Austin vs. Burlington? (living, cost, state, better)
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My partner and I are sick of living where we have been living and ready for a change. My job is easy to do anywhere, and his job here isn't that great to begin with. We're done with our lease at the end of the month, so we're really trying to figure things out quickly.
Anyway I have been very into the idea of moving up to Burlington. I love the wild, natural beauty. Not to mention the whole hippy, artsy, crunchy life-style. However, we have been having an INSANE time trying to find a place to live. We have two dogs. One is about 35lbs the other 50. It seems that everyone we call, says ABSOLUTELY NO PETS! Originally we thought it would be easy to find housing in Burlington because there are so many college kids, and young people there, not to mention all of the dogs we saw around! However, we can't seem to find a landlord that is ok with our pets. We're half-way through August at this point. So we have broadened our search outside of Burlington. I am not sure a cabin is the right choice for our first VT winter, but at this point we're willing to consider almost anything. Surprisingly people with rural homes also do not want pets in their rentals!
I mean one of the main reason we want to move to VT is because we want to live somewhere where we can hike, swim, and generally hang out with our dogs! So these reactions have been kinda discouraging to us.
On the other hand when we looked at housing in Austin, it is extremely affordable, and tons of places are pet friendly! That is really exciting. But I don't know how I feel about moving to Texas.
QUESTION:
Any people on here from Burlington who have lived or spent a significant amount of time in Austin, I am talking to you, especially! What are the pros and cons of each city? How do they compare? Which would you personally recommend? Why?
The rental market in Vermont (particularly Chittenden county) has been tough for as long as I can remember. We just don't build much housing here so there's always a shortage and much of the stock is old. Dogs have always been a challenge to find rentals for, even acceptance of cats seems to be a minority of advertisements. I suspect most people lie to get them in or own their house.
Part of the reason it isn't easy to find housing is precisely the reason you thought it would be: A lot of college kids. There simply is not enough on campus housing in existence to house all of the student population, so they compete with others for the existing rentals. I don't know how many young people that aren't college kids live here, the state is pretty gray overall. But college kids take up a lot of rentals and are more willing to put up with crummy conditions and high rent as its a temporary situation for them.
I am originally from Vermont and have lived in Texas for a number of years. I haven't lived in Austin though. Austin is a very busy college/university CITY. It has a wide variety of culture, arts, music and recreation. Traffic is horrific. Nature and laid back atmosphere in Austin in non existent. Finding rentals that except pets is extremely difficult in the Northeast. We are currently in this situation in trying to find a rental home in Bangor, Maine. You should check out Portland, Maine. There seems to be tons of affordable rentals that except pets. Plus, it is a city in the country. It seems to offer the quite nature while being within reasonable distance to culture, arts, food, etc. If I had a choice I would be going to Bangor. If I had to choose between Austin and ANYWHERE else, I would forget Texas even exists, but that is just my opinion.
I've lived in Austin, Texas for two years and was just up in Vermont last week traveling. Vermont and Texas are so unlike it's unreal. I'm feeling the same as you, Vermont is the better choice but I don't see how I could ever get a teaching job there, so I'll be in Texas for a long time.....battling traffic which Vermont doesn't seem to have in the same epic scope as Texas.
I've lived for 6 years in Vermont and about 12-13 years in Austin. When I was in Vermont, I mostly was not in Burlington, though I visited a lot for some of my grocery and clothes shopping, etc. and to visit friends.
I miss Vermont very much and would love to go back, but we found that it's a frustrating place to live, economically, and that starts to wear on you (or, us, at least). Wages are relatively low (sometimes very low) and cost of living is relatively high, and when you finally start to look into purchasing real estate, you find that you are competing against very wealthy buyers from out of state who are buying a vacation home with the change that they've found under their sofa cushions. It can be very discouraging. At this point, for family/personal reasons, we've finally admitted we can't move back to Vermont just yet. Once you are there, you REALLY need employment/income (obviously), and that is a big challenge that you shouldn't underestimate if you are planning to move there without jobs. It's no fun to move yourself, dogs, and all your worldly goods across the country, only to realize you can't afford to live there.
As for Austin. Hmmmm. Well, here's a statistic: Yesterday (Saturday) was our 66th day of 100+ temps this summer (it was 106), and in 3 more days (woo-hoo!) we will match the record from 1925 of 69 days of 100+ temps. What fun. And we are in one of the most severe droughts in Texas history, with the forecast that it will continue "well into 2012." Lawns are brown and crusty and people focus on watering their poor trees, which are threatening to go into shock.
So, yikes, right? What a choice.
I guess I would recommend that you wait until October and then come check out Austin. Overall, it's a very easy place to live (except for June-Sept.). It's EXTREMELY dog friendly - we have 2 (used to have 3) - and I think there is a wide variety of rentals available for folks with dogs. And if what you want is a place to hike and swim with the dogs, I think you will have fun doing that here and in the surrounding areas. And for the humans, there are jobs, easy infrastructure (getting around to shop, etc., decent stores) and lots of good restaurants (yum). Also, we have discovered that it's just a lot easier to do long-distance travel in just about any direction from Austin than from Vermont, in case that is a factor for you, for work or family reasons.
I was apprehensive about moving to Texas, too, so I can understand your hesitation. Austin (which is in Travis County) is like a little island in the state of Texas. My husband was on a Southwest flight with former Gov. Dean, flying out of Austin. Someone said, "Hey, Governor Dean, what are you doing in a Red State?" To which he replied, "Are you KIDDING? Travis County is the Bluest State in the union!" So, there's that.
And, as I keep saying as we slog through the summer, Austin and Vermont both have their long season of hardship (summer and winter, respectively) but at least in Austin's, the driving is not hazardous and you don't have to shovel . . . .
Good luck deciding.
P.S.
Just found this thread on the Austin forum which you should probably also read, in case I made the heat part of Austin sound not so bad: Adjusting to Texas Heat?
Last edited by Gemini1963; 08-21-2011 at 07:24 AM..
Reason: found something new to add
I will only remark on the rental situation. I rent property so I have a little insight. The housing market is very small here (not many rental units available). This means that landlords have a choice when they choose a tenant. The number one issue with dogs and cats is they can be destructive. Everyone says their pet is great, but the landlord has no way of telling. Pet deposits typically never cover the cost of the damage. Some towns can't charge a monthly fee for pets and that makes renting to people with pets a negative. With two dogs you really are in a tough spot. You may have more luck outside of Chittenden County.
I would start with what kind of climate you want. They couldn't be any more different. Then there's the size of the city. Austin is a lot bigger than Burlington. Start there. If you don't like extreme heat for much of the year, I'd say Texas is not for you.
I've lived in Austin, Texas for two years and was just up in Vermont last week traveling. Vermont and Texas are so unlike it's unreal. I'm feeling the same as you, Vermont is the better choice but I don't see how I could ever get a teaching job there, so I'll be in Texas for a long time.....battling traffic which Vermont doesn't seem to have in the same epic scope as Texas.
Comparing Texas and Vermont is really hard, Texas has 25,000,000 people, Vermont 680,000 - yes second least populous. Our largest city is 40,000 people roughly. Probably the least urban in the country. Burlington is a great city, however housing is always an issue in Vermont, wages here are not necessarily in keeping with the cost of living. Opportunities here are somewhat better in the three quasi-urban areas however they are still pretty slim. Taxes are quite high (we vie with CT for highest taxed state) add in high property taxes (which are assessed on a local level) fuel costs, relatively low wages and you get a fairly expensive place to live. However, our education, healthcare, and general liveability is quite high. It is really a tradeoff.
If you go outside of Burlington you may have better luck finding a place that will allow dogs, Milton, St. Alban's, Stowe, Johnson, Jericho, Fletcher, Fairfax, Underhill, Hinesburg, Richmond, Waterbury, Bolton, etc all within communting distance to Burlington. Lots of people have dogs and many rent. You have to be relentless and creative about finding a place. Where are you looking at ads? Have you considered posting a "housing wanted" ad? Stress if you are responsible, willing to pay a pet deposit, etc. It's a little tougher from a distance since many places have "for rent" signs on them and aren't listed anywhere else. That's how a friend with two big dogs just found her place.
Was just in TX considering a move to Austin myself....it was 97 & 90% humidity at 10 PM.
Good luck!
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