Zoning laws in Austin? (Houston, Round Rock: transplants, lawyers, find a job)

[CAtransplant]

Hello all,
we ( I,wife,baby and dog) moved from SoCal to Houston but are curious about Austin and will visit it very soon. I am a Network administrator and hope to find more and better jobs there than here in Houston, among other many things.
For instance, there is no zoning law here in Houston, and that makes the whole city look "neglected" and "trashy". We live in a nice part of town, but as soon you get out, there are trailers with people living in, etc... Is this also in Austin or are the building codes restricted? Basically, is at least the infrastructure in better shape than Houston's?
Also, is traffic much better in Austin than in Houston, e.g. commuting from suburbs like Round Rock to downtown Austin?
My wife worries more about the weather and "flying cochroaches"
Are summers humid like in Houston and what do you know about those creatures?
Thank you all!

[AustinTraveler]

I won't address zoning since I'm not very knowledgable about it but I will say that every part of Austin I've seen looks better than just about anything I've seen in Houston. As for traffic, nope it's not better in Austin. Your best bet is to find a job and then live as close to it as possible. In your profession, it's not a done deal that the company will be located downtown. A lot of companies, especially IT companies, are actually located near Round Rock and other parts of North Austin.

As for the flying cockroaches (I'm picturing cockroaches wearing goggles right now ), those are palmetto bugs. They much prefer the wet conditions in Houston to Austin's drier weather. Although I've never seen one here or had one kamakaze me, I've heard they do exist. I saw plenty in Florida but the weather there more resembles Houston's. Houston's summers are wetter (rain) and more humid than Austin's.

I hope you and your family end up living in Austin. Personally, I just think it's a much more liveable city and all the happy people here make it so!

[Trainwreck20]

Houston, I think, is the largest city in the US that does not have zoning. Results in some very strange neighbors, that is for sure. Austin does have zoning - in fact, some developers (and lawyers) would say TOO much zoning (long story - look up the SOS ordinance). Of course, this does not make the city beautiful automatically or anything. Not so many years ago, Burnet road through the middle of Austin was vote ugliest street in America or something. I don't think I really believe that (not sure how it was decided), but it was purty darn ugly - broken sidewalks, tilt wall and metal buildings, above ground utilities, and every kind of cheap sign you could think of. that said, most people will say Austin is structurally more attractive, although a lot of help is received from terrain that changes elevation .

Regarding traffic - I like to say Austin traffic is worse on a micro basis, but you are in it for less time and distance. Austin is just not as BIG as Houston, so you really can't be in traffic that long. I used to work in Houston quite a bit, and they actually have a very good highway infrastructure that Austin can only aspire too....but there are so many people and so much ground to cover to travel around Houston.....

[AK123]

Originally Posted by CAtransplant

Hello all,
we ( I,wife,baby and dog) moved from SoCal to Houston but are curious about Austin and will visit it very soon. I am a Network administrator and hope to find more and better jobs there than here in Houston, among other many things.
For instance, there is no zoning law here in Houston, and that makes the whole city look "neglected" and "trashy". We live in a nice part of town, but as soon you get out, there are trailers with people living in, etc... Is this also in Austin or are the building codes restricted? Basically, is at least the infrastructure in better shape than Houston's?
Also, is traffic much better in Austin than in Houston, e.g. commuting from suburbs like Round Rock to downtown Austin?
My wife worries more about the weather and "flying cochroaches"
Are summers humid like in Houston and what do you know about those creatures?
Thank you all!

- Yes there is zoning. It helps some, but does not prevent all of the ugliness you mention. It really depends a lot on the part of town too (in both cities)
- I've actually been told the jobs are better and sometimes even pay better in Houston. Of course it depends some on the field. But you'd definitely want to get a job nailed down before making the move.
- Infrastructure I think is better in Houston. At least as far as the number of roads and being able to get around. Traffic is bad in both cities.
- I've lived in both cities and had weather problems and bug problems in both. In Houston I've had more problems with the palmetto bugs (but still not that bad) and maybe fire ants. In Austin there were scorpions (yikes) and other kinds of ants, don't know what they were but they were tiny and got in everywhere. Austin is less humid, though still more humid than SoCal.
- The amenities in Austin aren't as good as in Houston (restaurants, shopping, culture/arts) and there's less diversity. Of course some people care more about those things than others.
So that's my experience from living in both. Hope that helps some...

[nowhinerstocityhall]

I think you would be much happier if you moved to Austin, Chicago, or even London, England. Maybe you should consider moving back to California. I don’t feel that anyone should live in a place where they are unhappy with their surroundings. When they are unhappy, it makes everyone else around them miserable to have to co-exist with them. I myself have lived here for over 30 years and am quite happy with Houston and the surrounding area. That is, until well-intended people, like you, moved here and has attempted to turn Texas in to California. Most people are happy here. I have found that the transplants that move here and attempt to force their way of life on others, ultimately, end up causing more problems than creating solutions. If you will just stop creating havoc on others because of your own discontentment, both your life and the lives of others around you will run so much smoother. If for no other reason, you should be doing it to create good karma in your own life. We, Texans, aren’t stupid, dumb, or lame, regardless of what your opinion is. We just have a much different culture than what you are accustom to. If you feel that it will be impossible to be tolerant to those around you, I strongly encourage you, in the nicest Texas way that I can express it, that if you don’t like Houston, feel free to leave. Post haste!! After all, we as Texans have gone the extra mile to make the necessary adjustments to our lives to tolerate your presence and make you feel as welcome here as we possibly can.

[spelrod]

I really hope they aren't still looking for advice since this thread is from more than FOUR YEARS AGO.