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1. Employment - First and foremost, it is difficult to find a decent paying job here. You are either going to need tight connections in this city, or have your A game ready and prepare to deal with some of the games that employers play here (offering you a job and then giving it someone else [most likely one of their buds] or playing hard to get). Austin has a bad reputation for having an ol' boy mentality when it comes to obtaining some of the more desirable jobs.
Another thing to look out for is that employers in Austin do take advantage of the cheapness of Texas, the desire to live in the city, as well as exploiting the overabundance of cheap labor (college students and migrant workers). This usually leads to unreasonably low wages and limits your living options to the cheaper outskirts of the northern suburbs.
2. Activities - Simply put, Austin is not the size of Dallas or Houston and cannot compete with the two or any other major city of their size in terms of things to do. Austin does a good job of promoting itself and not (or barely at most) delivering. The city may have a decent array of activities for one of the larger mid-sized cities, however people who are already accustomed with the amenities that are prevalent in big cities are going to be left sorely disappointed. The city is going through some growing pains, which is the worst time to be living in a city. At the moment, Austin is indeed overhyped and living there will get old over time.
I still love the city, but those are the very reasons why I'd be a little hesitant in moving back there. Austinites may claim that they are the 'blue oasis' of Texas, but honestly Texas isn't that bad. In fact, I feel the opposite really... that might explain my handle.
"Personally I find this contradictory and offensive. This is not an area of Christian people. Many good Christian people live here. Along with Jews, Muslims, Atheists and many others. Of course, this tells me you'd likely love some areas here where Christian hegemony is valued over diversity and acceptance. (I know I'll get loads of hate mongering responses, but Jews like me tend to get pretty angry when an area is insensitively labeled as 'Christian' in ignorance of other beliefs). It's laughable that you arrogantly seek to live among 'a Christian people' (as if Christians are somehow better than others) but don't want to shove religion down others throats."
I find the above insulting too. You may want to rethink who sounds intolerant before you deride someone for being happy about moving someplace where other Christians are. Nowhere in there did he try and make it sound like Christians are better than others. Geez, someone needs to loosen up a little and not be so hypersensitive about things.
I recently decided on Austin and will be moving to Austin in May from Connecticut A little feedback on how I saw Austin.
For the most part, everything you said is correct. Friendly people, liberal atmosphere with conservative suburbs (which I like- I would never want to be in an area where everyone was exactly the same), tons of restaurants, bars, things to do, warm weather, booming economy, more or less recession proof due to University and State govt. and great vibe.
A few negatives that we noted, however, were not strong enough to rule out- but want to mention them to give you the other side of things.
-Texas is a bit ugly. I'm sure I will be flamed for that. The truth is, it just is, and that's okay because for me it's not a huge priority and I accept that I'm moving to a place that isn't quite as green. Although Austin is Hill Country, compared to the part of th country that I'm from- it's still more brown and flat. There are a lot of ugly sprawling subdivisions as well. Overall, this wasn't important enough to us to rule it out, but it's something to consider. There are a lot of beautiful parts too, I just found overall, compared to the east coast, it doesn't have the same beauty.
-Downtown living is very expensive.
-Look up "cedar fever"
-Location isn't great. If you're from DC area now- Austin will be more in the middle of nowhere in terms of proximity to other cities. I'm in CT and have Boston and NYC 2 hours away, so it will be an adjustment for me.
-The homeless. Some Austinites don't seem to realize it- maybe because they're used to it- but I have never seen so may homeless people in a city of it's size in my life. They seem to be safe people tho- and line up outside the shelters everyday around 5pm, but still, it was surprising to see and gave the city a slightly dingy feel.
Other than that, Austin is wonderful and I look forward to moving there I realize no place will be perfect, but Austin's high points are my top priorities and I have fallen in love with the city for what it is.
Just a few points I don't agree with. First, only gonna flame ya' a little on the ugliness. I don't find Texas ugly at all personally but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I won't disagree that the East Coast has some beautiful parts. But, Texas is in a drought so not much is going to be green. Same as when I lived in Colorado. It gets dry there and Xeriscaping was pretty common. Just a question, How many parts of Texas besides Central Texas/Austin have you visited? And I don't mean just driving along the interstate, but actually getting off the main road and really driving around by alternate routes?
Proximity to other cities: Of course there is nothing comparable to NY in Texas. There's nothing comparable to it ANYWHERE else in the Country. But, we are 3-4 hrs from Dallas and 2 hours from Houston and San Antonio. All of those cities are larger than Austin and all with different vibes and amenities than Austin.
Ugly, sprawling suburbs. We've got to have somewhere to put all the people moving here. I am just repeating what another poster said somewhere, but it's true. Highlands Ranch in Colorado would be another example of sprawling suburbia. Just saying, it's happening everywhere.
I find the above insulting too. You may want to rethink who sounds intolerant before you deride someone for being happy about moving someplace where other Christians are. Nowhere in there did he try and make it sound like Christians are better than others. Geez, someone needs to loosen up a little and not be so hypersensitive about things.
Look at it this way... Pretend you were in the minority as a Christian, and Hutto was said to be a Jewish land, where people espoused Jewish values, and raised strong Jewish children. I'm sure you'd at least be uncomfortable.
Of course Hutto is part of the area that I referred to as where Christian hegemony is valued over diversity and tolerance. I equate what you said above as equivalent to telling African Americans to "get over" the racism.
Just a few points I don't agree with. First, only gonna flame ya' a little on the ugliness. I don't find Texas ugly at all personally but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I won't disagree that the East Coast has some beautiful parts. But, Texas is in a drought so not much is going to be green. Same as when I lived in Colorado. It gets dry there and Xeriscaping was pretty common. Just a question, How many parts of Texas besides Central Texas/Austin have you visited? And I don't mean just driving along the interstate, but actually getting off the main road and really driving around by alternate routes?
Proximity to other cities: Of course there is nothing comparable to NY in Texas. There's nothing comparable to it ANYWHERE else in the Country. But, we are 3-4 hrs from Dallas and 2 hours from Houston and San Antonio. All of those cities are larger than Austin and all with different vibes and amenities than Austin.
Ugly, sprawling suburbs. We've got to have somewhere to put all the people moving here. I am just repeating what another poster said somewhere, but it's true. Highlands Ranch in Colorado would be another example of sprawling suburbia. Just saying, it's happening everywhere.
The original poster was from VA, so I was basically comparing Austin to that area of the country for them. Compared to DC- Austin is more in "the middle of nowhere" and also has more sprawling suburbs. Have you been to the East Coast, particularly their area? It's quite different than Texas and has some advantages as well as disadvantages- no one is denying that.
Also, I lived in Waco for one year 3 years ago and have visited Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Fort Worth about 2-3 times each. I can't say that I've been to a ton of small towns in Texas- but probably about 20 or so? Suburbs of Houston and Dallas, a lot of towns along 35 right south of Oklahoma and also in between Austin and Dallas.
I can think of a bunch of uglier parts of the country than Texas, but my opinion was that Texas isn't as pretty as the part of the country the OP is from. With that said, I did say I found Austin to be the prettiest, but the state itself isn't as striking as some of the east coast states in general. And that's okay- It's possible you might think our part of the country is less pretty. A lot of people are partial to what they're used to when it comes to beauty.
The OP wanted to know negatives about Austin, and obviously like any city, there are some. If there weren't, everyone in the country would be living there.
I've been to the East coast a couple of times but not that area. My parents have been to Virginia, DC, Connecticut, Rhode Island, etc...Wasn't thinking about where the OP was coming from regarding your reply Sorry I misread.
Give you kudos from at least knowing of what you speak. The reason I asked is because there are quite a few people who never leave the interstate or even just the town they moved to and then make a broad judgement about everything.
I certainly don't think the East Coast is ugly. I'd actually love to see a lot more of it. One of my best friends lives in Brooklyn and wants us to come visit again so we can all hop a train and go to some of those other states besides NY. I do think, however, that there are some striking areas in Texas, although it's a different type than what you are talking about. The little town I grew up in has some very large, very old Oak trees full of spanish moss. I find foggy days or mornings with some dew on the ground and those types of trees as a backdrop make a pretty striking view. I think we have some pretty wetland areas also. I also like some of the Piney Woods area.
Another place I've been but would love to explore further would be Tennessee. My next door neighbor has a cabin in the mountains there and he always shows us pictures from his trips there. He's taking a motorcycle trip through the Ozarks this summer with some buddies. I've got a cousin in Nashville...It'd be a good excuse to use to go there
Look at it this way... Pretend you were in the minority as a Christian, and Hutto was said to be a Jewish land, where people espoused Jewish values, and raised strong Jewish children. I'm sure you'd at least be uncomfortable.
Of course Hutto is part of the area that I referred to as where Christian hegemony is valued over diversity and tolerance. I equate what you said above as equivalent to telling African Americans to "get over" the racism.
Hutto is part of the area where hegemony is valued over diversity and tolerance? Have you been to Hutto and hung out for more than 5 minutes? Until he had to retire because of a stroke we had a black mayor. Half our city council is hispanic. We have female owned local businesses and one home business run by a teenage boy (he makes cheesecakes). There are gay couples here, mixed race families/bi racial couples. We have protestants, Catholics, Wiccans, non denominationals, Mormons, and if we had a synagogue nearby, I'm sure we'd have some Jewish families as well. I know for a fact there are some Hindu families that travel to S. Austin but still prefer to live here. There are even some Muslim families here. I actually lived in a heavily Jewish area in Colorado, near a synagogue and never felt uncomfortable.
I'm sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable, I'm just having a hard time understanding where you're coming from. My friend that I mentioned above in Brooklyn is married to a Jewish man. She was brought up Christian but is pondering converting. I've never sensed any sort of anger from him, but maybe it's because he's surrounded by like people?
I wouldn't tell an African American to "get over" rascism, but on the flip side have little respect for people who use the race card as a crutch. There are plenty of AA's who overcame a lot and are doing fantastic things. THAT, I admire. I, as a Christian, don't feel uncomfortable not being the majority somewhere in the United States. I don't think I'd say the same thing if I lived in China or the Middle East though. I find it rather interesting/refreshing/fascinating to learn other points of view, even if I don't personally practice them or believe in them. I'm not a closed minded type of person or evangelical.
I've been to the East coast a couple of times but not that area. My parents have been to Virginia, DC, Connecticut, Rhode Island, etc...Wasn't thinking about where the OP was coming from regarding your reply Sorry I misread.
Give you kudos from at least knowing of what you speak. The reason I asked is because there are quite a few people who never leave the interstate or even just the town they moved to and then make a broad judgement about everything.
I certainly don't think the East Coast is ugly. I'd actually love to see a lot more of it. One of my best friends lives in Brooklyn and wants us to come visit again so we can all hop a train and go to some of those other states besides NY. I do think, however, that there are some striking areas in Texas, although it's a different type than what you are talking about. The little town I grew up in has some very large, very old Oak trees full of spanish moss. I find foggy days or mornings with some dew on the ground and those types of trees as a backdrop make a pretty striking view. I think we have some pretty wetland areas also. I also like some of the Piney Woods area.
Another place I've been but would love to explore further would be Tennessee. My next door neighbor has a cabin in the mountains there and he always shows us pictures from his trips there. He's taking a motorcycle trip through the Ozarks this summer with some buddies. I've got a cousin in Nashville...It'd be a good excuse to use to go there
I just made it out to the Tennessee area recently and the eastern part of North Carolina- The Great Smoky Mountains. It was truly breath taking.
You know it's funny because growing up in a mountainy wooded green part of the country (CT is very mountainy- I'm not sure if people realize that), I always fantasized about yellow plains and huge skies. I actually love that Texas has that- and for me- it will do just fine- I just think that the east coast probably has a bit more traditional beauty. Overall though, I will be very happy with what Texas has to offer If I wanted the same thing, I would stay in the East- but I want to get in my car and see a different kind of landscape most days.
You definitely should take your friend up on the opportunity and take a visit to New England in early October- that's the most beautiful time of year to visit CT. Come up here, rent a car and drive up the coast up to Maine, go to a local country fair in one of our small towns and an apple orchard, walk around our tree lined historic streets- I think you will really love it!
For the record, I am indifferent to the landscape wherever I live. In fact, I've been in the DC area all of my life, and I would like to see something different than the flat areas of the mid-Atlantic topography. As far as I'm concerned, I look forward to new scenery, whether it's deserts or brown flatlands.
As for what I'm looking for, just look at list of what I expect from Austin and see if I'm off base anywhere
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A little feedback on how I saw Austin.
riiggghhhttt....
