Best city to move into in TX (Houston, Dallas: houses, find a job)

[ChristieP]

Yes, no basements in virtually any Texas house.

[TexasRedneck]

Originally Posted by jread

If your'e in IT, and you are an outdoors person, and that is your budget, then I would only look at Austin. There is IT in places like Dallas, but you don't get the outdoors experience that you get here. Austin is very running, biking and hiking oriented, and right on the edge of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

And just to let you know, there are no basements in Texas. Homes in the Sunbelt states are not built with basements because they are unnecessary in our mild winters.

Let's call that *rare* on the basements - there ARE a few out there, but as noted, very uncommon due not only to climate, but also the bedrock found in many areas.

The Austin IT climate is changing - go to the Austin CD page and look around. Austin has become pretty unfriendly to businesses, so many have relocated, or expanded elsewhere. Also, the traffic can be a nightmare, and housing costs are climbing rapidly from what I understand. Just due your Due Diligence before you commit!

[jread]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

The Austin IT climate is changing - go to the Austin CD page and look around. Austin has become pretty unfriendly to businesses, so many have relocated, or expanded elsewhere. Also, the traffic can be a nightmare, and housing costs are climbing rapidly from what I understand. Just due your Due Diligence before you commit!

I've been in Austin in IT for the past 17-years and I'm not seeing this change at all. More and more companies are expanding/relocating here all the time. Almost every list of the top cities for tech jobs has Austin ranked in the top 5 in the nation. Sometimes Dallas will show up on the lists, but farther down.

[lepoisson]

Not to sway you from Texas, but if you are in IT and like the outdoors, I think the Raleigh area of NC would be a great fit. Definitely a quicker move from MD! The traffic would be a lot better and the amenities would be similar to Austin. If you've still got family in MD, you'd be a lot closer. Just something to think about...

[jread]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

Not to sway you from Texas, but if you are in IT and like the outdoors, I think the Raleigh area of NC would be a great fit. Definitely a quicker move from MD! The traffic would be a lot better and the amenities would be similar to Austin. If you've still got family in MD, you'd be a lot closer. Just something to think about...

Good post, and I agree.

[vagabond31]

Originally Posted by jread

If your'e in IT, and you are an outdoors person, and that is your budget, then I would only look at Austin. There is IT in places like Dallas, but you don't get the outdoors experience that you get here. Austin is very running, biking and hiking oriented, and right on the edge of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

And just to let you know, there are no basements in Texas. Homes in the Sunbelt states are not built with basements because they are unnecessary in our mild winters.

Thanks for the tip. Compared to Houston or Dallas will you still recommend Austin over them?

[vagabond31]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

Not to sway you from Texas, but if you are in IT and like the outdoors, I think the Raleigh area of NC would be a great fit. Definitely a quicker move from MD! The traffic would be a lot better and the amenities would be similar to Austin. If you've still got family in MD, you'd be a lot closer. Just something to think about...

We are planning to shift completely. So the distance should not be a problem.

[jread]

Originally Posted by vagabond31

Thanks for the tip. Compared to Houston or Dallas will you still recommend Austin over them?

I recommend visiting all three as everything is in the eye of the beholder. There are great things about all three cities, and IT jobs can be found in all three as well. However, your requirement for outdoor activities tells me you should strongly consider Austin. It is a tech hub, and also very outdoors-oriented. Dallas and Houston pretty much have zero natural beauty and are just not outdoorsy cities. Dallas is working very hard to change this, though, and recently revealed plans to build the largest urban park in North America. Still, there is nothing like the Texas Hill country, with the hills, hiking trails, and spring-fed creeks everywhere. Austin definitely has the highest cost of living out of the three, though. You get what you pay for.

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by jread

I recommend visiting all three as everything is in the eye of the beholder. There are great things about all three cities, and IT jobs can be found in all three as well. However, your requirement for outdoor activities tells me you should strongly consider Austin. It is a tech hub, and also very outdoors-oriented. Dallas and Houston pretty much have zero natural beauty and are just not outdoorsy cities. Dallas is working very hard to change this, though, and recently revealed plans to build the largest urban park in North America. Still, there is nothing like the Texas Hill country, with the hills, hiking trails, and spring-fed creeks everywhere. Austin definitely has the highest cost of living out of the three, though. You get what you pay for.

I recommend this too. Also, OP, don't limit yourself to just these three areas. If you like a smaller town, a place like Tyler might fit the bill. Don't count out San Antonio either.

Houston and Dallas are similar, but Houston feels more urban to me. Austin has better scenery and is definitely more unique than DFW or Houston.

Someone who lives in Austin might not be happy in Dallas, and vice versa. Fly to Dallas, then drive to Austin, San Antonio, then Houston.

[yrs2009]

For IT the best options are Dallas or Austin, I think overall as a city Dallas is a much larger Metro with all that entails, Austin is next to Hill country which is beautiful. Its a 4 hour drive from Dallas to this beautiful area of Texas. So it depends what you would be your priority.