Austin- I'm afraid a little disappointing (Houston, Spring: homes, live in, move)

[hillcountryheart]

Originally Posted by Banacek

The people here...great. Though I sense a little tired of the sprawl and traffic themselves.

Oh well, Portland here we come.

Yes, we're tired of the traffic.

Portland has a completely different climate. Still, if it's realllly walkable, I might just consider it one day.

[TexasHorseLady]

Yes, I'm a real estate agent. I've also lived in Austin and environs for most of my life (though now out in the country because they don't allow me to keep my horses at our house five minutes from downtown for some strange reason) and know how to get around Austin, lived in various parts of the city itself long enough to raise two kids, born 12 years apart, to adulthood or as good as (the youngest, now 29, was 12 when we moved, and her Dad's business was in Austin until he retired very recently and our rental house that we used to live in before moving is still in Austin, so we travel the city regularly and always have), and do have a clue what I'm talking about even if I am the dreaded Realtor (though considering my occupation it would seem that I, traveling about the city more than most on business, would also know something about its roadways).

I hold that if you've only been here a couple of weeks you simply haven't had time to explore the city thoroughly - no one could.

It's actually easier for me, really, to get north to south avoiding major highways than it is to get east to west because going east to west I have to cross I35 or Mopac at some point even if not actually getting on them.There are SO many ways to go north to south. Having been here long enough to watch a huge portion of Austin being built (all long, long before I was a real estate agent), I remember the "back ways" that were originally the "main roads", and those are frequently quicker routes if only because so many people stick to the main highways and never get off the beaten path.

[hillcountryheart]

I'd love to hear your north-to-south stories.

On a drive where you have to cross the river.

Oh, I know Balcones. And Exposition, and the cutover to West Lake at Redbud Trail. Only in sheer desperation would I go down Lamar, South First, or maybe 360.

Sometimes I'll take one of those routes to make it "scenic" and avoid temporary insanity. Today just might be one of those days. Then there's the "go somewhere and wait it out" approach, which is more effective for a rainstorm than traffic these days.

[sezzam]

Originally Posted by Banacek

Well done, really. That leaves just 2 directions on the compass.
...

Slowly then this time: South-North transition refers to going to/from the South side of Austin from/to the North side. The alternatives are limited due to the body of water that separates the two sides. There are considerably more alternative routes if you consider any other pair of points.

Clear enough?

[hillcountryheart]

Originally Posted by SMUR

Slowly then this time: South-North transition refers to going to/from the South side of Austin from/to the North side. The alternatives are limited due to the body of water that separates the two.

Hmm... what about a ferry? That'd be cool.

But it's not just the fact that it's the river... it's that you have to pass downtown and therefore you can't be contraflow the whole time. I have nearly the entire length of Mopac to commute. You will therefore forgive me for my cantankerous nature.

[sezzam]

Originally Posted by Banacek

...
But not being car people, the thought of hopping in the car to go anywhere has left us questioning why would we willingly subject ourselves to this? Horses for courses I guess. Oh well, Portland here we come.

I hope you like Portland. It is quite different from Austin and much smaller than Austin. You will definitely not see dense highways/stores, but I doubt you can avoid hopping in the car there either, unless you want to take public transportation. The public transportation is excellent though.

Good luck.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Banacek

My wife and I just arrived 6 days ago with an eye to moving here ourselves.

I have to say I'm finding this place a little bizarre. I'd heard that Austin was the city to be and that it was pretty but I can't get past those god awful highways. I'm not finding the traffic too bad. In fact I think it's amazing to me that one can live so far out from the city (we're looking at Round Rock/ Cedar Park) yet it's so relatively quick to get downtown. But these highways just seem to cut an ugly swathe right through all of Austin and that although the neighbourhoods can be quite pretty, they seem very far flung.

My wife who's American tells me this sprawl/ highway/ strip mall kind of style is normal in the US. My question is, is it? We have a couple more days before we have to extend our accommodation here or move on. Does Florida have these eyesore style highways? How about Portland, Oregon?

Round Rock is a bedroom city. Try driving around other parts of the Austin area, particularly west of Austin, and you wont see so many highways.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Banacek

But not being car people, the thought of hopping in the car to go anywhere has left us questioning why would we willingly subject ourselves to this? Horses for courses I guess. Oh well, Portland here we come.

Welcome to the USA. It's primarily a car dependent country. The main exception is NYC. Most other cities have very few people who don't have a car.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by AustinGuy

I'd say even California freeways are nicer looking than the ones in Texas. Sure, LA has some ugly freeways due to all the sprawl that butts up right against the freeways, but it still is less unsightly than the whole frontage road system we've got here. I totally get what the OP is getting at.

Plus, California also has some very nice and scenic freeways as well like 280 in the Bay Area. Our nicest freeway is probably Mopac and that's because it lacks the frontages some of the way.

California freeways are better looking because of the sound walls. You can paint nice patterns on the sound wall and plant some trees and at least everything looks uniform. In TX all you see is strip mall after strip mall, from pawn shops to fast food restaurants, each having a billboard.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Banacek

Well done, really. That leaves just 2 directions on the compass.

And I have to disagree with Texas Horse Lady, who I notice is a Texan realtor.

Believe you me, I am trying to avoid looking at these beastly concrete structures.

The people here...great. Though I sense a little tired of the sprawl and traffic themselves.

The drivers have been so courteous, the service in shops and restaurants has been A+, the houses gorgeous and cheap, the weather hasn't even been too hot.

But not being car people, the thought of hopping in the car to go anywhere has left us questioning why would we willingly subject ourselves to this? Horses for courses I guess. Oh well, Portland here we come.

I hope you like cold rain for 9 months of the year!