Tell me about Texas (Austin).

[Kawidude]

So a few years ago my wife and I thought about making the move from California to Texas. The cost of housing, schools and daycare are still pretty insane out here. My sister-in-law and her husband are contemplating a move to the Austin area and are really pushing us to go with them. At this point, we're just not ready to make a move like that. But I'm interested to see what you Texas natives or transplants have to say about the Austin area (other than the fact that you don't want any more Kalifornians moving in). ;)

Housing prices are obviously MUCH better than in Cali and the schools in the area seem to be really good. But what is the normal, everyday life like out there. Just curious, for now.

 

[mojonito]

austin is hands down the best city in texas with san antonio a close second. it is very modern, progressive, and beautiful. lots goods restaurants, lots or really cool hip areas, it is liberal, gas is cheap (compared to california). i can't say enough good things about austin.

as far as riding is concerned i can't say much. i didn't ride dirt when i lived there but i know there is a few tracks and riding areas within an hours drive. there is a a trials course with in the city (emma long park) but i am not sure if you can ride dirt bikes there. great place for twenty to fourty somethings to be because it offers so much.

i base my opinions off of living all over texas, montana, florida, and northern california (texan at heart, though).

 

[tracetrimble]

I ride my old RM250 around Emma Long (City Park) all the time. Weird thing is I'm actually faster on my mountain bike, but we can get around it in under an hour now on the dirtbikes.

Austin is great, but the dirtbiking scene is NOTHING like Cali. There are a few tracks, a couple have some trails, but there are basicall no public OHV areas other than CP. Check out www.texasoffroad.net for much more info.

 

[BadgerMan]

it is liberal

Sounds like California without the ocean...............

 

[Okiewan]

It's liberal in that it's a college town .... lot's o' hippie prof's and poor muscians running around :) It offsets the hard core cities of DFW and Houston nicely, lol.

Hell of a music / club scene and of course the bats under the bridge.

Of the big cities in Texas, I'd live there though! Love the surrounding hill country, the weather. Nice place. Cost of living? It'll make you forget Cali pretty quickly, granted no mountains or ocean, state parks and the other cool stuff about Cali.

 

[Patman]

I'll chime in later this evening....

 

[Kawidude]

Cost of living was one of the big questions I had. Sounds like it might not be too bad? Just thinking about gas, electricity, etc.

 

[Okiewan]

Cost of living vs Cali?
Assuming Salinas is close to you and similar, homefair.com's salary calculator says that if you make 100K there, it would take 65K to equal it in Austin. It would be even greater if it was based on a suburb or surrounding area of Austin.

More info here: http://www.austin-chamber.org/dobusiness/GreaterAustinProfile/costs.html

 

[HajiWasAPunk]

I don't know anything about Austin, but if cheaper than Cali cost of living is a primary criteria, you've got about 48 other states to choose from :).

 

[Patman]

I think how much somebody might like a place is directly proportional to how much they like where they are. Other factors such as family, friends and stuff I’m sure plays a factor as well but I REALLY like the central Texas area. I say central Texas because unlike many places in Texas it’s nothing to have a 30 mile commute and 60 is a lot more common than you’d think. Since your are typically not sitting on 12 lanes of bumper to bumper it’s really not a big deal.

I’ve never been to Cali and really don’t have much desire to go Houston and Dallas are close enough to big city for me. Back when the first influx of Cali evacuees hit Austin it was a lot smaller, housing was A LOT cheaper and things were a lot more laid back. That was around 1986-87. Today it’s still got to be cheaper but it’s not bargain city.

Gas is around $2.82-$2.93ish for regular (today).
State inspection depending which county you live in will be $12-$28.
Vehicle registration has a lot of variables but my 2000 F250 diesel is about $75 per year.
A house in central Austin pretty much starts around $450K but you are IN the city. If you want to go to the ‘burbs a very nice 3,000sf home on a typical subdivision lot can be had for $180K and maybe a bit less. If you want land well that’s a whole different ball game! If you are OK with an average school district and a 45 minute drive then maybe $5K per acre for 10ac or less is possible. If you want a premium school district you’ll look at pretty easily 4-5 times that.

Depending what you want to do there are different areas around Austin you might choose. You like the water? Lake Travis area, generally more expensive. You like more farm land type views and some great riding? Bastrop is the place and is significantly more affordable. If you really dig sitting in traffic then either Leander or Kyle (north or south) is your place.

Stuff to do? Think it up and it’s very possible there is a club, group or event for it. Music is HUGE here! ANY KIND! You like to shop? There are outlet malls north and south plus several enclosed ones as well. Want to be an extra in a movie? Enjoy wine making/tasting? Extend your education? Enter a kite flying competition? Road bike? Mt. bike? Water ski? Canoe? Golf? Tennis? What about a fest dedicated to all things Spam (as in potted pork meat)? Austin is a very out door place!

Red necks are outnumbered these days. Still lots of flower children with a good dose of Cali and east coasters. It’s a lot harder to run across a rattle snake than it used to be. Fire ants are easy to find.

If you ride trials there are several great places and a very good group of guys that do it. Off-road / hare scramble rider? Got a GREAT club! MXer? There are more tracks than there used to be and more being proposed.. Emma Long Park aka City Park has a riding area that can be ridden on an off-road bike but it is very technical and will eat your tire. Still great fun though! Not a lot of shops but all the major brands are covered and there are a few other stores that cater such as Cycle Gear.

It gets hot for a loooong time in the summer. It CAN get pretty cold too but not for weeks on end. I’ve seen ice and snow on Christmas day but usually am in shorts or maybe jeans. It doesn’t rain often but when it does we can get some really heavy weather with high winds, hail and massive rain but it’s typically a very short duration event (a couple hours tops). There is crime like many places but I think for the most part it’s a pretty safe place because concealed carry is legal and people think Austin is still sort of wild west without the cactus and vast desert. We also seem to have some pretty aggressive police forces as they more often than not are in the news for excessive force or profiling or some other “excessive” type enforcement.

For me I really enjoy living here (30 miles west in Spicewood).

 

[Kawidude]

Thanks for all the info everyone (especially you Patman!). I'm passing all of this along to my sister-in-law to read through. Austin sounds like a wonderful place and I could definitely get used to the constant live music. She's actually looking at places in Round Rock, which I believe is just Northeast of Austin. Any more info would be welcomed here! Thanks again!

 

[Patman]

Round Rock is a northern suburb. MASSIVE growth there in the past 10 years. The roads get a bit more backed up there but I'm sure it's still a breeze compared to what she is use to.

Live music at many many venues every night is the norm. It was at a fever pitch when SRV was rising but is still very big. We don't have a ton of super high end resturants but there is a very broad spectrum of excellent choices.

Come on over we can always use more dirt bikers!

 

[GETMETOCA]

Humidity. Nuf Said.

 

[Okiewan]

Fire, earthquakes... 'Nuf said.

Yeah, that (not) humidity is worth living in a 900 sq. foot, half million dollar trailer with a 100 year mortgage. LOL.

PLEASE all Cali people.... STAY THERE. We're all good with how sweet your lives are, no need to bring it here :p , we'll just suffer along with our pitiful selves and be too stupid to move to Cali :rotfl:

 

[rickyd]

Wannabe Texans, Nuf said :laugh:

 

[Okiewan]

Damn the cryptic rickyd replies.

 

[Okiewan]

Oh yeah, I forgot... Stay there. It's paradise. It sucks over here.

 

[MrLuckey]

Mmm yeah, no ocean, no mountains and maybe 5% of the riding acreage of SoCal alone lol. Not to mention a shortened riding season, humidity and yes they still have traffic.

One definite bonus is no state income taxes!

I 'believe' their sales tax is higher to compensate for part of that though, it used to be about 10 years ago anyway.

PS - I lived in Texas for 5 years, if you can afford to stay in Cali - do it!

 

[rickyd]

Damn the cryptic rickyd replies.

A good friend of mine at work was born and raised in Texas, DFW area.. He always brags how Texas is better than Cali, yada yada yada, I call him a Wannabe Texan, tell him he should go back if its so much better.. All in good fun :) Oh yeah, he's 100% deaf and we still argue LOL

 

[Okiewan]

Riding area is great... as long as you are willing to have CRAP for a home and riding is more important to your family, yup, you need to live in Cali. Rock on, it's a beautiful place.

Riding is a hobby, living is real to me. If I wanted my family to live outside, yeah, Cali would be a serious choice. As it is, I like to have a nice home for them to live in.

Taxes? Uh... theres no state income tax in Texas.

next.

 

[MrLuckey]

Ummm yeah - didn't I just say that Okie?

What makes you think we all have crap for homes? Come for a visit and then make a judgement lmao. You should get out more!

NEXT lol

 

[Okiewan]

A good friend of mine at work was born and raised in Texas, DFW area.. He always brags how Texas is better than Cali, yada yada yada, I call him a Wannabe Texan, tell him he should go back if its so much better.. All in good fun :) Oh yeah, he's 100% deaf and we still argue LOL

Dude, if the guy was born here, he aint no wannabe ... I on the otherhand I AM a wannabe, I was born one state too north. It just took me a little longer to get here.

 

[rickyd]

Wow Crap for homes.. Why the Hatred? LOL

 

[Okiewan]

Ummm yeah - didn't I just say that Okie?

What makes you think we all have crap for homes? Come for a visit and then make a judgement lmao. You should get out more!

NEXT lol

Edward...
Come on bro. Do you own it or do ya rent it?

Get out more? Man, I've had to travel the US so much I could puke. I spent 10 years traveling all over this place, 2 weeks out of every month. I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to end up.. thanks :nod:

 

[MrLuckey]

Nope, and I didn't own the home I lived in in Texas either. Your point is?

Let me guess, it's way more expensive to buy a house in Cali right?

You are correct, but as you know a home investment can be very worthy. For many its the best return on investment they make. I know many here who some would say bought overpriced homes for $350k 5-6 years ago and they are now worth $700k plus. They've made more on their homes than the income from their jobs!

NEXT