so tell me about austin, tx

[cheapie]

might be relocating to that area soon. there's a possibility that i could get a job with my company in south texas and i'm hoping they'd let me live there instead of dallas or houston.

anybody lived or been there? what's it like?

[MrGreg]

First it was Portland, then China, now Austin... you're such a tease!

[DarkFury]

Ummm... Cheapie is in Michigan.

Did he go to China? (I don't think that was him...) :)

[renovation]

the River Walks kool. you think traffic nuts around here in michigan .Austins crazy all the roads are mostly routes not names. and its hot there. also a weeds there state flower ( blue bonnet )
get use to rodeos and free country concerts :) it will take some time to get use to how to find places most are on what we call freeway service passes but they be listed as on that road .(you see what renos talking about if you live there )

[uncledaddy]

Why not Dallas? Dallas Rocks!

Lots to do between Dallas and Fort Worth.

[MrGreg]

Ummm... Cheapie is in Michigan.

Did he go to China? (I don't think that was him...) :)


Portland:
http://www.gotapex.com/finance-investments-and-careers/152952-when-do-you-know-if-its-time-to-buy-a-bigger-house.html?highlight=portland

China:
http://www.gotapex.com/finance-investments-and-careers/163396-hows-china-possible-expat-opportunity.html?highlight=china


(I'm just giving him a hard time because I'm stuck at SFO with a weather delay and have nothing better to do)

[DarkFury]

Portland:
http://www.gotapex.com/finance-investments-and-careers/152952-when-do-you-know-if-its-time-to-buy-a-bigger-house.html?highlight=portland

China:
http://www.gotapex.com/finance-investments-and-careers/163396-hows-china-possible-expat-opportunity.html?highlight=china


(I'm just giving him a hard time because I'm stuck at SFO with a weather delay and have nothing better to do)
Ahh... I see. You have a pretty good memory to retain such fine details of Cheapie's life. (hmmm... dare we say that you might be stalking Cheapie? :eek: RUN! Cheapie RUN!!!! :heh: )

Heh, I guess they like dangling the potential for a move and then snatch it away at the last minute huh? :heh:

[VTGreg]

might be relocating to that area soon. there's a possibility that i could get a job with my company in south texas and i'm hoping they'd let me live there instead of dallas or houston.

anybody lived or been there? what's it like?

Only visited once but it appeared to be a very cool city. Lots to do, lots of industry. Very good cycling scene. Very liberal. And very hot.

Lake Travis (I think that's the name) is about an hour away so there is lots of boating activity on the weekends.

[Nija]

I was about a month from moving to Austin. (Job fell through)

Housing prices were seriously kick ass. I can't afford a house in the Los Angeles area because everything is 400k+, I was finding bunches of good looking homes for under 200K. I've heard (never confirmed) that is a very liberal, arts-y city. Very young. Supposedly has a very "college town" feel to it.

[Prngr44]

It's weird. No really, that's their motto.

I spent a weekend down there after winning a trip and it was a pretty cool town. The downtown area boasts the most live music in its bars/clubs and I've heard it's a pretty good place to live. I seem to recall it popping up regularly on those lists.

[TruckStuff]

Austin is a nice place for the most part. My in-laws live there, so we visit quite frequently. Its not nearly as big Dallas or Houston, but traffic is just as bad. Basically the Austin city council refused to build new freeways for about 15 years in the hope that it would limit growth and "Keep Austin Weird." Well, the growth came anyways, so now they are screwed and desperately trying to catch up and there is lots of construction. Its kind of whacky at times as UT brings in lots of hippies, liberals and other nuts. Lots to do there though. Hill Country is great.

However, where are you *really* going to be? I ask because if you are really going to be in "south Texas," Dallas or Houston wouldn't even be an option. Most folks not from Texas don't really get how big it is. If by "south Texas" you mean Waco, College Station or Houston, Austin may be too far for you. However, if by "south Texas" you mean San Antonio, Corpus and the Valley, Austin or San Antonio would be good. Actually, having lived/spent time in both, I would choose SA over Austin just about every time.

[cheapie]

our region office is in dallas and the last guy lived in houston,

[TruckStuff]

our region office is in dallas and the last guy lived in houston, OK, but what's the region?

[cheapie]

south texas and LA. portland is still in play though. we'll see.

[Memo]

I lived there for 7 years.

First off, there is no River Walk in Austin reno. That's in San Antonio. Also, Austin is not known for its rodeos or country music. Those aspects of Texas culture tend to stay outside of Austin. Austin is more of a rock town and it hosts 2 of the nations biggest music festivals: Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. Although, being Texas, there is country music to be found.

Austin is basically a liberal city in the middle of a big conservative state. A blue island in the middle of a red ocean. I don't know your personal views so this may or may not be appealing to you. Either way, Austinites are pretty easy going so it's not like anything is in your face.

Austin itself is very different depending on where you live. The Central Austin is where all the campuses, venues and generally things to do are located. This is the part of Austin most people rave about. I think central Austin would be considered anything south of 183 and north of 290. The hipper, cooler neighborhoods are here. Don't think it's just a place for young folks either. The kids tend to stay in and around the university area for living.

A little west is where West Lake is. This is starting to get into Hill Country. West Lake is a place with great schools and good (big) homes. A great place to raise a family basically. Since I know you like to ride this is also a great place to bike. There are many routes with great scenery especially around Mt. Bonnell.

Now, if you prefer Suburbia then north of Austin is Round Rock. Many people still consider this Austin as it's just up the highway. This is your typical suburb with your typical restaurants and cookie cutter homes. Totally not my thing but since you have a family and different priorities this may be a place that you'd like.

As far as Austin culture goes it's all about keeping it "weird." That doesn't mean weird is a bad sense but just about being different and about making sure Austin has its own character. It's hard to describe unless you live there. I personally love it. It's the only city in Texas that I'd ever consider living in and find myself wanting to move back to.

Since you mentioned that it would be "South Texas" I'll give you an idea on just how big South Texas is. Austin is 3 hours from Houston and 3 hours from Dallas (give or take 30-45 minutes depending on which parts of these monstrous metropolitan areas you are going to). San Antonio is 1.5 hours away south on I-35.

If you want to know anything else let me know. I spent 8 years in Houston as well.

[renovation]

you maybe right about the river walk i only spent 6 long weeks in Austin and a small amount of time in San Antonio. and ya it was close to Round Rock .also 3 years ago and i didn't like it to much. as it was a work a assignment.

[TruckStuff]

south texas and LA. Heh... again "south texas" needs a little more definition there. But if you are also covering LA, you will want to be closer to Houston. Just to get to the LA border from Austin could be >4 hours depending on Houston traffic, plus whatever time it takes you to get anywhere in LA. But you also don't have to live *in* Houston as there are lots of nice places around there depending on what you are looking for.

[cheapie]

grrr....looks like i'd have to like close to houston. anywhere decent close to there? i'm not a big fan of the heat, humidity, or the city. i can deal with 1-2 of these items but all three together don't appeal to me.

[zenbooty]

grrr....looks like i'd have to like close to houston. anywhere decent close to there? i'm not a big fan of the heat, humidity, or the city. i can deal with 1-2 of these items but all three together don't appeal to me.
How close is close? Daily commute close? Or weekly meeting close? I visited my brother in Corpus Christi last summer, and was rather impressed with the place. It's like 3 or four hours drive away.

[cheapie]

not entirely sure. i would have to visit dealerships and fleet customers in houston and louisiana on a weekly basis.

[TruckStuff]

grrr....looks like i'd have to like close to houston. anywhere decent close to there? i'm not a big fan of the heat, humidity, or the city. i can deal with 1-2 of these items but all three together don't appeal to me. Ha... then Portland it is. :D

No way you are going to avoid the first two without avoiding the third. Now, you could live in the Houston *area* without living in Houston, but you will still have heat + humidity. Obviously, there are lots of nice suburbs: Katy and The Woodlands/Humble probably top the list. Galveston can be nice, but touristy. Some place like Beaumont/Port Arthur would be in between Houston and LA, but its kinda small and dirty (lots of oil there).

And Corpus is farther then Austin. ;)

[attgig]

sounds like you're going to have to suck it up and deal with all three.
Still, I hear from a lot of people who live in houston is that they love it. I know a few folks who live in sugarland area, and it's supposed to be a pretty nice area for a family.