Relocating from Philly for job in Round Rock (Austin: to rent, homes)

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by whereiend

You're missing the mark. I'm fully aware of what a high density city with transit looks like. What I think is hilariously ignorant is someone moving to suburban Texas and expecting that. Like no **** you can't live 30 minutes outside of a southern college town and get around via train? The idea is laughable to me.

But, plenty of Austinites for many years have gotten around via bicycle and bus. This is historically a college town after all. I do that today. If you want that lifestyle, live near the university, 78702, or 78704.

But it's not just areas "30 minutes outside" of town. There are areas IN the city limits that aren't serviced by any public transportation.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by whereiend

You're missing the mark. I'm fully aware of what a high density city with transit looks like. What I think is hilariously ignorant is someone moving to suburban Texas and expecting that. Like no **** you can't live 30 minutes outside of a southern college town and get around via train? The idea is laughable to me.

But, plenty of Austinites for many years have gotten around via bicycle and bus. This is historically a college town after all. I do that today. If you want that lifestyle, live near the university, 78702, or 78704.

To be fair she has a point. The same suburban locations in terms of distance in Chicago IL for example will still have great transit between CTA and Metra. Yes this isn’t Chicago but I see where she is coming from. For example if Round Rock (30 minutes outside of Austin) were a suburb of Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia at the same distance it is from Austin, one would have absolutely no issue with connecting bus routes or rail (Chicago / Philly), it would be just as connected by transit as the core. The reason she brings this up is because some people are moving from very transit connected suburban areas to here an expecting it to be similar. You are right though that southern metros in general are nowhere near as transit orientated mainly because their suburbs grew much later in history during the advent of the automobiles and highways.

I would also agree one shouldn’t relocate here from the NE and expect it to be the same.

[whereiend]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

To be fair she has a point. The same suburban locations in terms of distance in Chicago IL for example will still have great transit between CTA and Metra. Yes this isn’t Chicago but I see where she is coming from. For example if Round Rock (30 minutes outside of Austin) were a suburb of Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia at the same distance it is from Austin, one would have absolutely no issue with connecting bus routes or rail (Chicago / Philly), it would be just as connected by transit as the core. The reason she brings this up is because some people are moving from very transit connected suburban areas to here an expecting it to be similar. You are right though that southern metros in general are nowhere near as transit orientated mainly because their suburbs grew much later in history during the advent of the automobiles and highways.

I would also agree one shouldn’t relocate here from the NE and expect it to be the same.

Austin does have suburbs like these. Examples are Hyde Park, Rosedale, Bouldin Creek, etc. Of course now we call these "Central Austin".

But I think we're on the same page. Austin is a much smaller and generally newer city than Chicago, so the comparison is inane. The part of Austin that has pre-1950 development is the small college town part. If you move outside of that you'll get post-1950 car-oriented development. If you're surprised by this you really should do more research before you move somewhere...

[whereiend]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

But it's not just areas "30 minutes outside" of town. There are areas IN the city limits that aren't serviced by any public transportation.

I don't get the relevance of this. Austin has big city limits from a lot of annexation in previous decades. Much of the city limits is classic Texas suburbia and will never be served by public transit. As a Texan I think it's strange that somebody would move to such a neighborhood and be surprised by the lack of transit options. A lot of neighborhoods in Austin take 5-10 mins of driving just to get to a convenience store. How on earth would that ever be served by transit? Maybe someday we'll have more park and rides to get downtown, but that's about it. If you want a transit/walkable/bikeable lifestyle you'll need to move closer in. If not, I think the Domain (despite its faults) is probably the best approximation.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by whereiend

Austin does have suburbs like these. Examples are Hyde Park, Rosedale, Bouldin Creek, etc. Of course now we call these "Central Austin".

But I think we're on the same page. Austin is a much smaller and generally newer city than Chicago, so the comparison is inane. The part of Austin that has pre-1950 development is the small college town part. If you move outside of that you'll get post-1950 car-oriented development. If you're surprised by this you really should do more research before you move somewhere...

Hyde Park, Rosedale, and Bouldin Creek are NOT suburbs. They are sections of the actual city itself. They are IN Austin.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

Hyde Park, Rosedale, and Bouldin Creek are NOT suburbs. They are sections of the actual city itself. They are IN Austin.

Currently. At some point I’m sure they were suburbs and “out,” even if it was before our time. Just like areas like Windsor Hills north of Rundberg was suburban at a point. These are all now just neighborhoods in the city.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by whereiend

There is the Kramer station (red line train) which is walkable to the domain, but you are talking about 15 mins or so. The 803 express bus does go directly to the Domain, and is a decent option to downtown, but it's not getting you to Round Rock.

IMO these people are being dramatic about public transit here. The bus system is pretty usable if you live in the central core and work downtown. However, round rock is not that. Pretty much 100% of people commute via their own car in that area.

Anyway, if you want to work in north Austin and have a walkable place that's good for singles the domain is 100% correct I think. If you want to do better than that you'll need to get a job that's not in Round Rock. Austin is a suburban sun belt city, not the northeast.

As a Round Rock resident, I just wanted to mention that we do have a bus system. It is still in its infancy and the express bus to downtown has been knocked out due to COVID, but it exists. Round Rock has done a great job of promoting transit in the city and it is being used. I used to ride the express bus downtown from Round Rock and it was often full. However, people are just innately wedded to their cars, particularly in the suburbs.

As a New Yorker who also regularly took public transportation here, it goes without saying that the transit here is "meh", especially in comparison to the Northeast. The DC suburbs for example are amazing. But I didn't move here expecting public transit to be anywhere near what I was used to. Given that I didn't want to live in the city, I learned how to drive in my thirties. Doing many local things by car is no issue for me. Technically, I can walk (it is about a mile away, which is totally doable by foot) to a strip mall that also contains a Walmart, Walgreens, restaurants, etc. if I needed anything and my car wasn't operational.

I will also say not all of Texas has an abysmal transit system. Dallas transit is more extensive and developed and IMO a better fit for those who are transit-oriented.

[ScoPro]

You didn’t learn to drive until your 30s!
That’s almost unheard of for lifelong Texans.

I learned to drive in Mexico at age 16. My wife says it shows.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

You didn’t learn to drive until your 30s!
That’s almost unheard of for lifelong Texans.

I learned to drive in Mexico at age 16. My wife says it shows.

I'm a New Yorker, not uncommon as we have transit I've always lived near a subway or an express bus, lol. Traffic and parking are so terrible that you don't own a car for those reasons alone. My mom didn't drive until her 40s

[Need4Camaro]

I was going to comment on that too but decided against it. I also got my license at 16. My first day of driving my dad took me out to I-75 between Macon and Atlanta in a 70 zone ... very first time behind the wheel. I was in the right lane hands gripped white knuckles doing 55 while cars were wizzing by me at 80. Not long after my sister had me drive her to Buckhead ... those were fun times.

When I first started driving I couldn’t even make it to the Florida state line from Atlanta without getting tired, now I can pretty much drive cross country before needing rest.