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Old 02-01-2007, 01:41 PM
 
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I posted a few days ago and I also wanted to know if there are any New Englanders in Austin and what they think of it there? How has the adjustment been? and is Austin the best place in Texas for a New Englander to move to? Thanks.
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Old 02-01-2007, 02:04 PM
 
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Me!! Me!! I'm a New Englander in Austin!

I just moved here in June after living in Rhode Island from 7th grade on (with the exception of Washington DC for college and 1 year in Ireland) and I was in MA prior to 7th grade. So I consider myself a lifelong New Englander.

It's a huge adjustment, I'm not going to lie. After the initial euphoria, there were a few months there where my dh and I were ready to head back to RI. However, now I love it and we're planning on staying here for the forseeable future.

What was tough to adjust to: the HEAT. Not just the actual heat in the summer (we had a stretch of over 20 days in August with 100+ degrees) but the length of it. I got really crabby in October when it was 95 degrees out. Really crabby.

The education - we lived in the best district in Rhode Island. Education is HUGE in New England (as you know). Here, it just isn't as much of a focus. That's not to say that parents don't care about their children's education or that there aren't good schools, it's just...very different. There are portable classrooms here. The history of Texas is a big thing. Class sizes are larger. Schools are larger. You can get school credit for practicing with your football team in the middle of the day (don't get me started). Football coaches make more than teachers. I could go on. We're still adjusting to the different attitudes about school.

Football. See my last paragraph.

Church is big here (CAVEAT - I live in the suburbs) Everyone asks what parish you belong to. Um, I don't. I'm a Unitarian and not even a Christian.

Bugs. I have found scorpions in my house. Nuff said.

Everything is so spread out here (lots of sprawl) and it takes forever to get anywhere. Literally, the first month we were here, I would say I was going out for an hour, and my husband would call my cell 2 1/2 hours later and be like "where ARE you?!?" Hard to explain - it just takes forever to get stuff done here compared to New England.

So those are the negatives, for US. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives for us. The people are so friendly - Rhode Islanders are perpetually in a whiny, grumpy mood (it seems). Everyone just seems so happy and proud to be in Austin. The FOOD. You just can't get half decent Texmex in Rhode Island (and that's our favorite type of food). The housing prices. The house I own now would easily be 600-800k in Rhode Island ( and it's much, much, MUCH less than that!) The laid back lifestyle. People just seem to focus on socializing and having fun and enjoying life out here, versus the rat race I lived in Rhode Island.

I hope that helps.
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Old 02-01-2007, 02:31 PM
 
Location: Austin 'burbs
3,225 posts, read 14,058,192 times
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Quote:
Bugs. I have found scorpions in my house.
Are you serious?? I was told that would only occur if one lived out in the boonies, on a ranch or something. Do you have land? I am in a typical suburb...

Maybe the east isn't so bad, eh??

Sorry to derail your thread - but that caught my attention...
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Old 02-01-2007, 02:38 PM
 
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I'm in Avery Ranch - no land to speak of. Your typical master planned community. AND I have had pest control spray. We found 3 or 4 scorpions in our first couple months - luckily haven't seen any since. It's not unusual so I have been told when there is new construction - they are still finishing out our section a few streets over. If you live in a settled community with no new building, I heard there is much less chance of finding them.
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Old 02-01-2007, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Austin 'burbs
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Is this a summer thing? We weren't here in the summer.

I don't want scorpions.
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Old 02-01-2007, 02:43 PM
 
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Hmmm...I honestly don't know if it's a summer thing or it just happened to be the summer that we moved into our new home.

Is there new construction in your neighborhood? I was told that scorpions are very territorial, and so when you disturb the ground by building (stir them all up) they will come "back" and come in the house to try to resettle. That's why they are so common in new construction.

I would say if you haven't found any yet and it's NOT a new construction, you're in good shape. But maybe if you're in a new house they are just "hiding" during the colder weather? I have no idea, honestly. If you need to spray for fire ants in the spring/summer (as everyone seems to) I would just ask the guy to spray inside to double check for scorpions? We had a real fire ant problem this summer also (they got inside the house and everything). But once they sprayed, we haven't seen them since.
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Old 02-01-2007, 02:48 PM
 
Location: Austin 'burbs
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We do have new construction going on - but not directly around us. Streets over... perhaps that's why... I hope they stay away!!!
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Old 02-01-2007, 03:18 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,268 posts, read 35,615,889 times
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This is a very popular topic .

Use the forum search function for scorpion, and you will find lots of information.
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Old 02-05-2007, 08:57 AM
 
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i grew up in Texas and moved to Rhode Island for university(Go Brown Bruins)!! I can tell you that I love both New England and Texas for very different reasons.

Texas is awesome for the great Mexican food(i have lived in Dallas and down on the Rio Grande).

the people are awesome, open, kind and not caught up on themselves.

I loved the faith of the people, they take church seriously and I love that, esp Baptists, I miss that so much.

lots of land out west and the hill country where my family has a ranch and we can drive for miles in scrub oak and not see another person or house and can hunt and fish all the time.

Lots of great cities in Texas too.

_________________

New England, I love the mountains of Vermont, NH, and Maine and Upstate NY

love the Red Socks

Love small towns in VT and hiking, camping, fly fishing

love Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, Bar Harbor, the Adirondacks, and the natural world

some great small cities--portsmouth nh, salem mass, cape ann, Newport RI, portland maine, brattleboro, the berkshires and Northhampton mass
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Old 02-05-2007, 06:07 PM
 
90 posts, read 279,829 times
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Default Another NE Sports Fan

Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinajack View Post
i grew up in Texas and moved to Rhode Island for university(Go Brown Bruins)!! I can tell you that I love both New England and Texas for very different reasons.

Texas is awesome for the great Mexican food(i have lived in Dallas and down on the Rio Grande).

the people are awesome, open, kind and not caught up on themselves.

I loved the faith of the people, they take church seriously and I love that, esp Baptists, I miss that so much.

lots of land out west and the hill country where my family has a ranch and we can drive for miles in scrub oak and not see another person or house and can hunt and fish all the time.

Lots of great cities in Texas too.

_________________

New England, I love the mountains of Vermont, NH, and Maine and Upstate NY

love the Red Socks

Love small towns in VT and hiking, camping, fly fishing

love Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, Bar Harbor, the Adirondacks, and the natural world

some great small cities--portsmouth nh, salem mass, cape ann, Newport RI, portland maine, brattleboro, the berkshires and Northhampton mass
It is always great to see a NE sports fan. I live in NH, so do you think it wouldn't be too bad for a New Englander to get acclamated to TX?
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