Where do Austinites fed up with Austin move? (Kerrville, Fredericksburg: home, allergy)

[tomchard]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

I think the gist of all of the who/when/what taxes are paid, whether income, property, sales, etc., is that it's difficult pin down a true number on the TCL (Total Cost of Living) of a particular location/lifestyle, either full or part time.

Thus, when trying to decide "can I retire yet?" and the answer being, as it is for me, "yes, but not in Austin", I (and those like me) have to be meticulous and scrupulous in our cost of living assessment of what we believe to be a "cheaper" locale with acceptable lifestyle.

I'll add that it isn't cost alone that will drive me away. It's cost on top of "lifestyle overhead", namely traffic and the less identifiable/describable feeling that it's just become "too much" going on for my taste. Austin is no longer laid back and chill. It's frenetic. That's not to say I don't still love Austin and much that the growth has brought, but the Pros and Cons list is tilting Cons now, and I don't see a reversal of that on the horizon at the current pace of change.

Steve

Good Post, Steve! ... Exactly how my DW and I feel about the Austin area, when we get back there to visit. My kids & Families still live off southern RR620; driving up/down that road is taking your life in your hands, these days; it's changed that much!
I like your term "Lifestyle Overhead" ... It connotes exactly what we've seen with many of the Families my children, and their Families are friends with. - It ain't the same-ol'-Austin, anymore!

Maybe we're somewhat-ahead of y'all in planning "retirement"; we're within a couple of years of that actually happening, and have been getting an idea about real estate costs in Central Texas. My main area for searching-to-look-at properties has sort-of narrowed to the Bulverde-Spring Branch-Canyon Lake-Blanco-Johnson City-Horseshoe Bay-Marble Falls and Burnet area - if you could call that area "narrow". These towns still have homes that are "retirement-affordable" and, with a little restoration/renovation, can be quite livable. And, thankfully, I have a son-in-law who's in that business, and knows lots of experts who can help (for a price).
I don't know how close y'all are to "retiring", but looking-ahead by the number of years y'all have left to work can help in decision-making about where to live. And, there's certainly plenty of reading material out there to check out, too (Pro and Con!).

Best Wishes to Y'all! --- TC

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by tomchard

Good Post, Steve! ... Exactly how my DW and I feel about the Austin area, when we get back there to visit. My kids & Families still live off southern RR620; driving up/down that road is taking your life in your hands, these days; it's changed that much!
I like your term "Lifestyle Overhead" ... It connotes exactly what we've seen with many of the Families my children, and their Families are friends with. - It ain't the same-ol'-Austin, anymore!

Maybe we're somewhat-ahead of y'all in planning "retirement"; we're within a couple of years of that actually happening, and have been getting an idea about real estate costs in Central Texas. My main area for searching-to-look-at properties has sort-of narrowed to the Bulverde-Spring Branch-Canyon Lake-Blanco-Johnson City-Horseshoe Bay-Marble Falls and Burnet area - if you could call that area "narrow". These towns still have homes that are "retirement-affordable" and, with a little restoration/renovation, can be quite livable. And, thankfully, I have a son-in-law who's in that business, and knows lots of experts who can help (for a price).
I don't know how close y'all are to "retiring", but looking-ahead by the number of years y'all have left to work can help in decision-making about where to live. And, there's certainly plenty of reading material out there to check out, too (Pro and Con!).

Best Wishes to Y'all! --- TC

And I think the other thing people forget about property taxes in Texas is that there are unincorporated areas within which tax rates are still below 2%. For example, in Barton Creek West in Eanes ISD, tax rate is 1.88% because it's in a nowhere zone between municipalities, so County/ISD taxes only.

Same with many areas outside big metros, which is why getting away from Austin with a combination of lower cost of the house itself plus sub2% tax rate can make an affordable retirement destination.

Bulverde has a tax rate below 2%, Hill Country serenity, and easy access (less than 1 hour) to Austin and even closer to San Antonio.

So you've zeroed in on a potential sweet spot.

Steve

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

For example, in Barton Creek West in Eanes ISD, tax rate is 1.88% because it's in a nowhere zone between municipalities, so County/ISD taxes only.

Looks to be in Austin ETJ. I'd hate to move their assuming I wouldn't pay city taxes, and then get immediately annexed.

http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/def...nnexations.pdf

[creepy]

Smaller towns in Texas, Lubbock. New Mexico, California.

[CptnRn]

This article is a year old but might interest some people.

The Best Places To Retire In 2014 - Forbes

[Frodo2008]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

This article is a year old but might interest some people.

The Best Places To Retire In 2014 - Forbes

There were some places on there that I didn't expect. They all look like pretty nice places. I liked the way that Pittsburgh looked in the picture. Nobody ever talks about Pittsburgh but it looked like a nice city in the picture.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Frodo2008

There were some places on there that I didn't expect. They all look like pretty nice places. I liked the way that Pittsburgh looked in the picture. Nobody ever talks about Pittsburgh but it looked like a nice city in the picture.

Yes while on the one hand I think the article was largely click bait, you had to click thru 26 pages to see all of the recommendations. I'm providing the list for convenience below. I do think it brought up some interesting ideas that I would not otherwise consider. A few of them did not make much sense to me as the brief bits they described indicated higher then average CoL, or housing prices, or were in cold climates. Venice California is the one that stood out for me as most attractive.

On the web page it is titled "25 Best Places to Retire in 2014. Austin was third on the list but there is no indication if placement means anything.

Abilene, TX
Auburn, AL
Austin, TX
Bellingham, WA
Blacksburg, VA
Bluffton, SC
Boise, ID
Bowling Green, KY
Brevard, NC
Cape Coral, FL
Charleston, SC
Clemason, SC
Fargo, ND
Fredericksburg, TX
Las Cruces, NM
Morgantown, WV
Ogden, UT
Oklahoma City, OK
Pittsburgh, PA
Port Saint Lucie, FL
Salt Lake City, UT
San Angelo, TX
State College, PA
Tucson, AZ
Venice, FL

[dbsteel]

Originally Posted by Frodo2008

There were some places on there that I didn't expect. They all look like pretty nice places. I liked the way that Pittsburgh looked in the picture. Nobody ever talks about Pittsburgh but it looked like a nice city in the picture.

Hey... I moved to Pittsburgh from Austin.

Not to retire though, just to move back close to home. No one talks about it because of the winter (probably) and the visions of the Steel Mills from the 70s and being a "rust belt" city, but its really made a comeback the last few yearsand has a lot to offer, if you can deal with the winter of course. Cheap housing, museums, architecture, sports, mountains and rivers, bike trails, history, good colleges.... it has a lot to offer.

That picture is downtown from PNC park where the Pirates play. The view from Mount Washington down over the city and the three Rivers is awesome.

It has a lot to offer for retirees in that it is a big city with relatively cheap housing, and while there is a State tax, it doesn't affect retirement income. Excellent hospitals also. But again... the winter.

To me it makes no sense to have a city like Pittsburgh or Austin, and Fredericksburg on the same list... it's like apples to oranges.

[Frodo2008]

Originally Posted by dbsteel

Hey... I moved to Pittsburgh from Austin.

Not to retire though, just to move back close to home. No one talks about it because of the winter (probably) and the visions of the Steel Mills from the 70s and being a "rust belt" city, but its really made a comeback the last few yearsand has a lot to offer, if you can deal with the winter of course. Cheap housing, museums, architecture, sports, mountains and rivers, bike trails, history, good colleges.... it has a lot to offer.

That picture is downtown from PNC park where the Pirates play. The view from Mount Washington down over the city and the three Rivers is awesome.

It has a lot to offer for retirees in that it is a big city with relatively cheap housing, and while there is a State tax, it doesn't affect retirement income. Excellent hospitals also. But again... the winter.

To me it makes no sense to have a city like Pittsburgh or Austin, and Fredericksburg on the same list... it's like apples to oranges.

Yes you're right. The 2 reasons Pittsburgh gets very little respect is the cold winters and the fact that it's in the rust belt. Most people have a bad impression of rust belt cities like Cleveland, Buffalo, etc. I know the scenery around Pittsburgh is good because I've seen it before. The Pittsburgh area is hilly which is good.

Yes I also find it strange that they have small towns and big cities in the same list. Normally these "best of" lists have a list of big cities or a list of small towns. They don't mix them very often. I would think if you like big cities you won't like Fredericksburg. If you like small towns then you won't like Austin or Pittsburgh. I guess they created this list like this so they will catch both types of people.

[bossh0g]

I moved to Sydney.. its ehhh. time to find a small coastal town north of sydney like port maquarie or south - batemans bay - if we are lucky that is.