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Whats it like living in Austin, Tx?
So I have lived in Colorado all my life and granted it is really nice, I am ready for a new change. I tried moving to California and lived in Santa Clarita but I really was not too impressed with living in a Valley (literally) there was not too much to do for a young woman in her twenties either…. So lately I’ve been thinking maybe Austin. My friend is moving out to Texas next month so I would know a few people out there. Is it a nice area? Is it too muggy? Too many bugs? Is it fun? I may be going on my own or with my bf, but my first priority is finding a good job. Im interested in getting any info I can… Thanks!
Austin is a very special place. As someone who has lived in other parts of Texas and the U.S. (Houston, Boston, other east coast cities and in Texas) It still feels like home and grows on you fast. It’s consistently rated among the top 5 cities in the US for many years now. The job market is probably better here than in most places but it also depends on what you’re looking for. It is a southern city so it gets VERY hot (and muggy at times) but only during the summer. The traffic is bad but it really depends on what part of town you’re in and where you are going. If you live near I-35 then you can expect that daily.
Many people in Austin like to do outdoors (hiking, biking, running, kayaking, rowing) and there are excellent opportunities to do all of this on Town Lake and over on Lake Travis. The nightlife is also really good downtown with live music and plenty of bars and clubs for all taste. I’ve gone out in plenty of other larger cities and I must say that Austin’s night scene is impressive. It is also a college town. The Univ. of Texas has a large presence here and I would try to take in a UT football game if you’re into that. Another big thing here is going local. There are lots of great local restaurants and shops to visit. With all of the local options, the chain places just seem so boring. It’s a good place if you are a “foodie” also. South Congress Ave is a great street to check out a lot of cool places. Another must see is the Oasis (bring a camera). It has amazing views of Lake Travis and the hills. A mistake that people make when living or visiting Austin is that they stay in one side of town or just along I-35 and don’t explore the city and all that it has to offer. Being in Austin you are also close enough to other cities to drive to (San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Corpus Christi) to visit.
The east side of town is flatter while the west side becomes hills and lakes. I would try looking into the NW side of town or just anything along the Mopac expwy (loop 1). East has some charm to it. Hyde Park area is close to the university and pretty nice. Central and South is good and there’s a lot to do but it’s kind of noisy and can have traffic. Avoid NE and South SE Austin when looking for a place if possible. These aren’t the best areas of town. There are also suburbs around the city as well.
Also check out:
The State Capital
Mt. Bonnell (360 deg. view of Austin and surrounding hills and lakes)
Bats under the Congress Ave. bridge
Downtown
Good Texas BBQ and Tex-Mex
Zilker Park
Town lake (running, kayaking, rowing near downtown)
UT campus
There is never a boring day in Austin. Hope this helps and welcome!
Fun Valley, Colorado