Austin, TX

[LMG]

Hi everyone,

I have a very boring Off Topic topic here. I'm looking for information on Austin, TX, primarily, living there. This is so far just a lead for me career-wise, but I'm obsessed with researching from the start, so I try to use every source I can.

If anyone has information, opinions, whatever they'd like to share, please do. You can PM me if you'd like.

Thanks,

LMG

[cypressgirl]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Austin. My son lives there. Great lake for skiing. Very scenic. Great college town with a TON of restaurants and night life. Lots of great local bands. PM me and if you have any questions I can't answer, I'll ask my son and get back to you.

[California Girl]

I haven't been to Austin, but my best friend just got back from a vacation in Austin & San Antonio. From the viewpoint of a person from a very dry state, it was "hot and humid" in Austin. Coming from Sharon, that's not exactly a compliment.

[loria]

AUstin is awesome! it has one of the BEST music scenes in the country (if you like music) was the birthplace of whole foods (okay we call it whole paycheck...but still it provides great organic/interesting food)
has a stellar university and all the vibe that goes with it--from a NY perspective, it is a great town (and beautiful to boot)

while I may not agree with our friend from houston on things political --Austin is one thing we certainly can agree about.

[cypressgirl]

Nice to see we can agree on something, Loria.

My son says he'll never live in Houston again because he's so used to the dry climate in Austin. I guess it depends on where you come from. But you won't have to put up with terrible winters.

[b-as-u-r]

My son just moved to Austin in July and he loves it. He's supposed to be there temporarily, until March, unless his band really takes off. It was difficult for him to get used to the humidity, but I think you adjust to the fact that that's where air conditioning comes in. I won't be surprised if he tells me in March that he's going to stay and go to college in Austin. It took him awhile to get a job, but it sounds like you're all set with that. They basically started with a realtor, looked at several places on-line, we provided certain criteria as to the type of neighborhood we were looking for. We decided on a place and the realtor emailed us the lease, they signed it and we emailed it back and wired a deposit, we called and set up the utilities, they flew in and the realtor picked them up at the airport and took them to their new place. We had 2 of the cars shipped and they arrived at the realtor's office the day before they did. One of the other Moms just got back from visiting the boys and she couldn't say enough great things about Austin. If there's anything else you need to know, post it and I'll see if I can get you some answers from my son. Ali~

[California Girl]

My son says he'll never live in Houston again because he's so used to the dry climate in Austin. I guess it depends on where you come from. But you won't have to put up with terrible winters.

I'm cracking up! You are so right about it depending on where you come from!

[RickG]

Austin is good fun town. Not quite as conservative as The Springs!!

Cheers, RickG

[jimg20]

Austin is good fun town. Not quite as conservative as The Springs!!

Cheers, RickG

Not quite as conservative????????
It's not even close to conservative.

We have always loved our vistits to Austin.

JIM

[gymnastika]

I live 60 miles from Austin in the Hill Country region. Austin is the "cool" city of Texas. It is more liberal than all of the other cities here in Texas. It's a fun, young city. It's a small-ish style city but with an eccentric-type atmosphere that you would normally only find in the big cities.

[Teresa_Rae]

I haven't been to Austin, but my best friend just got back from a vacation in Austin & San Antonio. From the viewpoint of a person from a very dry state, it was "hot and humid" in Austin. Coming from Sharon, that's not exactly a compliment.

That's really funny because one of my friends from central Illinois went to Austin last summer and couldn't believe how dry it was.

Another hometown friend of mine who now lives in Nevada refers to central Illinois as "walking through a pool of water" in the summer comparatively.

So I guess it's all about perspective.

[cypressgirl]

Austin is good fun town. Not quite as conservative as The Springs!!

Cheers, RickG

You are right about that!! Even the Republicans act like Dems. You know........RINO's.

If you get out by the lake the liberal pollution isn't so bad.

[David- n Hampton, VA]

Let me echo what everyone else is telling you.

I lived in Temple Texas (about 1.5 hours north of Austin up I35. I visited there often with my family for dinner, shopping etc.

My corporate Headquarters is in Houston, and I get out there to various parts of Texas on business three four times a year. (Some of the more garden spots too like San Angelo....and Wichita...as well as Dallas, San Antonio)

Don't let anyone tell you that you will not be hot as hades there though. It does get to be very warm. On the plus side......winters last about a week normally. Oh, and it is almost a state law that you have to attend high school football games weekly and you have to buy a pickup truck.

The city is working hard to become a “high tech” hotspot and has really gone out of its way to bring in advanced technology corporations. They are a growing city with a great “personality”.

One thing though....the easiest way I know to increase the IQ level of Austin Texas is to have an a away game for the UT football game....and that increase is dramatically greater if that game is Texas A&M.

(Okay....just kidding a bit about that and the pickup truck part.....)

[LMG]

Thanks for all the opinions, everyone. And thanks for the offers to ask the locals, too. I would not-so-secretly LOVE the music scene in Austin, I'm sure. (But thank goodness I'm not going to start a band. )
I appreciate all your help.

Boy, you can sure tell we're 6 days out, can't you? Rick, "The Springs" might just surprise everyone right now.

Thanks again!

LMG