Austin and Houston

During work peek driving hours I 35 is packed. Mopac and 183 are bad enough to. But its nothing compared to Houston.

Austin is smaller then Houston obviously. I guess you could say there is less to do in Austin. Although I can find plenty of places to eat. Plenty of nice bars and clubs. If you like strip clubs those are here to. Of course not as many as Houston.

For me there are just as many live shows that come through here as Houston. But i have a little bit smaller taste when it comes to music (not that much mainstream) rock, and hip hop shows.

Houston has the sport teams. And im thinking you like the Rockets so thats a negative.

And overall Houston is just much bigger takes a long time to get from one side of the city to the other. Houston a little bit more concrete, Austin a little bit more grass and trees to look at.

I have a ton of friends in each city and from my reactions from them they would probably say Austin is better. But along with me would not say Houston is bad, just not as good as Austin.

As far as comparing the 2 towns. I would have to go with Austin. Although as far as texas goes Houston isnt bad.

 

Austin baby, Austin.

 

Here we go...

 

Austin... ugh... Spurs TV coverage... ugh.

 

I'm still confused as to why you live here. I know you'll say job, but you could've found something outside of your field in Austin to help you get by if you love the city so much.

 

I lived four years in Austin while in school and then lived in Houston for almost four years. When I left Austin, I never thought I would love a city more than I did Austin, but by the time I left Houston, I preferred it over Austin. Having the Astros and Rockets in Houston is a definitely an advantage, but I also found a lot of night life places in Houston that I really enjoyed. Plus, Houston is just so much more diverse that there is a wider variety of things to do.

Not that you'll ever have nothing to do in Austin. Austin has a vibe all its own, but it's endured an identity crisis since the big population boom of the mid-90s. The infrastructure never caught up, so the place just feels more crowded than it should. Going out to eat on a weekend is almost a guaranteed 1-2 hour wait.

Plus, there is no freeway in Houston that moves as slow as I-35 does from the 3-6 in the afternoon.

 

After being umemplyed for 1.5 years, I was ready to jump on the FIRST job offer I got, even if it meant moving halfway across the world.

And no, I found nothing in Austin... even outside of my field.

 

Gotta pick Houston. If today was April 13, 1980, I would choose Austin hands down. Since then, Austin's negatives have multiplied while Houston has added many positives. Austin's traffic is worse than Houston's because they haven't kept up with infrastructure. Austin's cost of living is higher. Houston has better restaurants and has better nightlife (if you are older than 25). Houston's music scene is better if you are into blues and country. When I moved back from California in 1998, I had job offers in both cities, and chose Houston without hesitation.

 

BTW, after living in the Austin area for seven years and in Houston for seven months, it's Houston hands down. The only thing I miss about Austin are my friends there and Juan in a Million.

 

Big point.

Also, everything here revolves around UT. Arts are at UT, the only sports are at UT, the girls are from UT, the conversation is about UT.

If you're a Longhorn, I think odds are much greater you'll love Austin than if you're not. Does anyone else think this is true?

 

I've lived in Austin for about 7 years now, and I visit Houston frequently. My biggest complaint about Houston is traffic and the weather. Austin traffic is fairly consistent as to when it is bad, where as I always seem to get screwed in Houston. Of course you're from SA, and the traffic there isn't much worse than Austin, except the drivers seem to be worse in SA. I also don't miss mosquitos (I grew up in Victoria) or 99% humidity. Austin has a much more temperate climate.

I'd say that socially, Houston and Austin are fairly equal. As far as clubs and music, it pretty much comes down to personal preference. Even the big headliner tours that skip Austin can almost always be seen in SA. If you're into college-aged hippy chicks, Austin wins. If you're looking for an older, more conservative girl, Houston wins.

My biggest complaints about Austin are cost of living and employment. Houston is by far much cheaper than Austin. My friends in Houston freak out if we spend more than 6-7 bucks on lunch at a sit-down restraunt. Same meal in Austin cost 2 dollars more. Also the major employers in Austin are the State, the University, and technology (Dell, Motorola, IBM, etc.) and thats about it. When technology busted a few years ago, Austin went into a tailspin. It still hasn't recovered. OTOH, Houston seems to be a little better off and more diversified, even with technology and energy blowing up.

I love Austin, and only recently started thinking of myself as an Austinite. But if I ever need a job or feel like moving, I'm going to start looking in Houston.

 

That's nonsense.

 

Prove me wrong.

 

There's a Juan In A Million here in Mo City.

 

Austin's better in many perspectives. Quality of life. Scenery. In general ... 'good life'.

Houston is essentially my home town, but is sprawling, humid, mosquito-ridden and loaded-down with traffic.

You can look at the many publications that rank cities and nearly always find Austin near the top, and Houston not.

If I was interested in the sheer number of bars and restaurants, I'd probably pick Houston over Austin. But then again, I'd pick San Francisco over Houston in a heartbeat if that was my criteria.

 

Ha! No. Well maybe slightly around 35, but everywhere else is fine.

Don't even get me started on how much I dred visiting Houston and the traffic there.

Tex, sorry man, but Austin traffic isn't even in the same ball park as Houston. The cost of living sucks, but I get LESS traffic, better air, more outdoor things to do, better nightlife IMO(I'm not into the pretentious crap that oozes from the Houston bar scene). I do have to agree that Houston has a better blues and country music scene, but the overall music scene easily goes to Austin, hands down.

I think the smog has gotten to your head RM95. I haven't lived in Austin as long as you have, but I did live in Houston for 18 years. I can't stand to be away from Austin more than a couple days anymore.

Probably. I have become more of a Longhorns fan since I came here, but they rank low on the list of things I think make Austin my preferred place to live.

 

Prove yourself right.

Comparing Austin traffic to Houston is a joke. I35 sucks during rush hour, but that's it. It takes longer to exit 610 by the Galleria at noon than it does to get through MOPAC during rush hour.

There is just no comparison.

 

That wasn't my experience. Getting through MoPac during rush hour the last time I was caught in it (1997) took me an hour. I don't know if it was a special day, but that's what happened. It has never taken me that long to exit 610 at Westheimer regardless of the time of day or whatever construction was going on. That's why I can say, from personal experience, that Austin's traffic is worse than Houston's. Houston's moves...Austin's, like Los Angeles, does not.