Austin, Denver, Irvine or Seattle? (home, neighborhoods, buy)

[Gaylord_Focker]

Originally Posted by ccm123

Austin has gotten pretty crowded (positive net migration) the past few years. Humidity is far worse than Southern California, which almost has no humidity. Austin itself prides itself on being "weird", but outside of Austin, is Texas, which surrounds it.

You just upset a lot of people with that last sentence.



And yes Austin is so much hotter than SoCal. Non-Texans have no idea how hot it is down there (outside of the panhandle).

[DTXman34]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

You just upset a lot of people with that last sentence.

It's pretty much Texas outside of Austin until you get to the next major city there. Big deal.

[the topper]

Seattle>Denver>Austin>Irvine

[Vanderbiltgrad]

I like Denver the best. I would never live in Seattle or OC, don't like the taxes or the high cost of living. Austin TX is an amazing city but it is too hot for me. I am thinking about moving from Nashville to Denver myself soon. I have enough money to live anywhere but Denver is a great city right now and its booming but not as fast as Austin or Seattle.

[joey_mcmarbles]

Originally Posted by jas75

I guess Austin residents don't flock to the Barton Springs swimming hole and Lake Travis in summer, Denver's populace doesn't get out the skis and snowboards in winter, and Seattle folks don't take their boats out on the lakes and waterways in any season. And people outside the Bay Area offer less "social capital" for interactions and the development of children. What an interesting perspective ...

It's obvious that all of those places I listed are not pleasant to go outdoors for significant parts of the year. Yes, you snowboard nearby in Denver, that's great. Now what about the other 120 days of winter?

My original post was made to the San Jose forum, but mods moved it. It wasn't my intention to offend residents of other areas. But let's put it this way... I personally know several people who financed their small businesses / startups through loans / investment from their next door neighbors. There is exactly one area in the US where this can realistically happen, and it's not Austin, Denver or Seattle.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by joey_mcmarbles

It's obvious that all of those places I listed are not pleasant to go outdoors for significant parts of the year. Yes, you snowboard nearby in Denver, that's great. Now what about the other 120 days of winter?

Have you ever spent any extended time whatsoever in Denver?

[jenrummy]

I know the West Coast is close to family -- but you have considered the East Coast?

The Raleigh/Durham area may not stack up compared to some of the other places you mentioned in terms of the tech scene, but there are definitely great companies. Remember -- you only need 1 job at a time -- it's good to have a great ecosystem but if you are at the top of your field you will have your choice of opportunities at the best companies in any area. Many of the smaller towns around Raleigh/Durham are cute and walkable (although not big cities). Ditto for some of the of the areas in and around Atlanta and Charlotte.

It may be worth to expand your list to cities that have a few good companies and potential for good startups (San Diego, Raleigh, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Provo, Santa Barbara) -- check those out, apply to some jobs, and see if you can find a city/job combo you're happy about.

You also might like Sacramento -- again not great for jobs, but has the California climate -- except for hot (though dry) summary, walkable areas close to town that are more affordable than coastal California, and it seems like it has some potential as a tech hub as it is a top destination for many people escaping the Bay Area COL.

Also, keep in mind remote jobs are only growing, my partner and I have worked remotely for 5+ years in tech and I don't worry too much about staying remote in the future (although it is MUCH better to transition from a high paying city job to remote so you keep your salary, pure remote tech salaries are good enough to live comfortably in 90% of the country, but it's even better to keep the high salary.)

This choice is so hard because you're choosing the type of life you want to live. Do you or your spouse want high-powered careers or are you okay with well paying jobs at more boring companies? Do both of you want to work or do you prefer an area where you can live off a single income for a few years?

[Nn2036]

Austin summer is brutal. You need to experience it before you decide if you want to live there

[Turnerbro]

If weather is of high importance to you, Irvine. You could also look into Austin, there summers are bad but it doesn't get too cold. I don't think there's scorpions there.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

If weather is of high importance to you, Irvine. You could also look into Austin, there summers are bad but it doesn't get too cold. I don't think there's scorpions there.

I think Austin has scorpions.