Austin vs Dallas (Houston, Fort Worth, Arlington: neighborhoods, school, universities)

[northlakemetro]

Why would anyone move from Vancouver to Texas other than for economics?

[zox]

I didn't notice much difference between the summers in Austin and Dallas. Dallas definitely feels colder than Austin in the winter. Otherwise, I don't think it's fair to compare Austin to Dallas. Dallas is much larger and offers far more amenities. Austin is much smaller. I don't understand how Austin developed it's reputation. It's a nice city but it seems like a glorified college town with some industry. But it's nothing compared to Dallas in my opinion. Dallas is a world class city that is ahead of Austin but for whatever reason, it lacks the trendy vibe that Austin has outside of Texas. When you talk to people outside of Texas, Austin seems to get a lot of recognition. I don't know why. I'm guessing Austin is recognized because it is the only liberal/left wing city in Texas.

[ufcrules1]

Originally Posted by zox

I didn't notice much difference between the summers in Austin and Dallas. Dallas definitely feels colder than Austin in the winter. Otherwise, I don't think it's fair to compare Austin to Dallas. Dallas is much larger and offers far more amenities. Austin is much smaller. I don't understand how Austin developed it's reputation. It's a nice city but it seems like a glorified college town with some industry. But it's nothing compared to Dallas in my opinion. Dallas is a world class city that is ahead of Austin but for whatever reason, it lacks the trendy vibe that Austin has outside of Texas. When you talk to people outside of Texas, Austin seems to get a lot of recognition. I don't know why. I'm guessing Austin is recognized because it is the only liberal/left wing city in Texas.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I feel Dallas has 10x more going on than Austin. More Jobs, shopping, restaurants, pro teams, jobs, etc. The list goes on and on.

Austin is pretty and outdoorsy and a bit unique for TX, but is very limited. Traffic is amazing awful! People are weird there(this is their claim to fame too) a bit hippy'ish. I'm not sure where it gets its great reputation either. I have had several people tell me how much they love it there.

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by northlakemetro

Why would anyone move from Vancouver to Texas other than for economics?

Well I've never been to Vancouver, Washington, before, but if you were talking about Vancouver, BC, I'd probably wonder the same thing.

In any case, it comes down to what you want and I think most of the posters summed it up pretty nicely.

[jtrichel]

ufcrules1 and zox, let me take a very contrary point of view. This is from someone who lives and is happy in the Dallas area. Let me tell you what I think that the charm is for many people re: Austin. It is the topography (hills, trees, lakes) and the hill country culture. Those are two things Dallas just does not have. As you are driving your car in Dallas on any given street, you could largely be in Houston, or St. Louis, or any other big city. Austin has a UT/Shiner Bock Beer/Harley Davidson/Willie Nelson/Tech Industry smorgasboard thing going on that makes it very fun/interesting. I travel a lot for work, and the people I come across from other states who have been to both Dallas AND Austin much prefer Austin. Its a lot like some areas of California.

Would I want to live there, no...why? Traffic, too collegey of a feel, schools not as good compared to Dallas, too liberal for me personally, etc. But it is a very gorgeous and cool town...my 1st choice for a second home/weekend cabin setup would be somewhere just west/northwest of Austin. I think of it more as a long weekend or vacation getaway destination. Do you think that anyone sees Dallas that way?

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by jtrichel

ufcrules1 and zox, let me take a very contrary point of view. This is from someone who lives and is happy in the Dallas area. Let me tell you what I think that the charm is for many people re: Austin. It is the topography (hills, trees, lakes) and the hill country culture. Those are two things Dallas just does not have. As you are driving your car in Dallas on any given street, you could largely be in Houston, or St. Louis, or any other big city. Austin has a UT/Shiner Bock Beer/Harley Davidson/Willie Nelson/Tech Industry smorgasboard thing going on that makes it very fun/interesting. I travel a lot for work, and the people I come across from other states who have been to both Dallas AND Austin much prefer Austin. Its a lot like some areas of California.

Would I want to live there, no...why? Traffic, too collegey of a feel, schools not as good compared to Dallas, too liberal for me personally, etc. But it is a very gorgeous and cool town...my 1st choice for a second home/weekend cabin setup would be somewhere just west/northwest of Austin. I think of it more as a long weekend or vacation getaway destination. Do you think that anyone sees Dallas that way?

Yes, people love Austin. Even people who haven't been there. Weird, huh? No people probably don't think of Dallas in the way you discussed, but why would anyone who's looking for a city like Dallas want to? That's what cities like Austin are for and Dallas is a much larger city than Austin. Urban California/West Coast is much more connected with nature than most other urban cities in the US, and naturally have interwoven their infrastructure in with those elements. Even so, in my book, "big city" and "getaway" are antonyms.While very dense urban cities like NYC, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia have some natural elements to them, I doubt most people would think of those cities as places as "getaways." My personal answer to your question is "no," but people see things differently. In most cases though, if you're looking for a getaway, you're going to be looking outside of most city propers in the US.

[artsyguy]

Austin is more of a communist city. You see very little difference of opinions. You are forced to agree with everybody or face social isolation. Which is creepy as hell. The definition of liberal no longer means progressive. It means collectivism. In all my time in Austin I never saw one single hippy. I'm glad because I am not a fan of the hippy movement. Every where I went I had bad customer service. Quality of food is mediocre at best. Supervisors were always ignorant and slow to respond. Sleazy office people. If you want to see decadence and debauchery take a walk down 6th street. Terrible city.

Dallas has extremely liberal areas. Exposition park, Deep Ellum, W Hotel, Dragon street, commerce street, main street, McKinney street, Oaklawn Gayborhood, Bishops Arts District in Oak Cliff, The Cedars arts area, Greenville Avenue, and on and on. UT-Dallas has more diversity, more land, and higher SAT scores. Dallas has its share of snobs though. But I saw arrogant snobs on a daily basis in Austin because UT Austin is supposed to be the greatest. Which it isn't.

Originally Posted by jtrichel

Would I want to live there, no...why? Traffic, too collegey of a feel, schools not as good compared to Dallas, too liberal for me personally, etc. But it is a very gorgeous and cool town...my 1st choice for a second home/weekend cabin setup would be somewhere just west/northwest of Austin. I think of it more as a long weekend or vacation getaway destination. Do you think that anyone sees Dallas that way?

[artsyguy]

Turner falls in Oklahoma is only 1.5 hour drive up from Dallas. The mountains there are more interesting than anything in Austin.

Dallas seems more west coast than Austin IMHO.

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

Yes, people love Austin. Even people who haven't been there. Weird, huh? No people probably don't think of Dallas in the way you discussed, but why would anyone who's looking for a city like Dallas want to? That's what cities like Austin are for and Dallas is a much larger city than Austin. Urban California/West Coast is much more connected with nature than most other urban cities in the US, and naturally have interwoven their infrastructure in with those elements. Even so, in my book, "big city" and "getaway" are antonyms.While very dense urban cities like NYC, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia have some natural elements to them, I doubt most people would think of those cities as places as "getaways." My personal answer to your question is "no," but people see things differently. In most cases though, if you're looking for a getaway, you're going to be looking outside of most city propers in the US.

[jtrichel]

artsyguy, you are joking...right? "You see very little difference of opinions". That is a joke, yes? Austin is KNOWN for its diversity. Racial, gender, age, political, lifestyle, economic, etc.

Again, dont get me wrong folks...I am very happy in Dallas. But that is because its where I make my living and I have kids who I am schooling. If I was single, retired, no kids, or empty nester...I couldnt imagine any reason I (personally) would prefer to be in Dallas vs. Austin.

thesublime, I actually agree with most of your points. Dallas and Austin are so different, I am not sure why someone would even look to compare them. However, I DO think that NYC, Boston, SF, etc. are destination cities/getaways. Places people go to experience both the natural beauty and or the unique culture, history, etc. Same goes for Austin I think. Same cant be said of Dallas.

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by jtrichel

artsyguy, you are joking...right? "You see very little difference of opinions". That is a joke, yes? Austin is KNOWN for its diversity. Racial, gender, age, political, lifestyle, economic, etc.

Again, dont get me wrong folks...I am very happy in Dallas. But that is because its where I make my living and I have kids who I am schooling. If I was single, retired, no kids, or empty nester...I couldnt imagine any reason I (personally) would prefer to be in Dallas vs. Austin.

thesublime, I actually agree with most of your points. Dallas and Austin are so different, I am not sure why someone would even look to compare them. However, I DO think that NYC, Boston, SF, etc. are destination cities/getaways. Places people go to experience both the natural beauty and or the unique culture, history, etc. Same goes for Austin I think. Same cant be said of Dallas.

They're places you go for vacation, but they're hardly places to getaway from the rat race and for the most part enjoy nature. A vacation destination does not necessarily equal a getaway destination, in my opinion. NYC, Boston, Chicago, like I said, have natural elements, but they're obscured by their cityscapes, foremost their largest drawing point.

Also, I don't particularly agree with artsyguy, but I do agree that if you're coming from a big city, most of the food in Austin will probably be fairly unspectacular. I don't know many that would say Austin it's known for its racial/ethnic diversity, either, (that's where the larger cities, like Dallas, come in). I think it's biggest drawing points are its professed "weird" lifestyle, university and to a lesser extent its economic and political prowess and only moderately when compared to cities outside of Texas. If that's what you're looking for, Austin is right up your alley.