I'm a 25 year old african american female who enjoys a good night life (jazz bars and upscale clubs), outdoor festivals and lots of cultural events. The beach, a somewhat laid back atmosphere with beautiful outdoor scenery. I would be working in the financial service industry, and would want to live close to work. A lot of banks tend to have their headquarters in a downtown/center of town area. I love Ft. lauderdale because I live in downtown, close to work, the nightlife and the beaches, but it's way too expensive, so I'm looking for a place with the same feel. I'm not sure if Austin, Houston, Dallas or San Antonio would offer that. I'm really confused because of some of the things I'm read about the different areas so far. Honestly, it doesn't even have to be Texas, I'm just looking to leave S.Florida and go somewhere cheaper that offers those key things. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
2006-12-11 03:06:56 · 10 answers · asked by gaellemoise 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Austin
Austin is the greatest city in the country.
Period.
Eff Houston, unless your rich, you'll end up getting murdered by Katrina REFUGEES. Eff Dallas, unless your rich, you'll get murdered by a bunch of oxycontin using high schoolers.
Austin is gorgeous and there's tons of night life, and you don't have to be a millionaire to enjoy it.
2006-12-11 09:51:58 · answer #1 · answered by audemars 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you want to live in Dallas. No beach, but it has a lot of the night life and many near-to-downtown residential areas, with many clubs and a night scene.
I live in Austin and would certainly recommend it as well. But, coming from Fort Lauderdale, I am not sure you would like it, unless you are looking to move to a smaller city. It is small enough that you can live outside the city and still only have a 30 minute commute.
Houston is an option, but I personally would never live in Houston. It has some nice areas, but is generally an 'ugly' city, dominated by the industry (ports, refineries). The beach *is* near and the cost is living is reasonable. And, the airport is a major hub, giving cheap flights to almost anywhere.
You should take a week vacation and drive around Texas, spending a couple days each in Dallas, Houston, and Austin. They are all about 3 hours from each other (a triangle). Of course, some of this might be dependent on were you get a job.
2006-12-11 03:43:31 · answer #2 · answered by Wundt 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Austin has more live music than anyplace in the US. Sixth street is full of clubs of all types. There are Honkeytonks, Wine Bars, Rock and Punk, Dance, Jazz and just about anything else--usually with live music. I moved here from Sunrise, FL and there are a lot of similarities and it is way cheaper. I think that atmosphere wise, that would be your best choice. It is also only about an hour down to San Antonio and there are some cool things there too. That would be the only other place I would look at given what you said.
Hill country is beautiful, just not a beach, and we are right on the eastern edge of that. The natural stuff here is great, but nothing like Florida. It is very dry and the trees are a little scrubby, but it is still very cool.
There is not a lot of Financial stuff here. It is VERY high tech. We have Dell, Freescale Semiconductor, AMD, HP, IBM and things like that. So that might be an issue, but you only need one job and there are some like Dell Financial Services. There isn't a beach unless you want to drive 4 hours either.
Houston and Dallas are both huge and they don't feel like south Fl at all. There is a lot to do both places, but the attitude is different. Texans mostly say Austin is "weird" and the locals think that is funny.
2006-12-11 03:30:32 · answer #3 · answered by Alex 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the Austin folks. I've lived there and in Dallas. Both great cities. You might look at Galveston if beach is high on your priority list. I haven't been there in ages, but I'm sure it's grown a lot (as have I).
There will be financial work in any city you select. Austin, Dallas and Houston being the big three (not necessarily in order).
The suggestion to check with the chamber of commerce for the different cities is a good one. I've also listed some links below (another good place to start).
2006-12-12 02:30:27 · answer #4 · answered by delriokid08 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think Austin would be the best place to afford in terms of money and safety. Cuz, unlike rest of texas as far as I know Austin is not that easily prone to hurricanes and it's a bit interior and it's close to San-Antonio and also Houston. Well being the capital of Texas I think finding a job isn't a difficult task and the afro american population is good too. Any apartment costs between 500-800 USD Pm even in prime locales. It has lot of tech companies like IBM, TI, Intel corp etall
Good luck in ur move
2006-12-13 18:17:54 · answer #5 · answered by rashmir 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I actually used to live in Ft. Lauderdale, lived in Austin for a while and then I moved back to Dallas. If you want someplace that has a good outdoor vibe and that is chill but has a good nightlife then Austin is your place. Dallas has an extremely awesome nightlife and they do have a lot of Banks but as far as going to chill outside and having a laid back atmosphere, you won't find that as much.
2006-12-13 12:40:33 · answer #6 · answered by acidinyoureyes 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely Houston! Cost of living is much cheaper than Florida and you are less than an hour from the gulf. There's palm trees and downtown is stunning. Traffic is horrible, but where isn't it. Austin, Dallas and San Antonio are nice but from what it sounds like you are looking for, Houston would be a good fit. I recommend going to these cities' chamber of commerce websites for all of the specific information. Good luck in your search!
2006-12-11 03:20:23 · answer #7 · answered by andi_romeda 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, first off, austin, san antonio, and dallas are all landlocked and far from the coast....Houston/galveston is on the coast as is corpus christi. Houston is very metroploitan, and seems your best fit. Austin is nice, but as a black female, i would venture to tell you that there is a real lack of any type of black community in austin. Dallas would be ideal as well with more options than houston but it is WAY inland!! And san antonio is a BEAUtiful city, with a very unique cross-culture of old west with mexican. Anyway, my final recommendation to you: Houston, a cosmopolitan city with a very diverse population, plenty of jobs in the finance industry, and a lot of the things you enjoy to do they have in abundance. Hope I helped you out! By the way, i live in Texas and REALLY don't like it!!! I live near Austin and miss the activity and busyness of the east coast along with the awesome diversity of the cities like Boston and New York.....but I digress, it's all on you love!!
2006-12-12 05:39:58 · answer #8 · answered by j-chris 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No where in Texas will you find a beach, laidback atmosphere and beautiful outdoor scenery in combination with a place you can work. It's just not here. Austin is closest, but no banks in site. It sounds like you need to stay put because you are in just the right place.
Take a look at Mobile Alabama . . .???
2006-12-11 03:34:39 · answer #9 · answered by kramerdnewf 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Austin any day. No sea, but lots of water bodies, lakes, rivers etc.
Awesome nightlife - 6th street and the downtown neighbourhood. Overall, lots of culture - great live music.
Dallas, Houston or San Antonio would never offer any of this.
2006-12-12 07:15:02 · answer #10 · answered by web_researcher 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋