Is Austin the closest to a TX version of Seattle? (Van: how much, schools)

[centralaustinite]

You want Seattle but you have to stay in Texas? Can you go anywhere else? Denver is a good choice.

What exactly is in Seattle that you want? Depending on your answer I could see Portland, Denver, heck even Boston meeting your needs. Maybe Nashville or Lexington KY?

[mark311]

I think you could probably compare central Austin to areas of Seattle sort of. Of course that small area for comparison probably has the same cost of housing as Seattle (maybe more than Seattle even).

But, I would think that someone from Seattle might enjoy living in Hyde Park or Rosedale for example if they want the vibe minus the bigger city amenities found in Seattle. Maybe not, but I guess the point is that any area of Austin that a magazine or newspaper would compare to Seattle is going to be pricey for Texas and probably not too far off from actual Seattle prices in regards to housing.

[atxcio]

Nah... Whenever someone calls a place the something of somewhere, it just reminds you that it's a place with no real identity of its own. Austin is big enough now that it has a totally independent identity, and that should override any parallel people will try to draw with other cities. Love it or hate it, it's Austin and that's a completely different thing from anywhere else. Let folks call other cities the "Austin of ...." if they want.

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by damorg77

I know both people of Austin and Seattle will cringe when I somewhat compare the two - I wish I could afford the move to Seattle, but just cant. However, I love the people and attitude/lifestyle about Seattle and from what I know and see, Austin might be as close to Seattle as we can get in Texas. Both my husbands job and my job can transfer but would be taking a severe pay cut in both jobs.

I am copying and pasting this in both Texas and Seattle, WA forums to see the results.

thanks for your help!

I lived in Seattle for a few years, and I can tell you that they are nothing alike!

[AustinGuy]

Nope, nothing alike. The only reminders of Seattle in Austin are the many Starbucks and the Amazon.com packages arriving daily.

[madrone2k]

I'm sympathetic to the OP because I have gone through similar struggles about deciding where to live. However, its also useful to realize that often human beings focus on finding an environment that will stimulate our senses such that we will feel happy. Sounds nice, but to what extent does happiness come from within or without? I guess it is mix of both for most of us, but the necessary portions vary.

I am fond of both Austin and Seattle, but I think they are very different as far as the physical aspect. People-wise, well ... maybe they're alike in comparison to some (usually hated) 3rd city or place. I think there's a lot of psychology involved in that non-physical aspect. Which is cool, but it's good to keep in mind that its a very non-subjective area and one's opinions can change over time.

[zilam98]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

The only similarity is that both cities are 'somewhat' progressive, but even that comparison is generous at best -- additionally, most cities of a certain size could also be labeled as such.

Having spent time in both, I see few simiarlites. Seattle is much more Denver-feel (surely Boulder as well) in its people than Austin. If you like Seattle so much, Portland is the obvious second choice. Heck, even comparing Portland to Austin is a stretch.

i've had several people making comparisons between portland and austin, more than seattle.

and i agree, if you like the austin hippie vibe but not the scorching summer heat, then consider portland.

[cckhek]

Seattle and Austin may not be similar in every aspect, but I would say if you need to pick one city in Texas that is the closest to Seattle it would be Austin. Austin is the most liberal and one of the more laid back cities in Texas. We lived in Seattle for 20 years before moving to Texas, first Dallas and then Austin. And in my opinion, Dallas and Seattle are like opposites; whereas Austin has some similarities.

[migol84]

I remember some lady in downtown Austin where I used to work telling me that she and her husband lived between Seattle and Austin. She went on this little spiel about how people in Seattle were friendly like in Austin and there was a kind of similar type of atmosphere with the neighborhoods. People know each other and easy to make friends, etc etc.

To me, the way I see it, is that if you are considering things like infrastructure, weather and city layouts there are going to be huge and significant differences. But when we're talking about "people-wise" there will be certain similarities, in the same way that Portland and San Francisco have their similarities within groups and specific interests. Austin has a little bit of that nature. People here in San Francisco are fond of Austin in the same way they are fond of Portland and Seattle. I think its kind of a safe bet to say that Austin is the closest to Seattle than any other city in Texas, at the very least.

[texasdiver]

Having lived in both cities I'd say the following:

SIMILARITIES

Both are dominated by major flagship universities and their alumni networks run the town
Both are lifestyle meccas for their region
Both are full of high tech industry
Both are full of new money....although the Austin money is about 10 years newer than the Seattle money.
Both are gridlocked by completely dysfunctional local governments more concerned about process than actually getting anything done
Both are gridlocked by traffic and both have utterly pathetic public transportation infrastructure for cities of their size

DIFFERENCES
Seattle has a deep and rich industrial/blue collar history with Boeing, the WWII shipyards, the docks, the Alaska fishing industry (which is based in Seattle) and so on. Austin has basically none of that.
Seattle is pan-Asian and Pacific Rim oriented. It has a huge Asian-American and Asian population. Austin is Hispanic and Tex-Mex and looks more towards the southern border.
Seattle is surrounded by oceans and wilderness. Austin is surrounded by farmland to the east and ranch/scrub land to the west with a few small token state parks scattered about.
Seattle is at least twice as big as Austin and as is the only major city other than Portland (and Vancouver Canada) for 600 miles in any direction. Austin is surrounded by even larger cities in Texas.