I am 25 years old and have lived in Houston for 23 of them. For the last two years I have lived in Austin and I can't wait to get back home. Austin sucks and here's why: Everything costs more. The cost of housing is rediculous. A decent one bedroom apartment will cost you $600 dollars a month and if you are planning to buy a home, get ready to pay about 30% more for a comparable home. There is nothing to do here. Everyone talks about Austin being the live music capital of the world, so what. The live bands in Austin are live bands in Austin for a reason, they aren't very good. I'm sure any major city has just as many live bands, but don't make such a big deal about them because their are other forms of entertainment. If you are a sportsfan in Austin, you are not in luck. All you have here is UT football. About 7 home games a year, that's it. All the radio shows talk about the Spurs, Cowboys and Rangers. If you want to catch a movie, get ready to drive because their is only 2 or 3 of the big Stadium Seating theatres in town. The layout of the streets are ignorant. If you want to dine at a decent restaurant, you may have to wait an hour or more. The city is too crowded for it's size. Many busnisses are understaffed, so good service is hard to come by. The people are very rude. Traffic is just as bad as Houstons. Their is no H.O.V lanes and no toll roads. The hills are cool for about a month or two then they become annoying. And most importantly, they don't show Rocket's games. I have to pay to watch them on League Pass. Many Austinites are proud of thier crime rate, but Austin should be renicknamed the sexaul assault capital of the world. If you are living in Houston and planning to move to Austin, stay where you are. ------------------ they all float down here...
Please never try to compare Houston and Austin again. AUSTIN SUCKS!!!! You think traffic in Houston is bad? Try this crappy freeway system, where the rumor is that the freeways were designed so poorly that the guy who designed them killed himself. What is there to do for entertainment? Not much..... Sixth street is okay, but a big strip of bars loses it's appeal after a few visits. If you don't drink then what is the point of even going? The music is okay, but I think that is because there isn't anything else to do. Oh, I forgot....you can go look at the bats. Forget sports if you are not a UT football fan, and even if you are, that's only like 6 or 7 games a year, and the tickets aren't easy to get. The economy here isn't great...especially with the problems that the Tech industry is having. It seems like everyone knows someone that is getting laid off, so it's back to Government and Education here. I wouldn't say the people are mean, but they aren't as friendly as the Houston residents. And life really sucks for you if you aren't white, because there really isn't anything for you to do. Houston is more versatile......there is something for everybody. Lastly, Austin is more expensive. The cost of living is high. For example, I'm paying $600 for a one bedroom now. ------------------
TexMex and Icehouse rule!! I'm so glad there are people in this world who realize the truth about Austin vs. Houston. Most people here in Austin can't understand why I miss Houston. It's true that, every time I drive back into Houston (which is at least once a month; more during certain sports seasons), the size is a little intimidating. But: Houston is cheaper, the people are nicer and less pretentious, and I don't think traffic is any worse than Austin. What does Austin have? I-35. The people who drive on there are mental. Austinites pride themselves on how "cool" they are; it must be cool to cut across four lanes of traffic, in front of an oncoming car, and never use your turn signal, ever. Those ramps on the lower deck just should not have been designed. Try to never, ever get onto the freeway on the lower deck. But I digress. The city is too crowded. Rents are outrageous; we pay $850 for a large 1 1/2 bedroom. Our stuff is stacked up against walls in unattractive piles because there is nowhere to put it. (mini-storage is expensive here too) Too many people in too little space, especially around UT. Parking is a huge problem (how much productivity have I lost because I choose not to come into the lab until people start vacating their parking places in late morning?). The live bands here.... there's a reason they haven't been "discovered". Sixth Street is about the worst, though. Lots of cities have overpriced strips of lookalike bars designed for the 21-year-old (with a fake ID) crowd. Maybe you'll run into Jenna Bush there... but I digress again. Don't mean to be totally negative... but the people here are pretentious, trendy, and shallow compared to the average people everywhere else I've lived. Living far outside the central city has helped somewhat. Still, I look forward to the day (in a year or so) when I get out of here... back to Houston would be ideal but it's unlikely that will be an option.... The good thing about Austin is that it's only 2 1/2 hours from Houston. (and did I mention the other obvious negative... no Rockets games) ------------------ Isabel,clutchcity.net lurker since 1996 All your base are belong to Heypartner.
Boy, Houston people sure are snooty. ------------------ "Light travels faster than sound, so some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak." -- Brian Williams (now Bison Dele) commenting on Isiah Thomas.
<a href="http://homeadvisor.msn.com/Move/BestPlacestoLive0.asp">Home Advisor: Best Places to Live</a> ------------------ NOTHING BUT .NET CLUTCHCITY.NET
I've always hated dallas always will. I agree that it seems to get more publicity for some reason. I have relatives over there and my roommate was from there and all I would hear is how great it is. I've been there and it's not that great. I laugh when people talk about Houston's traffic because last time I went to dallas there was a lot of traffic and it was already 7 pm. I also have to agree about their lack of exits and feeder roads. Another thing is the people. I used to rent cars to people flying in to Houston who travel to different cities all the time and most of them (non-Houstonians) agreed that Houston was better. When asked why they said almost 100% of the time that the people in dallas were snotty. Last time I checked Houston's pop. was more than the dfw "metroplex" . Trust me I did check because it was to prove a point to my roommate and another guy from san antonio. In the end I'd take Houston over dallas any day of the week. P.S. Has anyone been reading about the Houston-dallas sports rivalry in the chronicle. ------------------ I have seen much of the rest of the web. It is brutal and cruel and dark. CC.net is the light.
I will say one thing that is different between Dallas and Houston. People in Dallas know that 5.2 million is more than 4.6 million. So many Houstonians claim the opposite is true (it's not golf. The lower number isn't the leader in population numbers.) I also can't believe people still want to argue the point. No matter how many official documents are put in front of people noting that D/FW is bigger than Houston, someone else comes along to say "I looked it up because I had a bet, Houston is bigger." I don't know which is sadder, the idea that people can't tell which number is bigger than the other, the fact that people actually bet on which MSA is bigger, or the fact that the person who rightfully claims DFW is bigger actually apprently pays off these bets despite being on the winning end. As for Arlingtonians being the snooty ones (I know that was a joke, but bear with me), I have actually noticed that there is a difference in attitude between Tarrant County and Dallas/Collin County. Things really are a little more laid back in Tarrant County and people do seem friendlier. That's not true 100% of the time, of course, but it has been my experience that things are a little better in Tarrant County compared to Dallas/Collin County. And I've only lived in DFW for 3 1/2 years. I'm originally from San Antonio, and I grew up in the Panhandle. And one other thing, I had a bet once with a guy about whether Amarillo was bigger than Houston. I looked it up, and Amarillo has the larger population. Don't show me Census Bureau data that shows Amarillo with only 200K+ people. I looked it up. Amarillo is bigger than Houston. ------------------ Houston Sports Board Film Dallas.com AntiBud.com
Houston has sports? lol... j/k. The Mavs/Rockets rivalry should be interesting to watch in the coming years. What other rivalries are they talking about? ------------------ "Light travels faster than sound, so some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak." -- Brian Williams (now Bison Dele) commenting on Isiah Thomas.
Well, we do get the first Rangers/Astros games that count this year, so that's something. And the Cowboys vs. Oilers stuff was sort-of a rivalry, though the bulk of the games were preseason match-ups. There was still a little bit of animosity there between we Oilers fans and the Cowboys fans. ------------------ Houston Sports Board Film Dallas.com AntiBud.com
Now live in Arizona. Have lived in Houston and Austin, visited Dallas plenty. When my wife and I were relocating out of the Bay Area, the 2 cities in Texas we considered were Houston and Austin. Houston would have been my first choice because of family, if not for that consideration it would have been: 1) Austin (Jewel of the SW): music, clean air, hills, parks, lakes, progressive community. Major negatives: food, no pro sports. 2) Houston: most diverse city in the SW, most international, great resteraunts, great COL, close to the Gulf. Major Negatives: Traffic, pollution, landscape and weather are major hits on overall QOL. Sense of "Community" only in a few uban pockets. 3) Dallas: have the Cowboys, that is the only great thing about it. I guess the symphony is probably the best in Texas as well. But more negatives than Houston (though otherwise quite similar), and less diverse/interanational.
The Best Big Cities Austin, Texas. On the Colorado River, in the heart of the Hill Country, Austin offers an affordable cost of living, low utility costs, clean water, and easy access to outdoor activities in the surrounding wooded, rolling hills. You'll find an extensive park system with many recreational opportunities, such as boating. Austin boasts a low unemployment rate, and average commute time is only 21.4 minutes. Through its willingness to support economic diversification, Austin's job rate has grown fast in recent years and promises to grow even faster in the future, especially in the high-tech fields. Experts predict an incredible job growth rate (33.19% to 2010). Love music? You'll love "The Live Music Capital of the World." Austin has become a center for live music and hosts the South by Southwest Music Festival. Home to the University of Texas, Austin offers many opportunities to take part in educational and cultural activities: museums, symphonies, and theaters, not to mention many good restaurants. Any negatives here? You have to like hot summers: average high temp in July is 95.9 degrees F. The cost of living here might be affordable compared to other states, but it's pretty high compared to the other major cities in Texas. The unemployment rate was low, but with all the Tech layoffs here, the economy isn't all that great anymore. This has a huge effect on real estate as well. The commute time is small if there is no one on the freeway because Austin is not that big. However, traffic is a constant thing here, and the freeway system sucks. Sometimes it takes me 20 minutes to drive from my apartment to UT, and I only stay five miles away. If I bypass the freeway and take the streets, it still takes around 15 minutes. Besides that, everything else in the article is true. The music is good, but I think part of the reason is because there isn't much else to do. If you are an outdoors type of person then you would love Austin. One thing the article didn't mention is how Austin is a great twon for runners. I swear there is a marathon of some type every weekend.....okay, mabye not every weekend....but at least once or twice a month. ------------------
The cost of living is affordable if you came here from New York or California. And had a lot of money saved up. The utility costs are low - in the winter. The water is decent, I'll give it that. Outdoor activities, if you don't mind heat and if you enjoy being run over by boats on an artificial lake, or being run over by mountain bikes on the local trails. (sorry bikers; I just wish we had separate trails) Park system - pretty decent. Recreational opportunities; see above. OK but compare with Houston, which has the real ocean nearby. Of course, y'all have to watch the tropical storms, and any rock climbing types would prefer to be in Austin. Unemployment rate - I don't know when this was written. Things seem to have changed in the last few months... My commute is about 20 minutes, if I do it at 2 in the morning. Music - just like any other city, it has live bands, most of which aren't that good. Sixth Street isn't what it used to be. By the way, there are kinds of music other than rock and alt-country. Not too much classical or jazz going on in Austin. Culture? Better than, say, Middle Of Nowhere, West Texas. Houston takes its culture a little more seriously, though. Restaurants - we spend a lot more time here eating in chain restaurants than we did in Houston. Not that much good native food. The Mexican is OK, but there's still nothing like Monterey's or La Jaliscience. They use the wrong kind of cheese in Austin. Now that I've finished my negative post , remember that the study also rated Boston and San Francisco highly. None of these are places I would want to live. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. (And thank goodness - otherwise we'd all be trying to move to the same places.) ------------------ Isabel,clutchcity.net lurker since 1996 All your base are belong to Heypartner.
I like Austin, it's very eclectic. But, I see y'alls point about people being pretentious. But, alot of these people are students from Houston or Dallas. I love Austin (cept for traffic). But, keep in mind I am from Corpus. ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
Oh man, here we go again. I really don't care that the D/FW metroplex has a bigger population than Houston, all this really does is lead these art thou holier D/FW people on. I agree w/mrpaige the people in Tarrant/Collin County are a bit more down to earth. However, since I travel for my job I found no place that was desirable to live on the Ft. Worth side. Sorry, mrpaige but Arlington (kudos, largest city w/o a transportation system)should be blown up to start over. Anyhow, population does not make the city, the people, communities, culture, & standard of living do. In this Metroplex the people are confused, hence the reason why nobody can decide what the hell city they are in & get along. Let's see we have Arlington (for u mrpaige) McKinney, FW, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Richardson, Mesquite, Addison, Carrolton, Lewisville, Coppell, Farmers Branch, Garland, University Park, Highland Park, Cockrell Hill, The Colony, Rowlett, Irving (hell its not enough to be Irving, but w/in their city limits there is Los Colinas), Desoto, Lancaster, Duncanville, Grand Praire, Flower Mound, Euless, Bedford, Grapevine, Southlake, Hurst, N. Richland Hills, Watauga, Keller, Haltom City, Mansfield, Kennedale & Cedar Hill. Did I leave anybody off? Oh, that's right Dall-ass. Did anybody keep count? So, I feel that the population thing as you can see is blown way out of context. Let's see if Houston were to count Galveston, Well I think by now everbody gets the point; HOUSTON KICKS A**, & d/fw sucks it!!! Thank-You. ------------------ A HOUSTONIAN lost in dallas
The Houston MSA does include Galveston. And I believe Denton and all those Denton County cities are considered to be part of the Metroplex. (As is Burleson, which is South of Fort Worth). As for Arlington, I like living here. It's relatively easy to get anywhere in the Metroplex from here. It's cheaper to live here than in the Northern Suburbs. I can get all the places I need to go with ease, and I can get to 287 to go to Amarillo without encountering much in the way of traffic. I can also get to the Ballpark very easily. Is it perfect? Of course not. But I like it here (and it's certainly not a pretty place, and it doesn't have anything "city-like" like a real downtown, etc. But it is, afterall, a suburb). I don't particularly care which town is bigger. It doesn't make any difference to me. But when the contention keeps getting made that the Houston MSA is larger, it seems logical that someone should point out that just isn't so. I could say that Houston has the fewest restaurants per capita of any large city in the nation, but I doubt Houstonians would let that false statement go without countering it with the truth (even if I swore I looked it up to settle a bet). ------------------ Houston Sports Board Film Dallas.com AntiBud.com
Desert Scar, The Dallas Symphony, while very underrated and good, is not better than Houston's. This is not only my opinion, but the opinion of many critics, musicians, etc. that I have heard/read over the years. Why are people fighting so much over population? Who cares? About Austin, sure there are some outdoor possibilities nearby, but I stilll ould not want to live there. Too many other issues. Living here in Atlanta now, though, I have seen firsthand how wonderful it is to have so many opportunities nearby. Atlanta kills Austin in this department. It, however, has serious issues with traffic, pollution, and real estate prices. ------------------ "You sanctimonious philistines, who scoff at me!"
