People who moved to Austin from up north like Minnesota. (Dallas: rent, houses)

[Radical_Car]

If you moved to Austin from a northern state, such as Minnesota, why did you choose Austin? Where did you move from, and how do you like Austin?
My main question, is the weather significantly better and warmer then the north? I adore Austin and would love to move some day.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

If you moved to Austin from a northern state, such as Minnesota, why did you choose Austin? Where did you move from, and how do you like Austin?
My main question, is the weather significantly better and warmer then the north? I adore Austin and would love to move some day.

My partner grew up in NYC. He chose to move to Austin because rent there is about $2400 for a 500 sq ft effeciency. Weather didn't really enter into it.

He really likes the weather. To give you an example, it was 72 degrees yesterday, and it's JANUARY. You don't find that in Minnesota.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

He really likes the weather. To give you an example, it was 72 degrees yesterday, and it's JANUARY. You don't find that in Minnesota.

WOW, right now in St. Cloud, its 34 degrees. Sounds sooooooooo nice.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

WOW, right now in St. Cloud, its 34 degrees. Sounds sooooooooo nice.

LOL. I bet. I fired up the barbeque yesterday and made some steaks and baked potatoes. Just stood out on the porch and enjoyed the weather.

St. Cloud is going to look nice come August though, when we have 80 days in a row above 105 degrees.

[intmd8r]

We visited Austin with plans to visit when we still lived in Phoenix, so our comparison was more Phoenix to Austin. However, we ended up here in Minnesota where my family is, but we're headed to Austin this summer.

The weather is a big part of it, as is cost of living. The houses in the Twin Cities are sooooo overpriced AND you have to deal with winter. The funny thing is, 34 is actually NICE this time of year, right? That says it all right there, doesn't it?

But honestly, taking weather out of the equation as the obvious difference, we found Austin to have A LOT in common with the Twin Cities. Very family friendly areas, open, friendly and down-to-earth people, good schools, green, etc.

[Taterhead]

We moved here because my kids live in Texas, 1 here and 1 in Dallas. We like it better then Phoenix weather wise. it still is hot here though and feels very wet compared to Phoenix in the summer. I never had to put on body lotion till this winter.

It has very laid back people, they don't dress fancy, lots of trucks and SUV's. It looks kind of old and run down in lots of places, reminds me of Mayberry when driving down old Sam Bass rd. The people are friendly, and say hi and say have a nice day and stuff like that.

I love the green, coming from Phoenix with all the rock frontyards, this is heaven. Very small town, you can't get anything you want here like a bigger city has to offer. If the kids didn't live here this place wouldn't be my first choice, We will make do and hope it grows on us.

[contramundum]

I moved from Wisconsin. I chose Austin because of UT and because it's somewhat liberal. There's too many people here though.

In terms of comparing the weather, you are going from one end of the spectrum to the other. Extreme cold vs. extreme heat. If you're not here during summer the weather is great.

[iceshots]

We moved down from Toronto, Canada. The weather down here is a lot better than Toronto. Even when it hits 104 F in the summer, it is still more comfortable than 80F in Toronto due to the higher humidity in the Great Lakes area.

Fall here is perfect. You get low 80- 90 each day, with little humidity. So you get the perfect temperature without the humidity that Toronto gets in the summer.

We moved down here simply because we were transferred by the company. But we agreed to the move because we both liked Austin.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by intmd8r

The weather is a big part of it, as is cost of living. The houses in the Twin Cities are sooooo overpriced AND you have to deal with winter. The funny thing is, 34 is actually NICE this time of year, right? That says it all right there, doesn't it?

I agree with houses in the twin cities being overpriced, and yes winter sucks, though 34 is very nice for January, but its still cold and I wish it was warmer.

Originally Posted by intmd8r

But honestly, taking weather out of the equation as the obvious difference, we found Austin to have A LOT in common with the Twin Cities. Very family friendly areas, open, friendly and down-to-earth people, good schools, green, etc.

Thats good, I love the twin cities and know there is great education and everything, so Austin sounds great as well, maybe better, because of the weather. I went to Florida in June 2005 and absolutely loved the blistering hot humid heat. It would possibly begin to wear on me overtime, but it's still better then winter in Minnesota because I don't have to shovel or scrape ice off the car or go out and start it 10 minutes before I leave so it can warm up, won't have to worry about icy roads, don't have to wear big heavy winter jackets or buy them, and don't have to walk through slush in the parking lots, lol.

[intmd8r]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

I agree with houses in the twin cities being overpriced, and yes winter sucks, though 34 is very nice for January, but its still cold and I wish it was warmer.

Agreed 100%!

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

Thats good, I love the twin cities and know there is great education and everything, so Austin sounds great as well, maybe better, because of the weather. I went to Florida in June 2005 and absolutely loved the blistering hot humid heat. It would possibly begin to wear on me overtime, but it's still better then winter in Minnesota because I don't have to shovel or scrape ice off the car or go out and start it 10 minutes before I leave so it can warm up, won't have to worry about icy roads, don't have to wear big heavy winter jackets or buy them, and don't have to walk through slush in the parking lots, lol.

Yep, when I left the Twin Cities for Phoenix 11 years ago, the way I handled the heat was to remind myself that I didn't have to shovel it, didn't slide through stop signs because of it, etc. I know extreme heat can be wearing (and I used to complain about it in Phoenix), but I have experienced both extreme heat and extreme cold for lengthy periods of time, and I believe that the heat is easier to deal with than the cold. Not only does the heat not burn any body part that is exposed to it, like the cold, you don't have to put on layer after layer (especially with a toddler going in a car seat! ) just to leave the house. It also doesn't bring out the aches and pains in your body the way the cold does. It's just annoying, but nothing a pool or A/C can't fix!

Since moving back to Minnesota I've told people that if you grow up in a cold weather state and then move away, living with mild winters becomes somewhat like Tivo. You didn't know you needed it, but now that you've had it, you can't live without it.