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Austin Babies
Venturing over from another local...
Hi ladies! I'm a nestie from New England (I live in New York now). DH is considering a job in Austin. I've been to Texas a few times, but only for like 5 days at a time, and always to the same area, sooooo I'm asking for help!
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
Is Austin kid friendly?
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
Thank you so much ladies! I'm excited about this potential transition! (I won't miss the snow!!!!)
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Venturing over from another local...
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
Transplant. We moved here from NC, but I grew up in Northern VA.
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
The Austin part.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
'burbs. If we had the money, we'd move closer in. You'll likely want to live on the same side of town as your DH's employment (and/or yours if you are planning to work).
Is Austin kid friendly?
Yup.
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
We don't regret for a single second moving here. HOWEVER, the one thing that we really didn't think out was the cost of travel back to our families. We budget for 2 flights/year, but for the past few years, we have had more than 2 trips. This year, alone, we have 4 things in the second half of the year so we have to pick and choose why/when we go home.
Thank you so much ladies! I'm excited about this potential transition! (I won't miss the snow!!!!)
You never know. While my blood has significantly thinned since moving here, I do miss seasons (not necessarily snow) which we don't have here. We have hot and we have mild w/ a few cold days thrown in.
Hey, we have seasons. There's football season, cedar season, wildflower season, and pool/splashpark season.
Hi, OP! I'm a native (native Austinite, actually). I love LOVE the state, love LOVE the city. We're in the 'burbs, but all the 'burbs are close enough to drive regularly into the city for all the awesome stuff (festivals, art exhibits, shows, etc.). Considering mine and DH's lines of work (publishing and international consulting), we should have moved to NYC after grad school, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave. You'll love it here. And all our seasons.
lol- true.
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
Transplant! I moved to Houston from MA in the middle of H.S., then came to Austin for college and never left.
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
Downtown all the way.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
I live in South, South Austin. As close to downtown as I could afford and still within the city limits.
Is Austin kid friendly?
Absolutely
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
Do it - you won't regret it!! Summers suck, but the winters (it was 70 degrees and gorgeous yesterday) make it worth it.
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
From Texas, but transplanted to NC for ~2 yrs and am on my way back!
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
Austin Proper, for sure - and within Austin proper, the 78704 zip code, downtown area, and the Burnet Rd/Hyde Park neighborhoods. Lots of charm, very safe, tons to do.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
I've lived both in the burbs and downtown. In fact, my 10ish years have been - downtown, burbs, further burbs, downtown -----> NC -----> burnet rd area. I won't live in the burb area again. Too far from lifestyle we like, even though I work in Round Rock. Its a reverse commute, anyways, and pretty fast.
Is Austin kid friendly?
I think so, but since I don't have any I'll let the other ladies handle it.
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
Like MC said... no seasons is probably the only big downside. I will miss the seasons around here - you know how everything comes to life and its SOOO beautiful for a couple of months? You get that for about two weeks before its back to summer.
Otherwise, this place is tops. The energy of the city and friendliness of the people are amazing, and every time I fly back in I'm blown away by it. There's lots to do, its a great place to work and live, and the food is fantastic. If you or your DH are into things like running or cycling, you'll absolutely love it.
I think the size of the metro area is perfect - not too big or small, and not over crowded at all. The dynamic changes a bit during festivals/events like ACL, SXSW, graduation, etc - but its nothing big as its only a few times a year.
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
Transplant from Indiana
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
I live NW, and I love it up here. Downtown is awesome, of course, but I personally wouldn't want to live there.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
Burbs - Arboretum/Great Hills area. It's very convenient, although the commute is not the greatest (I work closer to downtown).
Is Austin kid friendly?
Absolutely.
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
My two complaints about Austin are in regards to the traffic (so live close to work if you can) and the long hot summers (but really, so worth not having winter). Austin is a great place to be!
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
Texas native here, but I'm from far, far west Texas, which isn't much like central Texas.
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
Downtown is nice. The Burnet road area is a lot of fun and is really thriving right now. But I'm going to plug the Arboretum / Great Hills area. There's lots of local restaurants and shopping. It's a nice mix of local stores and national chains and parking is easy-peasy.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
I live in the neighborhood I just described. It's somewhere in between the burbs and downtown. Not as urban as downtown, for sure, but still close to lots of great things.
Is Austin kid friendly?
I don't have kids either, but I think it strikes a good balance. Austin's a pretty active city, so there's lots of kids' fitness programs and we have the children's museums, and lots of splash parks and pools. I'll throw this out there, since a friend of mine mentioned it the other day. She said she found it really hard to take advantage of the live music scene because shows usually start at 10 and go later than most babysitters want to stay. But to counter, there are lots of family friendly shows at earlier times, you just have to look for them.
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
It's hot here. This summer we had 85 consecutive days of 100-degree temps. And the public transportation leaves a lot to be desired, so you kind of need a car. But those are the only two downsides. It's a really friendly city and there are lots of fun things to do.
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
We were transplants for 10 years. We are originally from Massachusetts and just moved back here last November.
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
I love West Austin. It's convenient to downtown, has some beautiful views, is hilly, green. It's also expensive. BUT - compared to the northeast everything is cheap.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
We've lived all over. Most recently, we bought a house in Cedar Park, which is definitely the burbs. The burbs has a totally different feeling in Austin than it would around Boston. Everything is very carefully laid out and most often, very cookie-cutter-ish. There are advantages to that - we could have walked to our kids' school, could walk to two playgrounds/pools, the sidewalks were all perfect, all the common areas beautifully maintained. But not much character. All the houses look pretty similar, not like up here where there are so many different colors, styles, etc.They also tend to be built on VERY small lots so you're really close to your neighbors. Now, closer in to downtown, you can see a lot more character but it still doesn't rival the beauty of New Engladn to me.
Is Austin kid friendly?
Definitely. And you can be outdoors so much of the year!
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
We had planned to stay in Austin forever. And then we found out we were having twins and just all of a sudden really felt a strong urge to be back with our families. Ultimately, that was the deciding factor. Austin is not like what you expect Texas to be. It's fairly liberal, has a lot of character, a lot of culture, great restaurants and so much going on - there are always festivals, outdoor concerts, etc. - and considering it's warm so much of the year, you can really enjoy all that!
If I lived in a vacuum and had to choose, it would likely be Austin. For us though, even after 10 years there, New England is home and there's something that feels right in being back here. My daughter, who saw her grandparents 2-4 times a year now sees them daily - they have their inside jokes and a real relationship, and I wouldn't trade that. Also, New England is just so beautiful to me - the character, the history, the ocean, the beaches, the mountains. Austin doesn't rival that (although it really does have some beautiful places I had come to love).
Cost of living is obviously way more expensive up north, so that's a disadvantage, and the amount of house you can get for your money is laughable compared to Texas.
Also, traffic can be a pain in the butt in Austin, but compared to Boston traffic I've never really found it all that bad.
Until last summer I didn't mind the summer at all. You get used to just getting sweaty if you're outdoors, or staying inside more (like reverse winter). This past summer though I HATED. It was a horrible drought and everything was crispy and brown for months on end. And it was over 100 for one million days straight. It was miserable. And I've always missed the beauty of the seasons and some of the rituals we grew up with - having hot cocoa coming in from sledding, picking apples at the orchard, watching football all bundled up in the stands.
Thank you so much ladies! I'm excited about this potential transition! (I won't miss the snow!!!!)
Good luck!
Photo by Melissa Glynn
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant? Mostly from TX - I've lived in a few major TX cities, but also lived in Chicago for a few yrs during HS.
What's your favorite part of your area/the city? I love the area we live in. Lots of change since I moved into this area with a TON of restaurants, close proximity to major hwys & roads (2222/mopac/I35/I83). It takes me between 10-15 min to get pretty much anywhere I'd be interested in going. I also love the lakes. If I could afford to live on Lake Austin, I would. but for now, we just go there on the weekends
.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown? In between? I'm in city proper (78757 zip), about 5-10 min drive from downtown near the burnet road/2222 area.
Is Austin kid friendly? Yep!
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision? My DH is a transplant from NE also (CT). The biggest change for him he said was the lack of trees. He wasn't used to what we call trees. Oh, and driving distances. . . he couldnt believe we could drive 8 hrs and still be in TX.
Aside from that, I think the people/culture in Austin is awesome. Lots of transplants here, and a lot of friendly people. Austin is SO different than other TX cities - it is my favorite by far. Since it sits in the middle of Houston, Dallas/Ft Worth, San Antonio, Hill Country (wineries, hiking, etc) you can really get to a lot of places within a few hours for a weekend day trip. We don't have super cold winters, but do have hot summers, It isn't bad if you like to spend time outdoors swimming/on the lake, etc.
Thank you so much ladies! I'm excited about this potential transition! (I won't miss the snow!!!!)
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
Transplant. Originally from Chicago but I live in CT for 2.5 years before TX
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
I live downtown so I am partial to it
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
Downtown. The public transportation is meh but DH and I walk to most things on the weekends. I also liked it because I've been able to get to know Austin to decide where what part I want to live in long term.
Is Austin kid friendly?
I don't have kids but from what I've seen and heard yes.
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
Austin is a great town. I really enjoy living here. It's definitely different than out east or the midewest but if my family was here I'd definitely want to stay forever.
Thank you so much ladies! I'm excited about this potential transition! (I won't miss the snow!!!!)
Are you from Texas or are you a transplant?
Transplant. We moved here from New Orleans, but I grew up in South Florida.
What's your favorite part of your area/the city?
I love downtown, but most especially Town Lake.
Do you live in the suburbs/downtown?
Suburbs. I also recommend living on the same side of town as your DH's employment (and/or yours if you are planning to work). DH works from home, so I'm the one with the awesome (not) commute.
Is Austin kid friendly?
As far as I can tell. :-) We don't have kids, but we have a dog and Austin is super-dog friendly.
Anything else that will help me for info with this decision?
I always said that I wanted to move back to FL so we could be closer to our families. However, after living here 6 years, I don't want to live anywhere else, ever! I love love love this city.
Thanks for all the feedback! I LOVE hearing that the city is kid/dog friendly. Looks like DH and I may be planning a trip to visit soon!
Much appreciated!