What's Austin like? (moving) (San Antonio, Anton: apartments, college, income)

[crystalballmagic]

Hey everyone!
I'm most likely moving to Austin within the next month and coming to visit and check apartments out this weekend.

So I just wanted to know what's it like? I'm almost 21, going to college, and I'm a bartender!

1. How diverse is the city?
2. Are people nice?
3. How is the bar scene?
4. Is it overall a good choice to move to? (Moving from Lansing, Mi)
5. What is there to do in Austin?

THX!

[SmartGXL]

1. As far as diversity goes, Austin is actually "minority-majority", meaning that all minority ethnic groups, when combined, now outweigh whites as a percentage of population. The two largest ethnic groups are whites and latinos.

2. People are "nice" but at the same time, people here are busy and you do not get the "nice" vibe that you get from other smaller areas of Texas anymore. But the region is known for having a chill. relaxed vibe, but I see that changing quickly as people flood in from other areas of the country, bringing their midwestern/east coast ways with them.

3. The bar scene is more or less like any other bar scene in any big city. Seems to very live music focused, and I see a lot of newer bars/clubs catering to either douchebags or hipsters. Very competitive place for bartenders, because there are a lot of UT students here and students often times turn to bartending as a way to make money during college. Very hard to get a bartending gig here.

4. It is a good town to move to if you are bringing a solid income and/or equity. Apartments are REALLY overpriced here now and if you dont have a job lined up, its going to be hard to get established here.

Bottom line - Austin has been promoting the heck out of itself for the last 15 years as "the place to be" and so people have responded to the advertising. The region has grown by a couple hundred thousand people over that time and it is now a somewhat difficult place to live with bad traffic etc. I dont advise people to move there unless they have a VERY specific reason to do so (for example, work in Tech industry with a degree and job experience and have a job lined up). Dont just move here because you heard "it's the place to be" or whatever.

I actually would recommend San Antonio. Very under-rated, warmer weather than Austin, and a cheaper cost of living. Still "undiscovered", at least compared to Austin.

[CptnRn]

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