Considering A Move From Portland to SA (San Antonio, Austin: apartments, to rent)

[KenCheppaikode]

Hey there - so the wife and I are thinking of moving from Portland, OR to somewhere in Texas to be closer to her family. (but not TOO close, if you get my meaning)

We both have middle class jobs (she works in health care, I own a tiny business), not rich, not poor.

We don't have kids, so we don't need a ton of room, but we want a house, not an apartment.

We definitely want to live in the city, NOT the outskirts/suburbs. Closer to city center the better, walkability is a a big, big plus.

We are coming this summer to scope it out. Any recommendations on areas to check out?

[Westerntraveler]

whats your budget?

[Chaka]

You said a house, but I'd recommend (strongly) renting before buying, and while you can rent a house, it's easier to rent an apartment. I'd do it for 6 months-1 year to get a feel for neighborhoods.

Close to City Center and walkability - where will depend on budget.

On the higher end (price wise): Southtown (King William, Lavaca, SoFlo aka Southtown); Pearl, and downtown
Just a bit less: Alta Vista, Tobin Hill, Manchke Park, Government Hill

There are others, but this is a start

[GEM-Texas]

Just a suggestion - if you find a house (renting first is the best idea), drive around a radius of a few blocks. San Antonio has patch work neighborhoods and you can find a nice street and 5 blocks away it can be quite sketchy. Unfortunately, that might lead to break-ins your area.

San Antonio is not Portland. I know both areas quite well. There isn't a real equivalent to some of the nicer Portland areas for urban life. The Pearl area, Southtown - are close but not it. One advantage of SA is that you can get a really decent house as compared to OR prices. But you don't want to live outside an 'urban' paradigm. Ours isn't that hot thought.

But the choice is yours. Austin is much more like Portland, FYI.

[austindoxie1972]

Soooooo glad that you are visiting in the summer to scope it out !!!! Good idea.

Austin may be more to your liking, but in SA, I'd check out Alamo Heights, Terrell Heights, Terrell Hills. I don't know your budget.

Also look at apartments, as I agree that renting first is a great idea.

[BloggerAnna]

Originally Posted by GEM-Texas

Just a suggestion - if you find a house (renting first is the best idea), drive around a radius of a few blocks. San Antonio has patch work neighborhoods and you can find a nice street and 5 blocks away it can be quite sketchy. Unfortunately, that might lead to break-ins your area.

San Antonio is not Portland. I know both areas quite well. There isn't a real equivalent to some of the nicer Portland areas for urban life. The Pearl area, Southtown - are close but not it. One advantage of SA is that you can get a really decent house as compared to OR prices. But you don't want to live outside an 'urban' paradigm. Ours isn't that hot thought.

But the choice is yours. Austin is much more like Portland, FYI.

^This, especially the bolded.

Also, another key difference is the weather. It's HOT here from May-Sept.

Portland's climate data: Climate Portland - Oregon and Weather averages Portland
San Antonio's: Climate San Antonio - Texas and Weather averages San Antonio


There's also a possibility you may develop allergies if you live here long enough.

[Labamigo]

And, unlike Portland, it NEVER rains here, at least not at my house.

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by Labamigo

And, unlike Portland, it NEVER rains here, at least not at my house.

You are actually wrong...

Portland 36.03 inches of rain a year over 154 days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon#Climate

San Antonio 32.27 inches of rain a year over 83 days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Antonio

The main difference is when it rains here is pours and when it rains in Portland it is light.

[GEM-Texas]

That's true. I've live a long time in both cities. Portland constant drizzle. SA - hot and floods! No ice storms here though.

No volcanoes or waiting for the big one. Portland is built over hot spots and the West hills are predicted to slide into the Willamette if the big one hits. Watching St. Helen's erupt was fun. The ash was not.

Only one minor earthquake in my time. Shook the house and it was a scare. SA is also below the major tornado risk, that's good.

The Hill country is pretty but cannot match the Columbia Gorge, High Desert and the mountains. We once came around Mt. Hood and the sun was setting and there was a rainbow. It was like seeing the hand of God.

SA lacks the food intensity of Portland and doesn't have a decent nonchain bookstore - no Powell's.

No skiing - miss it. Firearms sports were good in Portland and are here. We do have great thunderstorms as compared to Portland. However, SA is not a bad place to live. It's pretty good.

I think however, looking for an urban bubble is OK but not the strength of the area. I know folks who settled in Alamo Heights and are scared to go outside of that bubble to other places in TX. A HEB in an Hispanic neighborhood a few blocks away makes them quake.

[TXEX06]

Originally Posted by austindoxie1972

Soooooo glad that you are visiting in the summer to scope it out !!!! Good idea.

Austin may be more to your liking, but in SA, I'd check out Alamo Heights, Terrell Heights, Terrell Hills. I don't know your budget.

Also look at apartments, as I agree that renting first is a great idea.

None of the neighborhood's you mentioned are urban. Austin is quite played out, as is Portland.

OP I second what Chaka wrote. I live along South Flores (SoFlo) and I'm a block from the Riverwalk, and a very short bike ride and walk to restaurants, bars, grocery stores, art galleries, downtown, etc. If you like the Southtown area, you might want to also look at Roosevelt Park and Lonestar neighborhoods. Those are along the Riverwalk extension with a few bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and a brewery. The area is still sketcky, but won't be for too much longer. There are already new apartments and townhomes going up and the price of properties will soar once the old Lonestar Brewery is redeveloped.