I mean for a recent grad from UT, if you value getting rich at all. 90% of the time you have to go to Houston. Austin the best job I could get was like 55k and the jobs in Houston were all significantly more and one of them even paid 6 figures after bonus for me. Now if money isn't too important to you and you don't place a premium on your family getting the best things in the world. Then Austin wins in most ways except food (Austin BBQ is much better than Houston though), sports (how the hell do you not have a professional team), and transportation (what kind of idiots designed the highway system in Austin, THE 11TH largest city in the US).
Austin is great if you're single and want to remain that way, work in tech, and don't mind having roommates when you're 30. The fact remains that having a middle-class lifestyle in Austin is a challenge, especially if you want to live anywhere near central Austin. Too many trust-fund kids, Cali transplants, and high-income tech nerds driving up the cost of living. If you have a non-tech career, good luck. There is much more opportunity for the average person to make much more money in Houston. The reason for this? Houston IS NOT COOL. Houston is big, dirty, and the weather sucks. This is a good thing for the average person, because nobody is willing to take a pay cut to move to or stay in Houston (unlike Austin). Because of it's size and diversity, there is a lot to do. Except for hills, everything that can be bought or consumed in Austin can be found in Houston for less money and at a higher quality, period. If you value the status of your zip code over future opportunities to get ahead in life, by all means move to Austin. If you are willing to put up with the pains of living in a true metropolitan city for the opportunity to move up in life without worrying so much about being hip or cool, Houston is for you.
Who the hell would want to hangout on Telephone Rd other than a prostitute? That street is on one of the worst parts of town.
Austin is full of hippies and if you don't agree, you are a hippie. Dallas is full of tools and if you don't agree, you are a tool. San Antonio is stupid and if you don't agree, you are stupid. Houston is top notch and if you don't agree, you are from one of the previous three.
Anyone remember the Tel-Wink Grill on Telephone Road, the Tel-Wink the way it used to be, before some people from Chicago bought it and turned it into strictly a breakfast/lunch place? It was such a trip. During the week, you had the breakfast crowd, half of them hung over from the night before. They'd do a good business at lunch, with all sorks of customers. On Sunday, it'd be packed with families, grandparents, folks pigging out after church. But go to the Tel-Wink after midnight? Especially 2am or so? You'd see prostitutes hanging out at the counter, sitting next to cops, who ignored what the ladies were really there for, at least inside the Tel-Wink. A real one of a kind Southeast Houston institution! I ate there many times very late at night with the crazy crowd, and many times for lunch with relatives. Trippy indeed.
Born and raised in Houston... used to always argue Houston was better, but Dallas is right there if not better.
Houston has every major sport, plus an amazing job market, cheap land, coastal access for fresh and saltwater boating, and beach access. Austin can't be the best city to live in. 0 professional sports. Dallas (Ft Worth, Irving, Garland, Plano, etc etc...it's all Dallas) has the sports, job market and land, but terrible weather. They get the heat (not as hot as us), but they also get snow. If you get snow, and have no place to ski, your climate is garbage. Either way, it's part of OKC anyway, so it doesn't matter (as mentioned).
