Doesn't live up to the hype
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9/6/2020
Agree with poster about being a "fake woke" city. Austin seems like a liberal city in many ways, and the younger millennials are a big part of that. But it is also the capital city of a Rupublican/regressive state and it has a strangle hold that keeps it from being what the most residents wish it to be. And there are also a number of the "true" (sarcasm) Texans with their trucks (that haul and hold nothing... ever!) and guns. My tolerance for these types is really wearing thin.
As far as people claiming it is so friendly here.... it is an act. Like so many places that put on that "Southern charm", they are sweet to your face and talking smack about you as soon as you are out of earshot. We still feel more kinship to friends back on the coast, even though we cannot se them very often.
I am fortunate to make good money here in tech, but I have almost always worked for companies headquartered in California that pay better. We have been here 14 years now and Austin is not the bargain it used to be. The only really "cheaper" things are housing cost (buy/rent) and gas. And maybe groceries by some. But we pay a whole lot in property taxes, as much as some other states where the property is worth so much more. Downtown prices for going out are much the same as many other cities.
The weather is horrible 5-6 months out of the year. And the months that are decent enough to be outside, the allergies/pollen is so bad that it also keeps you inside. The Cedar Fever is truly wicked. There is some good music/bands that come through (not all country, thank god), but the same would be true of many other cities. Lake Austin is great, but they really try to limit the use by people who don't own property there (very expensive). Lake Travis is pretty good, but in drought years it is awful and ugly. Plus, you encounter so many party barges where people are just getting drunk and acting obnoxious.
My husband is done with this state and we want to go back to the West coast and access to a real ocean (gulf is just sad compared to the Pacific). California seems to have so many wildfires now and just doesn't seem like a good option to return there at this point. We are looking at Portland and Seattle, but Portland seems like it might be just a bit "too small" and wrapped up in its own uniqueness.
Leslie | Cedar Park, TX