Thinking of moving to Austin, Texas - what's it like?

Cristina

Cristina

O.G.
Oct 23, 2005
12,994
43
#1
It's only been five months since the bf and I moved back to South Florida, and we're already tired of living here. I don't regret moving here, because we both like our jobs, but the cost of living here is outrageous for the craphole that this place has become.

Anywho, we're considering a move to Austin, Texas, when our lease is up at the end of June. Any PFers here from Austin? We've been looking at homes and surprised at the great prices, especially compared to South Florida! My cousin moved to Austin in July, and she loves it. We're thinking about taking a trip in February to check it out. If we move next July, we'd get an apartment for 6 months, sock away more money and buy a home next December or January 2008.

I'd love to hear from anyone who lives or has lived in Austin. What do you like about the city? What don't you like? How is the job market for young professionals? What is the lifestyle and nightlife like?

Thanks in advance! :nuts:
 
#5
I love Austin. Great college town and lots of state government jobs. Cost of living is high compared to the rest of Texas but I don't know what the cost of living is in S. Florida.
 
#6
coachwife6 said:
I love Austin. Great college town and lots of state government jobs. Cost of living is high compared to the rest of Texas but I don't know what the cost of living is in S. Florida.
Click to expand...

I work for state government now, so that's good to hear! :smile: The cost of living in South Florida is RIDICULOUS. If we bought a house here in a decent neighborhood, we'd expect to pay probably about $350,000-$400,000. Everything here is out of control cost-wise. It's sad that this place has changed so much. I used to love living here, and after living in Orlando for 3.5 years and coming back, I sometimes wish we hadn't! :rolleyes: But paying $175,000 for a nice house in Austin is like... I don't know, foreign to me!

We're planning on visiting in February. I've heard the traffic in the city is bad. Is that true? The traffic here sucks, but it is tolerable. I live 15 miles from work, and it takes me anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, which I don't consider terrible. I just avoid I-95.

Pursegrrl - Thanks for the thread!
 
#7
Austin is GREAT! The traffic does suck, but it's a small price to pay when you consider all the other perks. The nightlife is awesome. There is always a great show to go to, either local bands or touring bands. It's a college town, so there's lots of younger people (I recently moved back to Florida from TX, and there's only older people where I live). Congress Ave. has the best shops, quirky ones with character. It's pretty there, lots of green space, and if you find yourself missing the water, you can go to Lake Travis or Barton Springs. Austin has really good restaurants too. And there's at least one NM Last Call there...housing is way, way cheaper in Austin or anywhere in TX than it is here in FL. You get more house for your money there. I really think you can't go wrong by moving to Austin.
 
#8
I live in Austin (Lakeway) we moved here from California and I love it. There is so much to do. great night life lots of culture and the restaurants are awesome. :flowers:
 
#9
sasha-o said:
Austin is GREAT! The traffic does suck, but it's a small price to pay when you consider all the other perks. The nightlife is awesome. There is always a great show to go to, either local bands or touring bands. It's a college town, so there's lots of younger people (I recently moved back to Florida from TX, and there's only older people where I live). Congress Ave. has the best shops, quirky ones with character. It's pretty there, lots of green space, and if you find yourself missing the water, you can go to Lake Travis or Barton Springs. Austin has really good restaurants too. And there's at least one NM Last Call there...housing is way, way cheaper in Austin or anywhere in TX than it is here in FL. You get more house for your money there. I really think you can't go wrong by moving to Austin.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your post! Great information. BF and I are very much into music and going to live shows, so I'm glad to hear that there is a good music scene. I keep thinking about how I'm not going to be close to a beach in Texas, like I am here in Florida, but good to know there is some water nearby ;) especially since I heard it can get pretty hot in Austin over the summer.

I've already started looking at homes on Realtor.com, and looking to see what kinds of jobs are in Austin. Right now I work for the state and the bf works for a state university, so it would be ideal if we could get similar jobs, with Austin being the capital and UT being located in the city, as well. Where would be the best area to live, if one or both of us were to work for the state or at UT? I'd like to find something with a commute less than 30-40 minutes.
 
#10
C, Austin is RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY!

People wear shirts in TX that say "Keep Austin Weird", it's a really eclectic town.
GREAT shopping, GREAT food, GREAT music, GREAT people and I could go on and on!

You guys should come for a weekend when the weather is expected to be good, I bet you'll love it!
 
#11
Swanky Mama Of Three said:
C, Austin is RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY!

People wear shirts in TX that say "Keep Austin Weird", it's a really eclectic town.
GREAT shopping, GREAT food, GREAT music, GREAT people and I could go on and on!

You guys should come for a weekend when the weather is expected to be good, I bet you'll love it!
Click to expand...

I was hoping you'd see this thread ;) What is the weather usually like in February? I just looked at orbitz.com, and a package for flight, 2-night stay in a hotel and rental car is around $415. Not too shabby.

Good to know the shopping is great. I could always come to Dallas and shop with you :graucho:
 
#12
When I drove cross county from NJ to LA, we stayed in every major city every night.... Austin was by far my favorite of all the cities. I loved the nightlife, the vibe, the outdoors. I considered buying investment housing there because I like it so much. Unfortunately, the taxes are high and not much profit to be made because I don't think the homes will appreciate much more. Most of my friends who have visited there love it too. IMO, it's the most liberal city in Texas and it's great!
 
#13
Cristina said:
I work for state government now, so that's good to hear! :smile: The cost of living in South Florida is RIDICULOUS. If we bought a house here in a decent neighborhood, we'd expect to pay probably about $350,000-$400,000. Everything here is out of control cost-wise. It's sad that this place has changed so much. I used to love living here, and after living in Orlando for 3.5 years and coming back, I sometimes wish we hadn't! :rolleyes: But paying $175,000 for a nice house in Austin is like... I don't know, foreign to me!

We're planning on visiting in February. I've heard the traffic in the city is bad. Is that true? The traffic here sucks, but it is tolerable. I live 15 miles from work, and it takes me anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, which I don't consider terrible. I just avoid I-95.

Pursegrrl - Thanks for the thread!
Click to expand...

The housing cost here in Austin is a little bit more than most. You are going to really have to do some homework to find a home for $175,000 in a nice area. Small 1960's homes near down town are going for $300,000.
It depends on the area that you want to live in.
 
#14
I looove Austin but my fav TX city is Dallas/Fort Worth:smile:

In the far future, my SO and I are contemplating moving there...I have lots of family there so it would be fun:smile: Plus I am really into horses so TX would be a great place for me:smile:
 
#15
The wether is okay in the winter/Feb there may be damp, but usually not too extreme.
The property taxes ARE high here, but it's mostly because there's no state income tax coming out of your paycheck ;) there's only a few states left like that. Property values are still continuing to rise pretty consistently in the better areas, including Austin and Dallas, not as rapidly, but still rising faster than a lot of other major US cities = good investment.

Austin is really hip and really pretty awesome for a 'land locked' city {not coastal} lots of lakes, hills and access to everything.

I copied and pasted this from about.com:

Climate Hot Days
  • Average # of Days Above 90 degrees: 111
  • Summer 2000 had 41 days at or above 100 degrees
  • 100 plus days generally occur in June, July, and August but have occurred as early as May and as late as October
  • Average # of Days Above 80 degrees: 198
Cold Days
  • Average # of Days Below 45 degrees: 88
  • Average # of Days Below 32 degrees (freezing): 19
  • Average Annual Snowfall: 0" (rarely snows)
Austin Weather Records
  • Highest Recorded Temperature: 112 degrees on September 5, 2000
  • Lowest Recorded Temperature: -2 on January 31, 1949
  • Longest Dry Spell: 65 days in 1993
  • Most Rain in 24-hr period: 19.03 inches September 9-10, 1921
  • Snowfall Record: 9.7 inches on November 11, 1937[
  • White Christmas: Since 1926 there has been no snow on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve
  • Most recent significant snowfall: February 14, 2004; gone by noon
  • Tornado: Last one in Austin and Travis County was May 27, 1997; Although tornados are not rare in Central Texas, they are rare in Austin.
Average Temperatures/Rainfall by Month
Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (rounded) and Rainfall in inches (rounded)
Month ------ Temperature ------ Rainfall
January ------ 50 ------ 1.9
February ------ 54 ------ 2.4
March ------ 61 ------ 2.2
April ------ 68 ------ 3.3
May ------ 75 ------ 4.4
June ------ 82 ------ 3.0
July ------ 84 ------ 2.2
August ------ 84 ------ 2.3
September ------ 79 ------ 3.5
October ------ 70 ------ 3.3
November ------ 59 ------ 2.5
December ------ 52 ------ 2.5
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back