Austin, TX Reviews

Good city - 2/14/2024
Good place to visit. Read More

Austin is beautiful but it will cost you - 2/14/2024
Austin is too expensive. Let's get that out of the way. Other than that it is a fun city. Ladybird Lake makes the city, imo. The ability to stand up paddle, kayak, walk trails, etc. right next to downtown is a huge Read More

Hot take: Austin is a top tier city - 8/28/2023
The city continues to grow quickly, which a lot of people don't like. I get it, you fall in love with a city, and it's growing so fast that you don't recognize the same neighborhoods 5-10 years later. People complain that X restaurant closed and ignore the 10 new ones that popped up when they redevelop the old industrial parts of town. Austin is for creative and adventurous types who enjoy trying new places and neighborhoods. Those who aren't will more enjoy other cities that are not growing as much.

Cost of living keeps going up, more than some other cities. You can still find <$150K homes within an hour of Austin in 2023. In 2023, you can still find $1 tacos and <$2 pints of strawberries, but these are not the norm. Mostly it's expensive to live in the city--with a lot of new wealth in the city, the most desirable neighborhoods are very expensive. The areas that were outside the city limits 5 yeas ago are now new housing developments--mostly to the south and east.Read More

Don't believe the hype - 3/11/2022
I lived there for 22 years and left a year and a half ago. The people that live there have ruined it. Austin is no longer weird AT ALL. The weirdness has been replaced by hipsters and transplants who think that Austin is the greatest place on the planet and their attitudes enforce that. Meaning they all think they are special for living there. They are also very self centered.-I have heard this from people who used to live there and from people just visiting as well. Good luck making friends or finding a significant other there. Not only are people very picky socially about who they hang out with. If you live on the opposite side of town it's too much trouble to fight traffic to get across town.-Which I totally get because traffic is so bad. However, I don't get how clicky people are there in regards to who they associate with. I really wish things were different there. I love the beauty of Central Texas and everything there is to do there. I fought the good fight for a Read More

Austin is still a good place to live - 12/12/2021
I've lived in Austin over 20 years, and yes it has changed drastically, as all fast growing cities do.
But I think it is unfair to compare Austin against it's past self instead of against other cities it's current size.
As far as that goes, it is a very good place for professionals due to a large number of jobs and booming economy with companies moving here like crazy.
The people here still are respectful and considerate of others for the *most* part. You can find rude people anywhere, of course. I will say drivers have gotten much ruder and stressed out and impatient due to traffic. It doesn't feel very safe driving around Austin. If you are able to WFH, then Austin traffic won't be a big deal for you. If not, try to live near your job for sure.

Lots of educational opportunities here for all ages. I homeschooled my child and loved living here for that, as there were TONS of choices and groups for homeschoolers across the spectrum from conservative to Read More

Austin is Awesome - 9/24/2021
I lived in Austin Travis county for 2 years and fell in absolute love with the greater Austin area. I had to leave to go back to SC unfortunately. I was very sad over this. I'm originally from Charleston area. Happily I'm returning to my beloved Austin area especially Travis county in late October 2021.
I love the vibe and energy of Austin the many tastes culture and it's music. I met the love of my life who is from Austin and. I absolutely can not wait to come back home to Texas. This will be the shortest and happiest 1150 mile move I have ever made. I'm not leaving Texas again. Just hired on with a fantastic company at much higher pay Rate than I had in SC it's gotten to expensive to live in SC comfortably any more. 110% humidity 9 months of the year is too much. Viva la Texas. I love you. Austin Read More

The City with no Direction - 9/10/2021
Iv lived here for a LONG time now and things have changed drastically. from the City council doing a crap job and then the people running referendums on their decisions. this alone has cost us at least 8 to 12 years of political movement throughout our city-provided services and laws. the homeless continue to run rampant because the city council won't accept the results from a ballot that rectified their follies. so they drag their heels and as such, we continue to have a homeless issue, not the kind of homeless either it's the ones that touch and urinate in public that are still left behind go figure. Public services have fallen behind other cities. we have an ongoing feud with the governor who keeps us in his POV at all times. the City council is a dog that won't hunt and will continue to get stuck in the mud if they don't listen to the people. I35 and all the non stop construction is 5 years too late once it's been completed making it necessary for more construction they don't plan Read More

Don’t. Just don’t. - 7/4/2021
This is truly one of those times I wish there was a way to give zero stars. If you’re thinking about visiting Austin.. just don’t. Go anywhere else in Texas. Austin is filthy, filthy, disgusting and did I say filthy? Cover your kids eyes because there just might be homeless people teaching them about the birds and the bees as you drive by? Or walk by one of their see through tents. It’s mind blowing to me that people move here and love it after they do. Unless they simply enjoy living where it smells like urine and ina place that makes you wish you owed a weapon of some sort.
I think Austin is the definition of hype. And butt followers, following the hype. I always felt like Dallas was lacking in personality (it’s a city without an identity) and character (unless concrete is considered character) but at this point I welcome oh beautiful and gloriously CLEAN Dallas ! I mean, even in sketchy areas in Dallas I feel considerably safer than 6th street in Austin. I only have one Read More

Big mistake moving back here after 20 years - 6/18/2021
I've lived in Austin twice, and the quality of life here has taken a sharp nose-dive over the decades. There used to be a family-oriented, friendly neighbor vibe. Now, this is only a good place to live if you like non-stop construction, overpriced housing, feeling like a non-citizen in your own country, being required to be bilingual for a lot of jobs and awful Read More

Don't believe the hype. Austin is no longer nice - 5/19/2021
BEWARE of the HYPE * I grew up in Austin when it was a wonderful, friendly, laid back, center of education and government. My father's family has been there since the 1870s, so my Texas roots are real. The first time I made the decision to leave Austin was in the mid 90s after the Yogurt Shop murders (4 young girls murdered Read More