Austin Vs Dallas Vs Houston (Spring, The Colony: lease, hotels, homes)

[kumar_rk21]

We live in Boston and are planning to move to Texas because of the following reasons

- Weather
- Housing market
- Cost of living

I am a software consultant with extensive travel schedule. So major airport is one of the deciding criteria. I hear Austin is more scenic and green than Dallas but airport ain't that good. Houston is more cosmopolitan but there is no zoning. Dallas has a good airport, affordable housing but isn't scenic.

If I choose Austin, what are the areas around the airport which are good neighborhood with affordable housing (225K - 275K).

Any input will be appreciated.

Thanks
Krishna

[Trainwreck20]

The Austin airport is actually 'good', depending on how you rate it....security is quick, seems to be fairly on-time, not far out of town. The bad thing about it is the lack of direct flights; however, SWA does go quite a few places direct now, as compared to the good 'ol days when the airport WAS downtown.

As for around the airport - I live in SW Austin, and with the gradual completion of the HW 71 freeway, the travel time has dropped enormously. Without traffic, it is ~15-20 minutes, and with traffic, it is still only about 30 minutes.

The other direction, Bastrop is very nice for a smaller town. Lots of pines, the Colorado river, and low housing costs. It is smaller, though, so if you want the big city, Austin works better.

Down toward the south, you could check out Buda. Not sure on the drive time, but it is still 'small town' (for now) but closer into Austin.

Anyway, I would not live right around the airport, unless you are a fan of hotels, strip clubs, and other seedy night life....

[gigi927]

I'd agree with Trainwreck on the airport assessment. Austin is incredibly easy to get in and out of. We never get there more than an hour before flight and have never had to wait. If you've ever traveled to either the Ontario, CA or Orange County, CA airport, Austin is very similar in terms of convenience. The lack of direct flights does kind of stink. I tried to get to the Bay Area a few months ago and there are only 2 direct flights, I believe.

There is actually a brand new development going in at the site of the OLD airport in Austin that will have kind of an urban community kind of feel - if you go to www.muelleraustin.com you can read up on what the community is going to be like. It's kind of an interesting project. You'd certainly be close to the airport there, and I'm guessing that price range would be doable for you. I think they have just started pre-sales, in fact. One caveat is that they have developed an "affordable housing" program in the development where 25% of the homes will be sold/rented to lower-than-average-income families. It's a personal choice as to whether or not that's a plus or minus.

There are lots of places you can land and probably have a not too bad drive to the airport, particularly if your schedule has you flying at non peak times.

[cdelena]

The biggest issue with the Austin airport is limited direct flights to many destinations compared to the large hubs. If you don't mind one stop flights it works fine.

[Spookmeister]

For that amount you could buy the airport and lease it back to the City.

Or you could check out "The Colony" which is a few miles East down the same highway. Pretty nice place, close enough to Austin for the occasional sojourn, and Bastrop is close enough on the other side for the day to day grocery needs.

[mrsengle]

I'm a native Houstonian, and I can give you a little info for comparison. First, Intercontinental Airport is MUCH better (as far as direct flights go). Second, while Houston does not have zoning, you don't have to worry about that in every part of the city. I grew up on the northwest side of Houston (Spring/Klein area). We didn't worry about a strip joint being built next to the high school. The zoning issues usually pop up inside loop 610. Outside of that, there are plenty of good options to choose from. Another bonus is that the beaches are within a 2 hour drive, depending on where you are/what time of day you're heading down. Getting to the airport is also fairly easy - just hop on the Sam Houston Tollway or Beltway 8, and you're there. The biggest drawback is the humidity. It can be crushing during the summer. We either stayed inside or went to the pool - some women I knew loved it because they said it was great for their skin (go figure!). The biggest reason I love Houston, though, is that it has an 'international' feel. The ballet, opera and other performing arts (and also the museums!) are second to none.

(BTW - is your name Kumar, or did you take that from the movie?)

[kumar_rk21]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

The Austin airport is actually 'good', depending on how you rate it....security is quick, seems to be fairly on-time, not far out of town. The bad thing about it is the lack of direct flights; however, SWA does go quite a few places direct now, as compared to the good 'ol days when the airport WAS downtown.

As for around the airport - I live in SW Austin, and with the gradual completion of the HW 71 freeway, the travel time has dropped enormously. Without traffic, it is ~15-20 minutes, and with traffic, it is still only about 30 minutes.

The other direction, Bastrop is very nice for a smaller town. Lots of pines, the Colorado river, and low housing costs. It is smaller, though, so if you want the big city, Austin works better.

Down toward the south, you could check out Buda. Not sure on the drive time, but it is still 'small town' (for now) but closer into Austin.

Anyway, I would not live right around the airport, unless you are a fan of hotels, strip clubs, and other seedy night life....

Hello Trainrwreck20 - Thanks for taking time to answer my questions.