Austin-Not all its cracked up to be!
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8/28/2011
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.
Abhd | Austin, TX