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Old 01-25-2008, 05:25 AM
 
Location: Newtown CT
6 posts, read 10,295 times
Reputation: 10

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I am looking all over down south for a job. I originally targeted Atlanta but that did not pan out. It is looking like I will be getting an offer from a company in Austin. Pretty excited. I will be coming down shortly for a visit to check everything out. In the meantime I have been looking all over the place for homes and good schools (3 kids) and it looks like they are everywhere. Is that true? The office is located downtown (W 6th St.) I would love a short commute, current commute is an 1 hr on a good day. I am looking at Round Rock and Cedar Park but only know what I read on the net. I am assuming there are a ton more places that are nice.

Google is saying those places are about 30 minutes from the city, is that accurate? Is traffic terrible? Are there areas south of the city that are better?

Thanks in advance
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Old 01-25-2008, 05:47 AM
 
Location: Driftwood TX
389 posts, read 1,571,747 times
Reputation: 123
Thumbs down No way

I dont see any way you could hit that address from Cedar Park in 30 min...
Others may say I am wrong but at typical commute times in the am and evening, I cant see it.

If you're work is 6th st downtown and you have three kids, check Circle C, or south and SW...IMHO


Compared to the northeast, you will very likely chuckle at the "traffic" down here, we lived up there 20 years. Gridlock, stuck in the tunnel for an hour, continuos blasting of horns and fingers flying everywhere. You wont get that here, but that isnt to say you can live and work anywhere down here and get to work in 30, it does take some planning, due in large part to the LACK of planning on Austin's infrastructure...

RR "might" be possible, but its a large area and commutes into 6th st would vary wildly, and still I doubt it could be done.

Hope this helps,
Go Pats
Cheers



Quote:
Originally Posted by CTGuy View Post
I am looking all over down south for a job. I originally targeted Atlanta but that did not pan out. It is looking like I will be getting an offer from a company in Austin. Pretty excited. I will be coming down shortly for a visit to check everything out. In the meantime I have been looking all over the place for homes and good schools (3 kids) and it looks like they are everywhere. Is that true? The office is located downtown (W 6th St.) I would love a short commute, current commute is an 1 hr on a good day. I am looking at Round Rock and Cedar Park but only know what I read on the net. I am assuming there are a ton more places that are nice.

Google is saying those places are about 30 minutes from the city, is that accurate? Is traffic terrible? Are there areas south of the city that are better?

Thanks in advance
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Old 01-25-2008, 06:54 AM
 
Location: Newtown CT
6 posts, read 10,295 times
Reputation: 10
Go Pats is right!

Thanks for the tips. I will look into those areas. I know you will get traffic anywhere, I am just looking to have a better commute that what I have now. What is public transportation like (trains etc). Trains up here blow. I worked in NYC for a bit and it really blows.
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Old 01-25-2008, 08:15 AM
 
Location: Driftwood TX
389 posts, read 1,571,747 times
Reputation: 123
Default Those boots were made for drivin,,,

fuggeddaboutit ,public transport is nearly non existant
I think there's one commuter rail project coming down from the north, but I beleive its years away and serves a very narrow, specific area.
Others on the board could help you better there, but Austin is essentially a "drive everywhere" kinda place, usually in a biga$$ superduty P/U truck ..

Cheers





Quote:
Originally Posted by CTGuy View Post
Go Pats is right!

Thanks for the tips. I will look into those areas. I know you will get traffic anywhere, I am just looking to have a better commute that what I have now. What is public transportation like (trains etc). Trains up here blow. I worked in NYC for a bit and it really blows.
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Old 01-25-2008, 08:19 AM
 
Location: South Austin (Circle C)
260 posts, read 1,331,491 times
Reputation: 62
No way you're making it downtown from Round Rock and Cedar Park in half an hour. I would look in SW Austin around Circle C and the areas that surround it. It's one of the easiest commutes around and good schools.

Derek
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Old 01-25-2008, 08:40 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
Reputation: 8617
Actually, if you are going to be working right downtown (like 6th street), then the rail might be a viable option from the NW side of town (here is the route - All Systems Go Long-Range Transit Plan - CapMetro). My only comment would be that the rail is not up and running at this time, so it is hard to say how well it works; however, if you REALLY don't want to drive a car, this might be something to consider. My hunch is that northeasterners with experience with rail will be more likely to use rail here than the locals (like me ) that have driven everywhere since I got a license.

The buses are passable if you live close enough into town (here is the map - http://www.capmetro.org/riding/current_schedules/maps/system_map.pdf (broken link)). My brother has not owned a car in, like, 20 years, and has riden the bus to work pretty much every day, and as luck would have it, his job always seems to be across the city. He has had some long commutes on bus, but he also enjoys the free time to read the paper or a book, and also works on his laptop. He is very knowledgeable about the system and has found it to be plenty reliable and on schedule.

Personally, working on W 6th st. would leave me inclined to look at SW Austin or S. Austin. I have no idea what your budge is, but there are quite a few options (huge number, really) if you are just staying under an hour, and Circle C and related neighborhoods are about 25 minutes from 6th during the worst of the 'typical' rush hour (i.e. no major wrecks, no monsoons, etc ).
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Old 01-25-2008, 08:54 AM
 
Location: South Austin (Circle C)
260 posts, read 1,331,491 times
Reputation: 62
True, the rail might be a viable option, but it's still supposed to be an hour commute by rail from Cedar Park.
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Old 01-25-2008, 08:56 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
Reputation: 8617
Ahhh...but an hour on the train is much better than an hour sitting in stop in go traffic, at least imho....I don't mind nearly a commute nearly as much when I can relax and do something other than stare at the bumber ahead of me.
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Old 01-25-2008, 09:01 AM
 
Location: Hutto, Tx
9,249 posts, read 26,697,972 times
Reputation: 2851
how is it supposed to be an hour by rail? other stops or something?
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Old 01-25-2008, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
Reputation: 8617
Yeah, I guess...I think it stops and waits a little at several points (maybe 10 mintues each? five? dunno). So if you add in even a couple of stops, it would add 20 mintues. But I have not looked at a proposed schedule with times on it or anything. The listed stations are:
  • Leander
  • Lakeline
  • Howard
  • Krammer
  • Crestview
  • Highland
  • MLK
  • Plaza Saltillo
  • Downtown
If you add a five minute stop at each of the seven intermediate stations, you get 35 minutes added....that might be about right....
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