Seeking real information on Austin TX and surrounding areas.?

Question

I'm considering moving from L.A. and am trying to determine where I might like to live. I miss seasons and the cost of living here is insane now. I'm considering Austin, maybe Nashville, or elsewhere.
Regarding Austin, I'd like to know more about the following:

Temperatures / seasons. Do you HAVE seasons (i.e. an AUTUMN???) and how humid does it get? Comparable to Arkansas?

Where are the best areas in Austin to live. Is it all flat, or is it diverse with hilly areas, too?

I know it's a big high-tech growth area, but what about other types of job -- say entertainment industry? Live music capitol, I know, but jobs?

Property taxes high/low/average.

Things to do. Musically -- all genres (including REAL rock?) or leaning toward country/western/other?

Diversity -- more "melting pot" or traditional middle America?

I want a place where there are things to do I enjoy, but that isn't such a rat race. All information, advice and suggestions welcomed.

Thank you.

EEK! VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION I forgot. MAJOR CONCERT TOURS! Do they come through Austin regularly, or do you have to go to Houston, Dallas or San Antonio to get them.

AND Tornado activity. If I'm moving back toward tornadoes -- how bad does it get?

Answer 1

I have lived in Austin my whole life (23 years) so hopefully I can provide you with your needed info.

Temperature/Seasons: It is HOT most of the time reaching around 110 degrees in August. We have one season...summer. Ok actually, we have spring and summer but NO autumn (all leaves here stay green year around and we never really get much of a winter). The humidity isn't too bad, not as humid as Houston but I don't know in comparison to Arkansas because I've never been to Arkansas.

The best area to live is Central Austin which is really nice but sort of pricey (however, you live in L.A. so I know you know about expensive housing). Average rent in downtown is from $1500-2,500 depending on how nice the house is. In regards to the terrain...austin is in the "hill country" so its surrounded by lots of beautiful hills and it isn't flat really at all. Dallas is very flat.

If you want a job in the entertainment industry I don't think Austin is the place to do it. Unless you have a band but there isn't great theatre here or anything to that respect.

Property tax depends on the area but there is no state income tax which is really nice.

Considering that this is the live music capitol of the world there is MUCH more than country. Actually Austin really isn't into country/western music much. More indie bands and blues. I don't know what you might consider "real rock" but it really isn't that country here. That is more in Nashville.

Diversity here is great. There are primarily hispanics/caucasians here but since University of Texas at Austin is a huge school here there are people from all over the world that live here.

Other Austin info: The average age is around 27, there are more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the US, it is one of the top fittest cities. Overall, good place to live. Plenty to do, nice people, great Mexican food (go to Chuy's if you move here..its tasty). Negatives: no seasons, always hot, bad traffic (well I don't know how bad compared to L.A. traffic, small airport.

In regards to Nashville, my best friend lives there and I know that it has all 4 seasons including autumn and snow in the winter with a nice mild summer. The music is primarily country/western being that it has most country stars living there. However, I hear there are awesome bars and really nice people so you might want to check it out.

Hope this helps! If you have any info on Chicago (I'm moving there in a couple months) please send it my way. Thanks!

Answer 2

I don't live in Austin, I am from neighboring Oklahoma, but I get down to Austin as often as possible. I really enjoy the city - and while I can't answer all of the questions you've asked, I'll answer the ones I can.

Seasonal - Winters are very mild with hardly any snow. Summers are HOT and dreadfully humid. Autumn and Spring are nice.

Mostly a flat area - in the great plains region so you can expect plains

Austin is an interesting city in terms of politics. Probably mostly due to UT-Austin - but it is a rather liberal city when most of the rest of the state is staunchly conservative.

Because of the university you can expect an extremely diverse population.

Musically - Austin is known as the "live music capital of the US". You'll find plenty to do on 6th street I have no doubt. Rock, jazz, country, whatever you like...

As for jobs and property taxes, I can't help you having neither lived nor worked there.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

HI! I just moved to austin a year ago from OR and I think it is a fabulous place to live..as being "the music capital of the world" there is any and every type of music so you can go two stepin to some country music or just kick it..property taxes are high but I am sure that theyre not as high as LA..you can also get a great house at a low cost as property values are low..but it is a rapidly growing area..depending on if you have a family I would recommend living up north where the arboretum is or a smaller city area known as lakeway in the hills...the weather is quite different as there really are no seasons...and there actually are some gorgeous areas of hills and trees all over..hope this does you some good..
=)

Answer 4

My daughter lives in Austin and attends the Univ of Texas.
It gets pretty warm and humid. The north side near the Arboretum is a great area to live. There is the river and alot of the young people go to San Marcos (about 30 min south) river rafting. It isn't totally flat and doesn't have particularly cold winters.

I believe you won't have any problems finding work
Property taxes might be a little high, but not as high as LA.

6th street is the place to be for entertainment and music. There is a big music fest once a year that you might enjoy. And don't forget the Austin City Limits tapes there.

It is a very diverse city and not uptight like the Dallas area where we live.

Try
http://www.austin360.com/
for more info

Answer 5

Austin is great, it has the big city surroundings with a small town feel.The Seasons are Average- Summer-80's-100's / Spring-70's-80's / Winter-60's can feeze at night. / Fall-70's cool. I am an Austin Native and i love the atmosphere. Housing is much more affordable than the Southern California area. Check Out Craigslist.com to get an idea of the housing and pricing. Most areas of Austin are nice for example Circle C is an upscale neighborhood in south austin where homes start from 200-300 thousand, or West Austin where the prices of a home can vary (most over 250 thousand). The Music Scene is great here our venues are awesome and it is a good place to check out a concert. The Area is beautiful plains to the east and Hills to the west, many natural swimming holes including area lakes, springs and rivers. its a GREAT city to recide in!

Answer 6

I just moved to Austin 6 months ago from Michigan and so far I'm loving it. Always something going on. Depends on what kind of music you're into as far the major tours go. To be honest, I don't go to concerts anymore. But I can tell you the Austin slogan is "Keep Austin Weird." Lots of diversity. Keep checking with people. I'm sure there's a Texas website you can get more info from. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. It's a big step.

Answer 7

Austin is a fun and interesting place to live for the young and single. I dont recommend it for family's. The weather is hot in the summer and warm in the winter with an occasional cold front. I wore a coat twice last winter.There are concerts and clubs with live performers every night somewhere and San Antonio is an hour away with its tours.Taxes are high and traffics is bad. but theres always something to do what kind of work is the only issue you would have.

Answer 8

Hi there.
Austin is becoming more crowded. The traffic is getting bad, but you will probably not think it is too bad, being from LA. Neverthless, they are constructing more roads to connect Austin with outlying, suburban areas.
Unfortunatley, there are no "seasons" here. Summer beings as early as February sometimes! It gets pretty humid and there are a lot of mosquitos. Every morning when I get out of the car in the summer, my sunglasses fog up! Also, you may get allergies (grass, molds, cedar, etc.) I never had allergies in San Diego, but i get them here.
The best areas to live are in Northwest Austin and in Round Rock and Georgetown (though the traffic is bad). The areas south of Austin (Buda and Kyle) are hard to get to because they are on a major interstate (I-35). The schools are not as great in Hays county (Buda and Kyle are in Hays Co.)
Austin is pretty flat. Southwestern areas (hill country) are pretty hilly. The scenery is nice there. Austin has hills to the west, prairies and agriculture to the east, lakes, ranchland and a pine forest (Wimberley, bastrop, Elgin), all about an hour away.

Austin remains a film-friendly city for features, television movies, music videos, series and commercials large or small.
Check the TX film commission website and Austin360.com jobs section to see any jobs/internships in the entertainment field.

2005 Property taxes for Travis county: 2.74230 %
2005 Property taxes for Williamson (Round Rock, G'town) county: 2.77607%

Music is great here. Sixth Street and Red River St. have bars all along them. You get live music from all over the globe and U.S. I have seen so many world-famous bands here, and in many small venues like Stubb's.

Austin is very diverse. With the university and countless IT coroprations located here, people come from all over. Many people I know in Austin were born outside the US. There are places of worship for many religions.

In conclusion, Austin is a rapidly growing diverse city with many opportunities. Its infastructure is improving to accomodate vast population growth. It is affordable and has many surrounding areas nearby to settle.

Answer 9

County Line is the biggest name in Austin barbecue, and the original location off of Loop 360 has an excellent view. Closer to downtown and UT campus is Ruby's (not to be confused with Rudy's, a decent chain also located in Austin). However, if you're willing to take a small trip out of your way down hwy 183 to Lockhart, that's the TX BBQ capital, and worth the trip. Lots of great places.

Answer 10

Austin is a fun town, artsy,musical and college/party seen. the weather sux we have a hot a*s summer with high humidity and a half as* winter . Nashville is a beautiful place with all the seasons , winter ,spring ,summer and fall. Not toy much of a night life though.