considering a move to austin from phoenix, az... can anyone fill me in on life here (Corpus Christi: real estate)

[nankjay]

Hi there!

My husband and I recently moved to Phoenix, AZ a few years ago from NY to escape the cold weather, high prices, fast pace (among other things. As much as we love AZ, we are so far from family and even the lower prices here have increased and I don't like the people too much and the crime and accident rate here is crazy.

So, with that said, as soon as we get some equity to move (which could be years ;( but we are starting to research now, I'd like to find out more about austin and was hoping someone can answer some questions for me and possible be an email pal (for now at least

Questions I have are:

-Where is the nearest good beach from austin?? I miss the water, having lived in NY for years. I hear there is a beach 4 hrs away... is that true?? That's almost the same as Az except I think you have far more lakes and water in general.

- How is the weather?? What is the coldest it gets? Warmest? Humidity? Snow? I hear the climate changes alot in austin, even day to day

-How is the cost of living for a single family home in an area that is close to downtown but far enough to be peaceful?

-How are salaries here compared to cost of living and other areas of the US?

-What are some of the best areas to consider if you'd like alot of stuff walking distance or not too far of a drive, especially the night life and shopping? (my husband and I are in our 30's but won't be having kids)

-How is the healthcare system?

-How are the people? Are they friendly?

-Do you have public transportation?? (we have NONE where I live so if you don't have a car or can't walk for miles and miles, you are in big trouble)

-Are they fun and scenic places to visit on a day trip? (AZ has tons of places to go in close proximity, even some places a few hours away with 20 degree climate changes). Another thing we love about AZ

Anything else you can tell me would be great! My biggest concern is that the weather will be intolerable and that is one of the things I love most about AZ but it is much further from family than we want to be.

Thanks so much and hope to hear back from someone soon!!

[Mike78613]

-Where is the nearest good beach from austin?? I miss the water, having lived in NY for years. I hear there is a beach 4 hrs away... is that true?? That's almost the same as Az except I think you have far more lakes and water in general.

Corpus Christi or Galveston would be your best bet, but flying to Cozumel is very cheap from here in Texas then say AZ or NY
Its about 3-4 hrs either one (Corpus Christi or Galveston).

- How is the weather?? What is the coldest it gets? Warmest? Humidity? Snow? I hear the climate changes alot in austin, even day to day

Coldest is about 35, and that will cause the steet to freeze and AUSTIN will shut down! No lie!! That happens maybe once every or two years. It's a good day off. We consider this out "snow day"

-How is the cost of living for a single family home in an area that is close to downtown but far enough to be peaceful?

Well, S. Austin would be cheaper and closer then say N. Austin or NW Austin. Homes avg price is around 130K and up. Keep away from East side of Austin.

-How are salaries here compared to cost of living and other areas of the US?

Salaries can start around 20K and up. City Data will show you more on the specific town you like to live in and what average income of single family homes. In all honesty, I don't make much and do very well here Then say compared to if I move back to Colorado w/ same income

What are some of the best areas to consider if you'd like alot of stuff walking distance or not too far of a drive, especially the night life and shopping? (my husband and I are in our 30's but won't be having kids)

Staying close to downtown is my bet, lots of activites to do. People here are just so nice!!

-How is the healthcare system?

plenty of health care / hospitals. All over the place.

How are salaries here compared to cost of living and other areas of the US?

Very damn good. When we 1st moved here in 96. Wife and I made less then $50K and we had our 1st home and nice cars. I used to trade my vehicles every 3 months or so. It was fun until I upgraded to a bigger home and meet the Jones's. lol

-How are the people? Are they friendly?

I was a military brat. Been all over. Austin or Texas in general is very laid back people, one of the best places I have been. People are not very conservative but are open arms and liberal. If you love music it's here, if you like to party it's here, if you just want to swim or boat rides its here! Lakes are all over. Man, I guess everything is here except for snow and mountains.

-Do you have public transportation??

Capitol Metro is it. No train/rail system yet, but it is coming. If thats the case, maybe looking to live in Leander / Cedar Park would be a great option.

Are they fun and scenic places to visit on a day trip? (

Well I am mixed on this. I am more outdoors and love to get away at times. To get to the nearest mountain is Big Ben, its about a 8 hr drive or so. There are lots of things to do in Austin in general. I am sure others will chime in.

Anything else you can tell me would be great! My biggest concern is that the weather will be intolerable and that is one of the things I love most about AZ but it is much further from family than we want to be.

It gets hot and humid. Every home-owner should own a pool At 1st it will be muggy, in the summer, your skin will thank you later for it though. Your body will adjust to the Texas hot / humid climate. Once that is said, its all she wrote....

Thanks so much and hope to hear back from someone soon!!

You are sooooOOO vwery welcome. See ya soon!!

[nankjay]

thanks so much for your quick reply!! Oh, yes, as far as music... my husband is a musician and I am an aspiring singer and that is one of many reasons we are strongly considering austin over other cities

[Mike78613]

Originally Posted by njay

thanks so much for your quick reply!! Oh, yes, as far as music... my husband is a musician and I am an aspiring singer and that is one of many reasons we are strongly considering austin over other cities

Austin City Limits and SXSW is HUGE success here. Google these two. You'll see

[nankjay]

thanks alot Mike!! also hoping to get some more responses but it seems like you covered alot

-Nancy

[julrey]

Originally Posted by Mike78613

Keep away from East side of Austin.

This may be true for the most part but there are plenty of safe apartments for rent off Riverside, and if it's going to be awhile before they move the Eastside may very well be the new Gentrified Austin by then. I've already been reading up on houses east of I-35 selling for over $100k that need to be torn down. In other words real estate developers are spending over 100 grand for the lot to build a brand new house on.

[julrey]

Just a few more random observations based on your questions:

As for the music scene, I see people (not just on this thread) focusing perhaps too much on the big festivals like SXSW and Austin City Limits. This kind of belies the fact that music is an everyday part of the fabric of Austin lives. Music is not merely prevalent on the weeks when the festivals are in town... bands play at the airport, Central Market, etc EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. Ironically it's the 6th St. bars that are the few that consistently do NOT have live music.

That said, certain types of music are more popular than others. Alt-country and any kind of singer-songwriter stuff is probably THE most popular, with the various strains of indie rock coming in a close second. Blues is hugely popular but there is a huge dearth of jazz clubs for a city of Austin's size (ie. here in Indy there are probably four times as many jazz clubs and the music scene in general here sucks).

There is also a pretty good film community going on and more and more movies are being shot in and around Austin every year.

I'm not a huge theater kind of guy myself but from the coverage in the Chronicle it would appear there is a thriving scene in that dept.

I haven't been back since the Blanton museum opened up but previously I'd always decried the lack of a truly great art museum in Austin (I went to the downtown AMOA exactly once and found it to be pretty wretched to be honest, although not all of their holdings are avail. at any given time of course).

The heat: yes, it's pretty damn bad, esp. with the humidity, but if you can put up with it for 2-3 months during the summer you get some pretty spectacular springs and falls to make up for it.

[Mike78613]

Originally Posted by julrey

This may be true for the most part but there are plenty of safe apartments for rent off Riverside, and if it's going to be awhile before they move the Eastside may very well be the new Gentrified Austin by then. I've already been reading up on houses east of I-35 selling for over $100k that need to be torn down. In other words real estate developers are spending over 100 grand for the lot to build a brand new house on.

I personally would not live anywhere on Riverside on the East side of I-35 (S. Pleasant Valley Rd) close to that HEB. Riverside on Friday and Saturday nights, they hold the lowrider cruises or import tuner kid hang outs. So you will see these getto looking cars scraping bumpers on the road and boom boom loud music. No thanks!! Also if you keep going down riverside and reach Montopolis Dr, get ready to get car jacked.

Oh as for north, don't hang out at night anywhere near Rundberg / Lamar area @ night.

[julrey]

Originally Posted by Mike78613

I personally would not live anywhere on Riverside on the East side of I-35 (S. Pleasant Valley Rd) close to that HEB. Riverside on Friday and Saturday nights, they hold the lowrider cruises or import tuner kid hang outs. So you will see these getto looking cars scraping bumpers on the road and boom boom loud music. No thanks!! Also if you keep going down riverside and reach Montopolis Dr, get ready to get car jacked.

Oh as for north, don't hang out at night anywhere near Rundberg / Lamar area @ night.

Haw! You actually hit the only other area I've stayed any extensive amount of time in Austin! I spent several months living at the In Town Suites which is just a block or two up from that intersection. I took the Night Owl back up from 6th St. on many nights at 2-3:00 in the morning and never felt threatened. Same with the Riverside scene: you're correct about the parking lots full of low riders and what not but I lived off Burton & Riverside for years and never had problems. Then again, there are those who give the appearance of knowing how to handle themselves and those that pretty much have "mark" written all over them, so I guess the important thing is to realize what kind of image you're putting out there (not referring to the poster specifically, but just anybody wondering how "dangerous" any given area actually is). People who seem like easy prey are more often the victim of crime for reasons which should be fairly obvious.

[edit: I do agree that Montopolis is kind of far out there for the area of the Eastside that I'd be comfortable living in, but again, we'll see what happens in the next few years with that whole area of town]