What else should we know?

[centralaustinite]

You'll do great! Don't let a naysayer discourage you.

My boyfriend and I arrived in Austin in 1990. I don't remember what we had in our pockets, it wasn't much. It took him several months to get a job as a bank teller, I was a grad student, we lived on student loans and ingenuity. I can clearly remember several years when we would pay all the bills and have $18 left for groceries for the week. And we weren't stressed at all -- "cool, eighteen bucks to eat on." And we did.

Austin was a great place for us then. And now, fast forward, we married, bought a small house, built a bigger one, we make way more money than we would have ever thought possible then, and have three kids. And Austin is still a great place for us.

One of Austin's greatest strengths is that it offers a lot to people at all ages and stages of life.

[austin-steve]

One thing you might appreciate knowing is that under the right circumstances you can live real cheap in a great central location for the 3 months of summer, and use that time to learn more about other areas before finding a permanent spot.

The UT area has bargain priced rentals during the summer due to the outflow of students in May. So, if you don't mind moving twice, and can time your move for a summer arrival, you can set up in West Campus or North Campus in an apartment or condo, have super great access to public transportation, walking distance to shops and cafes, be within 20 or 30 minutes drive of just about everywhere in Austin, and only be committed to a lease through Aug 15th. Google a UT area "campus locator" company to help find out more about UT summer rentals.

This is exactly what I did when I moved to Austin in May 1985. You don't even want to know how cheap my half of the rent was!

Longer term, the same locator who helps with your campus place will most likely be able to guide you to a suitable central Austin area, perhaps east Austin or South Austin would be a fit for you at your present stage of life. One thing also, even us old'ters (baby boomers in our 40s and 50s) are young at heart so you'll fit in just about anywhere.

I don't think you'll have any trouble finding work.

Welcome!!

[eyeswideopen23]

Thanks for the tip on the summer apartment leases! Having lived in a college town before, I'm surprised it didn't occur to me to look for short-term reduced rate rentals while we search for our permanent residence in person! That really is a great idea. Thanks for being welcoming and helpful! And centralaustinite- I really appreciate the encouragement from someone who had to put themselves through school! Frankly, it's a hard life economically no matter where you are! But it's good to know your dream didn't fizzle out in Austin!