anyone from phoenix, az relocate to austin?? what'd ya think?? (Houston: custom home, scorpions)

[nankjay]

Hey there!

I currently live in phoenix, AZ and for many reasons, I am thinking of moving to austin in the next few years and am starting to research now. If you have lived in both places,. i'd be really interested to find out what you think of austin compared to az, i.e. people, weather, culture, transportation, cost of living, salaries, fun stuff to do around the area, places to take day trips (my husband and I are huge outdoors people) and anything else you can tell me to help in my decision.

Thanks so much!!!

[gigi927]

Hi!

i lived in Scottsdale for 4 years and now live in Austin. If you search this forum for Phoenix you'll probably find a lot of similar posts with people asking the Phoenix v. Austin question - I've responded to several myself. But in short:

People: I find the people in Austin a bit nicer, and it was much easier to make friends here than in Phoenix.
Weather: weather is better here. More humid than Phoenix, but you can go out and do things in the summer, especially in the early morning and evening, without feeling like you're still roasting to death.
culture: better in Austin. I find the dining options superior, the music scene superior. There aren't tons of great museums and there are no professional sports teams, however. But Phoenix doesn't have great museums either.
Transportation: both cities lack good public transit. The bus system here in Austin seems more utilized than in Phoenix, however. Phoenix has a more complete and well thought out road system, plus the grid system of naming and numbering streets makes things easier to get around. Phoenix has the advantage here.
Fun Stuff to do: Austin wins hands down. Anything you can do in Phoenix, you can do here, and more. The only exception is really if you like to hike in mountainous terrain - can't really do that here like you can do Camelback, Squaw Peak,e tc. Great cycling, fishing, water sports, parks, bars and nightlife, dining out and tons of festivals year round. Lots of great places nearby to daytrip, and Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are all within driving distance as well.

Good luck!

[nankjay]

i have some good friends in scottsdale

so, all in all, would you say you made a good move and prefer austin over az??

[gigi927]

without a doubt. Not a single regret.

[nankjay]

i am so glad to hear that!! Now I have to get enough equity in my house to move and that could be forever with this market.

[Southern Phoenician]

Go for it!!!! We moved from Phoenix in summer of 2005 and built a custom home in San Marcos. We are selling that home now and moving to Austin because of commuting, but will absolutely stay in this area. I LOVE the rivers, lakes, music, festivals, hill country, and the "hippyness" of Austin. With San Antonio close by, we have access to Six Flags, Sea World and Schlitterbaun in New Braunfels. Not to mention, just a couple of hours from the coast! We will never move.

[sdinaz]

Your post has helped to convince us that we want to move Austin now, my only fear is I hear that the bugs are unbearable, is this true (mosquitos, gnats, scorpions, cockroaches??) . My husband has been told that your car windshield gets covered so bad you have to pull over, is this true?? thanks for any info in advance.

[texastea]

Originally Posted by sdinaz

My husband has been told that your car windshield gets covered so bad you have to pull over, is this true?? thanks for any info in advance.

This is absolutely NOT true...

The only time we've had lot's of bugs on the front of our car is when we drove through a butterfly migration driving to the coast. Felt sad for the butterflies...

[gigi927]

The bugs are worse here than in Arizona because the climate is more bug-friendly. But I have never heard of pulling over due to bugs on the windshield. Don't let the bugs scare you from Austin. They're not THAT bad!

[love roses]

Naw, It's not that bad. While driving through the country at night sometimes, you can end up with lots of grasshoppers on the windshield, but I've never had to pull over because of it. Just use the windshield wipers.