Hey everyone, A few years back I posted a "Pros/Cons of Houston" thread that was very informative and I thank everyone for their contributions to it. I have since visited Houston for a week this past Spring for the first time since childhood to see some family of mine. As FYI points of reference, I grew up in the midwest (Milwaukee) and have lived in Jacksonville, FL the past 3 years, I'm a designer in my mid-20s... Just thought I would first share some outside thoughts at first impression of what I thought of the city, please try not be offended as these are simply my initial ramblings. First off, I thought Hobby Airport seemed a little run down or out of date. The checkered tile, frosted glass bricks, and neon reminded me of that retro 50s diner look. It seemed like most of the place was either under construction or undergoing renovations, which is either a good or bad thing. Speaking of construction, WOW! I couldn't turn around without seeing a orange construction cone or "horse." Houston is definately a "concrete jungle." I hear it compares with LA, only less dense. There seemed to be restaurant, after restaurant, after restaurant, after shopping center for miles and miles headed towards downtown. You guys are getting a 16 lane highway heading in and out of downtown!?!? That to me is absolutely insane as the biggest I've seen is 8 lanes. And due to the construction, I'm not sure I've ever seen worse traffic, except maybe in NY. I was absolutely blown away by the Galleria though, its the size of downtown Jacksonville, and I'm not kidding. I had dinner there at Morton's Steakhouse, that Black Angus you guys got there is second to none!!! I heard the Galleria in Dallas is even bigger... The Shiner Bock is excellent too BTW! Now for the Sports Complexes... Minute Maid park and Reliant Stadium are truly larger than life! I couldn't get over how incredibly gigantic these facilities are, amazing! The Toyota Center, my mecca on the trip was great of course to see in person as well. I wasn't able to go inside as their were no games that weekend, but everything was just as I had seen it so many times before on the NBA League Pass ;-] I could just hear the FSN Southwest intro music in my head as I approached the front doors... I plan to return this fall to catch T-Mac and Yao in person. I also didn't get a chance to party on Main St. either, was with my dad all weekend :-[ Everything people discussed about Houston in my original thread was dead on, the women, food, diversity were great! The traffic, construction, flooding (I didn't see however, thankfully), were the negatives as any city will have. Which brings me to the other part of this thread... My family is has been recently trying to coax me into moving that way in the near future and I'm giving it serious consideration. However, I'm actually even more intrigued with another city a few hours west, Austin. I've never heard a bad word about it from anyone that has been or lived there. Everyone seems to make it out to be this giant utopia in the middle of the state that people are just beginning to find out about. From the nightlife, to the women, to UT, to the diversity, to the live music, to the outdoor/recreation, the city has it ALL! Very liberal, very art-oreintated, very yuppie, as well. Pretty big too, I guess around 1.25 M with 50,000 college students. I was told to watch the Austin Real World to get a better sense of the city life! Last but not least, Austin would also be centric to both Houston and SA, weekend and family getaways whenever the occasion calls for it. Would I get Rockets games in Austin also, or would it be the Spurs since they'd be closer? I guess I'm trying to get some real insight into the differences between the 2 cities, personal preferences, qualities of life, etc. If you love Austin, but hate Houston, tell me why. If the opposite is true, also explain. Thanks in advance guys!
1. People aren't just beginning to find out about Austin. It's a hella tough job market. 2. Nice town, to be sure. I prefer a larger town, myself. 3. You'll get the Astros....you'll struggle to get the Rockets. Sports radio there is Cowboys/Astros/Spurs, primarily.
Austin is a beautfiul city. (love lake travis etc.) Has a fun nightlife. Even though it's a small city, traffic scucks too. I've run into a lot of assholes in Austin. (people aren't very friendly) Oh and the hippies.....(bit too liberal for me) I love visiting the city, just not sure if I'd ever want to live there.
I'm thinking about moving to Austin. Which part of town is the quietest and safest place over there? I'm geenerally looking to stay away from the students and campus life.
I've spent a lot of time in both cities. I prefer Houston. I know that makes me INCREDIBLY UN-HIP, but I don't care. Bigger city, more to do, nicer people (not snobby like a lot of Austin folks). I prefer Houston.
You haven't seen construction until you've been to Austin the last few years. They're building a huge toll road around the city. My impression of Austin is that it was a cool place to live 15-20 years ago, but ever since everybody found out how cool it was, they all moved there and made it uncool.
Then you'll probably want an area like NW Austin, out towards Cedar Park and Leander. The drive into town is a pain, but much will improve with the opening of the many new toll roads under construction. I live on the NE side of town, towards Manor. It's definitely quiet out here, but the new growth is out this way. There's always Lakeway and Dripping Springs. There is traffic here, but nothing like Houston or Dallas. Nothing is really more than 20 minutes away if there are no wrecks.
I lived there for 5 years..... Pros Awesome nightlife Great live music Nature, trees, lakes, rivers Young liberal population laid back Cons Freeway system is a joke (traffic unbearable even in remote areas - no East/West freeway) People are assholes - they think everything outside of Austin is completely inferior. Also if you live north of the river you suck. "South" Austinites (78704) consider themselves superior. No professional sports (UT rules the town) Body odor, natty dread hair, and bushy armpits on women Higher cost of living No jobs unless you are in IT or the service industry
I lived in both places for over 15 years and here are the key differences. Austin is prettier, has less traffic and better weather for the most part. Houston has nicer people, more culture and a better night life. Believe it or night, Houston is actually more liberal than Austin despite the marketing.
To me, that is the reality of Austin. Spot on, A-Train. It was a great place to live in the early 1980s. It has been ruined by unhinged growth.
I've lived here in Austin for almost 8 years now. If you like the outdoors stuff like hiking, jogging around Town Like, hitting up the biking trails, or going to the lake, Austin's the right place for you. There are so many bars here it's ridiculous. Personally, I usually hang out at Red Fez, Foundation, and Glass in the 5th St/Warehouse area, but I love the option of getting drunk off $2 jaeger bombs on 6th St. as well. If you're more into shopping, museums, and going to pro sports events, then Houston's right for you though. Edit: I don't want to turn this into a Houston bashfest, as most of the guys on the board already know how I feel about it.
Nice points, the outdoorsy part of Austin intrigues me mostly because I'd be leaving the beach to come West.
