Is there such a place??? Considering relocation to Austin, Portland or NC...any advice opinions??? (Pflugerville: rentals, crime)

[Keks]

To the OP: Ignore the previous comment. It's not true at all. Nothing of it. It's just full of hate. Austin is a really nice city. You will love it!

[cubssoxfan]

OP. Just wondering why a town closer to you like Burlington VT. is not on the list.
If biking is top of list, check out Madison, WI. It is near the top of best bicycling towns in the US and WI ranks top 5 as a state. Because it is the capitol of WI and University town it is fairly liberal. Wisconsin does get real winter weather, but outdoor oriented state. Lots of rail trails, good country roads for biking and lots of nice State Parks. I have also read good things about Knoxville, TN.
I visited and liked Austin. Mixed feelings about how cycling friendly it is. I like the outdoor recreation vibe I felt. You must have a tolerance for hot summers though. June-Sep is constant mid to upper 90's. They don't get the Canadian cold fronts that bring nice sunny 75 degree summer days like we do up north. In Austin these days seem to happen when we're snowed in.

[Pvt. Parts]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

Austin's culture involves you getting drunk on 6th street,

That sold me! Austin, here I come!

[jacksonian]

Generalizations exist everywhere, because no place is free of devout pessimists.

I think Austin has most of what you're looking for - as far as transportation goes, if you have a child, then you will probably need some sort of motorized transportation. Although you could get creative and acquire a covered bicycle cart that are common in Asia. Just a thought...

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by Vanilla32

Is there such a place???

*Walking/biking town
*Counter Culture
*Artists
*Progressive thinking
*Affordable
*Bohemian
*Diverse culturally
*Good public schools
*Holistic lifestyle?
*Whole Foods Market/Community gardens/farmer's markets

Just curious, since this sort of "where is my perceived utopia and can I afford it?" question comes up a lot...

Of the 10 items listed above, 7 seem like personal lifestyle choices that can be adhered to regardless of where one lives. In other words, if I want to ride a bike in Austin, I can ride a bike. People bike into downtown from Legend Oaks and Circle C of all places. Not many, but it can be done. So, a city becomes a "biking city" when you personally start biking, not because someone says it's a "biking city". Walking can be done anytime, anywhere, starting at one's front door. Any of us can be walkers, though few of us can exist completely without a car in Austin.

If I want to hold beliefs and ideals that would be considered by some as Counter Culture, Progressive, Holistic, etc., I can do so regardless of what anyone else thinks or does. If I want to live a frugal, "bohemian" lifestyle, I can do that anywhere. It's my choice, regardless of what my friends or neighbors do or think. My neighbor can drive a Hummer and have $50K in credit card debt and it won't make me less frugal, and I might even enjoy the company of that person, though I would not necessarily agree with his lifestyle choices.

You are an artist when you say you are. Just start creating art and sharing it with others. There are artist shared workspaces/warehouses/coops that can be rented in Austin, and that's where the other artists would be found, not next door or congregating/living in a certain part of town. I attended a friend's art show in a crappy warehouse in East Austin last year. The place was crawling with artists as well as non-artists who appreciate art. It was a fun night. My artist friend lived in an apartment in South Austin, which makes her no less an artist than someone in a garage apartment in Travis Heights.

You are who you are no matter where you are.

So, thus far, if I want to be the aforementioned type of person (basically a Cultural Creative), name the location and geographic restriction in Austin that would prevent or restrict me from being who I am? Is someone in Round Rock or Hutto going to knock on my (affordable) door and tell me they can smell my paint from the back porch and to quit creating art? Is a neighbor going to express concern over my cheap car and the fact that I shop at Savers? Will I be less bohemian if my neighbors are not exactly like me?

No. But what I think people want is to have their lifestyle and sensibilities reflected in others around them. It provides some sort of affirmation. We like to be around people like us. But man, that sure seems boring to me. Worse, we like to be around people that we aspire to be, which is why "keeping up with th Jones" puts so many people in houses they can't afford in neighborhoods that are just beyond their means. It's because they want to "feel" a certain way and think that their immediate living/social surroundings will complete them.

You can find your "Tribe", but they don't necessarily have to be your next door neighbors and they don't necessarily have to ride bikes and live cheap.

That leaves good schools, which can be found in affordable neighborhoods in Austin, diverse culture, which abounds in Austin, but maybe not in your specific culdesac, and Organic/Farmers/Whole food establishments, which also abound in Austin in various locations, though not walking distance from most affordable housing.

So, therefore, I declare Austin a good fit for anyone seeking what the OP seeks. But instead of having it provided in a self-contained geographic silver platter in a Disneysque utopian village, your life is what you make it, wherever you are.

That's just my opinion as someone who spends all day every day dealing with people and their lifestyle/living decisions and is starting to worry about the degree to which people want to find a finished lifestyle picture that they can step into instead painting their own unique picture themselves.

Steve

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

Just curious, since this sort of "where is my perceived utopia and can I afford it?" question comes up a lot...

Of the 10 items listed above, 7 seem like personal lifestyle choices that can be adhered to regardless of where one lives. In other words, if I want to ride a bike in Austin, I can ride a bike. People bike into downtown from Legend Oaks and Circle C of all places. Not many, but it can be done. So, a city becomes a "biking city" when you personally start biking, not because someone says it's a "biking city". Walking can be done anytime, anywhere, starting at one's front door. Any of us can be walkers, though few of us can exist completely without a car in Austin.

If I want to hold beliefs and ideals that would be considered by some as Counter Culture, Progressive, Holistic, etc., I can do so regardless of what anyone else thinks or does. If I want to live a frugal, "bohemian" lifestyle, I can do that anywhere. It's my choice, regardless of what my friends or neighbors do or think. My neighbor can drive a Hummer and have $50K in credit card debt and it won't make me less frugal, and I might even enjoy the company of that person, though I would not necessarily agree with his lifestyle choices.

You are an artist when you say you are. Just start creating art and sharing it with others. There are artist shared workspaces/warehouses/coops that can be rented in Austin, and that's where the other artists would be found, not next door or congregating/living in a certain part of town. I attended a friend's art show in a crappy warehouse in East Austin last year. The place was crawling with artists as well as non-artists who appreciate art. It was a fun night. My artist friend lived in an apartment in South Austin, which makes her no less an artist than someone in a garage apartment in Travis Heights.

You are who you are no matter where you are.

So, thus far, if I want to be the aforementioned type of person (basically a Cultural Creative), name the location and geographic restriction in Austin that would prevent or restrict me from being who I am? Is someone in Round Rock or Hutto going to knock on my (affordable) door and tell me they can smell my paint from the back porch and to quit creating art? Is a neighbor going to express concern over my cheap car and the fact that I shop at Savers? Will I be less bohemian if my neighbors are not exactly like me?

No. But what I think people want is to have their lifestyle and sensibilities reflected in others around them. It provides some sort of affirmation. We like to be around people like us. But man, that sure seems boring to me. Worse, we like to be around people that we aspire to be, which is why "keeping up with th Jones" puts so many people in houses they can't afford in neighborhoods that are just beyond their means. It's because they want to "feel" a certain way and think that their immediate living/social surroundings will complete them.

You can find your "Tribe", but they don't necessarily have to be your next door neighbors and they don't necessarily have to ride bikes and live cheap.

That leaves good schools, which can be found in affordable neighborhoods in Austin, diverse culture, which abounds in Austin, but maybe not in your specific culdesac, and Organic/Farmers/Whole food establishments, which also abound in Austin in various locations, though not walking distance from most affordable housing.

So, therefore, I declare Austin a good fit for anyone seeking what the OP seeks. But instead of having it provided in a self-contained geographic silver platter in a Disneysque utopian village, your life is what you make it, wherever you are.

That's just my opinion as someone who spends all day every day dealing with people and their lifestyle/living decisions and is starting to worry about the degree to which people want to find a finished lifestyle picture that they can step into instead painting their own unique picture themselves.

Steve

For the most part I agree with your points. However, I think the questions of walkability and bikeability are legitimate. There are many stretches in town where there are NO sidewalks and it is scary walking in the street when you have cars driving by you at 45 MPH. I won't ride in traffic without a bike lane and I am sure there are others that share that sentiment.

[Trainwreck20]

For those interested in biking, this large map gives you an idea of good/fair/bad routes. It is way larger than it needs to be (in megabytes), but anyway:
http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/images/bicyclemap.pdf

[Vanilla32]

@ austin-steve

Thank you for your insight. And I agree with much of what you said for many people. Maybe it would help for you to understand that I had all of these things in my hometown but I was priced out along with everyone else I grew up with. So after bumping around from one affordable slum to the next in the Northeast...I crave a community that values similar things that I value. I don't expect Utopia or perfection anywhere. However, I don't expect that every other neighbor of mine is a drug addict or a drug dealer. I am looking for a better life for me and my son. I am trying to escape some of the negativity of my current environment and I have found that what I want does not exist in my price range. So I have started looking into other parts of this country. Also I prefer walking. If I got rid of my car I would be saving so much money that could be put to better use. Blah blah blah And thank you everyone for taking the time to comment and give me suggestions.

Oh yeah and Austinguy...I see right through you...but I do understand. I was priced out of my home town and I imagine all of these folks flocking to Austin may concern you for the same reason. I wouldn't want the landscape and the roots of my hometown being tainted, while my rent sky rockets either...

[mimimomx3]

Unless you live in a very small part of Austin proper, which is very expensive, there is absolutely no way that you can 'ditch your car'. Central Austin has good bus service, but you will pay for the privelege to live there. Just my opinion- not hating.

[Vanilla32]

Ooops...I meant Artsy guy not Austinguy. Yeah that seems to be what I keep hearing...I need a car in Austin. At least until they get the rail up and running.