW and ACL, two huge events that draw all the A-listers into town.
-Sporting events (college and pro)
Austin doesn't have pro teams, but the entire city goes nuts for the UT teams, especially football. Every Saturday in the late fall, it is really hard not to find someone wearing burnt orange... unless they are wearing A&M maroon. San Antonio is an 60-90 mins away (not too much worse than SJ to SF) and they have the NBA.
-Amazing food and wine options in the area
Biggest surprise about Austin (for me) was the food. Yes, we have a ton of BBQ and TexMex, but I was really dreading giving up my top-notch California sushi. Hasn't been a problem. TON of great sushi here, and everything else, too. Great food city.
-Outdoors recreation (hiking, biking, etc)
This is a big high point for Austin. We have a ton of this.
-Weekend getaways (Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Tahoe, Yosemite, etc)
We have Horseshoe Bay! And Dallas, Houston and San Antonio relatively short drives away, each with a lot to offer.
-Incredibly high cost of living (see above)
This is a huge factor here in Austin. First of all, we have no state income tax, so that is a 8-10% raise for you right there. If you have kids, the public schools here are crazy good. We *had* to have our son in private school in Calif because the public school there was a nightmare. And not only are the teachers wonderful(!) here, and the schools well funded (compared to CA they are flush), but the kids here in Austin are so polite. I have yet to see a punky gangsta-wannabe here in NW Austin's nicer areas. The kids here almost all say sir and ma'am and are so polite. Back to cost of living - everything is cheaper here. Gas is a lot cheaper and you add that up over 10 years and it's a lot of dough. Restaurants are cheaper. Attractions are cheaper. Car insurance is cheaper (almost half). Our money goes so much farther here, it isn't even funny. Combined with the type of house we've been able to by (unattainable in CA) we feel like a move to Austin was practically a move up in social class just because we weren't getting taxed to death on everything from education to food to health to everything.
-The rat race here
Pace of Austin is much slower, and as a 40-year CA native, I was shocked by it and it took some getting used to. Now I love it. I always say it this way: In California if you are three back in line trying to buy a pack of gum and the person checking out is gabbing away with the checkout girl about personal stuff, everyone in line is tapping their feet and swearing under their breath at the a-hole stalling the line. Here, everyone talks to the checkout person, who is probably super-friendly as hell, no one rushes the person talking, and if you do, YOU are the a-hole. My first weekend here, I had a plumber out to fix a toilet, he invited me on his boat, we went, and he was so nice! The pace here is much slower (in a good way, I think) and the people are noticeably friendlier than Silicon Valley.
-Difficulty in meeting like minded friends in this area
See my comments about friendly above, but we have met sooo many people here. I am in Steiner Ranch, one of the many large planned communities here -- everyone has kids, and you meet so many people. Wine parties at the pools, tons of locally planned activities. In California we barely knew our neighbors. The attitude was like "We have our friends, thanks for asking, but we'll let you know when there is an opening." Here in Austin, people are so open and friendly, we've met a ton of people.
-Traffic/congestion
You will hear a lot of people hear moan about the traffic. In certain hotspots it can be bad. But the worst traffic here is not that bad compared to anything going on in the Bay Area. Not even close. Cambrian in San Jose to Mountain View on 85 could take 70-85 minutes. We have traffic here, but it actually moves.
-Sometimes too liberal (we're liberal in our political/social views, but aren't big advocates of catering to the homeless/drug addict population, for example)
The liberal bent here is tempered by a lot of church goers and libertarians. You get more of the openness and accepting vibe of liberalism with none of the hardcore leftist stuff of SF. For example, people here LOVE their guns. And they love their freedom. It took me months to get used to seeing motorcyclists not wearing helmets. Austin is pretty liberal, but if you suggest we go California and mandate helmets, the blowback will be swift and very resistant. You aren't going to see any Berekely-style protests in favor of Palestine downtown.
If you have any questions, throw them up and I will try my best to answer. I was reluctant to leave the California in which I was born and raised. My wife who wanted to take me out of CA is a NorthEastern yankee couldn't wrap her mind around being "a Texan". Flash forward - we both LOVE Austin and have not a ton bad to say about it (some, but not a ton). I highly recommend Austin as a destination for a future move -- and I think all the other Californians here who are smiling and laughing at those we left behind would agree.
Last edited by SickOfCalifornia; 03-08-2013 at 01:23 PM..
The kids here almost all say sir and ma'am and are so polite.
As an almost native, I am glad kids are still being taught to say sir and ma'am; I hope all the transplants teach their kids the same. One of the things I have always appreciated about living in Texas is that people were almost always respectful and friendly towards others. I hate to see that disappear...
We moved to Austin about 6 months ago. After initially being gung-ho about it, my view has tempered.
First, you want to be really sure about your job opportunities here. My friend who moved to Austin from CA around the same time as me recently lost his job and is seriously considering turning around and going back. I'm in a similar situation- I haven't lost my job yet, but my company is having difficulties. Both of us expected the job market to be better in Austin. Our network is in CA, and we have more opportunities there.
Second, people are different here. They are very friendly- lots of "hi y'alls" but I don't really have much in common beyond that. People in CA aren't as outwardly friendly, but I got along better with them once we got to know each other.
Third, the cool/desirable parts of downtown Austin are more expensive than you might think. $800K may not go as far as you expect, unless you want to live in Cedar Park (maybe you do). But, Cedar Park is not central Austin.
Second, people are different here. They are very friendly- lots of "hi y'alls" but I don't really have much in common beyond that. People in CA aren't as outwardly friendly, but I got along better with them once we got to know each other.
Can you elaborate on this a bit? Do you mean very religious/traditional? If so, I figured that would be the case somewhere like Dallas or Houston, but not Austin. I was thinking that Austin would be sort of like Portland, but it Texas. Am I looking at it wrong?
good thread. I am expatriate Texan living in Connecticut where I got married. I think my wife and mother-in-law (grandma) are almost convinced to move to Austin! Although housing costs aren't quite as high as California, Connecticut housing is still higher than Austin, and hopefully we can get a house that is less than 60 years old in our price range!
I also went to school and lived for more than a decade on CO, Denver/Boulder Metro and moved my family from there to here nearly two years ago for cost of living reasons.
Much of what you are inquiring about can be found in this post even though it's titled Portland, Chicago, etc. -- it addresses some POVs on recreation and amenities comparisons. Many of those who replied have little experience with those areas in contrast to TX, others have quite a lot and have lived in both areas in the last decade, or multiple areas.
My responses in that post were based on my experiences living in CO. Had I chosen to use the Bay Area and my 25 years of experience there, it would have further crystalized my points as, in contrast to CO, CA has substantially more to offer in the way of amenities and recreation than CO does and CO is a pretty great place on it's own merit when it comes to recreation especially.
Clearly my point of view is based on my measuring stick, and as I have said many times on this forum when this topic comes up, it depends on what you are used to and YOUR measuring stick as recreation and amenities are purely subjective. Then, add in how you prioritize a variety recreation options (activities, overall scenery and variety of scenery, day trips, weekend trips, etc. etc.) when considering a place to call home and the consideration set becomes even more subjective.
The Californians I meet here who made the big move for quality of life reasons, usually associated with cost of living, fall into two categories 1) LOVE, love, love everything about Austin, 'can't believe I didn't leave the Bay Area earlier' and these people categorically fall into the group that says things like "The ocean was nice to look at but it's not like I spent any time there." When asked about what they enjoyed recreation-wise back in CA, it's clear that recreational activities and weekend trips were not a priority. Category 2) of Californians that have made the move here: 'People are nice here, great housing options, hot as Hell for SO long, it's good for us right now but I took for granted the recreational options, beauty and amenities in CA…. We were just tired of the 'rat race' and underestimated the reasons why the Bay Area is expensive and as popular as it is.'
Take it all with a grain of salt. The questions you are asking will elicit incredibly subjective responses based on individual's experiences. It's not the same as asking, say, How's the job market in Austin? A great an example is people here like to say "There's SO much hiking here!" I was jazzed by this prior to moving but disappointed as "so much" on my measuring stick equivalent to "there's limited hiking and it's, uh, average."
My wife and I are both high-tech professionals and are considering a move to Austin from the Silicon Valley in the next couple years. The primary reason is that we're looking for a better quality of life. We probably make a combined 300k and have income growth potential, but the dream house for us in the perfect neighborhood is elusive. We're in our mid 30s, have an infant son and plan to have another kid in the next couple years. We're very much into outdoors recreation, love the food/wine scene etc. Here is what we really like about the Silicon Valley:
-Job opportunities
-Good weather year-round
-Liberal atmosphere
-Access to cultural attractions of SF
-Sporting events (college and pro)
-Amazing food and wine options in the area
-Outdoors recreation (hiking, biking, etc)
-Weekend getaways (Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Tahoe, Yosemite, etc)
-Family is nearby
Here's what we dislike:
-Incredibly high cost of living (see above)
-The rat race here
-Difficulty in meeting like minded friends in this area
-Traffic/congestion
-Sometimes too liberal (we're liberal in our political/social views, but aren't big advocates of catering to the homeless/drug addict population, for example)
My question is whether Austin would be a good fit for us. I've lived in hot weather before (Phoenix) and in general, I like it. Haven't lived long-term in a humid environment though. Austin looks very cool to us as a city, but I'm wondering if it has enough to offer for us along with places to getaway on weekends. I know it won't match this area, but are there cool getaway spots? Is it a lot easier to make friends there? I'm guessing that people are friendlier in Texas. Will our job opportunities be limited, or does this seem like a viable option? We prefer living near a city and in/near a walkable area. Are we going to find something like that in Austin with good schools and a safe neighborhood at a reasonable cost? We can likely afford much more than the average house and can probably go up to $800k or even more, but don't want to be spending $1-2M for the dream house, or that would defeat the whole purpose of moving.
There are tons of posts like what you posted so you can search for california and get a ton of good information. One thing I would encourage you to think about is that because the cost of living is lower here you can easily get by on 150K (one income). The upside is that your wife can stay home and instead of having low paid day care workers raising your kids, you can raise your kids. California is so expensive that very few people are able to do this.
However rather than spend 800K for a house you might only spend 300-400K for a house. In california when you see people out with kids, they are all nannies. In austin when you see people out with kids they are mostly moms.
Also our property taxes are much higher. The property tax on an 800K house will be about 25K/year. This would be about the same or more than california income taxes on your 300K income.
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