SperlingViews - Austin, Texas

I'm from Houston, but, have spent the last almost 6 years living in first Lakeway (scenic burb on Lake Travis - 45 minutes from Austin) and now, right outside of the city of Austin in a home in the new Mueller development. I also spent several years living in Denver, CO and I have traveled extensively locally and abroad (London and Paris). Saying I am simply 'frustrated' with Austin would be a severe understatement by this point. Being born and raised in a real city filled with culture, diversity and a myriad of entertainment and job opportunities to say I experienced 'reverse culture shock' after I married and moved out to Lakeway would also be a drastic understatement. There is NOTHING to do either here in Austin, or, in Lakeway if you don't own a boat, or, Love partying (drinking+) out on 4th/6th. Oh, and the + does mean drugs. Most people here are '420' friendly, - you'll learn that term after living here for just a little while. Potheads/druggies, - the city is filled with them. It goes with the long hair and 'body-art'. These people think they are "cool", - if you're an adult with a real life and don't feel the need for tats and body-piercings you might not 'fit-in'. Austin people are not "Weird" they are druggies/alcoholics who are insecure and have emotional issues, - thus the need for all the body-art, etc. They are not "Real" hippies from the 70's like they would like to wish/think that they are because the Real hippies from the 70's had a CAUSE. These idiots have no cause other than trying too hard to look/be 'cool'. One also must be extremely inventive to find entertainment options in this city. I am caucasian, but, I am used to diversity. The only way I can describe living out in Lakeway for my first 2.5 years out here is that it felt like a very eerie version of a cross between: The Stepford Wives and The movie "Saved!". Throw in the fact that it was almost entirely White and the attitude in the area could only be described as that of "upscale country snobbery." My then Jewish husband and I bought an absolutely stunning home on 1/3 of an acre with hill-country views, huge patios, and a pool. I thought we'd be happy living there but I was sadly mistaken. I'm Christian and thought it would be nice to attend church occasionally. My Jewish husband was gracious enough to attend with me. I felt like punching the Pastor's face in when he told my husband and I that he would 'love to have a Jewish person in his congregation IF he had converted to Christianity." We were NOT welcomed with open arms. We moved from Houston where our social life had been rich and fulfilling and in almost 3-years we lived in Lakeway I can honestly say that we did not make even 1 real friend in the entire area! We ended up renting the beautiful home to a family who ended up totally trashing it. We had to put tons of $$ into fixing it up and ended up selling it for a fraction of it's worth because of the housing crash that affected every burb outside of the city of Austin. Fast forward to my time in Austin. My home in Mueller has appreciated over 130k with the renovations we've put into it after we bought it. People keep moving to Austin from CA because they are Stupid! Lol. At least I'll get my $+ back out of this house when I sell it this summer and move back to Houston. After 5-years of marriage and perhaps a lot of the stress that my soon to be ex and I have experienced living in this "lovely" city. I can now give you my view on city life from the perspective of an attractive, fit, single mother in her mid-thirties: 1. There are NO jobs here. I never had a difficult time finding work in Houston. I am educated and willing/wanting to go back to work after being a stay at home mother. I can not find a job here. Your competition for jobs here are a myriad of newly educated UT students who are wiling to work for nothing so they can keep their Austin party lifestyle for a few more years, and, all the people moving here from CA fighting each other tooth and nail for work, but, I've found that if you are not "In" here, - well-connected, you grew up here and/or went to UT, or, you have friends all over the city, - you will find lots of closed doors. This place is extremely cliquish in every sense. 2. The dating scene is HORRIBLE. I'm 'almost' embarrassed to admit that I dated someone who was 24 and graduating from UT. Unfortunately, he had to move away to take a job elsewhere after he graduated (not many Jobs here, remember?). I met him out on 6th Street one night out with girlfriends (imagine that)! I look like I'm 30-ish so the age difference didn't 'feel' like that big of a deal. He was an athlete, educated, - great! although around 10-years Too young for me, but, This is the dating pool in Austin. Outside of this, - there is not much else. Only a bunch of grown-up babies in their mid-30's to early 40's partying out on 6th street every weekend because there is Not a whole lot else to do around here! The people you will meet are Techies, work for the university, or, will be state-employed, or, in real-estate, or, a starving artist or musician. If you are Lucky, you'll find a doctor or lawyer but remember, - this is a relatively Small city with limited opportunities and a large % of people here are struggling to make a living. I did internet dating for a while and I have to say I met the oddest, most disturbing people through it. These men 'appear' to be normal, - they are in their 30's-40's - a lot of them live in lofts out on 6th - (alcoholics)?? Don't be fooled by the facade, - all it took was 1-date and a bit of conversing to realize that perhaps Austin just puts out an odd product as far as eligible "men" go. I am done with internet dating, not looking to meet another UT student necessarily out on 6th. I have no idea how to meet anyone of substance in this "town". 3. So, no jobs, the dating scene is truly depressing, and, not much to do. NO Pro-sports. NO real art/museum district, No opera, for being 'the music capitol of the world, - not too many large places to see concerts so when someone famous does come to town it sells out very quickly. Popular music venues here have dirt floors (Stubb's), - you can't see the band and they are dirty. Everything from here looks like it is right out of the 1970's including the horrible Children's Museum. AISD Schools are terrible. If you want your child to get a decent education then you must live in Lakeway (aka Stepford), Steiner Ranch (another Stepford area located 45 minutes from the city), Westlake (extremely expensive)!! Which brings me to housing, - it is a joke. I almost can not believe that all of these people are paying the $$ to buy these little "Boxes" in and around the city that is also a Joke. There are a few festivals here, - ACL (best I've been to by far)! SXSW (Crazy, crazy crowded, - not even worth attending), the Zilker Park Kite Festival (Wow, I took my 3-year old and could barely make it in - the bus transportation was so bad and we waited over 2-hours to get there, - no one could get into the area driving/even taxis didn't want to go around it). All for a Kite Fest with very expensive, yucky food I might add! Austin is a joke. The people who live here are totally full of themselves and this joke of a city that they very strangely fiercely protect. I am a Houstonian and if I ever told another Houstonian. Ya, I love H-town, but, you know, it also sucks. We would have a good laugh together and talk about all the pros and cons of living in the city (as every city does have pros and cons). However, if you tell someone who lives in Austin that you think Austin Sucks they were typically get offended and start an argument with you about how the city is a "Golden Mecca" in the middle of a Texan dump. The attitude around here is disturbing and barely tolerable. The term Austintatious did not come from no where). Google it if you are thinking of moving here and think intently as to whether or not this is the type of attitude that you want to live amongst. The people who live here and think it's so great are either very young (and do not know any better), or, they are moving here from a much smaller city (and don't know any better), or, they are from California. A handful of people move here from Houston and the ones who love it and stay are the people who simply do not need and/or appreciate life on a larger scale which Houston offers, - they are people with smaller mentalities. There is a huge population of international people living in Houston (which I love) but some people do not. It makes them uncomfortable so they move here. Well, I am uncomfortable living around those people who are uncomfortable and that's why I can' wait to sell this house and move home! I used to Love visiting Austin for a long weekend as everything special that can be done and seen here can be done in 1-long weekend: Lunch at the Oasis, jet-skiing on Lake Travis, canoeing on Town Lake, and going out on 4th/6th Street. One weekend. Done. Then back to a real life in the real world. I loved living in Denver. There was so much to see and do there. Every major attraction under the sun. Skiing and outdoor living in abundance. There is none of that here. No major attractions. This city feels lifeless to me. I don't think I'll come back to Austin even to spend a weekend for a really long time after I move home. Living here has killed it for me. The traffic in Austin is the WORST in the State of Texas and I read an article that it is now officially the 3rd worse US city for traffic in the US! I heard that the idiots who originally ran this city thought that if they gave the $$ that they were granted for road and highway improvement over to San Antonio instead of improving ours that people just would not move here. It's those same idiots who later hired the best PR firm in the Universe to deem us "The Live Music Capitol of the World???" You've got to be kidding!! And "Keep Austin Weird". Well, Austin is damn weird because now everyone keeps moving here but no one can get anywhere once they are here because they are all stuck in traffic!!! I know I am not the only person who feels this way. Other people feel that way too. Anyone truly 'different' here stands out like a sore-thumb/not in a good way, - the people at my son's prestigious/stuck-up little enrichment program all turn their noses up at me because I've divorced and am now a single mother. I can see the disdain in their eyes and voices and even though my little boy is extremely intelligent, well-adjusted, and happy in spite of my divorce the director of the school tried to tell me 'he will have emotional problems' because of my divorce. Take your opinion and shove it up your a@@ is what I felt like telling her, but instead, - I bit my tongue. Something I find myself doing often living here. Sharing my opinion on this site feels great though! :)) Once I hurt my leg at the gym and limped around the grocery store around 10pm one night shopping afterwards. I got the $#@! scared out of me when a grocery store cop followed me out to my car after I left the store and said that people thought I had maybe been drinking because I seemed 'distant' and was walking funny. I was going through a divorce and didn't feel like making small talk with the cashier and because I was limping they thought I was drunk! I was so scared when that strange man approached my car window at night. I should have driven off and hit him with my car but instead I had to convince him that I slightly twisted my ankle at the gym and didn't feel like socializing with his employees?!! I could almost not believe it. People around here are busy-bodies. They are so bored - everyone is in each other's business too. I HATE living here and can't wait sell this Big Stucco Box I bought out here for a huge profit to some idiot moving here from Cali and go home!!!!!!!!!!! [read more...]

There really not a whole of nice things to say about Austin Tx but the pros about Austin is that is a nice city compare to other cities in Texas and Austin is a whole lot nicer than EL Paso and San Antonio. Downtown Austin is very nice because of things to do and a nice park around the lake. The weather is only nice a few months out of a year and that during the winter. Nov,Feb and March is nice weather months. The cons are that the weather here is terrible here during the summer time and its starts in May until middle of Sept. Its gets very hot and humid and not as much rain and the last five summers has been hotter and drier than normal.Hopefully the rain will come back this summer but is very likely that summer is going to be a problem with lack of rain. Drought is a big problem here, it may be rainy a lot during the winter and spring but drought always manage to come back. Some areas of Austin is very bad and run down like east Austin. Traffic is awful here and getting worse every year. The traffic lights here is a joke because its like a three year old has set up these traffic signals to control the traffic. The roads are not very well lay out to control traffic because its not wide enough and needs an extra lane and a turning lane is needed near the traffic signals. All the roads here are too small to handle a large volume of traffic. If you look at Phoenix Az and compare the street there in Phoenix is a whole lot better in Phoenix because Phoenix has a larger streets with more lanes and a much better Traffic signals. Phoenix is a much bigger city than Austin but I notice its easier to drive in Phoenix than Austin because its so easy to get around. Austin has a terrible roads that traffic is so bad here. I-35 is horrible going both directions because its three lanes in Downtown and getting on and off is hard sometimes its an old design from the 50's. Housing market is not so great but its might a little better than its has been. Not very much sight seeing leaving out of Austin and its looks rather boring. There are very rude drivers everywhere here in Austin and they get right up your car rear bumper if you are going the speed limit or even a little over speed limit and people drive pretty bad here well I guess its because the roads are not big enough that people gets very frustrated. People here are not very friendly and nice and but there are some very nice people around don't get me wrong. I am fixing to move out of Austin to Bend Oregon this summer because I want to live in a small city with only 85000 people and plus the weather in Oregon is so much more comfortable than Texas weather. In Oregon there a lot of sight seeing and ocean is near by and the its blue not brown like the gulf of Mexico. Its time for me to move on and say good bye to Austin Tx and seven years of Austin is enough.[read more...]

Austin is very near enough to the Texas Hill Country, the Coastal Plains, and red soil piney woods of East Texas to receive pollen from plants growing in all of these climates. In fact, several of the major companies that compete in the allergy treatment and relief markets have product testing facilities here. If you do not already have allergy problems, move here and you soon will have. This is the complaint of many people who never before experienced allergies until they moved to Austin. And according to these people, the problems persist after you leave. [read more...]

Apartment occumpancy is at 98% causing rent cost to increase drastically. We are at a 6 month inventory overall higher in suburbs and lower in central area. A 6 month inventory is a neutrul market meaning niether a buyers or sellers market. I find the suburbs are still a buyers market with the central area shifting to a sellers market as I am finding many multiple offers at list or above on listing located centrally. With the low rates, loosening up a bit from the banks on lending, and prices still not increasing yet, now before the summer rush is a good time to buy. Warren Buffet said he would buy as many single family units as he could and I have to agree. [read more...]

I live in a suburb of Austin. Leander. There are a lot of suburbs around Austin. All usually 15 miles from Austin. It is very centralized area. I love Austin and grew up here. Left and returned to a different type of city. As a child I enjoyed all the fun and FREE family activities to do downtown (ie. kite festival, trail of lights, xmas tree pole, bun runs, bmx ing, water parades on the lake, etc.) well that has changed since I moved back. For one; we have lost a lot of FREE things to do here (due to economy). We do have UT (University of TEXAS) campus downtown and it is BIG! Very friendly hipsters and uppity hip people. Austin is about ART and MUSIC (LIVE). We have SXSW (South by Southwest)& ACL (Austin City Limits) every year. They are pricey to go to but worth the cost. All though the last 2 years we have had a lot of arrest for violent crimes. The people are Texas friendly; however; the last years' have brought in a different type of crowd that has kind of ruined Austin Hippie Lifestyle on which it was built on. You have people from CA and Louisiana that have seeked refuge here for homes and work. They are defiantly different and all the CA based designers and $$ have brought with them the idea that they to can change Austin/Dallas into California. Because of this; the traffic is worse than LA! There is no friendly atmosphere.. it is all a rat race.. takes about 1 - 1 and 1/2 hours to get across the river to different parts of the city and outlining counties. The roads are always jammed pack full of raging cars (as well as drivers). Road Rage is high here. After Katrina hit we had an onslaught of refugees that fled LA. They brought a lot of crime and they too cannot drive! All-though most have moved out of Austin area; they mostly have relocated to Houston and San Antonio, College Station as it is closer to LA. Thank Goodness! But I really despise the CA $$ that has bum-rushed Austin! + for all you people wanting to know what the school systems are like. Crappy! in Austin (AISD). High drop-out rates and low test scores. No Perry did not make our educational system better.. it has been this way since I went to school here. There are pockets of good school districts (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, Lakeway and anything west Austin (high end areas) where famous people live).. Cost of living is cheaper than CA, Nevada, anything west coast or east coast (NYC) but it is high here and taxes are high. 8.25%. NO personal property taxes though.. just federal filing on IRS. They do have good Disabled Veteran benefits in homestead taxes, and other things, educational assistance, workforce assistance, VA health care system. With that being said - Austin is a lot of fun with a rich and full history.. for a few bucks you can go down to Zilker Park and ride the small train and go swimming in the cold 62 degree springs pool. Open year around. There are a lot of hike and bike trails, neat eclectic shops, vintage, punk, hippie, business (fortune 500 companies), actors, music events, cultural events, arts, and on the outskirts you have a lot of great places to camp, tubing down river, Schilitterbaun, the beach is 6 hours or so away. a lot to offer for fitness and healthy lifestyles. Farmer's Markets, vegetarian's heaven, and so on!!! Just be prepared to drive everywhere you go.. Austin area is spread out; really. I also like that people of all ages, races and sexual orientations are welcome in Austin.. Weird is cool here and normal is too! Cowboys and Punks will do line dancing next to one another along with retired folks.. Austin is liberal / republican but step outside of Austin and it republican redneck; small town.. all-though that is changing too. I love Austin and wouldn't live anywhere else in Texas; seriously!!! FYI: Houston is an industrial town; San Antonio is 95% Hispanic (they call it the most northern state in Mexico) and is high in crime; and Dallas is a small scale version of NYC without the subways and walking distances. Weather is HOT and drought in the summer highest time was 112 and is Hot from May - Sept/Oct/Nov; sometimes snows here and sometimes rains. Lots of hail storms in weird ways. we get tornadoes to. all though rare. Winters can get down to 19 for a couple of days and then back up to 60.. Hope this all helps. [read more...]

Austin has grown, but it still has its charms.[read more...]

NEED TO KNOW GOOD POINTS AS WELL AS BAD POINTS.THINKING of moving there.HELP PLEASE[read more...]

The good news on the climate of Austin, Texas is that winter months are quite mild. The bad news is that summers are painfully hot and long. Air conditioning is a must.[read more...]

Austin has the best winters around but the summers are absolute killers. The heat last for over 4 months and just makes one want to stay in an air conditioned place and do nothing.[read more...]

Thinking about relocating from Seattle. Was wondering what the main obstacles (besides the heat) we would encounter. Thanks![read more...]

AUSTIN IS MOST EXPENSIVE CITY IN TEXAS! UTILITIES AND APARTMENT RENTS ARE OUTRAGEOUS. TAXES ARE 8.25%. I CAN’T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE ANY MORE. I’M DONE WITH AUSTIN.[read more...]

The weather in Austin is a cakewalk for me, as I have lived in the Deep South for much of my life, so I won't complain about that. I came here because I was told that it was a great place to live, very family oriented. I have found that not to be true. I have simple come to the realization that Austin is not for me. I find it over-priced and boring. I keep hearing about all of the job growth, but I don't see it. Nor do I see the diversity. Four Hispanics, two blacks, one Asian, and 500 whites, does not make for diversity. It just doesn't. As far as crime, Austin has stupid crime and sexually deviant crime. No you will not be mugged, but your neighbor might be a pedophile, as Austin has some of the most lenient laws regarding sexual crimes. Oh, and your neighbor probably will beat his wife after scoring some speed from the Ph.D working the late shift at the Speedy Stop, and that's the suburbs folks. The house market is a joke. Who in the hell would pay 400k for a house built in 1985? As far culture, in my opinion there is none. Zero! If you want hill country music, then move there. What we have here is crap. I would rather be locked up in a juke-joint on the bayou listening to Zydeco, and I don't even like Zydeco! As for this city being family-friendly, how about that editorial in the paper asking where all the kids went. If you consider family fun going to the crappy Children's Museum (more like a mom's day out daycare) and watching bored hipsters and tech geeks sit and talk as their kids run around, then you will love it! And don't get me started on the crappy ass Nature and Science Center.....That shit. Austin is a city of singles, I found that out when I went out one night, and it was just depressing, with all of those people just looking for someone.Oh, and what's up with the fucking bedbugs here? What is that all about? Needless to say, I came here full of home and life, and now I have become a fucking hermit, as proof by the fact that I am on her ranting, before I rent another movie on-line and long for the beaches in Florida.[read more...]

I've lived in Austin, Texas for 3 years now and I CAN'T WAIT TO LEAVE. It never rains here and the summers are BRUTAL. It reached 112 degrees this past August. This year was the first time that I was sweating while swimming. The water temp was basically at 90 degrees. Not refreshing at all whatsoever. The A/C is on 24/7. I came here for work and I'll be moving to the east coast shortly. As Billy Joel Sang that song "I'm MOVING OUT"[read more...]

I have lived all over and liked every place I have lived--except Austin. The air quality is poor. The first one bedroom I lived for 2 years at $1,000/mo became infested with rodents in the walls--which management did not address and they died. The smell was so horrid and the place became infested with flies, I had to move. The second apt at $1100/mo had a mold problem which made my dogs and myself sick. In addition, I was surrounded by cigaratte smokers which made the poor air quality worse. In addition, the people who are from there are nice, but I found lots of mean people--possibly the new influx of folks. [read more...]

I was born and raised in Austin and as a "local" and not a "transplant", I am miserable. My entire family lives here, with the exception of a brother who resides in Houston, TX with his family due to his job. Property taxes are high, the highways are way too congested. We don't have the infrastructure to support the number of people who relocate here for school, work, or play. It may seem like heaven for people who move here form really expensive cities, but that drives up the price for the local residents and then they cant even afford to stay here, where they grew up. The weather has gotten progressively worse over the years. I remember the last "real" snow was in 1985. When I say real, I mean that stuck around all day and you didn't have to run outside at 7 in the morning to enjoy it before it melted by 9. The heat is ridiculous. It is getting worse and worse every year. When you cant even enjoy sitting on your porch in the morning without sweat dripping down your back as if you just ran a 5K, that is pathetic. I have lived in the mid west where you have four seasons and snow and actually green grass, not brown. I dont think people even know what rain and fresh cut grass, that is green, smells like. We were recently on the east coast for vacation and it was so nice just sitting on the porch with friends and not sweating. Wow! There are NO jobs here unless you are willing to work in a fast food joint, gas station, Wal-Mart, or call center. Sure there are tons of healthcare jobs in the area, but they never actually hire. They post jobs and never interview. The state is worse. I have friends who work for the state who complain that they are over worked, under paid and they say the state posts jobs all the time but there is always a hiring freeze or they just don't hire. Believe me, the way the Government runs in this sates, they are not that busy. They actually outsource their HR agency that screens the applicants. Why not use your own employees? This state is a joke and I can actually say that I have seen it get worse over the years for the locals, but better for people who think paying $400K for a house is reasonable because in CA or NY you get junk for that price. They can have this state and its heat. I am moving to the eat coast in a year and I cant wait. Sure, it may be a bit more expensive to live there, but at least I wont die of a heat stroke if I check the mail at 2 in the afternoon. [read more...]

I've lived in Austin now for 30+ years, and now it seems everyone in America is moving here like Ca. Was in the 1980's. The conservative residents have not expanded infrastructure to keep up with the influx. This was a sleepy college town when I moved here, now it's a mess. I look forward to moving somewhere else for retirement.[read more...]

The weather here is just awful because its so hot and humid from early June until late sept but the worse months are July and August. You have to wake up so early if you want to do yard work or to jog because otherwise you can get sick from the heat. I wish I never moved to Texas I really regret it so bad because of the climate. But move to texas to be closer to families but now they have move away and now thinking about moving out west like maybe Oregon or Colorado where the air is dryer and cooler. I thought about moving to Oregon many years ago and I should have move to Oregon and I don't mind the rain and cloudy days in oregon during the winter because its what keep it green there and they don't have drought problems like Texas do. Some part of Oct, Nov and March and some parts of April can be very nice weather but april and May we get terrible thunderstorm with large hail and tornado warnings its can be scary. Texas is okay in some area but overall its not a very pretty state because its mostly flat and a lot of desert west of Austin. Mostly west Tx is desert and some mountains until you reach EL Paso. If you hate the Hot and humid climate and want to move here is not the best place to live because its so miserable here and you can't do outdoor activity because of the heat. I am moving to Oregon, or Colorado soon just to be in a more comfortable weather and I do better in cold weather than hot weather. I am looking forward moving out of this miserable weather.[read more...]

Don't move here.[read more...]

My husband and I moved to Austin from the Maryland / Washington, DC area 7 years ago and we're still in "pinch me" mode. We absolutely LOVE Austin and have felt more at home here than we ever did in our own hometowns! AUSTIN IS ALL ABOUT LIVING, NOT JUST EXISTING! The warmth of the people, sense of community, incredible weather and outdoor lifestyle, culture, diversity, music, beautiful lakes, and hill country... all bring Austin to life!!!! It's a one-of-a-kind, very special city and one that we're more than proud to call 'HOME'![read more...]

I hear that Austin in the most expensive city in Texas, but compared to what we were paying in CA for junk, it is really great here and quite affordable. No state income tax is nice, and then you can dispute your property tax down a bit... it's nice! Affordable and very family friendly.[read more...]