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I feel the same way. DFW it's underestimated and has potential to be a major tech hub in its own right.
DFW tech salaries are also on par with that if Austin, but it has a cheaper cost of living than Austin.
Interesting way of looking at it.
That's definitely not true at the high end.
DFW has zero employers that pay engineering talent at the level Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Indeed, OCI, Tableau, and Adobe do in Austin. DFW does have a large quantity of lower end corporate IT type of roles.
What I will say is that in 2020 it's easier than ever to get a high paying remote gig.
For the OP of this thread, if the question is "which city is bigger and/or more desirable overall". Uhmm, San Diego obviously?
For which stands out more in their own state, it's close. San Diego stands out for having a more relaxed lifestyle than LA and the Bay Area. There is a lot less going on culturally and economically, but it's not hard to feel like San Diego with the right financial situation will provide a more healthy, happy life than the other CA cities. San Diego's location to me is on par with the very best parts of the LA metro and easily outclasses the Bay Area. San Diego is also relatively affordable in California terms, which is nice. (If you can get a Bay Area salary in San Diego that is not bad at all).
Austin stands out pretty clearly in Texas as the most educated and progressive of the major metros and it has the strongest knowledge economy. It also has (arguably) the best geographic location with the Texas Hill Country, though it may not be San Diego on that front. I think Austin also has easily the best music scene, arguably the best nightlife scene, and is probably second only to Houston on the restaurant front in Texas. Austin has been the preferred city for young people for many years, even back when getting a good job in Austin was a real challenge.
DFW has zero employers that pay engineering talent at the level Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Indeed, OCI, Tableau, and Adobe do in Austin. DFW does have a large quantity of lower end corporate IT type of roles.
What I will say is that in 2020 it's easier than ever to get a high paying remote gig.
Who would look at jobs only at the high end?
People don't go looking for the highest paying job in a metro, they go for metros with high average income or median income.
Anyway it looks like the average tech worker in Austin gets 95.3K, in DFW its 95.1K and 93k for Houston.
But my point was that DFW may become the more attractive option as the salaries are comparable yet the cost of living is cheaper in DFW.
But my point was that DFW may become the more attractive option as the salaries are comparable yet the cost of living is cheaper in DFW.
I know some people from McKesson and Charles Schwab who refused to move to DFW, even though they would have lived like royalty. Austin is perceived as far more interesting than DFW, whether true or not, especially by Northerners and Californians, who don't care about an extra 10-20% COL bump over DFW when coming from NY, LA, or SF.
I know some people from McKesson and Charles Schwab who refused to move to DFW, even though they would have lived like royalty. Austin is perceived as far more interesting than DFW, whether true or not, especially by Northerners and Californians, who don't care about an extra 10-20% COL bump over DFW when coming from NY, LA, or SF.
What does that anecdotal evidence have to do with DFW growing tech scene?
Does anyone have GDP numbers for Fort Worth & San Antonio compared to Austin? I voted for San Diego because I don’t see Austin as a clear cut #3 city in Texas just yet. I consider all three of those cities to still be in the same tier. Honestly before it’s all said it done I expect Fort Worth (currently going through a identity crisis) to get its act together & challenge Austin for #3 in the state.
I thought this too then learned that Austin has a signficantly larger GDP than San Antonio. That and the fact that Austin is blowing past them in skyscrapers and mass transit I think put them a #3.
I think it's worth reiterating that this isn't a basic San Diego vs. Austin comparison. That's already been done on CD.
If we're talking about stature within their respective states, I think Austin slightly outperforms San Diego.
LA and SF are global heavyweights and the gap between them and San Diego is larger than Austin and Dallas/Houston. It's also worth pointing out that Austin's notoriety/relevance in Texas is far more notable than San Diego's in California. Many of San Diego's noteworthy features also exist in LA or SF. Austin actually does have an outsized roll in tech/innovation, state government, education, etc.
As far as which is a more impressive third city, San Diego wins hands down.
San Diego is much closer to (metro) San Francisco in population, GDP, mass transit, and major amenities than Austin is to DFW.
Historically San Diego has been a much more ambitious city (1915 Panama Exposition, pro sports, somewhat serious contender as an Olympic Games host). Apart from being a state capital and a college town, Austin only came on the radar about 20 years ago. Up until the 1990's you were more likely to hear someone talking about El Paso or Corpus Christi than Austin.
What does that anecdotal evidence have to do with DFW growing tech scene?
Just saying Californians are a lot more excited about Austin than DFW. Also there are very few tech companies in DFW. It's mostly IT jobs at non-tech companies.
Just saying Californians are a lot more excited about Austin than DFW. Also there are very few tech companies in DFW. It's mostly IT jobs at non-tech companies.
Amazon seemed to like Dallas. They finished like 3rd in the race for Amazon campus, which is impressive considering the company preferred a location on the east coast.
Amazon seemed to like Dallas. They finished like 3rd in the race for Amazon campus, which is impressive considering the company preferred a location on the west coast.
East coast *
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