New Yorker Interested in Moving to Austin (Houston, West: best city, apartment)

[NYGuy27]

I am a 27-year-old gay New Yorker who is interested in moving to Austin. I have been to Austin a few times and I really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and the laid-back pace. New York is a bit stressful and I'm a bit tired of living in a "shoe-box" apartment.

Austin seems to be very gay-friendly from what I've seen and read. However, I would like to have a partner and a family when I am in my 30s and I was wondering if this city is friendly towards gay families.

I'd like to hear about what life is like for a gay couple with children and any experiences they've had with adoption/surrogacy, schools, jobs, community, etc. Although there is a vibrant gay community in New York, it seems it revolves around going out to bars, clubs, etc. and it lacks the "community" feel that I'm looking for. It also seems that many gay couples here have open relationships, which is not for me. I'm hoping gay guys in Austin value monogamy and are more family-oriented.

Any information would be extremely helpful and thanks for reading!

[Gorfml]

I love gay ppl!...

[TexasHorseLady]

FWIW, most of the gays I personally know are in committed relationships, some of as long as 35+ years. Some have children.

[capitolhilltohillcountry]

No problems with gay people though make sure you have a car.This isn't the best city not to have a car in.

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by NYGuy27

I am a 27-year-old gay New Yorker who is interested in moving to Austin. I have been to Austin a few times and I really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and the laid-back pace. New York is a bit stressful and I'm a bit tired of living in a "shoe-box" apartment.

Austin seems to be very gay-friendly from what I've seen and read. However, I would like to have a partner and a family when I am in my 30s and I was wondering if this city is friendly towards gay families.

I'd like to hear about what life is like for a gay couple with children and any experiences they've had with adoption/surrogacy, schools, jobs, community, etc. Although there is a vibrant gay community in New York, it seems it revolves around going out to bars, clubs, etc. and it lacks the "community" feel that I'm looking for. It also seems that many gay couples here have open relationships, which is not for me. I'm hoping gay guys in Austin value monogamy and are more family-oriented.

Any information would be extremely helpful and thanks for reading!

Austin is very gay friendly and a good city for gay families, but there are a few things thinks you are looking for that might be of a concern, or at least worth mentioning to you.

Your partner and yourself will have no problem with adoption (within reason like any other couple obviously. lol), nor any problems with the schools, jobs or community. Even churches won't be an issue as far as I know. I personally am not religious, but I have plenty of gay and lesbian friends who have started their own families and it has never been a problem for them. So as far as all that goes, I think y'all will be happy in Austin.

However, a couple things you asked about might not fit for Austin. The "community feel" you said you are looking for. I'm a bit unclear on what sort of community you are looking for. Austin has one of the strongest communities of any city I have ever lived in. It is wonderful. But it is city wide population, and neighborhoods. It is everyone, regardless of sexual preferences. You are not going to find a community like Hill Crest in SD, West Hollywood in LA, or Montrose in Houston. The gay and lesbian community in Austin is pretty much the entire city and to a big degree it is the community of Austin. Kinda a one and the same sort of thing. There really is not any strong community centered in one area like many cities, nor any strong gay or lesbian community. The closest thing to that sort of area would be in East Austin near downtown, but I don't think that is what you are looking for, for starting a family. The gay community really doesn't do its own thing like many places. It is pretty much just a part of the same communities as everyone else.

The other thing being that there is a strong gay club scene, where monogamy is not something many care about.

So maybe my worry is that it wouldn't be what you are looking for as far as a gay community.

Those two things being addressed, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a guy who values monogamy or is interested in a family. I mean assuming you have qualities that someone would find attractive obviously. lol. You don't need to go to the clubs to meet guys. You can join any of the millions of community events like bike rides, art walks or whatever. The vast majority of which won't be GLBT specific, but for everyone which is just kinda how Austin is. And there are tons and tons of wonderful guys to meet around town.

[smcdow]

Welcome to Austin!

When I'm asked about living in Austin, I always bring up Summer and heat. Everybody expects Austin to be hot in the summer, but I think a lot of newcomers may not completely understand a couple of aspects to this:

• the duration of the summer: it effectively goes from May through the end of October. Six months of summer.

• During the worst part of the summer, the morning lows are near 80˚F. Put another way, it never gets cooler than around 80˚F

For some people, this is a showstopper, but they don't realize it until after they've moved here.

[NYGuy27]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Your partner and yourself will have no problem with adoption (within reason like any other couple obviously. lol), nor any problems with the schools, jobs or community. Even churches won't be an issue as far as I know. I personally am not religious, but I have plenty of gay and lesbian friends who have started their own families and it has never been a problem for them. So as far as all that goes, I think y'all will be happy in Austin.

However, a couple things you asked about might not fit for Austin. The "community feel" you said you are looking for. I'm a bit unclear on what sort of community you are looking for. Austin has one of the strongest communities of any city I have ever lived in. It is wonderful. But it is city wide population, and neighborhoods. It is everyone, regardless of sexual preferences. You are not going to find a community like Hill Crest in SD, West Hollywood in LA, or Montrose in Houston. The gay and lesbian community in Austin is pretty much the entire city and to a big degree it is the community of Austin. Kinda a one and the same sort of thing. There really is not any strong community centered in one area like many cities, nor any strong gay or lesbian community. The closest thing to that sort of area would be in East Austin near downtown, but I don't think that is what you are looking for, for starting a family. The gay community really doesn't do its own thing like many places. It is pretty much just a part of the same communities as everyone else.

The other thing being that there is a strong gay club scene, where monogamy is not something many care about.

So maybe my worry is that it wouldn't be what you are looking for as far as a gay community.

Those two things being addressed, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a guy who values monogamy or is interested in a family. I mean assuming you have qualities that someone would find attractive obviously. lol. You don't need to go to the clubs to meet guys. You can join any of the millions of community events like bike rides, art walks or whatever. The vast majority of which won't be GLBT specific, but for everyone which is just kinda how Austin is. And there are tons and tons of wonderful guys to meet around town.

Thank you for your post. This information is very helpful. I'm looking for a community, preferably mixed of gay and straight people. I don't need to live in an area that is exclusively "gay."

Another thing: New Yorkers are very busy and it seems I have to make an appointment to meet with a friend a week in advance, even if they live in the same neighborhood. I would like to live in a place where I can just call a friend and stop by their home and hang out or vice versa. Having a backyard and hosting a barbecue with some good friends seems to be a good way to live.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by NYGuy27

Thank you for your post. This information is very helpful. I'm looking for a community, preferably mixed of gay and straight people. I don't need to live in an area that is exclusively "gay."

Another thing: New Yorkers are very busy and it seems I have to make an appointment to meet with a friend a week in advance, even if they live in the same neighborhood. I would like to live in a place where I can just call a friend and stop by their home and hang out or vice versa. Having a backyard and hosting a barbecue with some good friends seems to be a good way to live.

I like to describe Austin as "relaxed" but it is not "slow." Plenty to do here, but if you just want to chill, that is easy to do.

[bridgebats]

Yes, I think you would be able to find a gay/ family-friendly neighborhood in Austin. Certain Central/ North Central neighborhoods would fit the exact friendly vibe that you're looking for where neighbors have block parties, game nights, etc.