Nicest people on earth...
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4/25/2017
I moved to Austin almost 3 years ago from Los Angeles, CA. I had lived (miserably) in Portland, OR for 7 of the longest, dreariest, coldest, rainiest years of my life and when we went back to LA, I swore I'd never leave again.
The hubby wanted to buy a house though and that was never going to happen in Southern California so I started looking for warm climates. We decided to try austin and see if we liked it.
Hubby is a drummer and I teach yoga - there is a thriving presence of both music and fitness in Austin. But what we noticed above everything else was the friendliness of practically everyone we met. People just smile here and you can start up a conversation with everyone from your server to your grocery checkout person to your uber driver to the random guy at the dog park to whomEVER you cross paths with.
One of the things that didn't work for me in Portland was the hipster situation. I moved there in 2005 and didn't know what a hipster was. I'm not discriminating against the whole thing but in my extensive 7 year long experience with a city overrun with hipsters, I just don't mesh with that vibe. I found it to be unwelcoming, judgy, entitled and rude and I couldn't get back to my community of HIPPIES fast enough.
At least the hipsters in Austin are nice and not like the ones in PDX.
Austin is mostly tech people, students, health & fitness professionals and musicians. We were able to buy a 3+2 house 8 miles (16 minutes) from downtown for less than $250k and it has already appreciated over $40k. The ocean is sorely missed for a beach bum like me, but the green belt is dog friendly and a beautiful alternative to a day at the beach (just not the same ??).
My husband and I call austin the land of the smiling people. It's a nice shift from the status hungry, ladder climbing, "who do you know" people in LA, and the mean, judgemental, don't talk to me, I'm better than you because I don't wash my hair hipsters in Portland. People here are bonafide friendly, sweet, no bullsh*t lovers of life.
The weather is hot and humid in the summers which I love but everyone else complains. Winters vary - our first winter was too long and cold for my taste, second winter was almost as mild as LA and this last one was a blend of both. The mosquitos suck. We bought a house on a creek because we're from LA and found it charming until spring came with the mosquitos and have made our lives somewhat miserable April-October. If you're buying or renting, avoid any standing water.
Hopefully I didn't offend the hipster community, although it's hard not to.
Taylor | Austin, TX