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Old 01-16-2019, 04:39 PM
 
3 posts, read 1,734 times
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I graduated this past December with a Bachelor's in Computer Science and am considering moving to Austin sometime in the next 6 months (Assuming I land a job there).

I am currently living in a city in Minnesota with a population of about 35,000 but am interested in moving to a big city, somewhere warmer!

My questions:
- How long is the average commute, assuming you get an apartment on the same side of town as your work?
- Are there areas of town that you would recommend renting in or at least areas to avoid?
- What is the average summer and winter temperatures?
-This may seem silly but I use something called "Marth" (ie. Pine shaving pellets) in my cat's litter box. Does Austin have an equivalent to a Fleet Farm where you can buy products for horses? (That's what these pellets are "technically" made for).
- How safe of a city would you say Austin is?

Thanks for the advice in advance, I have been learning so much reading these forums!
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Old 01-16-2019, 06:07 PM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,037,085 times
Reputation: 4295
commutes vary, but I think it is reasonable to get a 30 minute commute. The more central the more expensive, but the shorter your commutes.

Depends on what you like. The east side is gentrifying. There are good deals to be had, but the area is still a little rough. quail creek around rundberg is also a little rough. Do you want lots of nightlife or a more quiet area. Areas with more nightlife tend to have more crime.

Averages lie, we have been generally getting 30 days above 100 and the entire summer june-sept above 90

In the winter I would say 50-60 is typical, but we get as low as 30 and as high as 80.

maybe tractor supply. Is it this? https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...-bedding-40-lb

very safe. We have property crime but violent crime is low.
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Old 01-16-2019, 08:34 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,182,148 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Austin97 View Post
commutes vary, but I think it is reasonable to get a 30 minute commute. The more central the more expensive, but the shorter your commutes.

Depends on what you like. The east side is gentrifying. There are good deals to be had, but the area is still a little rough. quail creek around rundberg is also a little rough. Do you want lots of nightlife or a more quiet area. Areas with more nightlife tend to have more crime.

Averages lie, we have been generally getting 30 days above 100 and the entire summer june-sept above 90

In the winter I would say 50-60 is typical, but we get as low as 30 and as high as 80.

maybe tractor supply. Is it this? https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...-bedding-40-lb

very safe. We have property crime but violent crime is low.

Tractor Supply is probably your best bet for those (I'm familiar with them), but Callahan's is another possibility (and is fun to go to at least once). It is tickling in the back of my brain that I've seen them as cat litter, too, maybe at Tomlinson's.
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Old 01-16-2019, 08:42 PM
 
1,549 posts, read 1,942,208 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady View Post
Tractor Supply is probably your best bet for those (I'm familiar with them), but Callahan's is another possibility (and is fun to go to at least once). It is tickling in the back of my brain that I've seen them as cat litter, too, maybe at Tomlinson's.
Yup. It's called Feline Pine. Most pet stores carry it and there's no reason to go to a feed store.
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:23 PM
 
3 posts, read 1,734 times
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Yes the stuff at Tractor Supply is what I am looking for. I buy it there as it is $5 for a 40 lb bag vs $10 for a 20 lb bag. They mark up the price just for the word 'cat' on the bag.

I'm honestly not about the night life so I would prefer a quite and safe neighborhood over a party block.
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Old 01-17-2019, 08:29 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX via San Antonio, TX
9,843 posts, read 13,577,806 times
Reputation: 5701
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIOSphere. View Post
I graduated this past December with a Bachelor's in Computer Science and am considering moving to Austin sometime in the next 6 months (Assuming I land a job there).

I am currently living in a city in Minnesota with a population of about 35,000 but am interested in moving to a big city, somewhere warmer!

My questions:
- How long is the average commute, assuming you get an apartment on the same side of town as your work?
- Are there areas of town that you would recommend renting in or at least areas to avoid?
- What is the average summer and winter temperatures?
-This may seem silly but I use something called "Marth" (ie. Pine shaving pellets) in my cat's litter box. Does Austin have an equivalent to a Fleet Farm where you can buy products for horses? (That's what these pellets are "technically" made for).
- How safe of a city would you say Austin is?

Thanks for the advice in advance, I have been learning so much reading these forums!
How long is the average commute, assuming you get an apartment on the same side of town as your work?

Depends on where you work. My last job I found an apartment five minutes away (2 miles). My new job I am 15-20 minutes away and it can be longer depending on accidents and construction (7 miles). I commuted for a bit from my old home to the new job (I think it was a total of about 20 miles one way) and it took me 45 minutes on a good day and I recall one rainy gross day where it took me 2 hours to get home.


- Are there areas of town that you would recommend renting in or at least areas to avoid?

I'm assuming you are pretty young. You can almost pick anywhere in town, honestly depending on your budget. Want to be hip and cool and uber everywhere? East side near downtown. Want to be hip but feel like you're "doing something" or "making a difference" when you're really raising the property values? Further out east side. Want to be in the thick of things? Downtown/west of downtown. Want to be a hip cool millenial? Domian. Want to be a fun but not quite "Austin-y" Tech bro? South side. Want to be close to things but not too close, south east side. I know younger people who live north (like Pflugerville, Rundberg) area but that's not where the youngsters hang out. Also if that's your area drive around at night and see how comfortable you feel, but honestly, do that anywhere.

- What is the average summer and winter temperatures?


Google. We're hot. And we're not really cold. There was a chance that it could be like 28 for a hot second this weekend. Forecast has it more like 35. And that's cold for us.


This may seem silly but I use something called "Marth" (ie. Pine shaving pellets) in my cat's litter box. Does Austin have an equivalent to a Fleet Farm where you can buy products for horses? (That's what these pellets are "technically" made for).

I think you got your answer on that one. McCoys Lumber may also have some.

- How safe of a city would you say Austin is?

I feel safe. There are some pockets, but there isn't one area of town to "avoid" like other large cities.
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Old 01-17-2019, 08:39 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,237 posts, read 35,424,886 times
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Just out of curiosity, what city in MN are you currently living in? Is it one of the suburbs of MSP?
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Old 01-17-2019, 08:52 AM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,037,085 times
Reputation: 4295
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIOSphere. View Post
Yes the stuff at Tractor Supply is what I am looking for. I buy it there as it is $5 for a 40 lb bag vs $10 for a 20 lb bag. They mark up the price just for the word 'cat' on the bag.

I'm honestly not about the night life so I would prefer a quite and safe neighborhood over a party block.
when I was somewhat in your shoes I did want to live closer in as it makes it easier to meet with friends. As a tech person I much preferred north over south. There are nice safe apartments all over, but I tended to live around spicewood springs and 360 (caprock canyon). I had friends that lived at 183/braker (hardrock etc) or 183 and duval (riata)

The tech center of austin is more north and so I think it is better to have a place around 183/mopac in case you switch jobs.
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Old 01-17-2019, 10:39 AM
 
Location: South East Austin
122 posts, read 93,970 times
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As someone who grew up in VT and visits our office in the twin cities quite often my one warning would be to not underestimate the heat in the summers. It does not cool down at night like you might be accustomed to. Lows in the 80's (usually occurring around 4 to 5 AM) are not uncommon during the summers. I moved to TX in '93 (Dallas area) and it took about 5 years not to hate the summers and another couple to fully get used to it. Now I can function without issues in the cool summer days when it is only 95 outside.
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Old 01-17-2019, 06:23 PM
 
3 posts, read 1,734 times
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I live in Winona, a small town about 2 hours south of the cities.
I don't mind the hot and humid summers of Minnesota, it is the cold that kills me.

Are there trails to hike in or near Austin?
How is the outdoor/recreation side of the city?
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