Moving to Austin (San Angelo, Stafford: rent, employment, neighborhoods)

[TLola]

Hello everybody!

I'm in the process of applying to UT Austin and was looking at a move in the next couple of months. I've heard all kinds of great things about Austin -- I was promised that it's much better than San Angelo, where I lived for about a year. I was wondering a couple of things though...

Does Austin have any kind of Breed Specific Legislation in effect? I own a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and I could never live somewhere where I wasn't allowed to keep her. I've lived places where no one cares about "pitbulls," and places where people will cross to the other side of the street when I walk her. What's Austin's attitude toward bully breeds?

Is geocaching popular in Austin?

Does Austin have an Iranian community?

What are the winters like? I can take the heat, but after spending a couple of harsh winters in the Midwest, I'd rather never have to deal with snow ever again!

This one might sound a little weird, but are there sidewalks? It took me quite a while to figure out a good dog-walking route where I live now, as there are NO sidewalks anywhere and a huge lack of crosswalks across large roads. Makes walking hard since I'm worried about getting run over the whole time!

edit: Whoops I got so caught up in my dog, I completely forgot to ask about jobs!! Yahoo says Austin is great for jobs, is that accurate? What kind of work is available for a student?

Thanks in advance.

[donnar64]

I can only speak to a few of your questions. My impression is that geocaching must be fairly popular because it's something my son was into for a while when he was in high school a few years back. Austin is very outdoorsy and techy, so anything that is an intersection of those two things is bound to be popular. I don't know if Austin has an Iranian community per se, but I do know several Iranian people who I have met randomly, and there are international student groups and associations at UT that are very active. You could also try MeetUp.com which has over 800 groups of various kinds in Austin based around all different kinds of interests, issues, and activities. You won't have to worry about "dealing with" snow, thought we do get a few flakes some years and rarely an inch or so. Be prepared for people who don't know how to deal with icing road conditions as a result of it being so rare and for school to close at the drop of a hat. The walkability issue very much depends on where you live, but Austin is becoming more conscious of this and making improvments in some neighborhoods like Allandale where I live. I learned on another post that there is a website that will give a particular address or area a walkability score that you can Google. You can also use Google maps street view to help you find sidewalks and walking paths. UT has a system for students where employers post openings-- I think it's called Tex. If you have a car, your options for employment will be greater, but public transportation to some areas would be doable. Best of luck.

[CptnRn]

I looked into geocaching two years ago and there were lots of geochaching sites in the area.

Most every street has sidewalks on at least one side. There are also numerous hike and bike trails and several dog parks. These sites may be helpful.

City of Austin - Austin City Connection

City of Austin - Austin City Connection

You need to pay special attention to the anti-chain ordinance, which will require you to have a large fenced enclosure for your dog, you can't keep them tethered on a chain in the yard.

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/health/do...n_law_1007.pdf

I don't think Austin has an attitude about particular breeds, but pitbulls do have a reputation, some property owners will probably not rent to you.

Jobs are not plentiful in Austin but its better then other parts of the country. What jobs might be available for you will depend on what your skills are. There are lots of clubs and restaurants.

[mimimomx3]

Actually, yes. Iranian Cultural Community of Austin (ICCA)

[newuser11!]

Hello,
We might be moving to Kileen Texas, Are there good elementary school around this area. What are good places where can live and commute to Fort hood.

[CptnRn]

Hi Newbie, welcome to the Austin thread, Kileen is a little far north, I've lived in Austin since 1977 and drove past Kileen on the freeway but don't know much about it other then Ft. Hood is there.

You might get a better response if you posted here in the Texas Forum

//www.city-data.com/forum/texas/

or start a new discussion thread titled "Moving to Kileen" here in the Austin forum

//www.city-data.com/forum/austin/

Best Wishes and welcome to Texas