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Old 03-26-2009, 09:13 PM
 
Location: SW Austin & Wimberley
6,330 posts, read 17,992,018 times
Reputation: 5531

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Quote:
how do you think Austin and Texas will absorb all the new relocatees with a next to negative job growth, Steve?
Just fine. I think the respondents to your informal poll are representitive of the mindset of people choosing to relocate to Austin. I think the economists who look at all the factors have made fairly reasonable predictions.

This is simply a cycle. All of life has cycles. We don't stand at low tide and say "oh my god, the ocean is draining". We don't feel the first cool chill of Autumn and say "oh my god, the earth is going to freeze". And I don't watch an economic cycle (albeit pronounced) and say "oh my god, Austin is doomed - nobody should move here", which is the drumbeat you pound day after day on these forums, despite solid facts and data to the contrary.

Pick whatever set up metrics you want. Any set of criteria. Economic, demographic, recreational, cultural - whatever you like, and rate those metrics head to head against any other U.S. city, and tell me how Austin holds up.

I wonder what your daily writings would look like if you lived in Detroit or Phoenix or Miami. You live in the city with one of the healthiest, most highly perfoming economies and housing markets in the country, relatively speaking, yet all you can do each day is come online and write about how bad things are in Austin TX.

Steve
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Old 03-27-2009, 10:02 AM
 
Location: G-Town
428 posts, read 1,060,838 times
Reputation: 162
Honestly, I think if someone moved strictly for economic reasons, they'd end up feeling unsatisfied sooner or later, in nine out of ten cases. The amount of money we can make or spend has no bearing on our quality of life. It's learning to live within our means, and thus provide what counts for our families, that creates the only economic portion of our overall contentment.

And we all know the old adage "Money can't buy happiness".

The other factors, such as population, climate, culture, recreation etc (in whatever particular order suits a person) are what should make people eager to relocate.

Fact is, Austin looks like a really great city, and the entire country (and most of the world) is in an "economic downturn", so using that to dissuade someone from moving to Austin is like saying "Don't move to Austin, we have death and taxes here."

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Old 03-27-2009, 10:19 AM
 
Location: Austin TX
11,027 posts, read 6,459,432 times
Reputation: 13258
I moved to Austin from Northern California without a job. I found a great one within three weeks of looking and am enjoying it very much. While we are clearly in a recession, there is still work available here, and I do feel that Austin is withstanding the economic downturn far better than many, many cities.

I find the OP's ad nauseum discussion of this topic quite puzzling. He/she seems to be extremely driven to cast a pall over Austin's economic future and there seems to be a strong motive on his/her part to taint this forum with excessive doom & gloom.
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Old 03-27-2009, 11:08 AM
 
Location: 78747
3,202 posts, read 5,989,445 times
Reputation: 915
Welcome to Texas. I think that some people here believe that the influx of people will ultimately smother the flame that is austin, that's all. People do tend to bring their contributions and problems with them as well. The reoccuring q seems to be whether we are taking on economic refugees and if so, is this positive/ or will it rip the well-established social fabric of Austin.

btw - good use of the word 'taint'
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Old 03-27-2009, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Austin TX
11,027 posts, read 6,459,432 times
Reputation: 13258
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobert View Post
Welcome to Texas. I think that some people here believe that the influx of people will ultimately smother the flame that is austin, that's all. People do tend to bring their contributions and problems with them as well. The reoccuring q seems to be whether we are taking on economic refugees and if so, is this positive/ or will it rip the well-established social fabric of Austin.

btw - good use of the word 'taint'
Well I'm married to a native Austinite, and my father is a native of Odessa himself, so Texas has always been a big part of my life. I'm glad to be here!

All I can say to those who complain about the influx of Californians into Austin is remind them how many thousands of Texans relocated to California during the Great Depression of the 30's, looking for work and a good life for their families. My grandparents were two of those people along with my father, who was an infant at the time. I don't blame them for making that cross-country venture any more than I do anyone moving to Austin today for the very same reasons.

And yes - taint is a good word that doesn't get it's fair share of use.
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Old 03-27-2009, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Austin
2,522 posts, read 6,018,301 times
Reputation: 707
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin-steve View Post
Just fine. I think the respondents to your informal poll are representitive of the mindset of people choosing to relocate to Austin. I think the economists who look at all the factors have made fairly reasonable predictions.

This is simply a cycle. All of life has cycles. We don't stand at low tide and say "oh my god, the ocean is draining". We don't feel the first cool chill of Autumn and say "oh my god, the earth is going to freeze". And I don't watch an economic cycle (albeit pronounced) and say "oh my god, Austin is doomed - nobody should move here", which is the drumbeat you pound day after day on these forums, despite solid facts and data to the contrary.

Pick whatever set up metrics you want. Any set of criteria. Economic, demographic, recreational, cultural - whatever you like, and rate those metrics head to head against any other U.S. city, and tell me how Austin holds up.

I wonder what your daily writings would look like if you lived in Detroit or Phoenix or Miami. You live in the city with one of the healthiest, most highly perfoming economies and housing markets in the country, relatively speaking, yet all you can do each day is come online and write about how bad things are in Austin TX.

Steve
Austin is a solid metro in the long term, IF the national financials hold up is all.......there are only a handful of metros with a large number of educated people, besides Austin, ....DC, Denver,Atlanta, the research triangle, Seattle, the Bay Area, Manhattan, Los Angeles, the north side of Chicago, and Boston are pretty much it.....per the future national economy, those WILL be the drivers that keep it going when it trends tech and green the next 10-20 years.....the rest of the USA may never catch up again.......That being said, Austin, AND those other metros need outside access to financial flows to grow and maintain solvency......it is still an open question how the US financial markets will play out. Austin is VERY much tied to national and international financial flows right now....they are slowing, which is why Austin's job growth has slowed to a standstill.......
My question is, if those REIT funds and the rest of the national financial market, including venture capital for tech, continues to ebb, How can Austin finance the same internally? The answer is that it simply can't, and is not geared to do so...it has put itself in the position where it MUST have help from the outside, per capitol, businesses, and relocatees......turn off the tap, and the growth machine shuts down......at the moment, it is very much impacted by national turmoil in the financial markets, re the halving of commercail real estate construction in the Austin metro the past year.....
Only question is WHEN and WHERE Austin will have access to the same sources other depressed areas in the sunbelt sorely need as well, and how they could singularly tap into them when most of the sunbelt is tapped off the same.......

To sum, this is a NATIONAL recession, and Austin has wedded itself strongly to outside finance..when those spigots are turned off, so does Austin's....
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Old 03-27-2009, 01:50 PM
 
6 posts, read 17,821 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin-steve View Post
One suggestion, just based on seeing a lot of people do what you are describing. If you have grandma, or a niece or uncle, etc. who can come with you and provide relief from the kids now and then while you do some serious scouting and driving around, you'll be glad you did.

I see a lot of people on scouting trips trying to bring the kids along on excursions, trying to make a vacation of it too. After a few days, it can get really, really tiresome for everybody and the plans start changing. "We're going to have to cancel today. We're wiped out after yesterday".

If you want to make a quick and dirty, hard core scouting trip of it, come without the kids and arrive on a Thursday afternoon, leave Sunday, and you can pack a lot in. A lot.

Next best option is bringing childcare with you. Third best is make short half day outings, or just one adult go and the other hang back with the kids and do fun things.

Good luck. You'll love Austin.
Point well taken. Considering what you said I think your right. It wouldn't be fair for my kids. So now what I plan to do is leave them with my mom while my husband and I check things out or if grandma and grandpa are up for the challenge they can come along with us and help out. appreciate the input.

I think we will get more out of our visit!
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Old 03-27-2009, 01:50 PM
 
Location: Austin
2,522 posts, read 6,018,301 times
Reputation: 707
Quote:
Originally Posted by Runemaster View Post
Honestly, I think if someone moved strictly for economic reasons, they'd end up feeling unsatisfied sooner or later, in nine out of ten cases. The amount of money we can make or spend has no bearing on our quality of life. It's learning to live within our means, and thus provide what counts for our families, that creates the only economic portion of our overall contentment.

And we all know the old adage "Money can't buy happiness".

The other factors, such as population, climate, culture, recreation etc (in whatever particular order suits a person) are what should make people eager to relocate.

Fact is, Austin looks like a really great city, and the entire country (and most of the world) is in an "economic downturn", so using that to dissuade someone from moving to Austin is like saying "Don't move to Austin, we have death and taxes here."
No dissuading.......just that Austin is in the same downturn as the rest of the US......and, indeed, those other considerations are what has driven people here till very recently......there HAS been a huge increase in the past year OF relos looking for a shelter FROM the national recession, thinking Texas is somehow that place.....as long as they realize that it is not, and are coming for "Quality of Life" issues, they have the right mindset and reasons......if they are RUNNING from a bad situation, they will unfortunately bring their old problems along with them when they make the move........
To cap this, Texas isn't really prepared for this growth of infrastructure either, and isn't spending what is needed to absorb the same...drive the roads and freeways of Austin and see for yourself......and that situation will exacerbate as the growth trend continues...
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Old 03-27-2009, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Austin
2,522 posts, read 6,018,301 times
Reputation: 707
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nor Cal Wahine View Post
I moved to Austin from Northern California without a job. I found a great one within three weeks of looking and am enjoying it very much. While we are clearly in a recession, there is still work available here, and I do feel that Austin is withstanding the economic downturn far better than many, many cities.

I find the OP's ad nauseum discussion of this topic quite puzzling. He/she seems to be extremely driven to cast a pall over Austin's economic future and there seems to be a strong motive on his/her part to taint this forum with excessive doom & gloom.
Nor Cal.....if trends continue, people will not be landing jobs within three weeks as you did......simply not enough to absorb the exodus that is coming..to put another way...there certainly isn't enough jobs out there for the entire group of economically displaced californians and other sunbelt/midwest state displaced....Austin isn't even that large of a metro....what feat of magic could possibly allow it to continue to provide jobs to the economically displaced all over the country?.......more so, when the job growth sputters to essentially negative territory, where will those future jobs come from?..........

Last edited by inthecut; 03-27-2009 at 02:02 PM..
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Old 03-27-2009, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Austin TX
11,027 posts, read 6,459,432 times
Reputation: 13258
What exactly is your agenda here? Why are you repeating yourself over and over again? I think you've made your point several times over now that you are gravely concerned that vast numbers of 'outsiders' are showing up and stealing the few jobs that you believe Austin has left. Futhermore, you've insinuated several times now that anyone moving here is 'economically displaced' from whatever location they are moving from. That's ... a little presumptuous of you.

If you are truly so fearful for Austin's future, my gentle suggestion is to become more involved in Austin's future then simply fearmongering on an internet forum.
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