What’s great? What sucks? Of the outlying areas, where is the best place to get land and a funky old house? Exactly how miserably hot and sticky does it actually get?
Etc.
Must … not … bitch … any … more … about … Texas … Must … not … bitch … any … more … about … Texas …
I think the scientific term is “really fucking hot”.
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wiki:
Austin has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by hot summers and mild winters.[8] On average, Austin receives 33.6 inches (853.4 mm) of rain per year, with most of the precipitation in the spring, and a secondary maximum in the fall.[9] During springtime, severe thunderstorms sometimes occur, though tornadoes are rare in the city. Austin is usually at least partially sunny.
Austin summers are usually hot and humid, with average temperatures of approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) from June until September. Temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are common. The highest recorded temperature was 112 °F (44 °C) on September 5, 2000.[8][10][11] For the entire year there is an average of 111 days above 90 °F (32 °C) and 198 days above 80 °F (27 °C).[8]
I didn’t think the heat or humidity was that bad, esp. compared to Houston. And it’s not at all any kind of desert, like West Texas. I wouldn’t be frolicking outside at 2:00 PM in July, but it’s not like it’s miserable. And you’ve got a couple of lakes within easy driving distance.
Old houses are not easy to come by. If you want land, you’ll have to move out of the city unless you’re a lottery winner or some such. East of Austin is flatter and cheaper. The better scenery is up in the hills to the west.
The heat and humidity suck, but the winters make up for them, IMHO, and there are plenty of movie theaters, bars, coffeehouses, clubs, museums and restaurants to amuse you when it’s too hot to spend a lot of time outdoors.
Which one of the outlying areas has the coolest people? (House prices below $250,000) Being from LA, I don’t have the issues with driving that other people do, so I don’t mind being a ways out.
Anyone have any opinions about Bastrop?
My house is currently for sale if you are interested.
Austin is an outstanding city. Outstanding.
Texas is a big Red State, but Travis County is true blue. The friendliest damn city I’ve ever been to, even the street thugs don’t get too rowdy. Live Music Capital of the World, and you’ve probably heard about Sixth Street already. Sure it’s Texas so it’s hot, but it’s by the Hill Country so it’s alright (they say God lives out there…); and it’s probably worth the lack of mosquitoes. During the summer you’ll wanna get you a six-pack of Shiner and set up a lawnchair by the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch the one-and-a-half million bats fly out from under that sucker and into the night. It’s pretty cool. Hippie Hollow Park is clothing-optional. In April the city celebrates Eeyore’s Birthday with a gigantic party and you’re invited, of course.
I just moved back home this summer - in August. From Boston. It was a little bit warm.
Summer can be grossly hot and humid but I think it’s worth it for the November and December days we get in the mid-70s. Right now the highs are in the low 60s and lows are in the 30s and 40s. Midday is sweater weather but it’s cold otherwise.
You can’t get affordable land in Austin proper anymore. Every little funky neighborhood has a yuppie house where there used to be regular ranch houses. But there are parts of town that are reasonably affordable. You can get a huge house for little cash if you go far south, Slaughter Lane and further out. Friend of mine from LA bought a 2600 sq foot home for 230K down there.
Existing homes in the Cherry Creek neighborhood are affordable (Manchaca Road and Stassney). East of I-35 there are some good bargains but as someone who used to live, basically grew up, and went to school in East Austin, not all of the neighborhoods are ready for prime time yet. Some builders are developing new subdivisions around notoriously sketchy areas (Springdale Road), and I’ve got friends who are regretting purchasing homes around there.
The former airport is being developed into housing - I think the homes are opening this year (2008). You mentioned Bastrop - that is way the hell out and not remotely the Austin metroplex. Austin proper, Round Rock, Pflugerville, and Manor are relatively near the city.
Where will you be working? Our traffic can’t compare to the 405, but I have a crap commute if I leave here (Mopac and Wells Branch Parkway) before 10 am. After that it’s fine on Mopac and I-35. One advantage of living up north is that there are two equidistant routes going north-south, whereas if you live in South Austin you will either be near Mopac or I-35 - and the traffic northbound on I-35 is pretty awful at all times. Nothing like LA traffic of course.
We also don’t have freeway-like surface roads like in LA. If you travel on Congress or South 1st, you will catch plenty of lights. Lamar Boulevard is a little better, though…
I lived there for 12 years. I enjoyed it while I lived there, but I’m glad I don’t live there now. There is a reason it is referred to as The People’s Republic of Austin.
I’ve only been there a couple times but I found it charming. The people seem to have the bigger than life southern Texan charm without the “we’ll kick your ass” part.
The main street was very college-y with lots of bars, coffee shops, and a comfortable walking around feel with some Irish pubs & gay bars here and there to make you feel like you’re in civilization.
I’m not anti-Texas and I’d think twice about living a lot of places there, but I wouldn’t think twice about spending a few years in Austin.
What’s great?
It’s a nice modern city that hasn’t become too impersonal.
What sucks?
Oh, the town just ain’t what it used to be. I moved here twenty years ago, and the town has changed from the “big small town” that it used to be.[/cranky old guy]
Anyone could find any number of reasons to like or dislike Austin. I seem to recall that you worked in publishing/writing. It might be worth noting that my sister’s salary as a managing editor almost doubled when she moved from Austin to the D.C. area (of course she was working for the state when she was here.)
Of the outlying areas, where is the best place to get land and a funky old house?
It really depends on what you’re looking for. I was looking this fall for an older home on 5-20 acres, and there were a lot of houses in a reasonable price range in the outlying counties to the east and southeast of town ($250-300k was the price point for the 3-2-2 with barn and cross fencing that I was looking for.)
Bastrop and Caldwell counties have historically been poorer counties. That is changing somewhat as Austin grows, and the town of Bastrop is rapidly becoming a middle class bedroom community. Lockhart and Elgin (pron “EL-gn”) are still solidly working class, and there are a lot of doublewides on five acres throughout the whole area.
Also, if you want the land in order to work it, be advised that the amount of water in the ground drops off when you get west of I-35. You can grow alfalfa in Lockhart, but you will be picking rocks out of your buffalo grass fifteen miles to the west in Hays County. Most folks think that the Hill Country is prettier though, so take your pick between looks and yield.
The Hill Country lies to the west and south of town. Land is generally more expensive there, with homes to match. Generally speaking, the folks out west are better educated and have higher incomes. People historically tended to move West to get out of town. The land east of town is flatter and isn’t as unique as the Hill Country.
Williamson County lies to the north. I am not familiar enough with it to comment. It’s a more conservative county than Travis (of course, they all are), but I’m really not familiar enough with the county to do it justice.
I found craigslist to be a useful tool for checking for what was out there. It doesn’t give you access to the MLS, but it does give you the power of a simple search engine with a flexible price range setup.
In any case, expect a 30-60 minute commute from the outlying areas. The traffic isn’t that bad outside the city if you stay off of I-35 and 183 North.
Exactly how miserably hot and sticky does it actually get?
It rarely gets hot and never gets sticky. The humidity is generally pretty low. I grew up in Houston though, and your mileage may vary.
3+2? Pool? Trees?
Well, they were saying the same thing 20 years ago!
And Austin does get hot. But here’s another Houstonian saying it’s not all that sticky. However, we Houstonians may have warped sensibilities about the weather.
I’m actually at this moment fixin’ to get on my way to Austin for a large and lascivious New Year’s Eve party tonight. When/If I should get back I’ll let you know if I see anything.
If you see anything interesting at that lascivious party–please supply pictures!
I was there twice on business. It was neat but I was disappointed, probably because I had such high expectations.
Um, no. Not ever close. Limiting it to the U.S., New Orleans, Chicago, NYC, LA and San Francisco all have significantly larger music scenes and that’s just off the top of my head. Have you traveled much?
Sixth St is cool but the cool part is only like six blocks long. State Street in Santa Barbara has more stuff going on, albeit not nearly as cool. One of the busiest places when I was was there was a lame ass Coyote Ugly franchise. There are some great restaurants including surprisingly good sushi given it’s so far from a coast. I love Texas style BBQ and there are some amazing places there.
Sixth St was my biggest disappointment about Austin. It was so much smaller than I expected. Having spent time in Houston, Round Rock, Dallas, Longview and McAllen (also on business), Austin is clearly an oasis but all I can say is that it’s the best place in Texas. There are a lot of other cities in the U.S. that I prefer.