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I don't love anything about this place. It's an overgrown college town with Real City aspirations.
Austin (IMHO)
-No decent museums
-No reliable public transportation system which might actually help alleviate the traffic problems here. Capital Metro is a joke.
-No decent restaurants. Tex Mex, Tex Mex, and mooooore Tex Mex! I hope you like Tex Mex.
-All of the supposedly "weird" or "interesting" neighborhoods are now ridiculously overpriced. And truth be told they're not even that "weird" or "interesting."
-No diversity to speak of. I value ethnic and cultural diversity because I think it says a lot about the welcoming nature of a city and it offers me opportunities to learn more about other cultures. I know that quite a few people on this forum try to portray an interest in diversity as some type of subtle reverse racism. It's nothing of the sort. The diversity here consists of Hipsters associating with Tech Execs, or their being one in the same.
-I like sports (sue me). There are no professional sports teams here.
-Everything is flat. I miss genuine hills and mountains. (The west side is not flat!)
Let the flaming ensue! It's only the internet after all!
-It's HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! And there is no getting used to it. There's just moving from one air-conditioned location to another. What fun.
-There is not a diversified economy. So many of the graduates from the city's overrated mega-university (of which I am a not-so proud graduate. I wish you could give back diplomas for a refund) decide to stay in this "hip" little town, thus flooding the market with applicants so that an employer can offer a job to a college-educated, qualified individual for $8.00 without batting an eye. So you will either end up underemployed or undercompensated. Take your pick. Google just closed their office here. What might that tell you?
-Did I mention it's hot?
If I could find a job which actually paid worth a damn I would be saving like mad to ensure my permanent exit from this provincial, sweltering hellhole (by this I mean all of Texas, and yes, I was unfortunately born here).
Let the flaming ensue! It's only the internet.
Though I think you're being overly critical, there is some truth to what's in bold. Even though you'll get denials about it.
And I agree with artsyguy, there are other cities in Texas with the wonderful museums, restaurants and arts. And pro sports. And diversity or whatever. Namely Houston and Dallas. It's not like those things are non-existent in Texas. However, anyone who lives in Texas has to deal with the heat and other aspects you complain of.
A good portion of LA is flat. There is a big difference between a truly flat city like Memphis and a city that is, as you say, 75% flat.
I'm not convinced your 75% stat is accurate. Areas of greater Austin that are hilly include: Mt. Bonnell area, West Lake, Lakeway, Barton Spings, Lake Travis, Bee Caves, NW Hills, and the Arboretum area. And I am sure there are more.
I still haven't heard you explain why you spend so much time on CD bashing a city you don't even live in anymore? Do you honestly have nothing better to do?
I still haven't heard you explain why you spend so much time on CD bashing a city you don't even live in anymore? Do you honestly have nothing better to do?
Perhaps he doesn't have anything better to do. Or perhaps because he isn't breaking any laws in doing so and isn't required to provide an explication as to his motivations, he sees fit to regale this group with his strongly harbored opinions? Who can say? It was my understanding that this was a forum for opinion, commentary, exposition, and exchange, regardless of how repetitive or pointless it may seem to some. People want opinions about prospective geographies. Is he not merely providing an opinion?
As for the "hills" of Austin, they exist as something of an enclave for the wealthy. What UT students or $25-30K salaried employee working for the state do you know who can afford to purchase a home which will afford them a "magnificent" Mt. Bonnell view? Most opt to purchase affordable homes in the outskirts thus contributing to the sprawl which so many supposedly liberal Austinites eschew. Alas, these days such geographic marginalization is part and parcel most urban growth. Ever seen The Oblongs?
Austin is a great city, imho. I've been here for 9 months with my wife and two daughters, after moving down here from CT. You’ve got to take everything you read in these forums with a grain of salt. People who hate the city troll around, people who love it do as well, and then there’s the occasional person who just likes to stir up controversy by making random or inflammatory comments.Always keep in mind, wherever you move, you’ll need to voluntarily drink some of the cool-aid in order to like the place. There are people who move to Anchorage, Alaska, and love it. There’s people who move to Maui and hate it. Go figure that one out. When we first visited Austin, I personally didn’t think it was all that great. Certainly didn’t look that amazing. I’ve been to quite a few large cities. Austin did not seem all that great by comparison. But I also have never wanted to actually live in a big city. And now that I’ve had a chance to explore, I really like it. I’ve officially drunk the cool-aid.If you want a big city feel, like New York or Chicago, this is not the place for you.My wife and I moved our family down to Austin for three reasons. First and foremost, her mom lives in San Antonio. And having family nearby is a huge plus. Second, the job market isn’t the best in the world, but for what we were looking for, it was perfectly fine. Third, the cost of living is MUCH less than where we wanted to live in CT, or any other place we actually considered. Which is a HUGE plus. What it comes down to is, and I can’t emphasize this enough, DO YOUR RESEARCH!!! Now, on a few of the items people complain about:- It's HOT!!! It's TEXAS!!! Of course it’s going to be hot!! Would you go to Alaska and say “Wow, it’s cold!”? But let me tell you, I prefer 100 degree weather during hot summer days, than 10 degree weather, snow banks, salty slop on the streets, and a -5 wind chill ANY DAY!!! My own personal opinion is that it is a LOT easier to get comfy with an air conditioner than it is with a heater. Heaters never really make it nice and comfortable. I grew up somewhere warm. And after 10 years in CT, I DISLIKE cold. Conclusion: If you like cold, this is NOT the place for you.- There is no public transportation system. True. But at the same time, “any day now” (yeah, right!) they’ll be starting the Capital Metro Rail. It will probably be nowhere near what we need, but again, this isn’t New York or San Francisco. It is Texas (recurring theme here). You will need a car. On the flip side, there is a vibrant biking community, and the city just approved a $250 million plan to improve bicycling infrastructure. If you like to ride your bike, you may be pleasantly surprised down here. Conclusion: No subway, and light rail isn’t up and running yet. But if you like to ride a bike, it may still fit your needs.- Everything is FLAT! Where did you live, the Rockies??? It is definitely, flat, but that's to be expected here in Texas. There are hilly areas, with tons of vegetation, but there are also large swaths of flat land w/o much greenery in it. That's just the way it is. Conclusion: If you like forests, this is not the place for you. If you like mountain climing, this is probably not the place for you. But if you like any other type of outdoors-y activities, this is a place you should consider.- There are no museums. Actually, there are a few. Texas State History Museum, Austin Museum of Art, Children’s Museum, LBJ Library & Museum, etc. Not the best in the world, but enough to keep you entertained. And it’s the sort of place that if you really want one, you can try to work to get one here. You’re also within 2.5 – 3 hours of museums in the other major metropolitan areas in TX, if that’s your thing. Conclusion: You won’t find the MET here, but then again, if that were your thing, you’d be looking somewhere else, wouldn’t you?- There are no good restaurants. I disagree. There are a great deal many good restaurants around. (Although in my opinion, most Mexican restaurants aren’t as good as the ones in San Antonio) It’s not the variety you’d see in a place like Manhattan, but there are 1.6 million people working/living in the 23 sq mi of Manhattan. Here we have 750K people in 252 sq mi. Conclusion: If you want that much variety, go live in Manhattan. You’ll have to pay a 71% premium in cost of living, but hey, if that’s your thing, go for it!- Austin isn’t really that “weird” Yep, it’s a marketing gimmick. But at the same time, “weird” is in the eye of the beholder. Austin is very liberal for Texas. It is also very active community of environmentalists and activists. In the eyes of most Texans, that makes it very weird. In the eyes of folks from the Castro district in San Francisco, it’s as plain weird as sliced white bread. Conclusion: “Weird” is in the eye of the beholder.- Not diverse enough. According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the city's population was 65.6% White (49.9% non-Hispanic-White alone), 9.1% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 20.4% from some other race and 2.1% from two or more races. 34.2% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (mostly Mexican). Conclusion: You will have to decide if it’s diverse enough for you. I’ve noticed that when most people say a place isn’t diverse enough, it usually means “there’s not enough people of my kind around here”. - No diversified economy here. Yes and no. Major employers are government, public university, and tech industry. But then again, in Houston the major employers are energy-related. It’s not that there is no job market down here. Also, salaries over here are lower than many other places, but you need to take into consideration cost of living. If it still is low, then yes, it sucks. Btw, the glut of grads is pretty much to be found anyplace with large, recognized universities. If that's the yardstick you go by, I suggest staying out of any other metropolitan areas. Conclusion: It just may not be what you are looking for. If you want to work for a marine biologist outfit, this may not be the place for you. Again, do your research. If there's only one company you could work for here, don't move here.- No major sports teams. True. Can’t argue with this one. If it’s any consolation, there’s the Spurs in San Antonio, more teams in Dallas and Houston, and if you’re into college sports, we have the Longhorns here!Anyway, whatever you end up doing, I hope it works out for you! Austin is a great place to raise a family. Not too expensive, nice people around, warm (or meltingly hot) all year long, lots of outdoor activities, lots of parks for the kids, and it has Alamo Drafthouse (I love that place...).Again, I moved here 9 months ago, and I am not looking back! But then again, like I said, I have partaken of the cool-aid. ;-)
Austin is a great city, imho. I've been here for 9 months with my wife and two daughters, after moving down here from CT. You’ve got to take everything you read in these forums with a grain of salt. People who hate the city troll around, people who love it do as well, and then there’s the occasional person who just likes to stir up controversy by making random or inflammatory comments.Always keep in mind, wherever you move, you’ll need to voluntarily drink some of the cool-aid in order to like the place. There are people who move to Anchorage, Alaska, and love it. There’s people who move to Maui and hate it. Go figure that one out. When we first visited Austin, I personally didn’t think it was all that great. Certainly didn’t look that amazing. I’ve been to quite a few large cities. Austin did not seem all that great by comparison. But I also have never wanted to actually live in a big city. And now that I’ve had a chance to explore, I really like it. I’ve officially drunk the cool-aid.If you want a big city feel, like New York or Chicago, this is not the place for you.My wife and I moved our family down to Austin for three reasons. First and foremost, her mom lives in San Antonio. And having family nearby is a huge plus. Second, the job market isn’t the best in the world, but for what we were looking for, it was perfectly fine. Third, the cost of living is MUCH less than where we wanted to live in CT, or any other place we actually considered. Which is a HUGE plus. What it comes down to is, and I can’t emphasize this enough, DO YOUR RESEARCH!!! Now, on a few of the items people complain about:- It's HOT!!! It's TEXAS!!! Of course it’s going to be hot!! Would you go to Alaska and say “Wow, it’s cold!”? But let me tell you, I prefer 100 degree weather during hot summer days, than 10 degree weather, snow banks, salty slop on the streets, and a -5 wind chill ANY DAY!!! My own personal opinion is that it is a LOT easier to get comfy with an air conditioner than it is with a heater. Heaters never really make it nice and comfortable. I grew up somewhere warm. And after 10 years in CT, I DISLIKE cold. Conclusion: If you like cold, this is NOT the place for you.- There is no public transportation system. True. But at the same time, “any day now” (yeah, right!) they’ll be starting the Capital Metro Rail. It will probably be nowhere near what we need, but again, this isn’t New York or San Francisco. It is Texas (recurring theme here). You will need a car. On the flip side, there is a vibrant biking community, and the city just approved a $250 million plan to improve bicycling infrastructure. If you like to ride your bike, you may be pleasantly surprised down here. Conclusion: No subway, and light rail isn’t up and running yet. But if you like to ride a bike, it may still fit your needs.- Everything is FLAT! Where did you live, the Rockies??? It is definitely, flat, but that's to be expected here in Texas. There are hilly areas, with tons of vegetation, but there are also large swaths of flat land w/o much greenery in it. That's just the way it is. Conclusion: If you like forests, this is not the place for you. If you like mountain climing, this is probably not the place for you. But if you like any other type of outdoors-y activities, this is a place you should consider.- There are no museums. Actually, there are a few. Texas State History Museum, Austin Museum of Art, Children’s Museum, LBJ Library & Museum, etc. Not the best in the world, but enough to keep you entertained. And it’s the sort of place that if you really want one, you can try to work to get one here. You’re also within 2.5 – 3 hours of museums in the other major metropolitan areas in TX, if that’s your thing. Conclusion: You won’t find the MET here, but then again, if that were your thing, you’d be looking somewhere else, wouldn’t you?- There are no good restaurants. I disagree. There are a great deal many good restaurants around. (Although in my opinion, most Mexican restaurants aren’t as good as the ones in San Antonio) It’s not the variety you’d see in a place like Manhattan, but there are 1.6 million people working/living in the 23 sq mi of Manhattan. Here we have 750K people in 252 sq mi. Conclusion: If you want that much variety, go live in Manhattan. You’ll have to pay a 71% premium in cost of living, but hey, if that’s your thing, go for it!- Austin isn’t really that “weird” Yep, it’s a marketing gimmick. But at the same time, “weird” is in the eye of the beholder. Austin is very liberal for Texas. It is also very active community of environmentalists and activists. In the eyes of most Texans, that makes it very weird. In the eyes of folks from the Castro district in San Francisco, it’s as plain weird as sliced white bread. Conclusion: “Weird” is in the eye of the beholder.- Not diverse enough. According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the city's population was 65.6% White (49.9% non-Hispanic-White alone), 9.1% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 20.4% from some other race and 2.1% from two or more races. 34.2% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (mostly Mexican). Conclusion: You will have to decide if it’s diverse enough for you. I’ve noticed that when most people say a place isn’t diverse enough, it usually means “there’s not enough people of my kind around here”. - No diversified economy here. Yes and no. Major employers are government, public university, and tech industry. But then again, in Houston the major employers are energy-related. It’s not that there is no job market down here. Also, salaries over here are lower than many other places, but you need to take into consideration cost of living. If it still is low, then yes, it sucks. Btw, the glut of grads is pretty much to be found anyplace with large, recognized universities. If that's the yardstick you go by, I suggest staying out of any other metropolitan areas. Conclusion: It just may not be what you are looking for. If you want to work for a marine biologist outfit, this may not be the place for you. Again, do your research. If there's only one company you could work for here, don't move here.- No major sports teams. True. Can’t argue with this one. If it’s any consolation, there’s the Spurs in San Antonio, more teams in Dallas and Houston, and if you’re into college sports, we have the Longhorns here!Anyway, whatever you end up doing, I hope it works out for you! Austin is a great place to raise a family. Not too expensive, nice people around, warm (or meltingly hot) all year long, lots of outdoor activities, lots of parks for the kids, and it has Alamo Drafthouse (I love that place...).Again, I moved here 9 months ago, and I am not looking back! But then again, like I said, I have partaken of the cool-aid. ;-)
Great points!
btw, that has to be the longest freakin' post I've ever seen.
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