Things to Consider Before Making Your Move
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5/7/2013
I have lived in Austin for the last two years. Before that, Phoenix, a Houston suburb, an Alabama beach town, a small city in north Alabama, and a tiny village in Louisiana; so my previous living experiences have varied in size, location, and culture, which I think allows me to be relatively unbiased in my review. Austin's motto is Keep Austin Weird. If you are Southern or Texan, you will likely agree that Austin is "weird". However, if you are from a similar sized (or larger) city in the western U.S., Austin will probably seem pretty normal. What makes us "weird" is that we are a very liberal culture right in the center of Texas, a highly reserved, republican state. Compared to typical Texan and Southern culture, we are very green (plastic bag bans and such); yet West coasters find us to be wasteful (poor public transportation system). The city is a good manageable size regarding layout and population, however, we seem to have really long red-lights, no HOV lanes, limited public transportation, hence a traffic problem if you are an 8-5er. Austin is known as on "outdoors" city, but it may not be what you're thinking. We have a handful of very nice (but overcrowded) parks, lots of biking trails and bike lanes, and lots of places to rent canoes. In Arizona, I was used to each subdivision offering 4-5 playgrounds with an abundance of basketball and tennis courts. Very little of that here unless you live in an apartment. In Louisiana and Alabama, lots of places to go camping on the lake/river. Not much of that either. However, Zilker park is amazing. It has a top-notch playground, an outdoor movie theater, a place to swim and canoe, bike trails, and even a small train. So, we do have a few really nice outdoorsy areas, but having such a limited number of places makes for crowds. And it is really hot here (this coming from someone who lived in the desert for 5 years). Downtown is a fun, cool little area. Parking is expensive, the lightrail quits running at midnight, and cabs are expensive. But, other than the transportation issue, I can't say enough good things about downtown. It is a manageable size for a night out on the town. Not too big that you're overwhelmed, not too small that you get bored. Tons of places to eat and drink and most all of them have live music. Picture a very neat, clean, modernized New Orleans. Complete with the horsedrawn carriages and rooftop bands. Economically, it is expensive to live here. Housing is the main expense. Utilities are reasonable, but certainly not cheap. I am an accountant, so I am comparing the wages I made in other places verses what I make here, and then comparing the housing I could afford with the pay I made in each area. Out of all of the places I have lived, I have a lot less disposable income living here in Austin. Regarding schools, you need to really do your research before moving your family here. The Round Rock and Leander school district have really high ratings, however, in my opinion, good test scores do not mean good schools. My daughter goes to a tiny elementary school and it is fantastic. The teachers are attentive, classes are small, and they always have a lot of fun educational things going on. But, as the children get older (middle and high school), the schools are a lot bigger, have a lot less discipline and structure, and I don't think they prepare our kids for the real world. Yes, we ace our TAKS and STAR tests, but, students can go to school for 4 weeks and do absolutely nothing, and the teachers are required to give them a chance to make up all of their work, do bonus work (which is never as hard as the original assignment), and anything else they can do to pass a child, so they can spend the last two weeks "earning" their C. If a teacher fails a child, they are reprimanded and can lose their job. So, they give the kids every opportunity to make a C in all of their classes. To some, this is a good thing, but I don't think it is preparing our children for college at all. There are no do-overs when you have a real job. Either you do what you are supposed to or you are fired. The school system is not preparing our children for this fact. There is one school in Austin ISD that is very good, it is ranked as one of the top 100 schools in the U.S., but to live in that district, you have to be ready to spend at least $600K on your house. So, for me, I don't think Austin was the best choice to raise my family. However, if I had to do my early 20s/college years over again, Austin would definitely be a top pick. If you're young and single, it's a great place, you can rent a room for $500 a month just about anywhere in the city, there's lots of fun things to do, and you can get a decent education at UT. But, when you're ready to settle down and raise a family, I would reconsider. That is, unless you are independently wealthy and can afford an expensive home and private school. Good luck with your move!
mandy | Jollyville, TX