Austin, San Antonio or Denver, help me decide plz (Bastrop: renting, hotels)

[Rachel127]

Hello all,

I am a 22 yr old recent college grad. I currently live in Phoenix but I am sick to death of the hot,dry,brown,dusty,smoggy desert. I was born and raised in the north east and I miss having at least 3 seasons, I don't mind not having to deal with snow though. So I have been considering moving to either Denver, (yes I know they get snow, but they have other factors that are appealing to me) or Austin. I am looking for the following things in a city:

1. affordable cost of living, I know texas doesn't have income tax which is a big plus since I'll probaly be renting for at least the next 3 years.

2. At least 3 seasons, I miss having the weather change and I love a good rainy day ever now and then.

3. Plenty of nightlife and things to do year round. I am young and I like to go out and have fun, that includes enjoying nature. Are there areas I could live on a pond or lake or near a lake in Austin?

The rest is up in the air

I have also kinda be looking into San Antonio as my degree is in Hospitality, Resort and Tourism Mgt. it seems like they might have more job opportunities than Austin.

One last question, even though I live in the desert, I love going to the beach. How far is the nearest beach from Austin/San Antonio and can you surf/do water sports there?

Thanks so much for any info

[rstrstx]

One question: if you could go snow-skiing or water-skiing which would you prefer?

[Rachel127]

Well I like snow skiing, but I have never been water skiing although its something I'd like to try in the future. My biggest concern about Denver is the winter, I like some snow, but Im not wild about shoveling my car out of 3ft of snow for 6 mos out of the year. My biggest concern about Austin/San Antonio is the high property taxes for when I do buy a home. Obviously not having income tax taken out of your paychecks you take more money home, but is what you take home in line with the cost of living? In other words its not like Ca where you earn (in most cases) far less than you need to live?

[love roses]

Having lived in both, I love both. You actually don't have to shovel your car out of 3 ft. of snow for 6 months. That would be pretty unusual. Denver, even on snow days can be very sunny. Most regular snows melt off the roads pretty quickly. The mountains and foothills actually get more snow than Denver itself. You must be wary of ice on the roads in Denver, but other than that, it's not too big of a deal. You'd have a better chance of living on or near a lake in Austin than you would in Denver. Not any ponds to speak of in Austin, but we do have Lake Travis and Lake Austin. Cherry Creek reservoir in Denver is good for skiing, but no lakeside homes. Grand Lake and maybe Mesa in Colorado do have Lakefront, but most lakes there do not have lakeside properties, many times because they want to keep the water as pristine as possible. I do better at snow skiing than water skiing, but both can be heck on the legs! The winter here is definitely a bit milder than in Denver, but like I said, usually even with the snow, it's not so bad. You ought to be able to use your degree in Austin. Quite a few hotels and Inns/bed and breakfasts. Lost Pines resort is a very large Hyatt property in Bastrop that might be an interesting place to look into. Several hotels downtown as well. Denver also has it's share of very cool, very old and historical hotels downtown. The Brown Palace is one that comes to mind. There is also the Driscoll in downtown Austin.

[Derek ATX]

and the "W" hotel is coming to Austin as well.