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We are a family of 4 with an almost-high schooler and almost-middle schooler. A new job opportunity has these 3 potential locations - Austin, Seattle or NYC. Our priorities ranked in order are:
- Good public schools
- Reasonable commute
- Good weather
- Cost of living
Home budget is $2M
If NYC is chosen, the most likely location to live would be the Short Hills/Millburn Township area.
Very interested to hear from people who have lived in more than one of these locations.
Here are the pros and cons we have identified:
1. Austin Pros: No state income tax, easier commute, good weather Cons: Average schools, crazy real estate market even at the $2M level with ridiculous appreciation over the past year, High property tax
2. NJ Pros: Good public school Cons: State income tax, High property tax, weather, long commute
3. Seattle/Bellevue: Pros: No state income tax, okay commute, good public schools. Cons: Weather, real estate bubble
We are a family of 4 with an almost-high schooler and almost-middle schooler. A new job opportunity has these 3 potential locations - Austin, Seattle or NYC. Our priorities ranked in order are:
- Good public schools
- Reasonable commute
- Good weather
- Cost of living
Home budget is $2M
If NYC is chosen, the most likely location to live would be the Short Hills/Millburn Township area.
Very interested to hear from people who have lived in more than one of these locations.
Here are the pros and cons we have identified:
1. Austin Pros: No state income tax, easier commute, good weather Cons: Average schools, crazy real estate market even at the $2M level with ridiculous appreciation over the past year, High property tax
2. NJ Pros: Good public school Cons: State income tax, High property tax, weather, long commute
3. Seattle/Bellevue: Pros: No state income tax, okay commute, good public schools. Cons: Weather, real estate bubble
Having lived in both Austin and the NYC metro, I can tell you Austin does not qualify for "good weather" unless you welcome 4-5 months straight over 90 degrees, 3 of which are closer to 100 degrees. Also, google "Austin and allergies"; part of the reason why we left, as do many others.
We moved to Austin thinking it would be our forever home but after 1.5 years we saw the light. Having lived in CO and CA, (and GA and OH) there is very little in the way of daytrips. You can drive for 700 miles in TX and still be in TX. We've done it. That said, it all depends on your benchmark and how many other places you've lived; our benchmark is high.
Seattle is also beautiful. If more overcast days don't concern you, I would consider it.
I feel like you've lived in TX before, remembering old posts, so maybe you're cool with all this.
Good luck finding a house for a family in a desirable area right now in Austin. The only way to find a house right now is if you find a pocket listing before someone else. You already identified that as a con. Austin can be a fun place. Come and visit first. And when it's hot like the other poster said.
Austin's summers are very hot and uncomfortable. Car culture prevails there. Millburn Township is regarded as the wealthiest town in the USA, so $2 million may not buy that nice of a house. You can go by train from Millburn to Penn Station or Hoboken. Commute time to NYC is about an 1 hour. Public schools are very highly rated.
Seattle's summers make up for the drizzly, cloudy weather the rest of the year. Low inventory and high demand keep driving real estate prices higher in King County and surrounding areas. My advice is to look into next door Snohomish County. The Puget Sound area has spectacular scenery, but if Mount Rainier ever erupts, most of the inhabitants will not survive.
I've lived in NYC/NJ for 8 years, and prior to that 10 years in TX (Dallas, but wife/her family from Austin so very familiar). It really depends on what lifestyle you want.
They all have a very different climate, none of them what I would consider great (although Seattle great in Summer, NJ great in late Summer/Fall, Austin great in Spring/Fall). All are pretty pricey, with Austin being the least and Seattle/Bellevue and NNJ likely tied.
At the $2M price point, you will get great schools at all of them (I'm betting here that you would settle on Westlake Hills in Austin at that budget, which has some of the best schools in TX). Also at that price point, you would likely avoid the housing market insanity in Austin (or anywhere) as there is just a much smaller pool of buyers.
Pick NJ if: you plan to take advantage of NYC and all it has to offer; Like going to the beach - we have some awesome ones and that was a huge plus when I moved up from TX; Don't mind a true 4-season climate with relatively cold winters and some snow; want many weekend escape options within easy driving distance
Pick Austin if: easy proximity to a mid-sized but growing city with a bar & restaurant scene that punches well above it's weight; you prefer everything looking new'ish; you don't mind extreme heat; you don't mind being more geographically isolated in terms of weekend car trips (you'll be getting on a plane for these); you don't like income taxes
Pick Seattle if: the two above don't work for (but seriously, I've never lived there so can't really comment). I've been twice as a visitor though and really liked it.
I've lived in NYC/NJ for 8 years, and prior to that 10 years in TX (Dallas, but wife/her family from Austin so very familiar). It really depends on what lifestyle you want.
They all have a very different climate, none of them what I would consider great (although Seattle great in Summer, NJ great in late Summer/Fall, Austin great in Spring/Fall). All are pretty pricey, with Austin being the least and Seattle/Bellevue and NNJ likely tied.
At the $2M price point, you will get great schools at all of them (I'm betting here that you would settle on Westlake Hills in Austin at that budget, which has some of the best schools in TX). Also at that price point, you would likely avoid the housing market insanity in Austin (or anywhere) as there is just a much smaller pool of buyers.
Pick NJ if: you plan to take advantage of NYC and all it has to offer; Like going to the beach - we have some awesome ones and that was a huge plus when I moved up from TX; Don't mind a true 4-season climate with relatively cold winters and some snow; want many weekend escape options within easy driving distance
Pick Austin if: easy proximity to a mid-sized but growing city with a bar & restaurant scene that punches well above it's weight; you prefer everything looking new'ish; you don't mind extreme heat; you don't mind being more geographically isolated in terms of weekend car trips (you'll be getting on a plane for these); you don't like income taxes
Pick Seattle if: the two above don't work for (but seriously, I've never lived there so can't really comment). I've been twice as a visitor though and really liked it.
Thanks. The Austin heat doesn't bother me, I have actually lived in the area in the past but the real estate market - even at $2M - is looking insane right now and has all the indications of being a huge bubble and inventory is very low even at that level. Our family does like to spend time outdoors which makes Austin a plus as we can tolerate it, but you make a great point on weekend escape options in NJ which is a downside for most of TX.
Thanks. The Austin heat doesn't bother me, I have actually lived in the area in the past but the real estate market - even at $2M - is looking insane right now and has all the indications of being a huge bubble and inventory is very low even at that level. Our family does like to spend time outdoors which makes Austin a plus as we can tolerate it, but you make a great point on weekend escape options in NJ which is a downside for most of TX.
You have a few weekend escape options around Austin like Lake Travis, the Blue Hole area, and some other swimming holes which I had visited when I went there a couple of summers ago. They are very nice as is Austin itself. But otherwise you are just looking at trips to other cities like Houston and San Antonio, or driving a little further you can get to some Gulf beaches like Corpus Christi and Galveston. But besides that, yes, you are flying to go anywhere else interesting.
I cannot speak much to Seattle, but my gut tells me that the area will continue to grow and remain strong. I am not worried about a bubble bursting there. Yes, it rains a lot, but you also don’t get extreme heat or extreme cold. I wouldn’t say NJ has extreme heat or extreme cold either, but you definitely do get all four seasons. If you are okay with moderate temperatures year-round, Seattle is good. However, you would likely find that, just like Austin, you are relatively isolated in terms of weekend getaways.
My suggestion is to consider other NJ options besides just Millburn. You can get more bang for your buck and still have excellent schools if you expand your search to towns like Madison and Chatham, which are in Morris County, and you would find that they also have lower property taxes. You may also want to consider Summit and Westfield in Union County. All are great towns with highly regarded schools but yet still not quite as inflated in real estate prices as Millburn. I guess it also depends on where in NYC you would be working. You may find some Bergen County towns could work as well if working uptown instead of midtown.
My suggestion is to consider other NJ options besides just Millburn. You can get more bang for your buck and still have excellent schools if you expand your search to towns like Madison and Chatham, which are in Morris County, and you would find that they also have lower property taxes. You may also want to consider Summit and Westfield in Union County. All are great towns with highly regarded schools but yet still not quite as inflated in real estate prices as Millburn. I guess it also depends on where in NYC you would be working. You may find some Bergen County towns could work as well if working uptown instead of midtown.
thanks, I will look into those towns and this forum as well. The job is in lower Manhattan.
thanks, I will look into those towns and this forum as well. The job is in lower Manhattan.
In that case, you may want to consider towns that have a direct train line to Hoboken for a transfer to the WTC PATH. I believe Ridgewood/Bergen county does. I also believe that Millburn does as well, but that line is primarily a midtown direct line (which means that you would need to go into Penn Station, and then transfer to a downtown subway line). Or, you could find a place within driving distance of the Newark/Harrison PATH stations, which is a direct shot into WTC (but of course would need to deal with rush hour traffic to Newark or Harrison each day).
From my understanding, the transfer at Hoboken is MUCH preferable to the transfer at Penn, even if the official timetables suggest they would take a similar amount of time. Basically, Penn is best avoided if at all possible.
In that case, you may want to consider towns that have a direct train line to Hoboken for a transfer to the WTC PATH. I believe Ridgewood/Bergen county does. I also believe that Millburn does as well, but that line is primarily a midtown direct line (which means that you would need to go into Penn Station, and then transfer to a downtown subway line). Or, you could find a place within driving distance of the Newark/Harrison PATH stations, which is a direct shot into WTC (but of course would need to deal with rush hour traffic to Newark or Harrison each day).
From my understanding, the transfer at Hoboken is MUCH preferable to the transfer at Penn, even if the official timetables suggest they would take a similar amount of time. Basically, Penn is best avoided if at all possible.
Maybe I'd lean Austin ha.
Agree with all of this, and also, some desirable Raritan Valley Line (Westfield, Cranford, etc.), NEC (Metuchen), or North Jersey Coast Line towns could be commutable with a transfer to PATH at Newark Penn (instead of subway at NY Penn). The NJCL or farther-out places on NEC like Princeton Jct would make the commute longer though.
I've visited Austin and Seattle, so cannot comment on living in either place, but enjoyed both, and would visit both again.
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