Austin vs Portland (Early, Nash: rent, hotel, home)

[velouria1085]

Originally Posted by twange

I live in the South Central area(S 1st in Bouldin Creek area). The place is full of funky, local shops, bars, eateries, vintage clothing, coffee houses etc...It's close to downtown, greenbelts and parks, bus lines, the SoCo area, and beautiful neighborhoods with a great mixture of vintage boutique houses and modern architecture. There is a mix of folks that live here: older and younger so things are interesting without being too self-consciously hip (although you might like that, I don't know). The cool thing about Austin is that people don't seem as separated because of "age". We have friends older and younger than us and everyone hangs out and enjoys each other.

Get used to the generic apartment complexes. Unless you can afford to rent an old house, or score a great garage apartment, that's what you're going to get. Austin's not an old city per say, so the older buildings are prime real estate. There are a lot of buildings that are too new to be cool but not old enough to be cool: i.e. 60s-80s...sort of a low point for multi-family housing and apartments

Also don't assume that everything new here is cookie-cutter: there is some great newer architecture that is quality built and very attractive, but these will probably be VERY expensive for you unless you are making great money. One thing I would recommend: get a place with a good pool and a quality outdoor space(deck/porch etc...). Pools are good places to meet folks and are essential during the summers...and outdoor spaces are just part of living here.

Good luck!

Thanks! Where I live in Nashville is rather "self consciously hip" and I won't lie...I kinda like places like that. Everything you've said about South Central has me convinced it might be the place for me.

[velouria1085]

Originally Posted by jread

Austin and Portland have very similar vibes. Portland is more dense and has better public transportation, while Austin is more spread out. Portland's cost of living is a lot higher and the housing costs are quite a bit more expensive. I think Portland has more "funky" neighborhoods than Austin does. The weather is drastically different, with Austin being more hot and dry, while Portland is rainy and green. I do not consider Austin to be a "humid" place, and it will actually feel very dry to you coming from TN as our humidity is MUCH lower than anywhere in the Southeast. I found the people to be extremely nice in Portland, just like they are in Austin. The difference is that people in Austin are more outgoing and "in your face", so it may seem like they are friendlier. People in Portland are more reserved, but they will talk to you if you talk to them first and they are very pleasant to be around. As for the job market, there is no comparison: Austin has a MUCH stronger job market than Portland and has for a long time.

We visited Portland recently and fell in love with the cool climate and gorgeous landscape, so we want to move there if we can ever find jobs. My wife and I HATE the summer heat in Austin and we're actually happier in overcast weather. The interesting thing is that Austin's winters are much colder than Portland's (more freezes), while Portland is very mild and has fewer extremes. If you are a sun-lover, though, Austin will be a much better fit with 300+ days of sunshine throughout the year.

I think I might be willing to sacrifice the amazing rainy weather for the "in your face" friendliness. I'd prefer that over the more reserved nature of Portland. Making friends is a priority for me since I won't know anybody. Also, it sounds like Austin has a better music scene, and it's not as far away from my family in TN. I guess I'll have to come visit within the next few months!

[twange]

Originally Posted by velouria1085

Thanks! Where I live in Nashville is rather "self consciously hip" and I won't lie...I kinda like places like that. Everything you've said about South Central has me convinced it might be the place for me.

I don't mind it to a point, but I'm a big fan of diverse neighborhoods. By that I mean variations in age, income, race, ethnicity, architecture and building use. It's just more interesting and gets you to experience new things. I'm a creative type but that doesn't mean I want to be surrounded 24/7 by other artists only...that would be boring for me

But this isn't about me, it's about you!

I think you should also consider East Austin(just across I-35). The area between Lady Bird Lake and E.6th, has a lot of interesting places to hang. I've been spending quite a bit of time there and it has a lot to offer. It's gentrifying right now so it isn't super cheap anymore but there are still deals to be had. The Bouldin Creek area is more scenic IMHO, but the East side is much grittier and raw. Depends on what you want.

You most definitely need to visit for a long weekend and scope the place out. Learn the area like you want to get an "A". Your gut will direct you to where you belong, I think. BTW, there's some neighborhood acronyms being used here that you should know - though they are a bit too "self consciously hip" for my taste )

SoCo(South Congress)
SoFi(South First)
SoLa(South Lamar)

[turnerwife]

I totally agree with Austin Guy. I enjoyed both Portland and Austin. The biggest things I miss in PDX is the easy transporation downtown (MAX) and how easy it is to walk the downtown areas. As far as living downtown, Portland has great little communities or areas with everything you need close by in each neighborhood. I don't see that much in downtown Austin.

[rg80]

Downtown austin is moving in that direction and Mueller airport is also. Portland has excellent city planning and it shows. Austin is on its way there but will take some time. Soco area, travis heights, and terry town is the closest to portland that you will find currently. As well as downtown condos which are pretty fun. We bought one and really enjoy the simplicity of that lifestyle.

[velouria1085]

Thanks again for all of the advice. If everyone in TX is as friendly as you guys I think I will have no problem fitting in .

[velouria1085]

One more question. I've been reading these forums a lot lately and I just noticed people talking about being bitten by scorpions. This is terrifying! Are you all exaggerating or is this a terrible problem?

[Trainwreck20]

Do a specific search on 'scorpions', this is a very popular topic .

[jhwest]

I've lived here a year and never seen a scorpion. They seem to be attracted to newer construction and undisturbed greenbelt type areas.

I lived in PDX for 10 years and although it has some great aspects, the rain is just miserable. Really, really relentless. It's hard to understand unless you live in it. Don't go to Portland in the summer! You'll be fooled into thinking that's how it is all year round.

I love Austin. I'm in a completely different demographic than you (SAHM), but I love the friendliness and pride of people in Texas. The summer was hot, but I'm not much of an outdoorsy person, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

[TexasHorseLady]

I lived in Austin, on a rocky cliff, for 8 years (and we still own the house and our son lives there), and I believe we've all seen 2, maybe 3, scorpions, none of them inside the house, in the last 20 years.

Of course, the house was built in 1959, so that might have something to do with it - any disturbance of the scorpion's environment was done long before we got there!