Am I going to be safe in Austin? (Houston, Dallas: fit in, renting)

[Meyerland]

Are you looking to live in Central Austin or one of the burbs? Round Rock was pretty diverse when I student taught there in 95-96'. A pretty even mix of races if I can remember that far back. Pflugerville was not as diverse back then, but that could have changed.

The East side of Houston has been gentrifying and I believe the North-East is more AA and the South-East was more Hispanic. I used to work near Riverside and I believe that area is still very bad. (But someone who lives in Austin currently could tell you more.)

[riaelise]

OP, I'm from NYC. As far as quality of life is concerned, you'll do very well here in the Austin MSA (which includes suburban cities). While Austin is definitely not a utopia and you shouldn't take leave of your senses, it does have lower violent crime. Of course, there are areas where crime is higher than others but none to the level of Chicago, for instance. There are gangs (all of your favorites) but the area is not "gang infested" to the levels in many other cities. I'm not telling you this to scare you, but as a New Yorker, I'm just being real. Property theft is a bigger thing around here.

You might want to consider Pflugerville and Round Rock, both of which have a sizable middle/professional classed Black population. The cities are ethnicly diverse, so you wouldn't be moving into a predominately anything area but rather a city that has a lot of everything (Asian, Latino, multiracial, White, Black, etc.) They are also lower in crime than even Austin.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Goddess2013

I'm not comparing crime at all, I know that's like oil and water. But I'm not relocating because of the crime, I don't live in the crime infested areas so it does not affect me. I'm moving cause I'm tired of the cold winters and looking for a little bit cheaper cost of living.

How much are you looking to spend (on rent or for a home)? How big a home?

Are schools (quality or "diversity") of importance? I'm guessing yes. Tell us what would be a preferrable type of school. (please be specific)

Some parts of Austin might be a fit. Some areas of Dallas or Houston (or Tampa) might be a better fit.

Property taxes run 2.2-2.5%. A good home (4 BR 2.5 Bath, 2500 sq. ft.) in a good neighborhood which flows into a good/very good school would run 270K-400K. There might be a couple of these "good" school tracks that would have an AA demographic of 8-13%. Most of the other perceived "good" schools would have a lower % though.

Might want to pose your exact requirement/desires in the Houston & Dallas forums as well. (more "diversity" & probably "cheaper cost of living") & seriously drop the "Is it safe?" & "Is there "crime infested areas?" out of your posts. There are a couple of small pockets in all Texas cities, but it's miniscule & you won't be living in them or traveling into them...even by accident. As mentioned, it probably wouldn't be an issue in the worst areas unless it was 3am.

[dbsteel]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

That is not Austin - yes, the summer is long, but our winter can be much colder than that. Tampa would be much more like that.


I think she said in another forum that she had job offers in Tampa and Austin. Also, Dallas would be much colder than it appears she is looking for.

In an earlier post, she said she had heard that Dallas and Houston were no good (or something to that effect) so I wanted to point out that she just plain shouldn't jump to that conclusion. A city the size of Chicago that has the amenities that it does would be more in line with those cities than Austin.

[winkosmosis]

As a minority I'm offended that because the OP is black, so many posters assumed that "diversity" is important to her. Listen white people, to us, you are exotic and strange.

And if you value diversity and live in a mostly white area, our non-whiteness should be even more valued.

[Trainwreck20]

so many posters assumed that "diversity" is important to her.

Or did you assume that we assumed it is important to her? We just pointed out that diversity is limited, IF that is important. We (or at least myself) did not assume it was important to her.

[CptnRn]

Here is the City-Data crime rate comparison. I had to use 2009 as Chicago did not report the rape and arson data for 2010 or 2011. Violent crime in Austin is much lower but property crime (burglary and theft rates) are much higher.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

As a minority I'm offended that because the OP is black, so many posters assumed that "diversity" is important to her. Listen white people, to us, you are exotic and strange.

And if you value diversity and live in a mostly white area, our non-whiteness should be even more valued.

Oh please. We didn't assume jack.

1. - She indicated that diversity (for her kids) might be a consideration.

2. fwiw....when I was looking at schools I didn't want my kid to be the only Asian at the school. Most people don't want their kids to be the "token", if a different option might be available.

3. Define Diversity. Austin is incredibly diverse.....oh wait, what's your definition?

She also indicated that she wanted warm weather during the winter & cheaper housing as considerations. Austin (& Dallas) may or may not meet her criteria (depending on what her criteria is on housing.....since she didn't indicated what "cheaper" means). Weather is a different issue, maybe our 2 out of 10 days in the 40s & 50s - & the other 8 out of 10 in the 60s & 70s. Maybe our occasional dip in temps during the winter months knocks us (& Dallas) out of the running.
.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Goddess2013

G Grasshopper, You are so right, Chicago has become so dangerous. But the difference is since I am born and raised here I know where to go and where not to go, that's a disadvantage that I will have when I move, therefore making me vulnerable.

This crime heat map helps one visualize where the high crime rates are. Crime Map Beta - Trulia

However it the different colors show all crimes including the high burglary and theft, so anyplace with lots of shopping centers and parking lots shows up as hot spots. You can set the filters on the left side to show only violent crimes to get a better feel for where most of those happen.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by 787

To compare crime between Chicago and Austin is insulting.

Were you aware that the burglary and theft crime rates are higher in Austin then they are in Chicago?