Relocating soon - Help me choose a place based on my needs (Austin, Dallas, etc)

[stoneclaw]

Originally Posted by jkozlow3

Thanks a lot C2H! Very useful info. No, I haven't really considered Houston. I know someone who grew up there (20+ years) and they thought Dallas would be a better fit for me. I also don't think there are as many jobs in the IT industry in Houston as in Dallas. Perhaps I'll do a little more investigation though.

OK but i think you should give it some consideration to at least check it out. I can tell you that the IT field in Houston is larger than it is in Austin.

Don't let someone else's opinion limit your options. You could end up cheating yourseld out of opportunities.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by C2H (ComingtoHouston)

OK but i think you should give it some consideration to at least check it out. I can tell you that the IT field in Houston is larger than it is in Austin.

Don't let someone else's opinion limit your options. You could end up cheating yourseld out of opportunities.

I agree that you should check out Houston. But is the IT field really bigger there than Austin? Its pretty large in Austin. All I know is that Dallas is the biggest in that field.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

I agree that you should check out Houston. But is the IT field really bigger there than Austin? Its pretty large in Austin. All I know is that Dallas is the biggest in that field.

What do you guys think is the "IT field?"

If IT means be an IT guy working in systems administration or working with business applications - then Houston and Dallas will have far better opportunities than Austin. Both cities have many large corporations - whether banking, finance, or petrochemical. These kinds of companies have thousands of servers, ERP, tens of thousands of desktops, large databases, and mainframes.

If you want to program or write code for a vendor - Austin probably wins because of a continuous supply of startups and post-startup companies where IT is the business, not overhead.

[jkozlow3]

Yeah, I suppose I should investigate Houston a little more. I actually spent several hours reading the 180+ page Houston vs. Dallas Smackdown thread this weekend. It's difficult to get an accurate depiction however as opinions vary WILDLY. Still, there's some good information to be gleaned from reading those types of threads - particularly for someone with no first hand knowledge.

It's kind of discouraging trying to pick a new place to live. Doesn't matter what city you're reading about (in TX or otherwise) - half the people think their town is the greatest place ever and the other half think it's the next closest thing to hell. Makes things pretty difficult for newcomers trying to select a place to relocate.

As for IT, a quick Monster.com search for "Business Analyst" (the people who gather business requirements and write the specs for the programmers to code) within 20 miles of the following cities yielded the following number of results:

Colorado Springs: 3 (my current town)
Denver: 26 (not really considering relocating here but it's the closest market with jobs)
Austin: 24
Houston: 40
Dallas: 79

Again, aside from a decent job market, I need a place where I can meet nice people fairly easily, attractive/single (exotic looking is a huge plus) 26-32 year old professional women (and hopefully my future wife), someplace that feels cultured/cosmopolitan/diverse (whatever you want to call it), decent weather and cost of living. This shouldn't be impossible!

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

^^^I think you have the right idea. Dallas will definately offer the most opprotunities in your field, but I wouldnt write off Houston or Austin.

[hoffdano]

jkozlow - I think city vs city smack aside - Texas is a great place to consider. I think Colorado residents who adapt to the Texas climate will find a compatible residence in Texas.

I know Colorado people claim to detest Texans, but the Colorado western-mindset works well in Texas.