How Do You Like Living in Austin?

[victory]

Greetings! I live in Columbia, SC, and have visited Austin once (in about 2003). I had a great time while there. It was part of a larger driving tour of Texas. We went to Houston, Galveston, and San Antonio, before arriving in Austin. In looking at pics of all the new high rises, it is obvious the Austin of 2015 is quite different. I really liked the small town feel, which I hope has not been lost with all the vertical development going on. I am a huge music fan, and view myself as being progressive and forward thinking, but with some conservative leanings. Actually, Austin is a lot like my home town, but on steroids. Today, a friend of mine in Austin has invited me to come out to visit in January. She has encouraged relocation, but honestly I do love Columbia, and my daughter is here. I'm curious to know how you guys, who live in Austin actually like being there. There are so many positives-progressive, creative people, a love of music and the arts in general, warm weather, college football, the Salt Lick, etc, and then there are negatives- horrendous traffic, a long drive to the beach, expensive place to live (I would imagine), etc, so on, and so forth. So, give me the good, bad, and the ugly. I may make that trip in January, and I may decide one day to settle down there. Thanks, y'all!  

[The ATX]

On 11/18/2015, 5:36:51, victory said:

Greetings! I live in Columbia, SC, and have visited Austin once (in about 2003). I had a great time while there. It was part of a larger driving tour of Texas. We went to Houston, Galveston, and San Antonio, before arriving in Austin. In looking at pics of all the new high rises, it is obvious the Austin of 2015 is quite different. I really liked the small town feel, which I hope has not been lost with all the vertical development going on. I am a huge music fan, and view myself as being progressive and forward thinking, but with some conservative leanings. Actually, Austin is a lot like my home town, but on steroids. Today, a friend of mine in Austin has invited me to come out to visit in January. She has encouraged relocation, but honestly I do love Columbia, and my daughter is here. I'm curious to know how you guys, who live in Austin actually like being there. There are so many positives-progressive, creative people, a love of music and the arts in general, warm weather, college football, the Salt Lick, etc, and then there are negatives- horrendous traffic, a long drive to the beach, expensive place to live (I would imagine), etc, so on, and so forth. So, give me the good, bad, and the ugly. I may make that trip in January, and I may decide one day to settle down there. Thanks, y'all!  

If you haven't been to Austin since 2003, you will barely recognize it now. Anybody who hasn't been here since 2007 or 2008 would also barely recognize the place. I'm not originally from Austin, but I like it so much that I moved here - twice.

Geography and climate can be limiting factors in where anyone likes to live. If you want to live near mountains or the ocean, Austin would not be a good choice. But the Gulf Coast is only three hours or so away which makes it a popular weekend getaway around here. And while not mountains, the Texas Hill Country that starts just west of Downtown Austin reaches up to 3,000 feet in elevation.

I hate snow and cold, so I really like the mild winters here. My house is surrounded by palm trees! Of course the flip side to mild winters is the intense, unrelenting summer (May through September) heat accompanied by severe to extreme droughts. Austin's climate is basically controlled by El Nino. We cycle between years of drought and periods of flash flooding. This year has been one of the periods with a lot of flash flooding.

I think Austin has a lot more things going on than a typical city of 2 million as far as the music scene/nightlife/restaurants/festivals, etc. (The Austin Metro probably passed 2 million in population about 6 months ago.) It's a creative city and has a synergy/vibe/other cliché that one either feels right away or never. The constant construction and new places to go keep the place trendy and interesting.

The drawbacks of being one of America's “it” cities is that the rent/home costs that have become the highest in Texas, and the ridiculous traffic that is worse than most cites with two or three times the population. Living near your employment is something that I strongly suggest. The traffic jams here can be epic. Downtown Austin traffic can literally (as opposed to the usual figurative use of the term) become gridlocked at times.

But I will never live anywhere else.