you wouldnt abandon your teams. you actually fight for them in the sports bar, the htown fans vs the san antonio fans vs the dallas fans! i roll up with my maxwell jersey and some blonde kid rolls up with his nowitski jersey, its on!
I've lived in both cities, and I prefer Houston. Houston's just a bigger, more diverse city. Austin's an awesome town, but Houston has character. I've spent lots of time driving in both cities, and I find Austin traffic worse, especially since there's usually just one way to get places. I was driving on I-35 just the other day at 12 MIDNIGHT, and it took me nearly an hour to travel about 7-8 miles.
That's because it's the summer - they have certain lanes of I-35 shut down to repave them - it's a yearly occurrance and sure, it's inconvenient, but it's a helluva lot better than them doing it at 8am or 5pm, or for that matter, them not doing it at all. In fact, if you avoid I-35 at all costs all the time, regardless of the time of day, or time of year, you're pretty well off. The preference for either city depends entirely on where (which area of said city) you live and what your mindset is. I grew up both inside the Houston city limits and out in NW Harris county in the 'burbs. I moved to Austin 3 weeks after I turned 18, went to UT and moved around the Riverside for 4 years, moved to NW Austin, graduated, and never came back to Houston. The only thing that Houston has over Austin for me is the job market - but I can be a teacher in any city in America. I just like it in Austin.
Austin is minor league. Houston is major league. Austin is nice to visit and look at, and maybe a nice place to retire when you're 98 or so. Houston is a lot more friendlier and more opportunities career-wise. You can't compare the two. The fact is that if people wanted to live in Houston, then HTown wouldnt be the 4th biggest city and Austin would. As the dude said before me, you date Austin and marry Houston. If you wanna settle, sure, head to Austin. If you want to progress in a career and such, head to Houston and challenge yourself.
I've lived in Austin since 1980, when Mrs. Blade Runner and I finally pulled it off. It was a hell of a lot harder to find a job then, than now. I had been coming here since the 1960's, so I've seen the immense changes that have taken place in Austin. I'm saddened by the fact that it's become so large, and so much less than what it was, but I love living here. I frequently go to Houston, and anyone who says the traffic is worse in Austin just doesn't know the city. There's no comparison. Even the drivers, who are getting worse, are less agressive in Austin. If you're cut off in traffic, you can flip them the bird and not have to worry about someone shooting at you with something that was in their glovebox. Just stay off of I-35, at all costs, and you'll be fine. It's OK from Austin to SA, but not from Ben White towards the North. Just stay off the damn thing. If you are a Democrat, and moderate to liberal, and you're a Texan, this is the place for you. The only caveat is if you have a high level job with the state... then you have to be careful about your bumper stickers, given the current climate in the Legislature. Except for BBQ, Houston has better food. It has the coast and ready access to good seafood, which I really miss. It's got major league baseball, but we get good AAA, at a fraction of the cost. The Rocks play there, of course, but I haven't missed a season in years because of League Pass, which I'm sure Clutch had for years himself, before moving back to Houston. It's got some football team confused as to who they are, and what state they're in, that as a result chose to call themselves the Texans, for reasons that will remain a mystery. Most of my friends and relatives still live in Houston, but I go several times a year, and they come up here, so it's cool. Houston has the symphony, the ballet, and the opera, which Austin will eventually have, but doesn't really have now. Houston has a great theatre scene, but Austin's is damned good, and underrated. Houston has some great museums, which are far superior to anything Austin has. Austin is working on that. It's a slow process. Houston has a real zoo... Austin has 6th Street after 10pm. Music? Austin blows Houston out of the water, although Houston has an excellent music scene, and always has. It's like Austin is on steroids or something. I won't slam Houston's music, because I grew up with it, and have many wonderful memories from all the concerts I saw there, and all the great clubs that have come and gone. Look, I love Houston, but I would never live there again. I love Austin in a different way, and I don't see myself living anywhere else. (not as long as the capitol of the State of Texas is there, and helping to pay our bills, lol!) I can see us living in a smaller city, someday, and I'd love to live in a city like San Francisco part of the year, if one of us wins the lottery. Austin... great city, or the greatest city? You decide for yourself.
Austin sucks and so do all the tree huggin hippies involved with the town. That means you Jo Mamma. You think it's so hype and progressive just because it's pretty, and the weather is better, and there are better restaurants, and the nightlife is better. Well guess what, I'm just fine with all the smog, traffic, long commutes and horrible cover bands that play the pathetic local bars in Houston. so take that.
Lived in Houston almost all of my life and went to school in Austin. Houston does have better job opportunities and more diversity but is not as nice as Austin. Austin is less crowded, more educated population, better outdoor activities, and more of a small town/big city feel. Houston is more of an urban, concrete jungle which is why I believe there is so much flooding. The traffic is also much worse in Houston. Houston is the epitome of urban sprawl. Austin has a much better rep than Houston (always ranked as one of the top places to live). However, Houston is a very underrated city, especially considering the cost of living and job opportunties. Of course living in CT, it is much more boring but it is extremely peaceful and people actually care about land conservation and nature. We actually have zoning and much more land. I live on 1.2 acres which sounds like a lot but is a perfect balance between a nice neighborhood and privacy. Unlike in Houston, my children will have a real back yard to play in. A builder in Houston would probably squeeze in 3 houses on the size of our property. CT is like the Woodlands except when you drive an hour, you reach NY or Boston (not Huntsville). I would say CT is a much better place to raise and educate children but I would move to Austin in a heart beat.
I find posts like this bizarre, as though what's best for one person is best for all. Depending on your career path, Houston may be better (energy work, for example). In other cases, Austin may be better (government-related). Or in yet other cases (teaching), Austin, Houston, or any small-town might provide equal opportunities. Anyone who thinks one city is fundamentally better than other ignores the fact that different people like different things. If being outdoors is important to you, Austin may be better. If having access to museums and fine arts is important, Houston might be better. If having access to more options is important, Houston has more. But if you want more convenience to the options you have, Austin might work better. Different people like living in a city with 12 million or 4 million or 1 million or 50,000 people. Acting like one is better than the other says more about the person than it does about the city.
This is Austin's trump card on Houston -- deep. blue water, limestone lined lakes and spring fed creeks. Lake Travis Barton Creek
Not if you like Gulf Coast fishing. There's a lot of people who can't stand to be away from the beach/shore/gulfcoast. I'd miss it.
I'm pretty sure the Katy Freeway is going to be 16 lanes. If not, very close to it. Major, damn good post.
