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I have lived in austin, texas my entire life. I am itching to get out and want to move.
My boyfriend suggested ohio, so here I am scouting it out!
I need public transportation as I do not drive.
I need a dog friendly city because I have two great danes and my boyfriend has a cocker spaniel. (reasonable priced rental houses that have fenced yards, dog parks etc)
I need reasonbly priced school (community college, possible university)
I need an affordable cost of living (Right now I pay 1050 for a 900 sq ft house in central austin. I pay so much because I can't live in cheaper areas due to me not driving and out bus system is CRAP unless you live central)
Ideally, I'd like to be able to catch a train, subway, what have you and be able to easily get to work/school with out having to sit on a bus for an hour and a half each way. I also would like to keep my housing under 700$ a month. I'd be open to paying more if its a 2 or 3 bedroom. The house has to have a yard and be atleast 1000 sq ft. I DON'T want to be in the ghetto or any shady parts of town.
What is the cost of living compared to austin (city, not suburb) texas? How well can a student who makes 25,000 - 30,000 a year live? Compared to austin, texas what are the biggest differences?
I recomend you look at University of Cincinnati, we don't have rail yet (streetcars are coming soon) but UC students ride the bus for free and they run frequently and late
I also agree both cities are awesome. Although this is posted in the Cincy thread, I'll still advocate for Cleveland since it's my hometown :
- Cleveland public transportation has 3 rapid rail lines with a 4th rapid line being completed at the end of this year. The trains and buses reach into the suburbs as well.
- "dog friendly?" not too sure on that one, but I don't really see a problem if you look.
- Schools in Cleveland that you'd be looking for would include Cleveland State and Cuyahaga Community College...all include Public Transportation in tuition.
- Both Cincy and Cleveland are VERY affordable--some of the best rates in the country.
yes, both are awsome cities.. cleveland has the better public transportation though. (search "RTA" or "cleveland rapid transit" for stations/lines/stops). try ohio- city or lakewood , they are easily accessed by bus or rapid and should have many options in your price range.
I went to school in Cincinnati and now live in Austin. I can tell you the differences:
1. Cincinnati is conservative. If SOS were in Cincinnati, they'd be laughed out of existence. Wait, SOS would never even be conceived in Cincy. In Austin you have that Texas libertarianism combined with liberalism... it's different than Cincy.
2. There is nothing close to South Congress, the Drag, or similar areas in Cincinnati.
3. There is no 6th St District, or any other of Austin's downtown entertainment districts in Cincinnati. It's not even a fair comparison. Downtown Cincinnati is dark after 10, whereas Austin's is crowded until pretty late.
4. There is no Green Belt, very little environmental awareness in Cincinnati. For hiking or camping, you're looking at a couple hour drive at the least. For rock climbing, you'll be indoors or on a wall of an abandoned structure.
5. City parks in Cincinnati are on par with Austin, although there aren't any springs for swimming, kayaking or canoeing.
6. Austin is more relaxed in many ways. You can go tubing with a case of beer in Austin, at Blues on the Green I smelled pot smoke, there are hippies in Austin, you can wear jeans to work or a nice restaurant... those kinds of things will not exist and be looked down on in Cincinnati. Keep that stuff in your head.
7. No Tex Mex food. (I love El Sol y La Luna and Baby A's) There's a Mexican restaurant here and there that immigrants started, but they're few and far between.
8. Cincinnati housing is dirt cheap.
9. Austin is new and shiny, Cincinnati is old and dirty. I actually like old and dirty more, so Austin loses there for me.
10. Crime rates are much higher in Cincy. In Austin, you might get burglarized, but in Cincinnati you might get raped or shot. Every city has crime, sure, but they have different kinds and different amounts.
11. The art scene is less in Cincinnati, the music scene is far, far less in Cincinnati.
12. Weather. I'm betting Cleveland will get lake-effect snow, Cincinnati gets snow and there can be pretty frigid winters too. Sometimes colder than others.
13. It's real hard to break into cliques in Cincinnati. Making friends is difficult. I think it's because the nightlife is lacking, so there isn't much mingling. Around campus, most 'nightlife' is centered on house parties since there aren't many bars. You have to be very pro-active about making friends. It's not like Austin, where they kind of fall in your lap. People in both places are approachable, but the Texas charm wins.
14. Public transit is the same. Austin is much cheaper ($0.50 fare compared to $1.50 fare in Cincinnati) and because Cincinnati doesn't do dense development like Austin, it sprawls a lot. Therefore, there are "zones" where you'll have to pay higher fares. Austin is getting the passenger rail; Cincinnati has been tossing around street cars for years... it almost passed recently, and hopefully it will eventually. The bus systems between Austin and Cincy get about equal coverage... Austin might be a bit better since it has such a smaller land area but a much denser population.
What else? People have dogs in Cincinnati, sure, but it's not to the extent as Austin. There just aren't outdoors activities... In Austin people get dogs and take them to the green belts, and there is no such thing in Cincinnati.
All in all, Austin is better. I might seem biased, but really, I've lived in both places. Cincinnati is "up and coming". If you want a comparable (albeit slightly so) town in Ohio, try out Columbus. Like 1watertiger said, Cleveland has better transit and it's also more liberal (still less than Austin though). Ohio is pretty much cheap across the board for housing though.
Why don't you look into 78745, 78744 or East Austin for cheaper housing? I live on the east side, and I know it gets a bad rap in Austin... but the crime in East Austin is laughable compared to Cincinnati. In Austin, I haven't run into a single homeless man chattering at me, with no way to understand him because he's hopped up on crack to the extent that he's stammering.
Cincinnati has the streetcars, but Cleveland has a great rapid transit system that is expanding quite rapidly. The RT also connects downtown Cleveland with its suburbs. We have a great metro park system, one of the best in the nation, and a national park sits only 30 minutes from downtown Cleveland. I think both Cleveland and Cincinnati offer a lot more than sprawling suburban Austin. Austin has no character, it is a newer city, kind of like Columbus, and doesn't have the history that Cincinnati and Cleveland has.
I went to school in Cincinnati and now live in Austin. I can tell you the differences:
1. Cincinnati is conservative. If SOS were in Cincinnati, they'd be laughed out of existence. Wait, SOS would never even be conceived in Cincy. In Austin you have that Texas libertarianism combined with liberalism... it's different than Cincy.
2. There is nothing close to South Congress, the Drag, or similar areas in Cincinnati.
3. There is no 6th St District, or any other of Austin's downtown entertainment districts in Cincinnati. It's not even a fair comparison. Downtown Cincinnati is dark after 10, whereas Austin's is crowded until pretty late.
4. There is no Green Belt, very little environmental awareness in Cincinnati. For hiking or camping, you're looking at a couple hour drive at the least. For rock climbing, you'll be indoors or on a wall of an abandoned structure.
5. City parks in Cincinnati are on par with Austin, although there aren't any springs for swimming, kayaking or canoeing.
6. Austin is more relaxed in many ways. You can go tubing with a case of beer in Austin, at Blues on the Green I smelled pot smoke, there are hippies in Austin, you can wear jeans to work or a nice restaurant... those kinds of things will not exist and be looked down on in Cincinnati. Keep that stuff in your head.
7. No Tex Mex food. (I love El Sol y La Luna and Baby A's) There's a Mexican restaurant here and there that immigrants started, but they're few and far between.
8. Cincinnati housing is dirt cheap.
9. Austin is new and shiny, Cincinnati is old and dirty. I actually like old and dirty more, so Austin loses there for me.
10. Crime rates are much higher in Cincy. In Austin, you might get burglarized, but in Cincinnati you might get raped or shot. Every city has crime, sure, but they have different kinds and different amounts.
11. The art scene is less in Cincinnati, the music scene is far, far less in Cincinnati.
12. Weather. I'm betting Cleveland will get lake-effect snow, Cincinnati gets snow and there can be pretty frigid winters too. Sometimes colder than others.
13. It's real hard to break into cliques in Cincinnati. Making friends is difficult. I think it's because the nightlife is lacking, so there isn't much mingling. Around campus, most 'nightlife' is centered on house parties since there aren't many bars. You have to be very pro-active about making friends. It's not like Austin, where they kind of fall in your lap. People in both places are approachable, but the Texas charm wins.
14. Public transit is the same. Austin is much cheaper ($0.50 fare compared to $1.50 fare in Cincinnati) and because Cincinnati doesn't do dense development like Austin, it sprawls a lot. Therefore, there are "zones" where you'll have to pay higher fares. Austin is getting the passenger rail; Cincinnati has been tossing around street cars for years... it almost passed recently, and hopefully it will eventually. The bus systems between Austin and Cincy get about equal coverage... Austin might be a bit better since it has such a smaller land area but a much denser population.
What else? People have dogs in Cincinnati, sure, but it's not to the extent as Austin. There just aren't outdoors activities... In Austin people get dogs and take them to the green belts, and there is no such thing in Cincinnati.
All in all, Austin is better. I might seem biased, but really, I've lived in both places. Cincinnati is "up and coming". If you want a comparable (albeit slightly so) town in Ohio, try out Columbus. Like 1watertiger said, Cleveland has better transit and it's also more liberal (still less than Austin though). Ohio is pretty much cheap across the board for housing though.
Why don't you look into 78745, 78744 or East Austin for cheaper housing? I live on the east side, and I know it gets a bad rap in Austin... but the crime in East Austin is laughable compared to Cincinnati. In Austin, I haven't run into a single homeless man chattering at me, with no way to understand him because he's hopped up on crack to the extent that he's stammering.
The OP is trying to get out of Austin and Texas all together, not try and stay there. BTW, billions have went into downtown Cincinnati. It is building its new tallest skyscrapper, and the Banks start tommorow! And the streetcars passed, so they will be built.
Besides UC, which is an excellent university, Cincinnati has Cincinnati State as a community college. Nearby there is Northern Kentucky University, which is a full fledged university, but much cheaper.
there are plenty of dog owners in the Cincinnati area. I drive by a dog park on my way to work on KY-17. I'm not sure where the above poster got his ideas about a green belt. Beyond the city limits there is basically the farm belt. However, Cincinnati has a huge number of urban parks, and there are also fairly large state parks within 40 minutes - Hueston Woods in Oxford, Ohio & Big Bone Lick in Kentucky to just name two. There are gigantic parks in Ohio & Ky if you want to take a day trip. There are plenty of small rivers and streams that feed the Ohio, so there is no shortage of canoing either... Yes, no rock climbing. Sorry. The hills of Cincinnati will give you goat legs anyway.
However, Cincinnati has terrible public transit. The bus system is alright if you live on an express route and catch it during the normal commute times. Late, if you happen to live near the right branch you might have late service. The cabbies are clueless (they know 5th street and the airport - that's about it).
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