Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Some observations I've made living in a new state.
Back in August, I made the decision to leave Austin due to my father's death back in June. Both he and my mother died in Austin. As well as Esme Barrera, who I knew.
Those elements combined with the fact more jobs seemed to moving in north austin past where bus routes could go sealed the deal for me leaving.
I am going back and forth now between Arizona and LA. I do short-term projects in Arizona which make me more money then working a full time job in LA.
Also, I got a super cheap deal in staying at a hotel in downtown LA which enables me to live there.
Anyway, one of the reasons I could never live in Arizona permanently is a state law passed back in 2010 where you have to have a vehicle to get just a small cash loan. Say, like 300 bucks.
Whereas in Texas or Cali, you dont have that issue. Buses run limited in Phoenix as well. Yeah, they have the rail but it only goes to a certain point. Buses in LA and Austin run at midnight.
Also LA's rail runs through the early morning hours. Second, food in phoenix in some ways is more expensive than in Cali. It's cheaper to eat at Del Taco then getting a meal from the store.
The advantage I've noticed LA has over Austin is their buses cover more areas of the city. Where Austin doesnt have coverage going into Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown.
I'm not going to lie, LA has it's drawbacks. Cost of living and safety. Yes, it's more dangerous than Austin. Though I dispute the safety part because LA is like Houston in the sense that as long as you live in the right area or dont go venturing at night into the wrong ones it is fine.
And I have to say, I love the weather in LA. No humidity, heat is nowhere near as bad like in Austin. Allergies are much less of an issue for me than they were in Austin. Allergies were getting unbearable for me at the time I left Austin
LA for me has a lot more things to do. Being around beaches doesn't hurt. I think some cities fit people better than others.
Austin just lost it's luster for me. I've lived there since 1987 and witnessed a lot of changes. But as the 2000's dawned, changes became for the worst rather than better. That is my opinion though.
Like a ongoing cliche',every long term austinite has an opinion when Austin was great. Mine is the late 80's through the mid-90's. Austin was for me the place to live over anywhere during that time. (Although if I had known allergies and heat wouldn't be as bad elsewhere, I might have had second thoughts)
It makes me sad seeing the local music scene in Austin erode more and more to where bad cover bands for yuppies are becoming more prevalent. As well as Mall culture starting to replace actual culture here.
And before anyone puts me on blast, yes LA does have mall culture, BUT it still has a thriving cultural scene as well.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. I know a lot of people have left Austin and came back within 2-4 years. I just dont think that is possible for me, given the intensity of heat and allergies. I just can't handle it anymore.
I also dont like the idea of being forced to live in Cedar Park and Round Rock just to work. I mean those are great places for families. But I am single with no kids, so it would be boring for me. Oh yeah and there is that little element called Williamson County. Even though they have a new DA, it is still a police state.
Oh and especially with the shutting down of abortion clinics, which makes it unappealing as I am strongly pro-choice.
I wish Wendy Davis luck but I dont think she will win, even though there are more people from the west coast down here now
I miss my friends here, but very sadly can't say I miss Austin anymore. For those still love it here, more power to you. You're stronger than I am in regards to heat and allergies.
BTW for those who diss LA, but have never been here, visit before judging. It is nowhere near awful like everyone complains. And there is affordable renting in nice areas, you just have to know where to go.
Hey, thanks guys for the input. It's refreshing to see people on the forum not go on the warpath. A lot of Austinites remind me of Scientologists in the sense if you say the slightest negative thing regarding it, they flip out even if it's true. I call it rose-colored glasses syndrome.
I dont know if I can handle the cold weather in Vancouver, WA or Portland. Another major reason I moved out of Austin was they actually had winters albeit in a schizophrenic manner.
Also, isn't it true about what I hear in Oregon being that there is hardly ever any sun?
BTW I noticed a lot of people who complained about LA tend to have families. I definately think if you have a family, getting out of LA is the best option.
It is not a family friendly environment socially or financially. I think the most family friendly city in Cali is more Santa Barbara than anywhere else.
Or if you don't mind living in the desert, Scottsdale or Phoenix. I think LA fits more singles like myself who aren't married or have children.
I'm still weary of having to defend myself given it's the Audstin forum. But the only reason i didn't get an apartment in LA was that I dont have any furniture and am not fond of sleeping on the carpet.
Add to the fact I commute to Arizona to do projects. And I dont like being tied to a lease. Cause I did find some not great, but affordable apartments online and craigslist before deciding to be a gypsy so to speak. I can get a decent job in LA, but I like to have a little extra cash in my pocket instead of all of it going to rent and food. Hence why I do these projects
I remember in another thread that a guy wanted to move to Austin from LA cause he is tired of the graffiti, gangs schools what not for his family.
Again as I said I do not think LA is a place to raise kids. BUT... not all of LA is like what that man describes. He is talking about East LA and Compton.
There are some really nice areas of LA like Studio City (which reminds me of Austin during the Slacker Era), Burbank, Santa Monica, and Malibu.
Essentially, LA is like the west coast version of Houston, but more pricey. Like Houston, as long as you pick the right areas to live or visit, you're fine. Except with Houston, from what I hear even the safest economical areas are becoming unsafe.
And that is what put me off to moving back to Houston. Im currently stuck in Tempe Arizona, cause of my project falling through which is my fault.
I'm interviewing for a 3,000.00 project tommorow. If I get in, I will finish on Dec 22nd. Then I will head back to LA.
I'll look into Vancouver and Portland. Cause I need to be careful. Even though LA's job market is improving, it could be a disaster again in a couple of years.
It is funny though, one of the reasons I moved to LA is that I have 3 friends from Austin who live out there. Cause they were like me in the sense of being sick of heat and allergies.
One of my friends does the same thing I do in regards to commuting back and forth between LA and Phoenix or LA and San Antonio. I asked if he has thought of moving back to Texas due to the commuting he has to do.
He said even though it is a nuisance, he couldn't picture himself living in Texas weather again. Andthe fact there is so much more to do in LA than Austin.
I think the good weather and that there is always something to do is worth the hard work to stay here. I dont think anyone will truly understand unless they visit LA avoiding the usual tourist trap surrounding cities and really just explore it. And not having kids does help.
The PNW is milder but wetter and cloudier for sure. Costs of housing and living should still be quite a bit lower than LA or SF though, if not as low as in Austin.
I doubt I'd live in LA unless I were in an industry that required it, like being an aspiring actor/director/screenwriter. If you're not hooked into the culture somehow, then it seems hardly worth paying the price to live there.
I am wondering if the air pollution is any better than when I left there, in 1987. When we left, there were just a few days a year when you could actually see the mountains around you. The rest of the time, the horizon was just haze, and you never would have known you were in a basin. That is a big reason that we left. I am wondering whether, with changed auto standards and other measures, they have improved this any. The reason I ask is that when we moved there, in the mid 70s, we were told that the air pollution was better than it was a decade or two before. Have they kept on improving this?
I am wondering if the air pollution is any better than when I left there, in 1987. When we left, there were just a few days a year when you could actually see the mountains around you. The rest of the time, the horizon was just haze, and you never would have known you were in a basin. That is a big reason that we left. I am wondering whether, with changed auto standards and other measures, they have improved this any. The reason I ask is that when we moved there, in the mid 70s, we were told that the air pollution was better than it was a decade or two before. Have they kept on improving this?
A friend in Huntington Beach says it's pretty horrible many, many days of the year. Doesn't answer your question, I know; but it must still be pretty bad. Not like the China story I saw this morning...holy guacamole!
See ya! Been to LA plenty of times and don't have any problems with it. Just don't want to live there unless I was loaded and possibly had a helicopter. I don't like Houston either so those comparisons aren't helping your case.
Hey, thanks guys for the input. It's refreshing to see people on the forum not go on the warpath. A lot of Austinites remind me of Scientologists in the sense if you say the slightest negative thing regarding it, they flip out even if it's true. I call it rose-colored glasses syndrome.
I dont know if I can handle the cold weather in Vancouver, WA or Portland. Another major reason I moved out of Austin was they actually had winters albeit in a schizophrenic manner.
Also, isn't it true about what I hear in Oregon being that there is hardly ever any sun?
BTW I noticed a lot of people who complained about LA tend to have families. I definately think if you have a family, getting out of LA is the best option.
It is not a family friendly environment socially or financially. I think the most family friendly city in Cali is more Santa Barbara than anywhere else.
Or if you don't mind living in the desert, Scottsdale or Phoenix. I think LA fits more singles like myself who aren't married or have children.
I'm still weary of having to defend myself given it's the Audstin forum. But the only reason i didn't get an apartment in LA was that I dont have any furniture and am not fond of sleeping on the carpet.
Add to the fact I commute to Arizona to do projects. And I dont like being tied to a lease. Cause I did find some not great, but affordable apartments online and craigslist before deciding to be a gypsy so to speak. I can get a decent job in LA, but I like to have a little extra cash in my pocket instead of all of it going to rent and food. Hence why I do these projects
I remember in another thread that a guy wanted to move to Austin from LA cause he is tired of the graffiti, gangs schools what not for his family.
Again as I said I do not think LA is a place to raise kids. BUT... not all of LA is like what that man describes. He is talking about East LA and Compton.
There are some really nice areas of LA like Studio City (which reminds me of Austin during the Slacker Era), Burbank, Santa Monica, and Malibu.
Essentially, LA is like the west coast version of Houston, but more pricey. Like Houston, as long as you pick the right areas to live or visit, you're fine. Except with Houston, from what I hear even the safest economical areas are becoming unsafe.
And that is what put me off to moving back to Houston. Im currently stuck in Tempe Arizona, cause of my project falling through which is my fault.
I'm interviewing for a 3,000.00 project tommorow. If I get in, I will finish on Dec 22nd. Then I will head back to LA.
I'll look into Vancouver and Portland. Cause I need to be careful. Even though LA's job market is improving, it could be a disaster again in a couple of years.
It is funny though, one of the reasons I moved to LA is that I have 3 friends from Austin who live out there. Cause they were like me in the sense of being sick of heat and allergies.
One of my friends does the same thing I do in regards to commuting back and forth between LA and Phoenix or LA and San Antonio. I asked if he has thought of moving back to Texas due to the commuting he has to do.
He said even though it is a nuisance, he couldn't picture himself living in Texas weather again. Andthe fact there is so much more to do in LA than Austin.
I think the good weather and that there is always something to do is worth the hard work to stay here. I dont think anyone will truly understand unless they visit LA avoiding the usual tourist trap surrounding cities and really just explore it. And not having kids does help.
Why not consider Seattle? We will move to Seattle after more than 30 years in Austin. Both Seattle and Austin are nice cities. We just want to change and be able to live at Puget Sound. The weather is actually nicer than most people thought. However, the traffic is worsen than Austin. Before Austin, we lived at Houston and LA. We don't consider these two cities. The weather at LA is nice, but it is too large of city for us.
Isn't Seattle just as pricey as the west coast? If so, I dont necessarily see the upside. While Seattle does have more culture than LA, the weather is off-putting for me. It may have less allergies which is appealing but I still get sick extremely easy in cold weather.
As far as what happened in LA, I guess it works for some and not for others. If you are a retiring homebody type or with kids I completely understand. I think San Diego would be more your speed. A little less hectic, but family-oriented and still lots of things to do.
I will concede Houston is cheaper. But it is getting bad crime-wise where even safe affordable areas are being affected. For some reason it isn't the same in LA. Affordable (for LA standards anyway) areas still have safety to them.
I don't want to be misconstrued here, not trying to get people to pack their bags for Cali. It is not going to be for everyone. But I'm defending LA cause it does get a bit of a bad rap from people who A) either never visited or B) have visited but just went to the common tourist spots without really checking the city out.
Austin is going to be just as expensive as LA in the next 5-7 years. My logic is this - if I have to work 2 jobs anyway, may as well be in a city I can really enjoy myself that has no emotional baggage or lack of decent NON-IT jobs unlike Austin.
I'm beating a dead horse, but having hardly any allergies has been heaven. It will be more heavenly, once I somehow, someway am to get the hell out of Phoenix, a pisshole in itself like the state of Arizona.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
