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I'm quite an expert on the Orlampa side of the coin having lived on both sides of it for the past 11 years. San Antonio I haven't been to since elementary school... Austin I have made two visits to in the past year.
COL: I think it would go from cheapest->expensive: San Antonio->Orlando and Tampa (somewhat similar overall.. though Tampa has higher peaks and valleys than Orlando)->Austin (though I am just thinking of Austin proper.. deals might be available by comparison further out of Austin. Tie
Education: University of Texas has a more esteemed reputation than UCF or USF-I think both have a decent number of higher ed options. I can't comment on K-12 other than to say that as large metropolitan school districts go, Orange is well regarded.. and that I would assume Austin as a metro is most educated overall by a comfortable margin. Austintonio
Economy: Austin has the most dynamic economy of any of these individually, though Tampa likely still has the largest economy.. for now. I think that based on that though it should probably go towards Austintonio, as overall economy there is IMO more diversified. Austintonio
Transportation: Can't really speak to this on any sort of detailed level. Here's my impression of each though.
San Antonio: Scant public transit to speak of, but due to number of highways, etc. in area, probably the lowest traffic volume of the four.
Austin: Probably has the least developed highway system of this group.. therefore, traffic at rush hour and in certain areas might be worst.. though it's easier to get out into open road/space from Austin than in FL cities. Austin does have a commuter rail line, though I'm not sure how it compares with Orlando's
Tampa: Traffic is overall, contrary to perhaps popular belief, worse than Orlando, and perhaps Austin as an overall metro and a lot of places. A big population in region compared to any in this group, geographic challenges caused by the water, polycentric form, and limited public transit infrastructure, plus extending sprawl directly into other metro areas.
Orlando: I think this might be the overall winner here, or San Antonio, depending on taste. Traffic can be bad, but primarily it is limited to certain areas (I-4 leaving downtown at rush hour, and Disney/Universal area). The rest of the metro is pretty comfortable to drive around by comparison, in my experience. It also has SunRail and a better and more connected bus system (Lynx) than I have experienced in other metro areas. Inconclusive
Culture: I saw someone else mentioned San Antonio for history. San Antonio would indeed quite clearly win history (and Austin probably would be a comfortable 2nd), but I wouldn't intertwine those two. Considering culture as classical form (performing and visual arts organizations/venues/museums), Tampa Bay wins. Not so much for Tampa, mind you, but on the strength of Sarasota and Saint Petersburg, almost certainly. San Antonio would be 2nd (I haven't actually been but I'm assuming it has a pretty good group of organizations as a longer established city)-then a gap. Then Austin. Then another gap and then Orlando (though Orlando does have a large scale performing arts venue now within last few years, so it has narrowed that gap). Orlampa
Scenery: This one is so HUGELY subjective. I will rank each of them and my order of preference, and why:
1) Austin: Immediately set on the Colorado River (of Texas), with perhaps the best metropolitan park and recreation system in the southern US. Forested neighborhoods surrounding. Geologic features and relatively mountainous terrain out to the north and west not far from the city, with dramatic cliffs overlooking sizeable lakes.
2) San Antonio: A lot of what applies to Austin applies here. If we are talking what is further out, within about 90 minutes of the city, San Antonio might even have an edge-but San Antonio's recreation infrastructure, and immediate natural setting aren't quite as impressive, so I'll give Austin the edge.
3) Orlando: Inland, but set amongst a number of natural lakes. Less than an hour removed from the Atlantic Coast, which subjectively, I prefer to the Gulf Coast. Lots of natural freshwater springs (in fact, perhaps one of the best spots in the world for those). More deciduous subtropical vegetation and shade providing trees than Tampa has, because it's further removed from the tropics? A little hilly out on western edges. Orlando has a good bike path network extending north and east from downtown.
4) Tampa: For watersport people, this area would win as it has a significant estuary and then open sea, which lend themselves to a variety of unique activities. As you move north towards northern end of metro, more scenery and nature similar to Orlando (but, it is further off, as is the "hill country") from town. The metro area as a whole has a poor recreation infrastructure, though Pinellas County does a very good job here of maintaining parks in spite of it's reduced open space overall. As you move further south in the metro, you move closer towards the Everglades.. there are fewer shade producing trees, and though it's more tropical and with palm trees.. it's also swampier/less deciduous on average. That and the ocean are why I prefer Orlando. Austintonio
Recreation: See above
Location: Hmm... I don't love the location aspect of either (sorry!) Honestly though.. I think I'll go Orlampa. Further east, and thus closer to more cities... and though that is more unique, I think I prefer being 7-8 hrs. from NC Mountains/lushness than 7-8 hrs. to Guadalupe Mountains/Big Bend.
Anybody visiting or passing thru Austin for the 1st time, if you're coming from the north on I-35, take a 20 to 30 minute detour and take the RM 620 exit in Round Rock, and head west on 620 until you come RR 2222. Head east into North Central Austin on 2222. You'll be able to tell you're in the Texas Hill Country. You'll see just how scenic and hilly West Austin is. I think it's the most scenic entrances into Austin. People passing thru Austin on I-35 miss the most scenic parts of Austin. I doubt there's anyplace in Florida where the landscape is as scenic as 2222 in Austin.
My favorite city in the group is probably Austin, but I definitely don't know it as well as Orlando or Tampa. Been enough times in recent years to feel like I could love it, but not enough times to know for sure. San Antonio I have only been to once for about three days and not really my family's cup of tea, although I feel like if we were forced to be there we would end up liking it enough.
COL - I'll go with Orlampa as Austin tips the scales that way
Economy - Austintonio, again because of Austin.
Transportation - Pretty even, not in a great way. Austin and Orlando both seem to have mediocre rail systems (at least they exist and serve some purpose!) and decent bus service.
Location - I give this to Orlampa. They both have positives (closer proximity to Midwest + West Coast vs East Coast and Latin America) but Orlampa also is on/near the ocean.
Better Future - Austintonio (because of Austin), unless you don't like increasing costs, diversity and density.
Interesting comparison. I like it! I've lived in Orlando before, VERY familiar with Tampa Bay, and been to San Antonio/Austin.
A=Austin/San Antonio
B=TampaBay/Orlando
COL - B (Austin's expensive)
Education - A
Economy - A (But VERY close)
Transportation - B
Culture - Subjective
Scenery - B
Recreation - B
Location - B
Dining - B
Entertainment - B
Better Future - Tie
Other - I prefer Tampa Bay/Orlando
My favorite city in the group is probably Austin, but I definitely don't know it as well as Orlando or Tampa. Been enough times in recent years to feel like I could love it, but not enough times to know for sure. San Antonio I have only been to once for about three days and not really my family's cup of tea, although I feel like if we were forced to be there we would end up liking it enough.
COL - I'll go with Orlampa as Austin tips the scales that way
Economy - Austintonio, again because of Austin.
Transportation - Pretty even, not in a great way. Austin and Orlando both seem to have mediocre rail systems (at least they exist and serve some purpose!) and decent bus service.
Location - I give this to Orlampa. They both have positives (closer proximity to Midwest + West Coast vs East Coast and Latin America) but Orlampa also is on/near the ocean.
Better Future - Austintonio (because of Austin), unless you don't like increasing costs, diversity and density.
Economically Orlampa would surpass Austintonio because Orlando is attracting transplants (and immigrants) away from the traditional Miami-Fort Lauderdale S. FL magnet. Those Disney World vacations probably left an impression on people. Orlando is rapidly becoming the second city of Florida, probably fueled by rising COL and aging infrastructure in South Florida.
Austin and San Antonio face huge hurdles to catch up with DFW and Houston. It's also known as the "Armpit of Texas" among Texans because of their provincial mindset.
Economically Orlampa would surpass Austintonio because Orlando is attracting transplants (and immigrants) away from the traditional Miami-Fort Lauderdale S. FL magnet. Those Disney World vacations probably left an impression on people. Orlando is rapidly becoming the second city of Florida, probably fueled by rising COL and aging infrastructure in South Florida.
Austin and San Antonio face huge hurdles to catch up with DFW and Houston. It's also known as the "Armpit of Texas" among Texans because of their provincial mindset.
Houston is known as the "Armpit of Texas" because of it's sweaty reputation for humidity. And although San Antonio has been mired in it's stubborn provincial mindset Austin has surely had no problems evolving and building itself up into the fastest growing metro. As it is SA was America's fastest growing city in 2017 and its population is exactly where Dallas-Fort Worth was in 1975 before the huge boom began. In the 1960s Austin and Corpus Christi were the same size, but today Austin is nearing 1 million in the city limits and 2.2 million in the metro. Both neighboring areas combined weigh in at 4.8 million.
I lived in Orlando for most my adult live, now living in San Antonio for 2.5 years, so I think I can speak regarding this topic.
COL - B, both have no state income taxes but property taxes in Florida is HALF less!
Education - A, I went to UCF but UT is different level.
Economy - A, it’s more diverse whereas Orlando Tampa more hospitality
Transportation - B, because of sunrail and Amtrak. Plus Orlando airport has way more flights than San Antonio. And Orlando has nearby Melbourne and Sanford airports
Culture - A, a lot of cool historical pop culture has happened in San Antonio, not sure why tho lol
Scenery - B, but slightly. The Tampa and Orlando metro are just more connected, beautiful Vibrant downtowns. San Antonio is just ugly TBH. Broadway St is supposed to be the “it” corridor, but that would just be another average corridor in Orlando and Tampa. However hill country scenery can’t be ignored, waay more scenic than areas between Orlando to Tampa
Recreation - B, lakes, oceans, trails, rivers, all within less than an hour
Location - B, not sure what this means, but I like being on eastern time since every thing are programmed to that time zone. However Texas is central for traveling
Dining - B, asian cuisine in San Antonio is just sad, and tbh, the Mexican food here is not as mind blowing as I would hope
Entertainment - B
Better Future - Tie
Other - I prefer Tampa Bay/Orlando
Interesting comparison. I like it! I've lived in Orlando before, VERY familiar with Tampa Bay, and been to San Antonio/Austin.
A=Austin/San Antonio
B=TampaBay/Orlando
COL - B (Austin's expensive)
Education - A
Economy - A (But VERY close)
Transportation - B
Culture - Subjective
Scenery - B
Recreation - B
Location - B
Dining - B
Entertainment - B
Better Future - Tie
Other - I prefer Tampa Bay/Orlando
Agreed with this 100%
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