Air Quality in Austin and Round Rock (Houston, Dallas: real estate, schools)

[floridagirl72]

Hello, we are looking for some info on Austin, particularly the Round Rock area. We recently moved to Dallas from Florida and really need to find someplace in Texas with better air quality. We have been suffering from asthma and allergies overload since we moved here in November 06. The smog and pollution are terrible here in Dallas.

Any in put is welcome. Thanks in advance.

[love roses]

Unfortunately, they will probably be a nuisance here as well, and I'm speaking as someone who is having terrible allergies right now, and I have a daughter with asthma, although her asthma is not bothering her right now with the gray skies gone.

[HappyTexan]

Texas is allergy capital of the world. I don't think it will be much better for your allergies down here.

[floridagirl72]

I was afraid of that We had no asthma problems before our move to Dallas! But now my youngest is on meds to control it and so am I. But I we have always had a little bit of seasonal allergies, but nothing like what we have expeirenced since the move. We never even had to medicate for them before now.

So besides the alergies issue, is there a poor air quality problem in Round Rock? Most days we can not see or can barly see downtown Dallas from where we live due to the smog. I had no idea the smog was this bad until we moved here! Something that didn't cross my mind since there are no poor air quality issues in Florida, just crappy schools and high real estate costs!

Thank you for all the feed back so far!

[jwb123]

Well, if the issue is smog, I think it would be better here than in Dallas.... Dallas is a much bigger city and industry area. Plus the weather is more humid. I don't see a problem with air pollution in Round Rock. It's always quite clear.

If it's seasonal or environmental allergies, you won't likely escape them here... because, everyone says allergies here are horrible. However, I had horrible ,miserable allergies when I lived in the Pacific NW, without fail every year and now, I don't have a single problem at all. It's not true that across the board, if you have allergies, it will be worse for you here.

[Trainwreck20]

Asthma can be triggered by ozone (a major component of smog), and the ozone levels in Austin are noticeably better than Dallas or Houston, and similar (negligibly better) than San Antonio; however, Austin is growing and the smog will increase with it.

[love roses]

True about the ozone. My husband doesn't like our daughter to be outside on days when it's high. She doesn't always have to be medicated for the asthma just if her allergies are bugging her because it doesn't cause her to have attacks. Usually hers is triggered by upper respiratory infections or cold, damp weather. Her pediatrician said as long as she takes her allergy medicine regularly, it will help reduce the frequency of attacks. My sister suffers from allergies and mild asthma, just like my daughter but she is not too often bothered by it. So, it's just different for each person.

[HappyTexan]

Yes, we have ozone days down here. You can see a brown/gray haze as you drive towards I35 and Austin.

[TXHills]

Air is clean and fresh in north RR--but definite pollen, cedar, and other environmental allergies.

[Raskolnikov]

Air is cleaner in Austin. Dallas/Ft. Worth has really bad air for asthma due to ozone alert days, pollution, and general industrial stuff. Austin is far cleaner, but there are other problems here like cedar and pollen.