We are a 30 year old lesbian couple looking to move to Austin. We are democratic and laid back, so we chose Austin to look to move to. We_ve done a lot of research and have found out lots about Austin, but it_s all been good!!! There has to be some down sides to living there, doesn_t there? Please tell us all that you can that is bad there. Anything from employment, to bad areas of town, to crime, to weather, anything and everything please. Thanks
Actually, there aren_t many cons, but here are a few minor annoyances:
* For being a rather open-minded community, some of the so-called liberal people here (mostly after a few drinks) are rather close-minded when considering the opposing views of others (regardless of the topic). Rather than having an intelligent, fact-based conversation, they are more interested in repeating rhetoric than actually forming an independent opinion. Granted, most of these folks tend to be younger transplants who are still trying to define themselves and figure out where they fit in.
* Allergens - Not a problem to me since I am a native, but if you are new to the area and have a history of allergies, be prepared to have some kleenex, visine, and claritin or zyrtec handy.
* People who live in the surrounding areas outside of the city limits (Leander, Cedar Park, Round Rock, etc.) and think they know everything about Austin While there is nothing wrong with those neighboring communities, they are not in Austin, so don_t be fooled or misled. For example, these are the same folks who will complain about traffic even though it wouldn_t be an issue if they chose not to commute so far.
I hope this helps; good luck on your move!The one complaint you will hear the most is the allergies. They can ruin a perfectly wonderful day or even week for anyone who didn_t grow up in the area.
The crime is mostly vandalism and Austin still ranks as one of the safest (least violent) large cities. It is really easy to get around with or without a car. The people are awesome. The weather is awesome. It was 72 degrees yesterday. The economy is better than the national average. The residents of Austin are fervently pro-local; it is the #1 place to start a small business. I am not making these facts up... you can find most of them on Forbes.com or by googling Austin City Rankings.
We are looking forward to having you!We are also a 30 year old lesbian couple moving there this summer. In my extensive research, it seems like the biggest downside is the heat of the summer and the mosquitos. Where are you moving from? docugrrrl@yahoo.com JenThe only real complaint I have is all the homeless people. They put the 2 biggest shelters downtown, so it_s hard to go out and enjoy yourself at the bars without being harassed by them everywhere.I don_t have any problems with living here.We are the Allergy Capital of the World. Even if you don_t have allergies before you get here, sooner or later SOMETHING will get you. Right now it is _cedar fever._ Half the town is sneezing, wheezing, dripping or at their allergists right now.
The traffic is horrendous. The _locals_ are pretty friendly, but so many people have moved here in the last few years and brought their bad driving habits with them (no offense to you coming from out of town-- just drive friendly!)
Weather in the summer is HOT. Period. Nearly 100 days over 100 degrees last year. If you have plastic or leather seats in your car and you wear shorts, you CAN get burned on the backs of your legs, and YES, you can fry on egg on the sidewalk. The newscasters do that at least once per summer, just to prove that they can. Winters are mild. Hardly anyone even owns a heavy coat, and the once-every-four-years icy/cold spells that we do have tend to shut the entire city down, since no one has snow tires or chains, or shovels, or deicing agents, etc.
Like any town, there are some bad areas. You will get to know them rather quickly. Just avoid them and you should be fine. Most of the crime we do see (at least where I live) is stuff like vandalism, stolen bikes, domestic abuse.
Jobs are a bit scarce here right now. In general, our economy lags behind the rest of the country, so if things are getting better elsewhere, it will still be bad here and vice verse.
A lot of the things that made Austin so unique are being watered down. Like I stated above, so many people have moved here in the past few years that some of the uniquely Austin traits are being infused with outside influences. Not necessarily a bad thing, it just is.
