Austin dreams

[texasdago 7775]

I was probably getting tired of the usual hurricane worries in Houston when Harvey hit.   The heat has never bothered me - at least not lately - although the mosquitoes are a pain in the ass (and ankle and neck, etc.) 

Anyway, once Harvey impacted us, I started thinking, yes, there's a lot I like about Houston but F this.  So, I've been thinking of an exit plan.  My exit plan varies and I start thinking of other states and even other countries (Italian citizenship has its benefits).  That said, the most realistic option is heading west towards Austin.  

Now, Austin keeps going up so my idea of what "Austin" is probably has to change.  We have two kids so I'll have to factor in schools. That said, I do start thinking of areas around the periphery of Austin and even Lakeway, Driftwood, Dripping Springs... etc.  So, those areas, like Katy, Sugarland, The Woodlands are to Houston, are not Austin.  How are those areas?  Any better than others?

Every time we go back, I think... we aren't we back in Austin for good so maybe its time to start putting a plan in place.

[sidis 10020]

what is your realistic budget for a house?

[tx 3 putt 78915]

Some friends of mine moved to dripping springs from ‘in austin’ and Damn it’s nice out there. Very short drive into town compared to Houston burbs 

[Anastasis 23728]

Do you have to commute?

[South Austin 53344]

This place is a shithole. And there’s no good Italian food. Don’t move here.

[UTPhil2006 3932]

Dripping Springs is pretty solid nowadays and like someone above said, not that bad of a drive.  What is your time frame?

[52-80 19381]

buda's where it's at.  theyre even going to build high speed rail there

[CooterBrown 18294]

15 minutes ago, UTPhil2006 said:

Dripping Springs is pretty solid nowadays and like someone above said, not that bad of a drive.  What is your time frame?

Other than the 50/50 death trap known as 290.

I would first worry about where you are going to work and then live as close as fucking possible to that location.

[Longhorn94 2502]

i dont think we are accepting new move-ins. we are closed. sorry, the moose out front should have told ya!

[SydneyCarton 49540]

Why don't you just move to a place in Houston that doesn't flood? 

We love Dripping Springs and Wimberley, but it seems like Dripping Springs might have it's own road/commute headaches in the next few years if you commute what with the rabid construction and expansion. Wimberley also has flooded quite a bit recently, if you hadn't heard. And I say that hoping to retire to the hill country with my wife one day, and we love Wimberley. 

[texasdago 7775]

"Why don't you just move to a place in Houston that doesn't flood? "

 

Because every time I hit somewhere in/near the hill country or Austin, I think, "why am I not living here?".  BTW, keeping San Antonio in my sites as well but that one will be a harder sell on the wife.  I know $$$ will go further there.  I know the hill country has its own flooding issues but, unlike Houston that is like dropping water on a flat table, there are contours so you can at least try to be outside of a flood plain, unlike Houston.

Budget?  Good questions... probably $600Kish?  I don't need a lot of space... 50% of the time I'm at home, I'm outside.  That said, I know I can get more for my $ further out.  I can work from home if necessary but wouldn't mind an office to go to which could be theoretically anywhere.  

[bschoolprof 6353]

this place sucks.  it's run by liberal hippies and it's too expensive.  

[texasdago 7775]

LOL... hey man, I want to school there. I'm not some California Instagramming transplant with an ironic beard.  And I'm coming to eat all the gelato at Dolce Neve.

 

Oh... one more comment on this... "Why don't you just move to a place in Houston that doesn't flood? " - almost two years since the worst flooding event in our nation's history and our joke of local government still hasn't done squat.  No confidence.

Edited July 3, 2019 by texasdago

[Anastasis 23728]

 

rank	district	academic performance score	academic performance index	STAAR scaled score	college readiness index	AP / IB	SAT	ACT	attended by students living in
1	Eanes ISD	10	98.8	94	99.9	64.3%	66.4%	60.1%	Austin, Rollingwood, West Lake Hills
2	Lake Travis ISD	10	89.4	93	79.6	46.9%	63.0%	44.0%	Austin, Bee Cave, Dripping Springs, Lakeway, Spicewood, The Hills
3	Round Rock ISD	10	83.5	91	70.8	42.6%	65.5%	29.0%	Austin, Cedar Park, Round Rock
4	Leander ISD	10	80.4	90	65.9	41.3%	50.4%	34.8%	Austin, Cedar Park, Jonestown, Leander, Volente, Georgetown, Round Rock
5	Dripping Springs ISD	10	80.0	92	59.1	28.3%	52.3%	36.0%	Austin, Driftwood, Dripping Springs
6	Wimberley ISD	10	72.0	87	53.9	28.9%	53.3%	23.4%	Driftwood, Wimberly
7	Liberty Hill ISD	10	68.3	88	41.7	20.5%	47.8%	14.3%	Georgetown, Leander, Liberty Hill
8	Lago Vista ISD	10	67.9	87	43.7	19.4%	39.8%	27.7%	Jonestown, Lago Vista, Pointe Venture
9	Austin ISD	10	65.8	83	50.6	34.6%	43.2%	18.5%	Austin
10	Pflugerville ISD	9	60.0	83	36.0	22.8%	28.9%	17.3%	Austin, Manor, Pflugerville, Round Rock

[thrillhammer 686]

you haven't answered any questions about where you work or what you do or what your commute would be like.  Houston sucks, is prone to flooding, humidity, sinking, and carcinogens.  Austin is prone to none of those things but has probably just as bad of traffic.  if you think you're escaping bumper to bumper by moving to Austin, stay in Houston.  cost of living is also something you should consider.  housing in Austin is way more than Houston.  dripping springs is not the solution. 

[dcbc 14662]

If you can find a small town near a big town solution where the traffic between the two isn't awful, then do that.  I'm from Houston (and love it apart from the oppressive heat/humidity during the summer), have a mom who still lives there whose house never has flooded in forty years, which had some flooding during Harvey.  So I get the idea of leaving.  I also adore my memory of Austin (early to mid 90s) and enjoy going to Austin on vacation (to visit relatives), but short of winning the lottery, I wouldn't move there today. 

If you can, find a place that is starting to grow and move there. 

Edited July 4, 2019 by dcbc

[Deej 77968]

21 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

you haven't answered any questions about where you work or what you do or what your commute would be like.  Houston sucks, is prone to flooding, humidity, sinking, and carcinogens.  Austin is prone to none of those things but has probably just as bad of traffic.  if you think you're escaping bumper to bumper by moving to Austin, stay in Houston.  cost of living is also something you should consider.  housing in Austin is way more than Houston.  dripping springs is not the solution. 

That drive to and from Dripping Springs may literally kill you.

Edited July 4, 2019 by Deej

[SimonBolivar 11078]

26 minutes ago, dcbc said:

If you can find a small town near a big town solution where the traffic between the two isn't awful, then do that.  I'm from Houston (and love it apart from the oppressive heat/humidity during the summer), have a mom who still lives there whose house never has flooded in forty years, which had some flooding during Harvey.  So I get the idea of leaving.  I also adore my memory of Austin (early to mid 90s) and enjoy going to Austin on vacation (to visit relatives), but short of winning the lottery, I wouldn't move there today. 

If you can, find a place that is starting to grow and move there. 

Who knew Killeen was the answer all along.

[Wiler77 1633]

We've been in Driftwood for almost 8 years and absolutely love it.  We live in one of the neighborhoods off 1826.  Bit of elbow room with a 1 acre lot, lots of house for the money, and I can avoid 290 most of the time.  We're not next to anything, but we're 15-20 minutes away from pretty much anything we want.  And so far we've had a good experience with the schools, but my oldest just finished 1st grade.

Home prices have gone up a bit in the time we've been here, but you can still get a really nice house and lot for $600k.  One downside is I pay 2.7% property tax.

And 1826 is definitely getting busier, but it doesn't feel unsafe like some stretches of 290.  It's just overrun by drivers going 40-45mph in a 55mph zone.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

[dcbc 14662]

14 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Who knew Killeen was the answer all along.

Hey, I moved to Tyler from Houston 18 years ago with the idea that I'd be there five years and move to Austin.  Still here.  Don't love everything about it, but as it has grown, it has improved tremendously.

[SimonBolivar 11078]

6 minutes ago, dcbc said:

Hey, I moved to Tyler from Houston 18 years ago with the idea that I'd be there five years and move to Austin.  Still here.  Don't love everything about it, but as it has grown, it has improved tremendously.

Yeah I live in Waco and say the same thing, but there's a reason I'm in Austin or the Metroplex twice a month.

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

11 hours ago, texasdago said:

I was probably getting tired of the usual hurricane worries in Houston when Harvey hit.   The heat has never bothered me - at least not lately - although the mosquitoes are a pain in the ass (and ankle and neck, etc.) 

Anyway, once Harvey impacted us, I started thinking, yes, there's a lot I like about Houston but F this.  So, I've been thinking of an exit plan.  My exit plan varies and I start thinking of other states and even other countries (Italian citizenship has its benefits).  That said, the most realistic option is heading west towards Austin.  

Now, Austin keeps going up so my idea of what "Austin" is probably has to change.  We have two kids so I'll have to factor in schools. That said, I do start thinking of areas around the periphery of Austin and even Lakeway, Driftwood, Dripping Springs... etc.  So, those areas, like Katy, Sugarland, The Woodlands are to Houston, are not Austin.  How are those areas?  Any better than others?

Every time we go back, I think... we aren't we back in Austin for good so maybe its time to start putting a plan in place.

How about closer to San Antonio , like the Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, Bulverde. Boerne areas?    You can get more house for your bucks and live in some nice country side, but yet be close to amenities like good shopping, dining and other entertainment.   The Comal, Boerne, and NB ISD's  are good and you are like 30 mins from downtown SA and 45 mins from the soon to be tent lined Congress Avenue in Downtown Austin (not taking into effect the screwed up traffic at times on I-35) .  Truth is you can find plenty of stuff to keep you busy between in the Hill Country, you might not step foot in SA or Austin less than you think other than if you have to work in close or either city.  

The wife and I are making our exit plan from the Corpus area for a few years from now for the same reason you are.   We are starting to price land and scope out potential builders, but we will get the land and sit on it for awhile until our youngest gets close to graduating from high school and then start building.   Although we escaped the worst of Harvey in our immediate area , just a few minutes up the road in Rockport they got hammered badly.  If that thing had come in 25-35  miles south of where the eye crossed,  we'd probably still be in recovery mode.   I just assume not to have to even prepare for one of these storms again along with having to face to potential of rebuilding after one.   I saw the toll it took on friends and fellow employees of ours and it was tough to say the least.   

Edited July 4, 2019 by Nueces River Rat

[dcbc 14662]

13 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Yeah I live in Waco and say the same thing, but there's a reason I'm in Austin or the Metroplex twice a month.

Yeah, I'm 80 miles from Dallas, but I end up in Houston or Austin more often.

I used to equate Tyler to living in west Houston and not bothering to go inside the loop.  It's a bit better now.  I drive through the Austin suburbs along 35 and see almost all of the same chains.  Fortunately, there are some good locals in Tyler that keep us interested.

[dcbc 14662]

1 minute ago, Nueces River Rat said:

How about closer to San Antonio , like the Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, Bulverde. Boerne areas?    You can get more house for your bucks and live in some nice country side, but yet be close to amenities like good shopping, dining and other entertainment.   The Comal, Boerne, and NB ISD's  are good and you are like 30 mins from downtown SA and 45 mins from the soon to be tent lined Congress Avenue in Downtown Austin (not taking into effect the screwed up traffic at times on I-35) .  Truth is you can find plenty of stuff to keep you busy between in the Hill Country, you might not step foot in SA or Austin less than you think other than if you have to work in close or either city.  

The wife and I are making our exit plan from the Corpus area for a few years from now for the same reason you are.   Although we escaped in my area the worst of Harvey, just a few minutes up the road in Rockport they got hammered badly.  If that thing had come in 25 miles south of where the eye crossed,  we'd probably still be in recovery mode.   I just assume not to have to even prepare for one of these storms again along with having to face to potential of rebuilding after one.   I saw the toll it took on friends and fellow employees of ours and it was tough to say the least.   

Brother in law used to live in New Braunfels and commute to Austin.  I really liked the town, but the commute seemed murderous, better if you worked in San Antonio.

Edited July 4, 2019 by dcbc

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

Just now, dcbc said:

Brother in law used to live in New Braunfels and commute to Austin.  I really liked the town, but the commute seemed murderous, better if you worked in San Antonio.

Indeed, but many do it.

I am looking to establish a branch of my current business up in that area.  With the  population growth influenced by Austin moving southbound in future years and SA's moving north,  New Braunfels or San Marcos is the prefect sweet spot in the middle to serve both areas.      We are looking on Tx 46 at some properties between New Braunfels and Bulverde.  Although we haven't totally ruled out between Bulverde and Boerne or even up toward Blanco.    

[Judge Roybeanbag 11865]

I have a place in Dripping Springs, closer to Hamilton Pool really and lived out there 20 years commuting in to Austin every day. It got to be a real beating, so we bought a house in south Austin about 6 years ago in the Slaughter/Brodie/Westgate area.  It’s surprisingly affordable and my commute is easy.  Of course I don’t have kids in school anymore though.  Unless you want a bigger place in the country there is plenty of affordable stuff in town.  

[Neonmoon 38130]

You have to first decide if you want to live actually in Austin or live in a suburb of Austin. Your 600K goes a lot farther in a suburb but you don’t get that “Austin” experience, if that is even a real thing anymore. Both have pros and cons. If you can work at home, then you really have no commute issues. 

 

[gmr548 16704]

Suburbs are suburbs. Yeah, the ones west of Austin are a hell of a lot better looking than their Houston-area counterparts, but they're a fuckton more expensive too. If that's your thing, you'll like it if you can find a place at your price point. If it isn't, the hills aren't going to make them less suburban.

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

8 hours ago, texasdago said:

"Why don't you just move to a place in Houston that doesn't flood? "

 

Because every time I hit somewhere in/near the hill country or Austin, I think, "why am I not living here?".  BTW, keeping San Antonio in my sites as well but that one will be a harder sell on the wife.  I know $$$ will go further there.  I know the hill country has its own flooding issues but, unlike Houston that is like dropping water on a flat table, there are contours so you can at least try to be outside of a flood plain, unlike Houston.

Budget?  Good questions... probably $600Kish?  I don't need a lot of space... 50% of the time I'm at home, I'm outside.  That said, I know I can get more for my $ further out.  I can work from home if necessary but wouldn't mind an office to go to which could be theoretically anywhere.  

You will be ok in the Hill Country if you don't live in a usual area where it floods which in most cases are rivers or creeks. Everything  drains down hill and because you only have to dig a few inches and you hit rock, other than the grass and brush being greener it will look like it hardly rained after a good soaker a couple of days later.  

You need to take your wife on a good tour of the areas I suggested.   Show her La Cantera  and The Rim which on the NW side of SA and close to Boerne.   Show her how close it is to other shopping on Northside of SA like Northstar Mall, New Braunfels and  the San Marcos Outlets.    There are many cool places to eat and hang out in these areas to such as Gruene.  Plus she will be close to Austin and SA for the other stuff that would be important for you big people from H-Town like two airports with some international connections, etc.  

And for 600K you could build a pretty nice spread on an acre or two for sure in these areas. $600K in some places in and close to Austin may get you a 60' or 70' lot and you have to build up to get the square footage.  Plus many of these areas are still years away from being incorporated by the closest cites, so you will knock off a few grand off your tax bill.

[texasdago 7775]

3 hours ago, thrillhammer said:

you haven't answered any questions about where you work or what you do or what your commute would be like.  Houston sucks, is prone to flooding, humidity, sinking, and carcinogens.  Austin is prone to none of those things but has probably just as bad of traffic.  if you think you're escaping bumper to bumper by moving to Austin, stay in Houston.  cost of living is also something you should consider.  housing in Austin is way more than Houston.  dripping springs is not the solution. 

I did... its buried in my babbling.  I can work wherever I want.  Its nice to have an office though so I would probably look at some kind of office set up but, yes, I can work from home.

 

For sure, being closer to San Antonio seems to make more sense but, again, have to convince the wife.  I think I have to be strategic on how I do this and provide various options.  Our part of town is also still recovering from Harvey (like another poster, our house had not flooded in 58 years until Harvey came along) so I need market prices to tick up a bit.  We bought 18 years ago so either way, we're ahead.  We're also in a 2400 sq ft house with SBISD schools... I'm fine staying in that sq footage size.  Not sure about my wife.  

 

Time will tell.  Sitting in Austin now.  Don't want to go back.  

[texasdago 7775]

1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

You will be ok in the Hill Country if you don't live in a usual area where it floods which in most cases are rivers or creeks. Everything  drains down hill and because you only have to dig a few inches and you hit rock, other than the grass and brush being greener it will look like it hardly rained after a good soaker a couple of days later.  

You need to take your wife on a good tour of the areas I suggested.   Show her La Cantera  and The Rim which on the NW side of SA and close to Boerne.   Show her how close it is to other shopping on Northside of SA like Northstar Mall, New Braunfels and  the San Marcos Outlets.    There are many cool places to eat and hang out in these areas to such as Gruene.  Plus she will be close to Austin and SA for the other stuff that would be important for you big people from H-Town like two airports with some international connections, etc.  

And for 600K you could build a pretty nice spread on an acre or two for sure in these areas. $600K in some places in and close to Austin may get you a 60' or 70' lot and you have to build up to get the square footage.  Plus many of these areas are still years away from being incorporated by the closest cites, so you will knock off a few grand off your tax bill.

Good ideas.  Thanks!

Yeah, you tend to know the flash flood prone areas and what to avoid unlike Houston where almost anything is fair game flooding wise.  I'm fine not living next to water - even being near a lake, I'm OK if we're further away from the water.  I'm close enough to the bayou know as it is.  I've had enough.

Poking around, something like this would do the trick for me personally and still not too far 

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/29375979_zpid/30.449525,-97.752614,30.399937,-97.811322_rect/13_zm/1_fr/

Or stretch and get something like this

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/58299795_zpid/globalrelevanceex_sort/30.401288,-97.752078,30.376485,-97.781432_rect/14_zm/0_mmm/

Edited July 4, 2019 by texasdago

[KaiserSoze 1019]

You like to travel, correct? Keep in kind that for what you're used to living in Houston, air travel out of Austin fucking blows comparatively. Nowhere near as many direct flights, flights are noticeably more expensive, and it takes a lot fucking longer to get to your destination (connections).

Quality restaurant options are a beating here too comparatively.

It's all good if you realize/acknowledge you're giving up a lot of world class options to live in a place you find more aesthetically pleasing, but you'll always notice it.

Also, it takes a long time to get accustomed to the lack of diversity here. Actually, it never feels normal- you'll always notice the deficiency after living in Houston.

Edited July 4, 2019 by KaiserSoze

[texasdago 7775]

Just now, KaiserSoze said:

You like to travel, correct? Keep in kind that for what you're used to living in Houston, air travel out of Austin fucking blows comparatively. Nowhere near as many direct flights, flights are noticeably more expensive, ane takes a lot fucking longer to get to your destination (connections).

Quality restaurant options are a beating here too comparatively.

It's all good if you realize/acknowledge you're giving up a lot of world class options to love in a place you find more aesthetically pleasing, but you'll always notice it.

Yeah, its funny we were talking about this earlier today.  At least its getting better with direct flights from Austin with Lufthansa and BA.  That's a big help.  Also, don't think United gives good fares to Houstonians. They like to bend us over on a regular basis and I know people who will drive to Austin to take a flight (even connecting through Houston) to get a much cheaper fare.  Austin has definitely improved food-wise, too.  Houston smokes Austin, yes, but it has improved.   At least I won't miss most of the Italian food in Houston because Italian food in Houston mostly blows.

You know where I grew up and I now live about 3.5 miles from there... the good thing is that prices will bounce back and since we did buy 18 years ago, if they make it back to pre-Harvey #s, we can sell the house for about 350% what we paid for it.  That makes a swap from Houston to Austin much easier.  I go in with much more cash to do it.  

[KaiserSoze 1019]

I'd also seriously consider the San Antonio-ish areas people have recommended. SA is a lot of fun these days, it's very underrated.

Re: Austin air travel- those extra travel options are in their very early days- it still generally sucks. That said, I still have a shit ton of miles w/United I've never used because they're worthless living here. 

Edited July 4, 2019 by KaiserSoze

[futureman 22756]

14 hours ago, texasdago said:

Anyway, once Harvey impacted us

it was a 500 year storm.  maybe 1,000.  it’s almost guaranteed not to happen again while you’re there.  don’t uproot your family, stay in houston. 

[Hate 20287]

As someone who moved to the Houston area from Austin, I have absolutely no desire to move back to Austin. I would move to north SA before I’d even consider moving back to Austin. It’s not the same place I left in 2007. Every time I go back it’s less and less sleepy little town and more and more cosmopolitan metropolis without the benefits.

 

[Thetexashammer 1062]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

 At least I won't miss most of the Italian food in Houston because Italian food in Houston mostly blows.

The "Italian" food is outstanding if you have lots of money. But the real Italian food sucks because is doesn't exist. Food scene in Houston is much better.

Olive Garden is not Italian food. They have lots of Olive Garden.

Edited July 4, 2019 by Thetexashammer

[jimmyjazz 47401]

If flight selection is a big deal, then consider SE of Austin (Smithville, Bastrop, etc.).  That way it's not a bad drive to the Houston airport.

I'm not sure if any of the schools in those small towns are worth a damn, though.  Probably not.

[HenryJames 67615]

What about Pampa?

[immamac 44463]

You talk about the hill country then post a bunch of links to houses in Austin. 

I don't really see a reason for you to move to Austin other than an itch you think you need to scratch. 650k IN Austin proper gets you a horrible experience and property taxes that are way too high. Closer to 900k gets you what you probably want and basically doesn't make any financial sense for anyone making less than 300k/yr in their household. 

Austin has some good restaurants, but they are all overpriced. The traffic is complete garbage and the infrastructure is strained to a point where fixing it makes it worse almost every time. There's no world class anything in Austin, except the school. 

One thing that people fail to mention about Austin is how crowded it is - there's lines for everything now. Coffee, gas, groceries, restaurants you name it there's probably a line for it at all the establishments in the downtown area (what people think of when they say "Austin") 

Now if you want to move to the hill country it's fucking dope, but it's a totally different life that is close enough in proximity to Austin to scratch an itch, but not really be part of the madness. 

[futureman 22756]

barksdale is pretty nice.  or leakey.  not crowded there. 

[Bottlecap 1523]

Here's what I know for sure about dripping springs: 1) Excellent schools, high achieving, and a good superintendent. 2) probably the one of the highest rates of breweries per capita in the US, with one of them rated one of the best in the world.  Do it.

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

8 hours ago, KaiserSoze said:

You like to travel, correct? Keep in kind that for what you're used to living in Houston, air travel out of Austin fucking blows comparatively. Nowhere near as many direct flights, flights are noticeably more expensive, and it takes a lot fucking longer to get to your destination (connections).

Quality restaurant options are a beating here too comparatively.

It's all good if you realize/acknowledge you're giving up a lot of world class options to live in a place you find more aesthetically pleasing, but you'll always notice it.

Also, it takes a long time to get accustomed to the lack of diversity here. Actually, it never feels normal- you'll always notice the deficiency after living in Houston.

If  TexasDago plans on doing a bunch of international travel on any domestic airline other than United,  he'd still have to connect at DFW, Philly, Miami,  or LAX for American and Atlanta or MSP for Delta and even on United (because IAH doesn't have direct flight to all international destinations) , Chicago or Newark.  It's the same song out of SAT or ABIA on the same domestic airlines.    But yes they do have a ton of  international airlines to choose from at IAH.  

At least at ABIA, you can now fly direct to Europe on two airlines and make one connection over there.   And it won't be long until ABIA has an Asian airline to offer the same.  

And this is what I might do when we move up that way and start doing a bunch of international travel..... I'll just drive to IAH or DFW since most of those flights especially to the Asia leave at night anyway.    

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

8 hours ago, futureman said:

it was a 500 year storm.  maybe 1,000.  it’s almost guaranteed not to happen again while you’re there.  don’t uproot your family, stay in houston. 

The once every 10 years or so storms can be just as headache to clean up from and rebuild.   Recall Tropical Storm Allison which hit Houston in 2001?    It was the most talked about weather event in Houston until Harvey a decade and some change later.  

 

[Eggo 4026]

Just dropping in to say that I moved to San Antonio 2 years ago after 6 years in Austin. Yes, Austin has more instagrammable spots and a world-class swimming hole in Barton Springs, but most of the things that made Austin "cool" for me wore off after a couple years. It's hard to get around, real estate is a knife fight, and you have to deal with some obscure festival every other weekend. 

I do miss the Austin vibe and I still come up for work every week, but I don't miss the claustrophobia that comes from gridlock at every hour of the day. San Antonio has great food, really nice neighborhoods, and it has the infrastructure to continue growing for years to come. One thing I wish it had - a decent light rail system...but who am I kidding? This is Texas.

[KaiserSoze 1019]

3 hours ago, immamac said:

One thing that people fail to mention about Austin is how crowded it is - there's lines for everything now. Coffee, gas, groceries, restaurants you name it there's probably a line for it at all the establishments in the downtown area (what people think of when they say "Austin") 

Fucking this- spot on- JFC just trying to run the simplest errand or grab breakfast can turn into a 3-hour shit show with how crowded everything is... lines at the gas stations are a fairly common thing now (fortunately I only go once a month or so)... they should start stationing bands at the gas stations now. 

Edited July 4, 2019 by KaiserSoze

[bluto 5000]

i felt that line/crowd crunch even back in 2014, just kill a lot of the fun vibe of living there.  and claustrophobia is the word I'd use as well. really amazing how far away 10 miles feels in Austin compared to any other big city in Tx

 

[tx 3 putt 78915]

a cousin of mine recently bought 20 acres between NB and Canyon Lake, and damn it's great out there. 

close to SA and Austin. NB has come a long way. 

[KaiserSoze 1019]

i felt that line/crowd crunch even back in 2014, just kill a lot of the fun vibe of living there.  and claustrophobia is the word I'd use as well. really amazing how far away 10 miles feels in Austin compared to any other big city in Tx
 

Yep, it has been that way for quite a while. Like imamac said, nobody ever really mentions that aspect in these threads.

[jimmyjazz 47401]

I don't think I've encountered a line at a gas station in months.  I usually fill up either at Mesa & Spicewood Springs, Burnet near Steck, or Koenig near Lamar. 

'Where the hell are you people (YOU PEOPLE) finding all these lines?