Another Relocation Post--LGBT Friendly Suburb (Houston, Austin: rent, violent crime, houses)

[Carolina432]

Hi! My wife and I are planning to relocate to Austin in the near future from our home in SC. We are young professionals, nurse and educator, and are looking for some information about the suburbs in or around Austin that are LGBT friendly. We are also planning to have a child soon too and would like to be near good schools with some people that are a little more open minded. Being around families is important to us. Our budget is on the mid to lower end since it will be our first home. We do not expect everything to be perfect but just want somewhere where we feel welcomed and safe. Are there counties in the area that have some protection laws for LGBT people as well?
Also, we would consider any good suburbs around Houston as well.
Thanks for any advice!

[CalTex Ranger]

Without knowing where your jobs are located and what your housing budget is, there’s no way to make any meaningful recommendations.

Also, there aren’t really any anti-discrimination laws anywhere in Texas. Certainly none that are on the county level.

There’s a Houston forum for their area.

[cBach]

A lot of lesbians congregate in the Domain area.

[centralaustinite]

There are LGBTQ families all over Austin, Austin does not have a gay-borhood or area strongly associated with LGBTQ folks, they are everywhere. AISD is a welcoming district. Price range for housing and work location will be more determinate than anything else.



Are there state or county protections for LGBTQ in South Carolina?! I'd be stunned to hear there are.



Austin has anti-discrimination protections, they are being challenged in court.

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/10...gbtq-lawsuits/

[Trainwreck20]

While there are no significant LGBT legal 'protections' (which don't really protect, they just punish offenders), I don't expect that you will have trouble with specific areas being more or less antagonistic than any other. There are no 'gayborhoods' that I am aware of, at least not in the suburb areas that you will be looking. And although the suburbs tend to be more conservative, I find them much less in-your-face than when I worked in GA (not Atlanta area, though). The area is fairly 'safe' as far as violent crime goes, although property crime has always been above average. I may be just unaware, but I can't think of a suburb of Austin where you wouldn't be as safe as anyone else - the anomalous freak notwithstanding, and they could be anywhere.

What is your idea of mid- to lower-end?
Make sure you are aware of property taxes when looking at home costs.
Minimize your commute(s).

[Carolina432]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

There are LGBTQ families all over Austin, Austin does not have a gay-borhood or area strongly associated with LGBTQ folks, they are everywhere. AISD is a welcoming district. Price range for housing and work location will be more determinate than anything else.



Are there state or county protections for LGBTQ in South Carolina?! I'd be stunned to hear there are.



Austin has anti-discrimination protections, they are being challenged in court.

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/10...gbtq-lawsuits/

Thanks for the info! There are a couple anti-discrimination laws in the bigger areas but definitely not many.
We aren't looking for a gayborhood just somewhere nice and safe!

[Carolina432]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

While there are no significant LGBT legal 'protections' (which don't really protect, they just punish offenders), I don't expect that you will have trouble with specific areas being more or less antagonistic than any other. There are no 'gayborhoods' that I am aware of, at least not in the suburb areas that you will be looking. And although the suburbs tend to be more conservative, I find them much less in-your-face than when I worked in GA (not Atlanta area, though). The area is fairly 'safe' as far as violent crime goes, although property crime has always been above average. I may be just unaware, but I can't think of a suburb of Austin where you wouldn't be as safe as anyone else - the anomalous freak notwithstanding, and they could be anywhere.

What is your idea of mid- to lower-end?
Make sure you are aware of property taxes when looking at home costs.
Minimize your commute(s).

Thank you for the info about the legal side.
We aren't looking specifically for a gayborhood just somewhere nice with good schools. Our budget would probably be mid 200's or lower. Are there any suburb areas that come to mind?

[DCtoTejas]

Originally Posted by Carolina432

Thank you for the info about the legal side.
We aren't looking specifically for a gayborhood just somewhere nice with good schools. Our budget would probably be mid 200's or lower. Are there any suburb areas that come to mind?

Does it have to be suburbs? There are large swaths of the City of Austin that feel like suburbs it is a very sprawling city and I think living in the city will align more with your personal / political concerns. AISD has some good schools and some decent and some not so good but honestly you are going to have trouble getting into the best school district at your price range anywhere in this area. Since you don't have kids yet maybe you should get a starter home somewhere in a gentrifying part of the city and see if you even like living here, if you take schools out of the equation it will open up many more areas. If you like it and want to stay you can try to 'trade up' into one of the better/best school districts.

[Trainwreck20]

Mid-200s limits your options in the city proper pretty severely, I think. You can 'play around' withe Austin Home Search (https://www.austinhomesearch.com/) to see what comes up, BUT check the quality of schools that the address feeds into, as home price/school quality are closely related. Of course, you can plan on schools improving before you have kids that are school-age, but I can't really offer any insight into that planning.

Where are you going to work? Will there be a commute? Austin traffic is bad. At the very LEAST, you want to be on the same side of the river as your work. Nursing and educator have lots of options, generally speaking.

If I were in your shoes today, I would probably be looking at Leander and/or Georgetown and try to get employment on the N/NW side of town (as opposed to downtown). It isn't really Austin, but definitely suburb cities with a bit of their own character, as well, and still nice houses in your price range and good schools.

[ashbeeigh]

Renting is also strongly encouraged. Rent for 6 months to a year and then purchase. I always share my story of moving to Wells Branch initially and then realizing central east Austin was the best fit for me. I'm way south now, but only because of a change in jobs.