Austin is by far the best city to live in. If you complain about Austin you either did not do your research before moving here or your just and unhappy person. Why would you move to Texas then complain about the heat. STUPID. That would be like moving to Alaska and complaining about snow. I feel every city is what you make of it. Unhappy people are just unhappy and no matter where they live they would be unhappy. Austin rocks. But only if you like a great job market, heathy lifestyle, outdoor activities, music, educated people, voted best for singles to seniors, and so much more. Every respectable source rates Austin as the top place to live. And most Austinites agree. So if you do not like Ausitn you did not do your research or your just an unhappy negative person. If you wnat to know more feel free to contact me.
Don | Austin, TX | Report Abuse

This is stupid and subjective. Austin may be boring to some and great to others. It depends on what YOU like. Do you like: heat, hipsters, tacos, vegan/vegetarian food, running, biking, live music, drunk college students, partying, driving, festivals, sunny weather, mild winters, being in Texas Then you will like Austin. If you don't like those things, you will be bored. Austin is a city for extroverts, IMO. People who like concerts and clubs. If you're an introvert, you might be better off in Denver or Portland. Also Austin does NOT have: good museums, mature nightlife, walkable downtown, good shopping, mass transit, historical buildings (there are a few but not many compared to other cities), big restaurant selection, proximity to cool places (a whole lot of nothing outside the city limits), ample natural beauty (it's not ugly, but very limited to some hills), hiking (greenbelt is nice but it's more "walking" than actual hiking, e.g. what you'd find in CO, NM, UT, CA, OR, WA, etc; there's some meh hiking in state parks nearby but nothing that great) Also +Austin is safe -Awful traffic Drivers used to be incredibly nice. They are getting more aggressive and similar to Houston/Dallas/LA.
Al | Austin, TX | Report Abuse

Hi Colleen, Thanks for your informative post. Can you tell me some of the areas you would recommend a person with a 5 year old moving to? We are in Santa Monica Ca, but desperately want to move somewhere in Texas? Thanks, Guy
guy | Santa Monica, CA | Report Abuse

Austin IS boring. Those that say otherwise have myopic views and perhaps have never been or lived anywhere else. This is a crowded small town area with close to 1 million people and a let's build even more aprtment complexes and hotels. Oh sure lots of music and local flavor restaurants, some hiking trails when the weather is good (meaning constant hazy grey-blue skies and not over 90 degrees), but too many festivals, no museums, limited art and culture (at least they will advertise as such, then you go and it is so ho-hum). Austin is known for a few main things: UT, being a major tech hub so lots of better paying jobs for the educated, SXSW and ACL. That's really it in a nutshell. The rest is services to service those with money. Oh and it really isn't very pretty either, some pockets of trees and the river but not so great compared to other states. You either love or hate it here. But yes due to the really bad traffic just getting around town is a chore so good luck in getting to some event or trying to seek out fun. I keep coming back here because of family, and each time I wonder why. So claustraphobic here and dull (2014)
firstname | Austin, TX | Report Abuse

I am SO pleased to hear/see all you whiners complaining about Austin! I REALLY WISH NEWCOMERS WOULD STOP MOVING HERE. I've been here since 1993 and can say that all the issues you complain about have emerged thanks to your unwanted presence. Don't like the traffic? Don't buy a house 20 miles from your place of employment. How simple is that? btw, the self-righteous hippies referred to by some of you are NOT natives. They, too, came here from somewhere else.
Oleron | Austin, TX | Report Abuse

Colleen, you cannot be serious. I'm a native Houstonian attending grad school at UT, and the traffic in ATX is tremendously better than in Houston. I'm from the Cypress area, and just driving to my former offices in Upper Kirby would take me at least an hour each way. Have you ever been on Southwest Freeway and NOT worried about dying, because nobody's giving you a lane change at 70 MPH? I can go from Riverside up to the UT campus in 20 minutes tops. That's just plain amazing. Though I will admit, once you get a red light in Austin, it's as if you've gotten a red light forever.
Samian | Houston, TX | Report Abuse

I am a 51-year old single divorcee from the midwest who has lived in Champaign-Urbana, Worcester, Massachusettes,and St. Louis as a married adult. I lived in Austin 2000-2012 and was in the lower income strata the entire time, so what I have to say will be from that perspective. I will also discuss my grown children's perspective, since 5 of them currently or recently lived in Austin. Austin is a great place to live if you like outdoor activities that are not necessarily culturally or intellectually stimulating. It's true that there are not many decent museums in Austin, but plenty within driving distance (Dallas & Houston). There are way too many hippies and progressive liberal democrats from California here (and from other states, too, of course), but a huge population of conservative Christians reside here and everyone gets along and is pretty tolerant considering the vast differences between the two. Traffic...not nearly as bad as St. Louis, Chicago or Houston traffic. Many people take the bus (great value) and use the time to read. I did this when I had car troubles and it was very safe, very convenient and very inexpensive. Austin is hot in the summer but the sunshine is one of the reasons for the positive can-do attitude of the majority of non-whining Austinites. Austin is in Travis County, and north of Austin is the infamous Williamson County with a totally corrupt court system, so unless you know for absolute certainty that you will NEVER be in divorce court or sitting in your truck drinking (they will find you and arrest you), you should move to Travis County. Now, here is what my children say about Austin. They loved it for awhile, but once they matured past the drinking & partying stage, they found it annoying and rather dull. Austin has a very low crime rate if you don't count the abortion rate. If you are into New Age religion and witchcraft and homosexuality, you will find South Austin and the downtown area to be more to your liking, while the more conservative types will prefer being closer to Williamson county (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, and Georgetown). It's a tossup as to which is more disgusting. I almost forgot to mention the drugs. It is pretty apparent that about half of the residents (the 18-40 year-olds primarily) are on some sort of drugs, mostly pot, but also a lot of Prozac, and some hard drugs. If you like "gentlemens" clubs, there are lots of them in Austin. It is still possible to rent a 2-BR apartment in a decent neighborhood for $775 or thereabouts. From talking to native Austinites, Austin is nothing like it used to be and so they are hoping all the Yankees and trash from other states will stay where they are instead of polluting Austin, but frankly, it is pretty much too late.
Sandra | Brookshire, TX | Report Abuse