Living in Austin, TX

[Anonymous]

What is it like to live in Austin, TX?

[Anonymous]

Everyone I know loves it.

[Anonymous]

I moved here from Austin and I miss it terribly. It's much friendlier and more laid back than the east coast. I don't know of any restaurants in DC where you show up in your flip-flops, sit on a picnic table in gravel, and drink beer from a can and it's still considered a 'nice' place. That's just one of many examples of what I mean by laid back.

OP - if you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them.

Here are the things I miss most (in no particular order):

*Breakfast tacos
*Every place you go has its own parking lot (except 6th street)
*Barton Springs pool
*People who aren't showy about money
*live music
*barbeque

Does that start give you an idea of what life is like there?

[Anonymous]

oh i forgot to mention one very important thing -- affordable housing!

[Anonymous]

We have great friends that live there. Never thought either would love it, and they do! In fact, after a stint at Harvard Business School, they returned (could have lived many nice places) and are raising their family there. Hear nothing but good from them, and when we have visited, I think their standard of living is very high (nice, affordable house, good public schools, great food, music, laid back, smart people, etc.) Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I moved from DC to Austin and now back to DC (for work). It's hard to describe exactly how Austin is different, it just feels so different. You feel like you're part of a community. I can't think of many things that DC offers that Austin doesn't. More jobs maybe, and a subway and free museums. But Austin has a lot to offer that DC doesn't.

Whole Foods has nothing on Austin's Central Market (ironic because WF is from Austin.

Generally, I would say Austin is extremely family-friendly.

[Anonymous]

Central Market is awesome. DH and I have considered moving also. He is from Austin originally. I love it there. I am really not sure what is holding us back!!! Move!! It is wonderful. I have spent a ton of time there. I LOVE It...I just can't really say enough great things about it.

[Anonymous]

I've been living in Austin for eight years now and love it. I lived in DC for a couple of years and can say the two towns are very different but Austin is great. I'd say the biggest difference is that Austin is extremely casual and laid back. Also very friendly. There's a big emphasis on the outdoors here, as well as a focus on fitness. It's a great place for a family and easy to make friends. I think the weather in DC has a distinct advantage over Austin unless you like a temperate climate that doesn't change much - and the heat. Summers can be brutal.

[Anonymous]

We going to visi the area to explore the city and some neighborhoods. We would very much like to find neighborhoods where one can walk to restaurants, parks, etc.. Any recommendations? We don't expect to live there without a car but would like to live in a walkable community.

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

Hyde Park is great. Old homes. Nice neighbors. A few great restaurants in the neighborhood and then it's also walking distance to Guadalupe, where you'll find a whole lot more. Of course we were renting at the time. It would be one of the pricier areas to buy a home in central Austin.

South Austin (78704) has some more recently revitalized neighborhoods, I would assume with better prices. South Austin, more than a lot of parts, has maintained a lot of the hippie charm of 70s Austin. South Congress has gone all vintage stores and condos but areas west of there, I'd say bounded by S. 1st, Oltorf, Lamar, and Barton Springs Rd., are great. If you're on S. 1st St, do yourself a favor and have lunch at Polvo's.

Clarksville and Old West Austin are two adjacent neighborhoods west of downtown. East of Lamar all the stately old homes have been turned into law offices but west of Lamar from 6th to 15th streets, there are a lot of nice houses. These are probably in the same price range as Hyde Park. They are walking distance from Waterloo Records, the new flagship Whole Foods, Amy's Ice Cream, and scores or restaurants and bars. Clarksville itself has a little neighborhood strip (on W Lynn)with a cute little grocery (Fresh Plus) and a nice Italian bistro and a few other restaurants.

Finally, a lot of couples and young families are finding starter homes in the Brentwood/Allandale area, roughly bounded by Mopac, Burnet, 45th, and Anderson Ln. I've found some nice restaurants in this area but it is a little more up and coming. If you are a wine lover you must make a trip to Grapevine Market on Anderson.

All of these neighborhoods are close to green spaces, with Clarksville and South Austin giving you the best access to Town Lake.

Again, we were renters when we lived there. If you are looking to buy, I'd take a look at MLS listings. I think Austin Home Search has free listings with no sign-up.

In case you can't tell, we are dying to move back.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Austin for 15 years and loved it. While there are few neighborhoods where one could walk to restaurants, parks, etc Austin and the suburbs are a driving town. There are lots of condos in downtown Austin, but they come with all the good and bad of downtown living. Austin has almost no public transit, so you will need a car or two. Some neighborhoods to check out are:

-South Congress (anything along Congress Ave, the main north/south road the runs through the middle of downtown)
- Travis Heights - expensive for Austin, but a very close neighborhood community
- Hyde Park - close to campus
- Tarrytown - Probably the nicest neighborhood near downtown Austin. Not a lot of stores to walk to, but you are 5 minutes from downtown or the UT campus
- Allandale - a little less expensive then the other neighborhoods, but still nice.

I would beware of any property east of I-35. While that area has improved dramatically in the past decade, I'm not sure how well home prices would hold up and there is still a bit of crime.

Restaurants you HAVE to visit:
- Guerros
- Rudys (Best BBQ you will ever have at a gas station)
- Eastside Cafe
- Hut's Hamburgers
- Mangia Pizza

Unless you are a drunk tourist, stay away from 6th Street. It's better to check out the "Warehouse District" along Street as well as everything near the Central Market HQ on Lamar Ave. Have fun!

[Anonymous]

Hate to rain on the parade, but I've always felt that Austin is a bit overrated. It is great if you are in your 20's or an aging stoner. It can also be family friendly, that's true, but no more so than many small university towns throughout the nation. It has awesome Tex-Mex food, but also has horrible traffic. Has a well-developed progressive scene, but is also hours from a beach. Inexpensive housing, but most of it's ugly (either horrible 70's houses or new McMansions). Etc.

[Anonymous]

Agree with 20:37, unless you can live right in the heart of things. (Which is full of aging stoners.) The weather is very, very hot and humid. Worse than here. And it's still in Texas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hate to rain on the parade, but I've always felt that Austin is a bit overrated. It is great if you are in your 20's or an aging stoner. It can also be family friendly, that's true, but no more so than many small university towns throughout the nation. It has awesome Tex-Mex food, but also has horrible traffic. Has a well-developed progressive scene, but is also hours from a beach. Inexpensive housing, but most of it's ugly (either horrible 70's houses or new McMansions). Etc.

Even though this is unneccesarily contentious, I'm glad someone posted something like this. It's good to point out that not everyone 'gets' Austin. I would like to disagree with a few points here though.

This person's post sounds like they are describing Slacker-era (early 90s) Austin. Austin has experienced exponential growth in the last 15 years. It is now the 16th largest city in the US. It's a 'college town' but hardly a small one. It's also a state capital and has one of the largest tech sectors in the country. When I think of college towns I think of places like Bloomington and Ann Arbor. Austin is in a different league.

That said, there are certainly a lot (over 50K) of college students and there are a lot of people takin' it easy. People with good job who aren't 'aging stoners' appreciate these other demographics. They are part of the fabric of Austin and a lot of the things that are enjoyable about Austin wouldn't exist without them.

Traffic in Austin depends very much on where you live. If you live in the neighborhoods previously described and work in Central Austin, you won't even be getting on a highway. You might have a 10 minute delay coming down Lamar or Red River, but there are always back ways.

In a city full of lakes, rivers bends, and swimming holes, it seems odd to complain about the proximity to a beach. That said, it takes about the same amount of time to get from Austin to Corpus as it does from DC to Ocean City, MD.

Finally, the neighborhoods described here have a lot of pre-war and post-war craftsman and ranch-style houses. Not everyone's taste I guess, but then neither are cape cods and faux-colonials. As for McMansions (which I've never seen out here ) there are some, especially north of 183 and in Westlake. These are parts of town that the central Austin-dweller might go to once a month for shopping, but otherwise never see.