Anyone from the Midwest (Chicago specifically) move to Austin? (Houston: appointed, low crime)

[ITChick]

And if so, what do you think? Any regrets? Any feelings of: "I wish I had done this sooner!"? If you found some great differences, good or bad, please let me know, even if it's just homesickness.

Thanks in advance!

[PfinallyInAustin]

ITChick,

I moved to Austin in April. I'm originally from Peoria ("downstate", as Chicagoans like to call it :-) ), but I lived in St. Louis for about 4 years in between living in Peoria and Austin. Overall, I like Austin a lot. I think it's a good sized metro area, without being huge. There's low crime, and it's a great place to raise a family. I don't really have any regrets, but I do sometimes miss all the activities that I had to choose from in St. Louis. I'm sure anyone from a bigger city will agree with that. There aren't nearly as many concerts, plays, or anything like that as you'd find in Chicago or St. Louis. Not even close, in fact. The good thing is that Austin is between Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, so you'll find those things not too far away. Here comes the bad news... you'll have to put up with traffic to get there (or anywhere in Austin, for that matter). I should elaborate that it's not like Chicago traffic necessarily. Chicago has traffic, but they also have interstates and major highways everywhere. Here in Austin, if you want to go out of the area North or South, you have I-35. That's basically it. So imagine everyone wanting to go somewhere on the weekend, no matter where they're going. One interstate highway will hold everyone bumper to bumper with no really good alternative. Mass transit hasn't kept up nearly enough, either. So, transportation issues are a negative around here. You will definitely appreciate the cost of living differences, however! Also, I'm assuming that you are in the IT field as I am (just guessing by your name). There's not a shortage of IT positions here. Not sure if you are a fan of snow or not, but if you don't like to shovel, you'll love Austin in the winter. I didn't mind the snow, but I did mind how midwesterners are expected to still slide into work on snow and ice covered roads. That was a major pet-peeve of mine. This year, I'm enjoying seeing the snow on WGN News instead of in person!

Anyway, I think I read somewhere that you are coming down to see Austin with your own eyes. Have a great time and make sure you take it all in. I personally like Austin overall and think I made a great move. I do get "homesick" sometimes thinking about things I used to do back in St. Louis, but that's going to happen wherever you go if you move away. My advice is this: don't compare Austin to Chicago. You'll probably be disappointed. When you come, look at it as a completely different place to live... a clean slate. Then ask yourself if you'd be happy living in this environment. Good luck!

[gigi927]

I think AustinBound did a good job of highlighting some of the major differences you'll find. I am a Chicago native, and lived there til I was 28, with the last 4 years being in downtown Chicago. My observations:

Where Chicago's better:
* Chicago is world class when it comes to museums, symphony, opera, ballet, etc. So if those things are super important to you, you will find Austin lacking.
* Chicago has one of the best mass transit systems around. Again, if you rely or desire to rely on that to get around, you will find Austin lacking.
* Chicago has incredibly diverse dining options. Austin is more limited.
* Chicago has professional sports teams (okay, for the most part they usually are fairly awful but they still have them ); Austin has the Longhorns.
* I was never single in Austin, but I'd take a bet that for someone out of college, the Chicago dating/nightlife scene is more diverse and has more options just based on sheer population.

Where Austin's Better:
* Weather.
* Outdoor activities (hiking, biking, water sports, etc.)
* Park system
* Lower crime
* Better public schools (generally)
* More of a high tech center than Chicago
* Lower cost of living

One thing you'll want to consider is whether you're a suburb person or a downtown person. That can factor in huge in the comparison. I'd say that if you're a suburb person, the differences between Chicago and Austin become LESS pronounced. If you're a downtown person, you'd probably find Austin a bit less sophisticated than Chicago and might miss some of the advantages that downtown Chicago has to offer. It all depends on what things are most important to you and what tradeoffs you're willing to make. Some of us are willing to walk away from a LOT in Chicago just to not deal with the weather I find both Chicago and Austin terrific places to live. Best of luck!

[ITChick]

Thanks so much for your replies, AustinBound, and gigi927!

AustinBound, I spent a lot of time in Peoria and a little bit of time in the St. Louis area so I'm familiar with that location too! I'll bet you have a good laugh when Tom Skilling announces that "Another snow storm is headed our way!", all this past week. Yes I will definitely love Austin in the Winter! It's the Summers I've been warned about, but I hope "they're" wrong! Hopefully the I-35 isn't much worse than the 90/94 which seems to be crowded any time of day now. I will definitely keep the "clean slate" theory in mind.

gigi927, I have to admit that except for the public schools (don't have kids so it's a non-issue), all of your "Where Austin's Better" list looks to be exactly what I want! I'm an "Outdoors" type of person and would rather hike, bike or take a long nature walk with my dog and/or friends than go to a Play, or a Sports Event. Having more time to spend outdoors seems ideal to me.

Yes, it's true that one of the reasons I picked Austin is because of the large amount of Technical Career possibilities in the area. And of course, the weather.

This is all so exciting! I really cannot wait to visit! Thanks guys, you've both given me a lot to look forward to.