Tell me about Austin and Travis County, Texas

[Vince S.]

I'm planning far into the future, but I am currently an EMT and looking at going to Paramedic school after I graduate college. EMS career opportunities are a bit sparse in the Northeast, so I'm looking all over the country. Some places I've been looking at include Seattle-King County (I will probably make a thread at a later date) and Boston, but I'm close enough to it (CT) that I can go up there and visit.

Austin-Travis County EMS is one of the top municipal EMS systems in the country, so I'm interested in possibly applying with them and having the privilege to work for them in the future. That said, I am from New England, and I've never visited Tx before.

What is Austin like? Cost of living? How about the county itself? Crime rates? Nice areas to live?

[DigMe]

Austin is a nice place and is not lacking in fun and interesting things to do. It's nice and hilly with a lot of scenic overlook areas if you know where to go. There are tons of great eclectic restaurants and music venues. Cost of living is not bad compared to many areas of the country. Property taxes kind of stink though. If I had to live in a big city in Texas I would choose Austin. In fact we have land only 30 minutes out of Austin so I do spend a lot of time there. The town has a very unique culture and a kickin' live music scene that just keeps growing. It's not all that far to drive to Dallas and Houston. San Antonio is just down the road as is San Marcos with it's river activities and New Braunfels, which has greatest water park in the world.

The biggest cons of living in Austin that I see are heat in the summer (like most of Texas) and traffic. The traffic on the central artery of interstate 35 can be an absolute nightmare. Hopefully it will improve when the tollway bypass is completely finished.

Other than that it's a pretty cool place.

bc

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by DigMe

The biggest cons of living in Austin that I see are heat in the summer (like most of Texas) and traffic. The traffic on the central artery of interstate 35 can be an absolute nightmare. Hopefully it will improve when the tollway bypass is completely finished.

Very very true.

And watch out for non-Conservatives.

[Pilgrim]

I've lived in TX and I come from the Pacific NW.

Drawbacks of the Seattle area: (1) traffic; (2) winters which are grey and you can go 60 days without seeing the sun. But when the sun comes out, it's the most beautiful place in the US. Big university downtown; great place to live, politically Blue. Lots to see and do, mild winters and summers.

Austin: Nice area, reminds me of Eugene Oregon which is a spot I like. Summers are long and intense - 90 degrees or more every day from May through october - I was happy to get away. Winters and spring are great (November to April). Great music scene, huge university there. Plenty to see and do. Politically Blue for Texas, which means purple (part blue, part red) anywhere else.

Moving from the East coast to Texas is absolutely a cross-cultural experience. Moving to the Northwest would be less culturally disorienting.

And I LOVE Texas BBQ. Moved from there to Colorado and bought my own smoker so I could do it right. Once you have regular access to Texas BBQ and Shiner Bock, opium is for the poor people. I also love Pacific NE seafood, especially salmon.

For me? No choice - Seattle, or better yet, South in Olympia or even better, Vancouver across the river from Portland.

[Illbay]

Originally Posted by Vince S.

What is Austin like? Cost of living? How about the county itself? Crime rates? Nice areas to live?

1) It's growing rapidly.

2) Probably the worst traffic congestion of any city its size in the U.S.

3) If you feel like you "missed out" on the fun in Cuba under Fidel, move close to downtown. The People's Republic of Austin welcomes you, comrade.

[jrthebassguy]

Austin is awesome. I don't think I've met anybody that's moved to Austin and regretted the decision.


If I decide to live in Texas after I graduate college, I'll probably move to Austin.

[Deluge Of Sound]

I could see you fitting in really well with the Texans, Vince. Lots of hate for anyone who looks different or doesn't worship authority.

Seriously, though, I've heard nothing but good things about Austin and it's music scene. Lots of friendly, open-minded, blonde, big-chested women down there, too.

[nortonrider]

Austin would be OK if it wasn't full of Texans.

[Deluge Of Sound]

I don't know, it's kind of like a blue blip in a bright red sea...

(not that being right of center is bad, of course.)

[jrthebassguy]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

Austin would be OK if it wasn't full of Texans.

Ok, you brought it up. What's wrong with Texans?





Oh wait, I see you're from Colorado. It must suck to know you live in an unimportant place. That probably explains your post.

[nortonrider]

Originally Posted by jrthebassguy

Ok, you brought it up. What's wrong with Texans?





Oh wait, I see you're from Colorado. It must suck to know you live in an unimportant place. That probably explains your post.

Oh Yeah! Durango Colorado sucks WAY more than Houston. That's why you all come here on vacation.

[Infernal Affair]

Austin is the only place I would consider living in if I moved to Texas, though I have friends from the Dallas area.

[bassguppy]

Originally Posted by jrthebassguy

Ok, you brought it up. What's wrong with Texans?

IMO, it's just a stereotype some people have of others who have different values, culture, ideals, etc. than themselves.

Similar to the stereotype of when some groups say "The Liberal San Francisco Agenda". it's something that's said to fire up their core group and evokes an image that all people in SF have an "agenda" and are "liberal". If it is said enough then it becomes obviously true.

[Mr. Black]

Austin would be OK if it wasn't full of Texans

*yawn*......

Anyway.... I have lotsa friends in Austin & visit regularly.

It's a cool place with lots to do. I would live there if i didn't enjoy being on the murky waters of the Gulf Coast so much....

I have a buddy that just bought a house and pays out the a** in taxes. But, that town is growing so fast that it is expected.

+1 on traffic......

[Chriss62]

Austin's so cool, Talkbass started there.


Seriously though......Traffic.

But the rest is radical.

[Webtroll]

Gotta live someplace where you can either drive against the traffic or bypass the worst of it. As with any big city I've been to there's plenty of crime but it's a case of there being a lot over here and not much over there. I live in Pflugerville, right outside of the city limits.

The music scene is WAY over hyped. Not bad, but it's a shell of what it used to be. 6th street is loaded with bars and dance clubs where there used to be live music venues. There are still some, but most folded up or moved.

The people here are great as an average and the town is plenty weird. Restraunts are varied, bars are varied, venues are varied; it's extremely eclectic.

No place to ski if that's what your into unless it's on water. Sometimes we go to Colorado for that (I have) but you have to try to avoid people like nortonrider who hate people coming to his state and want to share their hatred in threads about other places.

[txbasschik]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

I don't know, it's kind of like a blue blip in a bright red sea...

(not that being right of center is bad, of course.)

Jerry Jeff Walker once said that he wasn't from Texas...he was from Austin.

Cherie

[txbasschik]

If you look outside the city for housing, its a bit cheaper. My mortgage is under $600 a month, and you can't get an apartment in town for that. (I have ~1800 s.f., 1.5 acres, trees, and a creek for $70,000, fixed low rate.)

Living outside of Austin means fighting traffic, though. If you don't mind paying tolls, the north tollway is finished, and I imagine that helps. (I don't commute into the city anymore unless I'm driving to a gig.) I can get to the South Shore of Lake Travis in a half hour if I just the back road, and can get into the city in 45 minutes if I'm driving at night. But from around 4 p.m. until around 7 p.m., traffic is horrible.

When we get ice storms/snow that sticks to the street, the city shuts down, and as an EMS, you'll be real busy. 's just the way it is. We don't know how to drive on the ice, but sometimes, employers make us come to work anyway, and then we get into wrecks.

We also have lots of flooding in wet summers...fast-water rescues are something Austin and other area services train hard at.

6th Street sux, with a few shining exceptions. But there plenty of places to play on Red River, the areas just north and south of downtown, and out in the 'burbs. Most bands I know, including ours, get ~$200 for a 3-set night, but if you go just a little bit afield to the smaller towns beyond the burbs, the money gets better. You also have access to S.A., Dallas, Houston, and many other cities nearby enough to either come home the same night, or the next morning.

EMS...My husband used to do that, but as a volunteer firefighter. Rates of pay are ok...not real high, not real low. I imagine Austin EMS pays better than the private services or the other counties.

I've lived here since '81, and wouldn't live anywhere else, even with the traffic and the yuppie-fi-cation of the area. Still my favorite corner of the world.

Oh, make sure your trousers have a break 'in 'em. Texas men wear their pants with a "boot break"...too short, they look funny with boots on. And its straw in summer, felt in winter, and you set your hat crown down, not brim down.

Native Texan...

Cherie

[txbasschik]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

Austin would be OK if it wasn't full of Texans.

You know, the one time I ever went to Colorado, I was treated very rudely everywhere I went. I was a young woman, and had been brought up with good manners, so I couldn't understand it. And then a shop girl in Denver informed me of the hatred many citizens of Colorado have for Texans. Rudely, with nastiness.

I had a neighbor from Colorado who treated me and mine and everyone else like dirt because we were Texans. She moved here and acted like she was at home in Aurora!

Not saying everyone in Colorado is rude...not by a long way...but I have sure been treated ugly there, all for the crime of trying to pay for my shopping purchases, or ordering food, or visiting a museum, or having the nerve not to know how to ski.

You know, I don't know why anyone wants to visit a place where people are rude to you just because of where you're from, or how you speak. All because a big cattle baron was a jerk a hundred years ago, and rich oilmen are jerks most of the time.

I've never been back, nor do I ever intend to return. New Mexico is just as pretty, and the people are nicer.

We're not all arrogant and spoiled oilfield money, you know. Most of us are just regular people. GASP!!!

Cherie

[need4mospd]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

That's why you all come here on vacation.

We come there for vacation because none of us want to live there!

You set yourself up for that one...