Moving from NYC suburbs to Austin- should we do it? (Houston: schools, live)

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

That said, Denver is Denver. I'd live in in Boulder or Summit country, where only the dryness and the weather applies and everything else you mention doesn't.

Is the traffic from Boulder to the ski resorts bad too? Boulder isn't that far west of Denver to really make a difference is it?

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by cBach

Is the traffic from Boulder to the ski resorts bad too? Boulder isn't that far west of Denver to really make a difference is it?

I have a co-worker that left Texas for Colorado some 11 or 12 years ago to live in Evergreen. He and his wife worked in Denver somewhere, couldn't tell you exactly where, but then she eventually retired and it was just him commuting. They bought a condo in Keystone and spent pretty much every weekend there, year-round. He said it was <1.5 hours from Evergreen. Later, they moved up to Boulder and he said the drive could be under 1.5 hours but tended to be a bit longer on average.

He is now on the approach to retirement and has moved back to Texas to work a few more years. They bought a place out north of Canyon lake and he makes an obnoxious commute into work (1 hour or more), but only 2 or 3 days a week. The rest of the time he can work from home, although the internet access sucks out there. They did not want to retire in the cold (both he and his wife are Victoria born-and-raised) and he could afford more land here of the type he wanted - suitable for growing. I did not quiz him on the details, but he said it was no more expensive to retire here than there.

As an aside, they DID keep their condo in Keystone and will likely spend most of the summer up there once they actually retire. In fact, he is loaning it out to my family this June .

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

In fact, he is loaning it out to my family this June .

Nice! That's a good time to get away from the heat that is beginning to build then.

1.5 hrs on the open road is nice and enjoyable, 1.5 hrs stuck in traffic is miserable!

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by cBach

Is the traffic from Boulder to the ski resorts bad too? Boulder isn't that far west of Denver to really make a difference is it?

Alright, we've hijacked the thread now. Boulder is not closer to 1-70, no, but it's only 30 minutes from Boulder's Pearl St to Eldora Ski Resort up Boulder's canyon. If you are getting caught in morning traffic every single time you head up to ski off of 1-70, A Basin, Loveland (the closest) and then to everywhere else, you're doing it wrong... maybe leaving too late. I've only gotten caught once westbound and that's because we left too late. Coming home is a different matter bc everyone else is leaving at the same time, "gotta get in one more run" BUT, honestly, that is no different from Sierra skiing and any other big mountain area.

Most people we knew would (locals) spend the weekend and get up there Friday night to be first on the mountain Sat. Or if you want to go for the day and aren't willing to go early, you went to Eldora. (I also just like Boulder better. It's not like anywhere else. And they have trees.)

Also, there's the ski train of course. Hop on the train in Denver's LoDo neighborhood and it whisks you up to Winter Park (and back). 2-hr trip where you can eat, sleep read or watch, then step off onto a heated platform and walk 100' to the closet lift.

Honestly, summer is just as fantastic up there (Summit Co et al) as winter. Better in many ways. We've talked about going back for a week this summer. Trainwreck is in for a treat.

[Snowpacked]

Keep in mind that this area wont get any less congested or less expensive than it is currently. You will be chasing your tail if you move here.
The number one reason for me moving after I retire in a couple of years is the current congestion and increasing cost of living. It has bee over run with people too concerned about the bottom line.

[cp102]

If you have allergies, asthma, and breathing difficulty I would rethink a move. Allergies are bad here. It seems if you don't have any after a few years you will. I am originally from upstate New York, I left when I was 18 and went back for a few visits. I always feel blessed living here. I hate the cold and it hates me, when its gets below 40, ( I have Raynauds syndrome) my hands and feet will hurt.



My asthma is worse here , but one grandkid was born here the other came here when he was 2, and its home. I have lived all over including Europe and I consider Texas home. I have lived longer in Texas than any place else. Texans have a pride about their state, the military, their way of life that just makes you step back in awe.



The best part of Texas is the people. If you give living in Texas a chance, put away what you had in NY, the restaurants, stores, theater, etc and embrace Texas for what is here not what your missing...you will love it.


Neighbors where I live check on each other, they are quick to make meals for a family in distress (death in family, injured loved one, etc)



But as usual when people move they want the same thing they had, that's why the moves fail.

[cBach]

Yankees moving to Florida sometimes do the "halfback" and end up back around North Carolina because they miss winter (but just a little bit, they want Christmas to not be 80 degrees but don't want cold weather in April either)

For yankees moving to Texas that usually doesn't happen. They usually either stay in Texas or they go all the way back up north. They realize it's as much the culture shock as the heat. In Florida the culture in South Florida is NY-lite so they don't perceive a difference. But then they move to NC and realize that there is a big difference, although they usually stick to yankee enclaves like Cary (containment area for relocated yankees).

When moving to Austin, remember that the number one source of transplants is from Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio and Austin registers a net increase from almost every county in Texas. Austin is Texan through and through. The other main contributing states are California and Louisiana. Yep you can't escape us Cajuns! We love to invade Texas, Beaumont is already ours and Houston is quasi ours. Louisiana transplants tend to like Williamson County for some odd reason, I think because the politics are still quite red. California transplants tend to like the Hill Country and the area around the lakes, it reminds them of home.

[creepy]

The commute can be horrible and is getting worse because the mayor and the Austin cronies of the mayor want to develop with little plan for any common sense with that.

I spent 1 hour 45 minutes going from my work on the eastside to a happy hour last week at 360 x 2222 on a Wednesday at rush hour. I was in disbelief!

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by creepy

[...]

I spent 1 hour 45 minutes going from my work on the eastside to a happy hour last week at 360 x 2222 on a Wednesday at rush hour. I was in disbelief!

I would never even consider attempting that, so it wouldn't be a problem .

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

the setting is beautiful and you are 6 miles from the biggest city in the world

Since WHEN is NYC the "biggest city in the world"? (Hint: never, and it's not even close).

The rest of your post was solid though!