Living in SA but considering Austin ...need your opinions!! (San Antonio: transplants, renting)

[rynw]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I relocated to SA last November without knowing a single soul here. We have no family here either.

We are in our early thirties and expecting our first child this fall.

He is a white collar professional and I'm an artist. My husband works between a home office and an office in SA but we have the power to decide if the office should be moved to Austin.

It's been over six months and we still have not met anyone here. We are renting a place in a development and people seem to keep to themselves mostly.

We are house hunting now and wondering if Austin may be the better fit for us. We really like SA, but we would like to know about Austin to see what city might be better for us. We have learned that Austin is quirky (we like quirky) and prides itself on being "strange". Are folks in Austin friendlier than in SA?

We are also wondering what the average price of a detached home in a good area of Austin would be (2500 - 3000 sq ft.).

Bottom line for us is that we are looking to put down roots either here or there in a place where we can meet new people and develop great friendships, a place where I will meet other artists and exhibit my work, and a great place to raise our child.

Any and all advice and info you could offer us would be super appreciated.

Oh, and is the weather between the two cities relatively the same?

Thank you all in advance!

Cheers.

[sezzam]

Originally Posted by rynw

...
We are house hunting now and wondering if Austin may be the better fit for us. We really like SA, but we would like to know about Austin to see what city might be better for us. We have learned that Austin is quirky (we like quirky) and prides itself on being "strange". Are folks in Austin friendlier than in SA?
...

I think Austin prides itself on being weird.

I find folks in Austin to be friendly, but I can't compare the friendliness to SA, because I haven't been there.

[Austin_Texan1]

San Antonio is better.......we're full here in Austin. Spread the word! I don't think it's necessarily the people, but maybe your approach or lack thereof. We have a lot of Californians in Austin that are as bad as it gets in terms of friendliness. We have a couple across the street that has now lived there over a year that has never bothered to wave to us or ever say hi. As you know, Texas has a lot of transplants and the bad part of that is that they bring their rude, unfriendly personalities with them here and giving the rest of us real Texans a bad name. If we could build a wall around Texas to keep everyone out, that would be awesome!!

[ImOnFiya]

Go with your gut - which I believe leans toward Austin. It sounds like your husband's business needs might be better met here (larger white collar professional community and associated resources) and certainly your art aspirations (much larger and lucrative art business community).

Especially with a child on the way, don't live with any regrets - life is going to change enough with the little one coming. Make the move and be satisfied you tried your best to be happy in your living situation. When you're ready, please tell us what you decided and how things are going. Good luck!

[texantodd]

I really enjoy both cities myself. I lived in San Antonio briefly a couple of years back (spent about 7 months there on business), and I moved to Austin here last summer. You asked about the weather, and that is about the same between the two cities, very little difference. I personally prefer Austin, but the cost of living here is much higher, the traffic is worse. On the flip side the dining is better, there are more decent neighborhoods in my opinion, and there are some amazing outdoor activities here.

[migol84]

Originally Posted by SMUR

I think Austin prides itself on being weird.

I find folks in Austin to be friendly, but I can't compare the friendliness to SA, because I haven't been there.

how the heck have you never been to san antonio? its just an hour away. go there and eat some finger licking good tex-mex!

i think people are the same in both austin and san antonio in terms of friendliness. but its probably different for me because i am hispanic and i can mingle well with hispanics and non-hispanics.

but that being said, i recommend to the OP moving to Austin if they are hung on meeting people. This is why I am considering moving back to Austin, because Austin is quite the easy city to meet people and make friends. If anything this is something that Austin prides itself more than being "quirky" or "weird". I honestly get the feeling that the cool eccentric people in Austin don't even like the motto "keep austin weird" nor do they even take pride in anything about keeping austin "weird". they're just people, with dreams and real lives, who want to be happy like everyone else. at least, its what i got from it living there for 13 years.

[orngkat]

As you know, Texas has a lot of transplants and the bad part of that is that they bring their rude, unfriendly personalities with them here and giving the rest of us real Texans a bad name.

I don't think this is true across the board, but I do recall a friendlier atmosphere in both cities before the the massive influx of people the past few years. We grew up saying hello to everyone we ran across and that just isn't done much anymore. I grew up in San Antonio but we decided long ago (when our first child was 1) that Austin was a more "interesting" place to be, so we moved. SA always seems a bit more conservative to me in all things. I would say Austin is more laid back but that is quickly changing. Definitely more expensive housing but SA is catching up there too. Not sure what good area means anymore, but if you are an artist, you might be more at home in one of the old, quirkier areas and those are going to be smaller and more expensive. I think that once your children start school that is where the real friendships start.

[imaterry78259]

Go with your gut but the neighborhoods are much better overall in San Antonio

[clarksvillemom]

I've lived in both and like both, although I'm staying in Austin now. SA is much cheaper, so if that's a consideration look into housing costs and compare. Have you considered moving to more funky areas of SA, like arojnd downtown, King William, Blue Star, even some of Alamo Heights? Have you gone to the musuems and joined groups like McNay or SAMA? There is a thriving arts community in SA which I think is better than Austin, just my opinion

[cwl1994]

Visit Austin. I think for a white collar person Austin is far superior to San Antonio. You asked a question about the 2500-3000 sq foot house. Where there are various areas that are good and are in very differnt house prices

Westlake- over 600k easily
Old West Austin- over 600k easily as well
Northwest Hills/Allendale/Central Austin- over 500k
NorthWest Austin- over 300k
Round Rock/Pflugerville/Cedar Park- mid 200s
Stiener Ranch/Lake Travis- 300k and up
Southwest Austin- upper 200s

Now this is by no means definitive. When it comes to anything i listed over 300k the view can drastically change the price of the home and closer to downtown in NW Austin is greatly bring up the price. My house for example is in NW Austin and worth 600k and only 3,000 sq ft but has a beautiful pool and a view. Great Hills and Jester will be far more expensive than millwood and balcones. And some homes will be under everything I say. You can get homes that size below everything I listed, because I am generalizing, but inventory may be low but don't be discouraged if your budget is a high at 300k still look at Northwest Austin and Steiner/ Lake Travis