Austin ranked among Top Ten? (Round Rock, Cedar Park: apartment, renting, amusement parks)

[Pumpkin_82]

Hi everyone,

I keep hearing that Austin is one of the top ten cities to live in, especially for young people/singles. I am a 25 year old female and just graduated with my Master's in Elementary Education. I currently live in a suburb of Chicago, but am looking to move out of state.

I've never been to Austin, but from what I've heard, it's sounds great. How so? How is the housing market, jobs, nightlife, etc? I would defintely visit before I move here, but would just like some insight. What are some good places to go in Austin?

To any teachers out there, how difficult is it to get a teaching job with little to no experience?

Thanks for the advice!

[PfinallyInAustin]

Hi Pumpkin_82... I must say that Austin is a very nice place, especially for young folks like us. I just turned 28, so I'm not that much older than you I guess . I'm also from Illinois originally, so I may be able to offer some insight regarding making that jump. I was born and raised in Peoria (I think Chicagoans refer to that as "downstate"), and I even attended ISU for a couple of years. So, what "hood" in Chicagoland are you from???

One thing I must say is that Austin is not Chicago. It's a great place to be, but there are some things that Austin doesn't have that Chicago does. It sounds like one of the main things you are asking about is the teaching thing. Unfortunately, I can't offer much advice on that. However, I do encourage you to come visit Austin just to see if the lifestyle is something you can live with. For instance, if you are really into the arts/theater scene, you may find that Austin doesn't have enough to stimulate you in that area. It's probably best to visit in the summertime, also, due to the climate differences. If you can cope with the summer weather, you'll be alright. Winter is a breeze... no snow!

Now on to the things I really like about Austin. Depending on where you live in the Austin area, you can find some really good housing prices. Living in Austin proper will definitely cost you more than the suburbs, but if you life right on the outskirts, you'll be shocked at what you can get for the price. It's a great deal, especially compared to Chicagoland prices. Also, our housing market has done much better than other areas of the country, which is good for home values. The job market here is rather strong as well. That's always subjective especially depending on what kind of employment you're looking for, but from what I've heard, teaching jobs are plentiful due to the new schools being built as a result of everyone moving here.

I hope this information helps you out a bit. If you need any additional information or recommendations, feel free to send me a private message. Otherwise, I'll do my best to check back on this thread just in case.

[PfinallyInAustin]

Since I couldn't vouch personally regarding the experience needed to get a teaching job, I did a quick search of the jobs that are currently posted in the Pflugerville ISD, which is the district I live in. (I hear it is a great district, by the way). It didn't appear that they are really insistent on any specified amount of on the job experience for elementary school teachers, but you can be the judge:

Pflugerville Independent School District :: Careers

From that page, click on "Certified Job Listings", then "Certified", then "Teachers & Campus Profess." Take a look at some of the current postings for elementary school positions in the district and you'll get a better feel of what they're looking for regarding teachers. Being that you have a master's degree, that may weigh almost as well as someone with a bachelor's degree and a little experience... not sure though. Let me know if this helps.

[Pumpkin_82]

AustinBound, thanks so much for your help! I definitely want to visist Austin soon. I never thought of myself living in Texas, but the more I hear about Austin, the more appealing it sounds! I figure that I'm still young, so why not try a different place!

How long have you lived in Texas? I'm from Lombard, which is a west suburb of Chicago. I've been to Peoria several times...went to WIU for my undergrad.

What are the good areas of Austin to live in? I'm not sure how big it is, but I think I've heard that the northern part is popular, if I'm remembering correctly. I'll probably end up renting an apartment, at least for a while.

Thanks again!

[PfinallyInAustin]

You are not alone... Texas was not on my radar at all until 2007. Didn't think I'd ever live here, but here I am! I agree with you; the best time to see different places is while you're young. Once you're settled into a city/way of life for a long time, it's harder to get up and move. I've lived here for a little over a year, moving here after a 4 year stint in St. Louis. I am enjoying Austin for the most part; my only complaints are pretty minor.

Regarding the good places to live - well, most areas around Austin are pretty good. You'll hear lots of people say that East Central Austin is probably the worst part of the city. I must say, however, that coming from a bigger city, East Austin doesn't look terrible. I've seen worse, but certainly there are better places too. Yes, the northern part has a sweet spot in my heart because I've lived in the northern area since I've been here. I first lived in an apartment with very inconsiderate neighbors (that was in the Round Rock area), and I now live in a house in Pflugerville. Both of those areas are nice and safe, but I would probably need to know a little bit more about what you like in an area to make some good recommendations. For instance, if you are a quiet person who likes to let your hair down while having a night on the town every once in a while, but still come home to a relatively quiet place where you can get enough sleep so you can go to work in the morning, then Pflugerville is for you (you can drive to downtown Austin to party, then to your quiet oasis afterwards). But, if you would like to be in the middle of it all 24/7, then Pflugerville is definitely not for you. Round Rock is really nice as well... it's a little further from Austin than Pflugerville, but in the grand scheme of things, it's really not that far away. Of course there's the city of Austin as well, although you'll pay for the location. Since you live in Lombard now, you know the realities of commuting I'd imagine, so the same applies here with any of the suburbs. Other northern suburbs to consider are Cedar Park and Leander.

Sorry I wasn't able to give more precise information. If you could tell me a little bit more about the type of person you are, what you expect in a city (services, transportation, proximity to entertainment, etc), and the things that are important to you, I'll be able to elaborate a little bit more based on what you would probably like/dislike.

[TerryDactyls]

Keep in mind that Texas ranks near the bottom in Education. The teachers are forced to emphasize teaching to answer standardized tests. The results are a bunch of little parrots that can't think for themselves. The head of the Science branch of the Texas Education Agency was recently fired for forwarding an email about a conference on evolution. Creationism is preferred in Texas to science.

[scongress1234]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_82

AustinBound, thanks so much for your help! I definitely want to visist Austin soon. I never thought of myself living in Texas, but the more I hear about Austin, the more appealing it sounds! I figure that I'm still young, so why not try a different place!

How long have you lived in Texas? I'm from Lombard, which is a west suburb of Chicago. I've been to Peoria several times...went to WIU for my undergrad.

What are the good areas of Austin to live in? I'm not sure how big it is, but I think I've heard that the northern part is popular, if I'm remembering correctly. I'll probably end up renting an apartment, at least for a while.

Thanks again!

I'm from the south suburbs of Chicago, pump, and you will like Austin a lot......things you'll like....smaller and more friendly, winter way better,
food different and BBQ-ish, and its just different.....and THEIR west burbs have hills we would perceive, in the midwest flatlands, as foothills........
oh, and the music is great......

Drawbacks from someone coming from Chicago?

Well, you will get very tired of seeing and hearing Texas Longhorns news on their sports, as it is 24/7////gets really old, trust me.....no museums,
amusement parks, large outdoor arenas like first midwest center, no large indoor arenas, no arts district, essentially devoid of cosmopolitan culture
(no international-type eateries), no theater districts, REALLY bad roads
that cut off and dont go through, ugly big box sprawl all over(this bothered me the most), and I had a few people tell me to high tail it back north(just a few hard core Texans. Believe me, not all of them are happy to see notherners...)

All in all, its well worth going out there to see if its worth moving out there...just don't be stupid and do it sight unseen...be smart and check it out for a week or so, drive the whole metro, and see what you think...it could be a great move and time for you..

[awecelot]

Originally Posted by TerryDactyls

Creationism is preferred in Texas to science.

Oh, please. I am the product of a Texas education (K-12), graduated HS in 2007, and never once heard a notion of creationism in school. It was all evolution. The only place I heard creationism discussed was in Sunday School.

I do, however, agree that there is too much teaching to the test. The problem isn't that there are tests...the problem is that the tests are standardized by grade level rather than classes taught. The state should look into changing to a standardized "final exam" for each subject...including making tests for honors-level classes more intense than those for non-honors-level classes.