Considering a Move to Austin

[ilikeitlikethat]

Hello! I live in Denver but I am strongly considering a new job where I will need to move to the Austin area. I've visited here a couple of times before and I love the city. My job will be northeast of Austin. I'm considering moving to north Austin or the Round Rock area. Or there any areas to live that are better than others or areas I should avoid? I most likely will be looking for an apartment or condo at first.

[douglas_m]

Hey ILILT,
I just moved to Austin after a year in Denver. The reason was work. My advice is stay in Denver if you can. I really got into the Mountains and Back Country Solitude, and you just don't have that here.

If you are into music or horses, or road biking, or boating, or cars, or line dancing, then Austin is your home. Texas just does not have the wilderness.
-Doug

[mrhamm]

Be cognizant of where the toll road is when you buy. I would always recommend buying at home which won't require you to access it. Round Rock, Pflugerville and Hutto are your choices. I personally would not live in many places in Pflugerville, most of the town seems pretty nasty. Hutto is kind of far our and the homes don't seem to be well maintained.

I would personally look in Round Rock. I like the Brush Creek area, just east of Avery Ranch, but there is no quick way to get to most places of business. It's kind of in the middle of a few big roads, but is an extra 15 minutes if you are headed into down town Austin for an evening out, compared to some place right off I-35 or 183.

Georgetown is a very conservative town in my experience and is too far out of Austin in my opinion.

Round Rock, Georgetown, Hutto and most of Pflugerville are in Williamson county, which supposedly has a low tolerance for our hobby. I've not had issues there myself, but it is worth mentioning.

Without knowing your budget, it would be hard to give better advice. I'm certain there is a realtor around here who would love to help you out.

[Loxly]

Well at least you know where you'll be working. I came down cold a little over a year ago but I had been in contact with a "rental finder" place. So by the time I landed here he had a good idea of what my price range and other requirements were.

Spent a week in a hotel suite with kitchenette and got moved in pretty quick. Had Uhaul drop off their Pod-like boxes and paid a few bucks to have two guys bring it up to the Apt. If you want who I worked with I can PM you the info.

Wilderness? I'm in the 4 points area and I've been listening to several coyotes the past few nights.

[ilikeitlikethat]

Thanks for the input. I've been doing a little research on the net about housing. I'll look in the areas suggested. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

[Pitfall]

If you're looking to rent, Austin has people who are apartment locators. I used one when I moved here from out of state and it was very handy. I told him everything I was looking for via e-mail, and when I came to town he drove me around and we looked at about half a dozen of the places he thought would be a fit for my needs. I did end up finding a good place this way. They get paid by the building owners so they don't cost you anything to use. I haven't seen this system in any other city. I bet one of these people would be a big help to you in finding the right place to live.

[endurance]

Get ready for some serious police state. Texas loves authority.

[Thudog]

without getting TOO specific, can you narrow in on where northeast of Austin?

by the sounds of it, single? approx age?

all of the above would help narrow in on the ideal location

[ilikeitlikethat]

The job will be in the Taylor area. But since I go the gym every night after work and I belong to 24 Hour Fitness, the one in Round Rock looks to be the nearest to work so I'll probably look to live around Round Rock. If I take the job, I will be making a major change in my life, i.e. leaving an unhappy 40 year marriage. The split is going to happen soon even if I don't take the job. Kids are grown so no issue there.

And I am aware that TX does love authority. My last speeding ticket was 10 miles south of Amarillo on I-20. It was beautiful August morning and there were 3 vehicles on the road. Me, the truck that was going slow and I was passing headed north and the state trooper headed south. He gave me a $100 ticket for doing 79 in a 70 zone. Maybe it was because I had Colorado plates on my car...who knows.

[boo-boo bear]

Texas may love authority, yet the hobby is extremely popular and active!

[SpeedRacerXXX]

Originally Posted by douglas_m

Hey ILILT,
I just moved to Austin after a year in Denver. The reason was work. My advice is stay in Denver if you can. I really got into the Mountains and Back Country Solitude, and you just don't have that here.

If you are into music or horses, or road biking, or boating, or cars, or line dancing, then Austin is your home. Texas just does not have the wilderness.
-Doug

Each state offers people something different. There's not enough money in the world (okay, I'm exaggerating a bit) to get me to move to Colorado. Absolutely beautiful state. But one of the reasons I moved from NY to Texas was the cold, and Colorado has plenty of that. 9 months or more of outdoor weather. 77 today in Austin. 35 in Denver. Again, depends what you are in to.

I would agree that ilikeitlikethat is best off in the Round Rock area. Plenty of rather inexpensive housing available. Safe area and still growing. For a commute to Taylor, somewhere near 79 would be good.

[Victoria Columbari]

I personally love living in Round Rock. It is far enough from Austin to miss the crazy traffic yet close to enough to go to some of the events. I keep my incall out of williamson county as we all know what a big pains in the butt the cops up there are. Georgetown is nice but very conservative. Round Rock is a great place.

V.

[ilikeitlikethat]

[QUOTE=SpeedRacerXXX;1055001696]Each state offers people something different. There's not enough money in the world (okay, I'm exaggerating a bit) to get me to move to Colorado. Absolutely beautiful state. But one of the reasons I moved from NY to Texas was the cold, and Colorado has plenty of that. 9 months or more of outdoor weather. 77 today in Austin. 35 in Denver. Again, depends what you are in to.

While I am looking forward to a move, I need to defend Denver's weather. Denver actually has very mild weather It is a mis-conception that Denver is cold and snowy all winter. Average temps in January are mid 40's. We have had several 60+ temps in January and this month. In fact, we can have 60 degree temps any month of the year. We can get 12" of snow overnite and it will be melted and completely gone by the evening. That being said, Denver's climate is not as warm as Austin's and we only get about 15" of moisture a year from both rain and snow combined. I play golf almost year round in denver and have played golf on new Years day in Colorado in 60 degree temps. We average 300+ days a year of sunshine. In the summer, we will have 90 degree and 100+ degree temps, but no humidity.

I am prepared to leave my birth state and start anew in Austin.

[pyramider]

Austin is the biggest one horse town imaginable. If you like to keep up on current events get the Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, or the Ft Worth Star Telegram.