I posted last night asking about moving to Houston but forgot to mention the other big consideration of moving to Austin. This actually seems more likely. So if anyone could give me the inside scoop on this town, it’s be much appreciated. I’m lookin for the typical stuff, ie: crime rate, pollution, types of people, stuff to see or do, cost of living etc.
Just a general vibe of the city. I’ve read good things from sources like Money Magazine’s best places to live, but I don’t think that compares to real-life impressions. So what have you got, gang? Should I stay or should I go?
I live in Dallas and grew up in San Antonio, so I don’t have first-hand experience in Austin, but I have garnered some impressions about the city.
It’s probably the most liberal city in Texas. There’s lots of cultural/arty stuff to do. The job market is good, and there’s a strong tech industry growing. Housing, if you stay away from UT, is reasonable. There’s also a pretty good live music scene down there.
It’s definitely a prettier town than Dallas - more hills and trees. It’s pretty much in the hill country, so you can get out to the rivers and lakes for recreation. Over all, if I had to relocate to somewhere else in Texas, Austin would be at the top of the list.
Austin, Tx. Ahhh, what a place.
I spent several months there two years ago. If I was going to live in TX, I would live in Austin. What a cool city. They are high-tech, the city is wired for fast connections, and AMD is located there.
4th street! What can I say. This is a good place to go, no matter what your age. They block the street to traffic on Fri and Sat eves, so it’s all foot traffic. All kinds of people. All kinds of stuff to do.
Plus, it’s a pretty town. Great lake nearby, rolling hills (rare in TX), good general attitude. The city is growing fast, and they are very tolerant of newcomers. Even the cops were relatively cool. The highways are laid out reasonably, so it’s not too confusing trying to get around in unfamiliar territory.
I’d rate it a 9.
I live in Fort Worth, but like phouka, if I were to relocate anywhere else in Texas, Austin would be the place. It is, in my opinion, one the prettiest cities in the state. It has a youthfulness that stems from the University of Texas, the variety of outdoor activities available there, and the more liberal political climate (liberal for Texas, that is). The 6th Street club scene (not 4th Street) can be a lot of fun, if that’s your thing.
If I had to name one negative thing about Austin, however, it would be traffic. The city has grown so quickly over the last couple of decades that the infrastructure hasn’t quite kept up. But I drove through there on my way to San Antonio a couple of weeks ago, and there was a bunch of new highway construction going on, so the outlook is promising.
If you have a choice between Austin and Houston, run away from Houston as fast as you can. I lived there for about four years and couldn’t wait to get back to Fort Worth. By the way, have you considered Fort Worth? It’s a lot like Austin, just a little more conservative. But the people are laid-back and unpretentious. And we have some kickass cultural and entertainment gems (Kimball Museum, Bass Performance Hall, Sundance Square, etc.)
In all fairness to our Bayou City Dopers, Houston is alright and my experience there wasn’t too bad. It’s just that Dallas/Fort Worth is home and I was ready to get back here.
Great music scene there and one of the best music conferences in the country happenes every year there called South by Southwest.
Yer pal,
Satan
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Next to Dallas, definitely the best city in Texas to live in!
I’m a Texas child, tried and true…been all over this state…
The state capitol in Austin is much more impressive than the Nationl capital in DC, and the party, club, and music scene there is perfection…
If the scene was as good as Dallas’s Deep Ellum, I’d rate it as the best in the state.
I love Austin, TX…
-SS:D
I drove down to South by Southwest (SxSW) this year, and it was great. The drive from Illinois is very long–almost 18 hours. But once we were there, we had a wonderful time.
SxSW is also a film festival and a computer conference, but we only went for the music. As a result of the film fest, we saw Janeane Garofalo at a show. Matt Pinfield was there too.
Austin was a really nice city. The highways were weird, compared to what I’m used to in Illinois. I read in the newspaper down there that the tech companies are threatening to leave town if the commute time stays so high for their employees.
When speaking of the Austin music scene, are we talking rock, jazz, country… or just in general?
Any decent mod. rock stations nearby? I’m originally from Boston and they had some of the best radio stations in the country (IMO). I miss hearing new music from bands other than #@%^&$ N’Sync. Crusty old classic rock gets pretty stale in a hurry too. Certainly not THE most important thing to consider in a town, but something I think about.
Do many national rock acts come to town regularly? Most bands don’t even bother coming anywhere near Kansas City (my current abode) cuz’ we don’t have a radio stration here to promote the shows-grrr. I’ve heard of South By Southwest, what sort of a festival is that?
Yes. Very diverse music scene.
As far as tours, most acts always play Dallas and Houston when they come to Texas. Frequently they throw in Austin and/or San Antonio as well. (San Antonio is only about an hour from Austin, so it’s not that big of a hassle to go there for a show).
Having never been to SxSW, I’ll let others here answer that. But everyone always raves about it.
Nude bongo playing mostly.
Other than a small pick with your post that it is 6th Street not 4th Street with the incredible night life, I agree pretty much with what you have to say. I lived in Austin for the last 15 years until recently moving to New Jersey. Being mid-western born and considered a Yankee in many parts of Texas, I never saw any treatment that way in Austin. But I never got used to the heat and it bothered me more the last 5 years and after my divorce I left to cooler climes. However, if you are gonna live in Texas, Austin is my pick as the best place to be.
Allrighty then. Please excuse my blonde memory. It’s 6th street. But it’s still pretty cool.
AUSTIN!!
Now we’re getting somewhere!
Visit 6th street once, then spend all your time south of the river. South Austin’s where it’s at… Cheap livin’, cool bohemian shops, great food… Also- make sure you stay at the Austin Motel on Congress. You will thank me.
Austin has every kind of live music you can think of, but the retro-country is out of sight. Check out the Derailers ( http://www.derailers.cc ) and have chicken-fried steak at the Broken Spoke on Lamar.
I can’t wait 'til I live there for good!
Sweet Basil
While at SxSW, there was a huge diversity in music. One night I saw some punk/post-punk/power pop acts like the Poster Children and the John Doe Thing, and another night I went to an alt-country show–the best there were Mt. Pilot (of Chicago and now broken up) and the super cool desert-lounge group The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash. Looking through the listings of all the shows, I saw county, rock, DJs, and everything else.
I wish I could tell you about the local scene outside of SxSw, but that was my only visit to the city.
Austin also has a lot of cool restaurants, funky stores near the campus (I bought a Bruce Lee light switch cover and figureines of Mexican wrestlers), and a gigantic, three-story bookstore.
Moving this on up to the top.
I live in Austin. Have for oh, about 12 years or so. Great city, cool people good music, all the things people have said are pretty true.
BUT…
Traffic sucks big time. Those who have spent time in Dallas or Houston know the problems in those cities. Austin is getting almost that bad. Housing is also through the roof. People are paying abouve the asking price on houses even in cheesy areas.
The summers can be pretty brutal here too. Hot and humid. But you can always head out to the lake or Barton Springs for a dip.
Both 6th and 4th street are nightlife areas. 6th is more frat boy-ish, 4th is more mellow.
We also have a hockey team, and a semi pro baseball team.
Most of the tech companies are in North Austin, so housing is tight there. Everyone else wants to live central, or south central, where all the fun stuff, and funky old houses are. Hyde Park, Travis Heights, Clarksville, Crestview, are all older neighborhoods close in that are just outrageous to live in. If you want to live where the action is, head just east of the highway. It’s not just for crackheads anymore!
Oh, another thing, wages aren’t the greatest either. I guess that’s because everyone wants to live here.
Yeah what everyone above me said. Well, except about the East side of town. I wouldn’t recommend living there unless you move around 38 1/2 Street. Finding an apartment is difficult. When I lived there (moved away 5 years ago) they were at 99% occupancy. BTW, I think KLBJ (FM) is the rock station there. KLBJ (AM) is all talk. Or at least that’s the way I remember it.
There’s a lot to do in Austin. Some of it was covered in the post “Best Place to Live?”
I love Austin! It’s the place I’d most like to move to, and I’m pretty well-travelled. One of the main attractions for me is that it stands right on the geographical brink of the South and the West. On one side it’s “Farm Road” and pecan trees, and half hour later it’s “Ranch Road” and cactus.
It has a great mix of people, the best music scene in the country, fantastic restaurants, and a general intelligent awareness. Circumstances lead me back to Chapel Hill, NC, ( anoher great place, for similar reasons), but if my hankerings met with their true avenue, Austin would be THE place!
A good thought, Kepi.
I posted in seriousart’s Houston thread and never quite got around to posting my afterthought that a large part of my perception of Houston has been influenced by having grown up here. With a very few exceptions, my time spent in D/FW has been on business and I know I lack the feel for the area a denizen of such might have.
I lived in Austin for six years (guess where I went to college); that ended in January 1981. I have manny friends there and get back quite often. The city began a major change right about the time I left. I drove a cab for 3 years there, and we used to joke about the absence of a rush hour. Up until that point in time, Austin had existed primarily as the seat of state government and the home of UT. I owned my cab, and working on my bachelor’s degree, I was the least educated guy that drove it. Commonly, then, people went to school there and liked the city enough to stay, despite the lack of career opportunities. Lots of waiters and waitresses with electrical engineering degrees, and so forth.
Just a few years later (1983), after the techno biz boom hit Austin, I spent several weekends with some friends who lived in a part of town that had been cow pasture when I’d moved, and the traffic was horrible. I’d witnessed their initial appearance during my time there, but now there are large parts of Austin that are indistinguishable from Anycity, USA. So, it grew.
It is still the music town in Texas, and the surrounding Hill Country and lakes are quite appealing. It has more than doubled in size in just two decades, but so what.
The art scene is arguably bigger in Houston, but really, if you want to live in Austin, Houston’s just down the road. I’ve several business (and friends in business) acquaintance who live in Austin and commute to Houston regularly. A two and a half hour drive. Houston, although bigger, actually has a bit better traffic situation, just because we’re farther down the road on major infrastructure. Austin had, for manny years, a lead on the cost of living (i.e., lower), but that has changed. I guess my main point about Austin is that it has grown up, into a major metropolis, over the last two decades.
Ultimately pal, you can live quite a good life in Austin. As you can in Houston. There’s much to recommend both. I think a lot of how the experience turns out depends on what you do with the environment you choose.
Oh yeah! No state income tax in Texas.
Good luck!