Reviews & Comments
Anchorage, AK
Beautiful place when it's sunny... -
12/14/2021I grew up and lived in Anchorage during my teenage years and 20s.
Positives: Its hard to find a city closer to nature. Sometimes you get more nature than you may want, but it's amazing to be able to just drive a few minutes out of town and there is nobody and you are in the boonies. It's beautiful when it's sunny. Driving to Denali National Park is great, when it is sunny and you can actually see Denali. Most of the time it is covered by clouds - something they unfortunately don't tell the tourists.
Lack of population can be nice.
It's easy to advance in a career because you are not competing with people from other bigger cities in the state because there are none. You are not competing with many people out of state because not many people are willing to move to AK.
Obviously, if you like winter sports you will have things to do. There are some arts and cultural things to do.
Some people who really like cold weather and isolation are very happy there.
Cons: It's rarely sunny. And by rarely, Anchorage is listed as the most gloomiest city in the country for a reason. If you think Portland or Seattle is bad, you haven't seen anything. As a PSA, if you have any mental health issues such as depression, bipolar, etc, please think VERY hard before moving to Alaska. It will likely only contribute to it. The extreme darkness, cold and dreariness in the winter can bring down even the most cheerful disposition. And summer can exacerbate mania.
If you don't have mental health or substance abuse challenges, you may after living there several years.
Very high prevalence of these things as well as domestic violence.
If you still decide to live there, remember to take Vitamin D, as deficiency in this due to lack of sun probably contributes to above issues (not that I am a doctor, just common sense). At least get checked for deficiency as I wish I had when living there.
If you don't have a higher income career that allows you to afford regular plane tickets to leave the state for visiting family/friends and vacations to less dreary places, then you may feel trapped and isolated. Isolation is real there, as you can't simply hop in your car and drive to another state or even another large city in the state for a change of scenery, because as mentioned, there are none. You can drive to a few small towns, but it's all going to be pretty much more of the same. Yes you can take a boat out in Seward or something, but it will still most likely be chilly and dreary unless you luck out that one of the few sunny warm days happens to fall on your day off and then you are Golden, but you have to cherish it like a precious moment in life, that rarely comes along and when it's over, it could be another year or more before it happens again. Hence, adding to gloom and depression.
If not made clear- if you like sun, you will be miserable. You can not drive to a warmer place, as you have to drive all the way through Canada to get to one. Hence, many people fly to Hawaii for vacations if they can afford it.
If you don't have a garage, you will spend a lot of time clearing snow off your car. Driving can he hazardous as with other wintery climates.
You will want to eat out just to get out of the house, as there is not a lot of other things to do in the dark vwinter, but it's very expensive to do so.
So again, if you are not a high earner, you will be happiest here if you really like doing things like cross-country skiing in the dark. Because it WILL be dark when you get off work (and before you go to work) in the winter.
Hope this helps give someone a dose of reality to make a decision, as there is a reason the population doesn't grow much in Alaska. For every person who falls in love after coming during a rare sunny and lovely weather week visiting in the summer and decides to move there - someone else has just spent their last dreary winter there and can't wait to get out.
Austin, TX
Austin is still a good place to live -
12/12/2021I'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 liberal, secular and religious. Great diversity and tolerance for the most part as people in Austin I have found to be generally open-minded no matter where they fall on the spectrum. Not all, but many people here are "live and let live" and"to each their own" mentality.
I think this may stem from the large number of college-educated people in Austin due to large number of universities. As one does generally learn to accept diverse opinions and ways of looking at and living life in college. If everyone thought the same way, no progress would ever happen as nobody would ever have a new idea.
Also, there are several state parks near Austin for nature lovers. McKinney Falls can get crowded now, so I like to go to Pedernales Falls, or to the state and LCRA parks in/near Bastrop. But there are plenty of weekend nature trips you can take within a 2 hour drive, and then there is the beach 3-4 hours away depending on what part of Austin area you live.
I don't really know what people find so fabulous about the food here versus other cities, as I think there is much better restaurants in Houston and Dallas, but I guess that's just me. I guess if you like food TRUCKS, then yes you have a selection.
It has grown too fast to keep up with housing, and infrastructure. It's been the fastest growing area in the US for years with no let up on people moving here, so that is to be expected. So don't expect cheap housing/rent. Also, if you want to go to any events like outdoor festivals and things, it is going to be extremely crowded and lots of traffic to get there. Families are better off going to nearby small towns for outdoor things on weekends to avoid that.
People will always complain about the hot summer and forget the trade off is the lovely fall and winter weather. I go hiking almost every day in December. Can't do that in places with mild summers unless you like hiking in snow. I feel like given there are not really much other weather or natural disaster issues to deal with here - no California and west coast fires, very little flooding, very few tornadoes, no hurricanes like the coast, no earthquakes, and no brutal winters, and an amazing number of sunny days - that putting up with a few months when you have to stay in the A/C and do your walks early in the morning or after dark is not a bad trade off.
HOWEVER, you may have terrible allergies here as many people do. So, that is something to consider.
I still plan to move simply because I have been here so long and want to live somewhere new. But overall, having traveled to and lived other places, Austin is not a bad place to make a living and enjoy a life. Hope this helps.