arvy
- Local Expert 66 points
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Reviews
Austin
rating details
Just now
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
- Schools
- Childcare
"A very small town"
I lived in Austin for several years and all i ever heard was...Austin is the greatest place to live. Well, if you are thinking of moving to or visiting, save your money. I hated the place. It is over priced, no real variety when it comes to things to do. If you like being around a bunch of unruly kids, then 6 street is the place for you. The town has no skyline, so you will feel like you are in a small ground up country town. The job market is awful because there is a limited number of industry. High tech and that is it. If you loose your job, you will probably have to relocate. Lots of pandhandlers. Oh, and the town if very segregated and has very little diversity. No museums, no water parks, no theme parks, no major professional sports, traffic is horrible, housing is over priced, no upscale shopping, it is hot and very humid even at 10 pm.
Recommended for
- Retirees
Austin has a great skyline, check for yourself: http://i.pbase.com/o4/74/459774/1/52752741.AustinSkyline.jpg
Being a college student, I'm not familiar with the job market, but one of my parents is a caterer and the other is a real estate agent, and they are both doing quite well.
As for the diversity, that's just false.
There is plenty to do, especially if you like music. Oh, and we don't have a professional sports team because we have UT. Funny how LA doesn't have a professional football team either...
Schlitterbahn - the best water park in the world - is 45 minutes away. (http://www.schlitterbahn.com/news/press/releases/nb/9-05-2007-nb.htm)
Also, there is a Six Flags just over an hour away.
Traffic can be bad, but it's never taken me more than 30 minutes to get where I'm going, compared to other large cities it's quite reasonable.
There are a lot of small boutique shops along Congress Ave, and the Domain shopping area has plenty of up scale stores.
Yeah, it's hot... bit surprise, you live in Texas!! Buy an AC.
Also, Austin IS terrible. Stay away.
No museums? How about the Huntington Gallery, The Blanton Museum of Art, The Texas Memorial Museum, Austin Children's Museum, Austin History Museum, Austin Museum of Art, Austin Children's Museumm, Texas State History Museum, Mexic-Arte Museum, LBJ Library and Museum, French Legation Museum, Elisabet Ney Museum, Laguna Gloria, Center for American History, The Ransom Center?
No water parks? Really who needs a water park when you have Lake Travis and Lake Austin available. But if you really need a water park in Austin there's Volente Beach Waterpark. Otherwise Schlitterbahn is only 45 minutes away as newton1988 pointed out - takes less time to get there than it does to drive across a lot of larger cities.
No theme parks? Not for adults anyway. But there is Kiddie Acres for young children. And Aquarena Center, Sea World San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas are all about an hour away. Since they take less time to get to than driving across Houston to get to Astroworld there's not real need to any in Austin proper.
No major professional sports? Not really needed since local sports are dominated by the University of Texas. In any event Austin is surrounded by larger cities that play host to the likes of the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Astros and Texas, Dallas Cowboys and Stars and the Texas Rangers. Austin does have a number of minor league professional sports though: Austin Ice Bats (hockey), Round Rock Express (baseball), Austin Aztex (soccer), Austin Outlaws (football), Austin Wranglers (arena football), Austin Toros (basketball).
Traffic is horrible? No it's just bad. Traffic is horrible on Dallas, Houston, Washington D.C. and New York. I will admit that public transportation in Austin has much to be desired, but it's getting better.
Housing is over priced? No it's not. At one point it was downright inexpensive for housing in Austin but now it's merely in par with cities of similar size. Try buying a house in Seattle, San Francisco, or Pittsburgh. In fact even with the nationwide downturn in housing Austin's real estate market has remained markedly unaffected.
No upscale shopping? The Domain is pretty much all upscale shopping. Even better though, there are dozens of upscale boutiques in various neighborhoods around the city.
It is hot and very humid even at 10? Ok, that's true but only in July and August. But you know, air conditioning - it's how the west was won. At least in January you can actually go out without having to wear a parka and on many winter days it's nice enough to wear shorts outside.
There is the same variety of things to do in Austin as in any other large city. Aside from the above mentioned things which you say Austin doesn't have there are cool places to go and things to do like First Thursdays on South Congress, the Alamo Drafthouse, Mount Bonnell, Zilker Park or any of the two hundred other parks in the area, The Pecan Street Festival, Austin City Limits show or music festival, East Austin Studio Tour, Ester's Follies, Zachary Scott Theater, Daugherty Art Center, Austin Lyric Opera, Austin Symphony, Austin Ballet, any of the dozen or so small stage theaters or any of the up and coming comedy improv troops. To name a few various things.
As for the job market, while the tech industry dominates the area there are also hundreds of small businesses from restaurants to clothing shops to salons to arts companies in Austin all exist in substantial quantities and compete with large national and global rivals. Additionally the state government (Austin is the Capital of Texas), numerous non-profits, and schools (28 universities and colleges as well as hundreds of private, public and charter schools) also provide many jobs. Whole Foods, an international grocery chain specializing in organic, local, and natural foods and other goods started in and is based in Austin and provides many job opportunities.
The skyline which is not tallest in the world is not only quite nice but is intentionally restricted by state law that requires certain lines of site be afforded the state capital building. From the river the skyline is quite engaging.
I've live in or visited hundreds of cities all of them including Austin have their positives and negatives but Austin is about as good as they get. So, arvy, I don't know where you are from but please go back to your snotty little world and stay there.
Fantastic thread going on here. Remember guys it's all about the "wisdom of the crowds" on StreetAdvisor. Having your say is fantastic, but doesn't help the score of Austin much. I suggest you review Austin as a city. Having such passionate people in Austin would clearly benefit by a few small words and a review. With so many people saying how fantastic it is, 52.49 seems a bit low don't you think? Ill be keeping a keen eye on this one, it's a fantastic read!
AJ