I think I want to move

What about Boston? I've never been there but the pictures people show me from when they go there are pretty cool looking. Not diverse though. If you want diversity and a culture that resembles Austin on crack and heroin, then try San Fransico. If you're gay, it's a great place to pick up guys. But San Francisco is probably out of your cost of living range. Have you ever considered leaving the country? Monterrey, NL Mexico is a beautiful city with an entertaining night scene to say the least. And more people there speak fluent English than you would think. Cost of living is equivolent to that of dirt.

 

DEAR GOD so do I! But since I can't move, I'll just have make due with what I have. Try this idea though: back when I graduated high school, me and a few of my best friends hopped trains and toured the country. When I got back, I appreciated that hellhole Houston a little more.

 

Just move man. Flip a coin, throw a dart, consult Miss Cleo....whatever it takes, pick a place and take off. You never know what kind of man you can be untill you leave that "comfort zone" that is slowly smothering you. San Diego is a fantastic town to try. Take a bite out of the big apple. Don't let fear freeze you in place, or one day you'll wake up and realize you haven't gone anywhere...and it's too late.

 

Oh yeah, what about Atlanta? Is that city any good?

 

I highly reccomend Nacogdoches. You will live like a rock star on 15 or 20 grand a year. There is an endless supply of young gullible chicks that will be impressed with all of the learnin' you got. You can walk everywhere in the town. {Perfect.}

 

It's ok, but lately I've had my eye on Canada. I went to Vancouver once and fell in love. Actually I fell in love twice, first with the city(which is breathtaking) and second with a stripper named Skye(I'm suuuuuuuure that was her REAL Name ) but alas in the end they both wanted my money. Anywho, Atlanta on a scale of one to ten gets a six and a half from me.

 

i don't think there is anyplace outside of Texas that is cheaper to live in than Austin.

living here is dirt cheap.

 

I've lived in Chicago, Miami, and now Houston - each has her own charm. Each city represented a point in my life. While in Chicago I was seeking culture and to have my eyes opened. Chi-town has taught me more than any teacher or any book I've ever come across. In Miami, I was in my pretentious single guy slut hounding phase. That phase started and ended in that city. Now, I'm looking to settle down and start my society mapped adult life. That's why I'm in Houston.

I love Houston. I love the money that I make. But I've adapted to the city and have a personality of a board. That's just me, I adapt to my environment. It may not be the city, but just my surroundings. What I'm trying to say is for you to make a decision of where you want to live, you have to decide what you want out of the city.

Good luck.

 

I've heard that just about everyone in Lagos, Nigeria has about 15 million bucks. You should go there.

 

mmmmm.... Canada. Brian Adams... Celine Dion... Grizzled.

gr8-1, you can always try Salt Lake. The women are already divorced by 24, and they have long careers of promiscuity due to the supposition that anal/oral sex and virginity aren't contradictory.

Honestly, I'd shoot for Seattle if I were free. I envy the thought, to be honest. Everyone talks about the dreariness of Seattle, but I've been up there a few times during the past few years and it's routinely been gorgeous (then again, the trips were mid-summer early fall). The great thing about Seattle, other than the volcano next to it, is the smalltown atmosphere of the big city. It's perhaps the easiest city to get around in, other than San Francisco (w/o the extreme costs of living). Better yet, Vancouver is a couple of hours away. Even better... Whistler/Blackcomb is just two more hours.

Also, the University of Washington seems like a nice school... if you feel like taking the occassional class or loitering around on campus.

I'd stay away from Atlanta (the city doesn't know that it is simply a large Columbia, SC). New York is nice... but way too large for my tastes. Chicago is nice if you can afford the city; the commute from the burbs will make it a pointless venture. At least drive through Charleston, SC if you're amenable to doing anything in the ocean.

Most importantly, good luck. This is incredibly exciting for you.

 

What if you narrowed down your choices to two or three cities, sent of some resumes and went to whichever city that you have a job offer in?


PS Good call on Atlanta everyone. Not only is it veeeeeeeery southern, it's easily the worst sports town in America.

 

Just moved from Austin to Chicago this past summer. I loved Austin too, but after living there for seven years, my wife and I felt exactly the same as you -- like we were in a rut.

Career-wise, there weren't many options there. Got tired of the same old restaurants and the night-life scene. The lack of ethnic diversity, big-league performing arts and museums, and professional sports really became more of an issue the longer we stayed. And towards the end, we actually came to despise Austin.

Our original intention was to move to Manhattan: capital of the known universe, the most cosmopolitan and exciting city on the planet. All my siblings moved there from Austin as well. But living in Austin so many years made my wife and I too soft. Yeah, there was the expense -- but it was mainly the big compromises and tradeoffs you have to make in your housing.

Still, we knew we had to get out of Austin. So we settled on Chicago. To us, it's the only other place in the States besides NYC that can claim to be a true city. No, it's not New York. It's not as hip and stylish, the restaurants aren't as good, blah blah blah.

But it's less pretentious, and much more affordable. We rent a large, remodeled flat that's about 1200 sq. ft. with a deck, yard, W/D/DW, and garage space for about $1250/mo, in the very cool, urban -- and admittedly over-gentrified -- neighborhood of Bucktown/Wicker Park. Lots of nightlife and hip restaurants within walking distance. Compare this to my sister's tiny fifth-floor 1BR walkup in the East Village for $1700/mo. (BTW, don't let these rent figures scare you. While we think our rent is very reasonable, you can get cheaper, and rents are coming down even in the best neighborhoods here).

I recommend Chicago highly if you're looking for living a true urban experience: huge downtown, unbelievable skyline, hustle and bustle, riding trains and subways, old and magnificent architecture, lots of walking, lots of great restaurants, nightlife, shops, and bars -- all interwoven within residential neighborhoods, as opposed to isolated out in strip malls -- tons of ethnic diversity, and some of the best museums in the world. On the other hand: it can be more expensive (not as much as NYC or SF), it's a hell of a lot dirter than any city in Texas, it can be more dangerous living here, the cold/snow/ice can wear you down (esp. since you have to walk so much more), and the un-urbanized see the city as one big ghetto.

But we're the type that prefers all those negatives over living in charmless suburban sprawl, over having to drive everywhere (we left our cars in Texas), and worrying about bursting into flames anytime you step outside or get into your car during the summer. On Christmas Eve, as we walked to midnight mass through our charming, city neighborhood, to a huge, magnificent church, with the snow silently falling and blanketing everything -- man, that was just magical.

Some other considerations: Chicago has a diverse economic base. Yes, times are tough everywhere, but it has much less exposure to downturns in a specific sector. It's more car-friendly than NYC, if you want to drive -- very handy when you need to run to the supermarket late at night during unsafe hours in subzero weather. Also, the population here seems to be much more liberal (at least in the city proper) -- you see way more anti-war, anti-Bush sentiment here than in Texas. Obviously, that can be a plus or minus. But I think the Chinatown(s) here is/are kind of lame for a city so large. Definitely not NYC or SF. Maybe not even H-Town.

The key thing is you need to leave and explore other options. It's much harder the older you get. Now is the best time to leave Austin. You can always come back if you find that Austin really is home. But you'll never know and have plenty of regrets if you don't try. Moving is to live. And as they say, city life -- the vertical life -- is truly living.

 

gr8-1, what is your profession? Don't you write software?

If so, maybe you can consult in a few different cities and then make your choice. Your vision would be clouded by a per diem, but it would be a more informed opinion than perhaps now.