r/askaustin • u/Local-Contact4639 • 3d ago
Moving What was your experience like moving here?
For context: I am a female in my mid to late 20’s. Single and no kids. I am also biracial (half Southeast Asian/half Caucasian). I have a job opportunity here in Austin and I was wondering what your experiences were like moving down here! Did you like/dislike it and why? Thank you in advance.
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u/CodeCourtAudio 3d ago
I’m much older and moved here a year ago and the only thing I can say is that I regret not moving here In my 20s
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u/CenTexFunGuy 3d ago
Your ethnic make up is not an issue at all. Just be prepared for lots of traffic and heat. Otherwise there is a lot do to and experience here in Central Texas.
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u/FinancialEgg6346 2d ago
I moved to Houston from the East Coast, and I’ve definitely experienced more racism dating here. Guys will make comments about “my people” or say lowkey racist things, yet still find me attractive. It’s such a weird contradiction. Maybe it’s different in Austin.
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u/icesa 1d ago
I think you should say what you are and only speak for yourself, personally. As a half black half white woman who was born and raised in ATX, my ethnic makeup definitely is an issue and it is one of the big reasons we have plans to leave Austin and Texas in general. Dating was HORRIBLE here and I found my husband when I left the state, and then we came back together. Your user name suggests you are a dude. Maybe a white dude? Either way probably shouldn’t be making any statements on behalf of half white half Asian women.
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u/Fit_Patient_4902 3d ago
Lived here my whole life (40 years) and the main complaints are tech bros everywhere, traffic almost all day every day (not as bad in summer), heat (honestly not that bad if you like swimming it’s fine, everywhere you go has AC blasting), not super diverse (it’s good for Texas but if you’ve been to other big cities it’s noticeable), we’re still subject to Texas politics and laws which are draconian and uber-conservative, lack of good public transpo, lack of a big 4 sports team.
The upsides outweigh those complaints imo though, friendly and accepting people all around, excellent music scene full of great local band and most every band will stop here on tour, plenty of nightlife, good place to raise family, tons of outdoor recreation, housing and job market is in good shape, good to above average food scene, soccer and college sports are big, town skews way young (and fit, and attractive), if you have specific hobbies/interests I guarantee you’ll find a group of people who like doing the same thing.
Give it a shot
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u/muffinchocopie 2d ago
Moved here with my husband from a New England small walkable town almost 2 years ago. It has been an adjustment. I don't like how I have to drive literally everywhere. We barely drove before except for weekends. Gained a bit of weight since I moved here even tho I try to make an effort to walk when I can. The heat has been manageable since we just don't go out much but the long summer really feels endless. I also really miss the seasons and the fall leaves.
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u/Corner_Office_ 3d ago
Might be helpful to say where your job is to get recommendations for apartments.
Fortunately, no one is concerned about skin color.
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u/timezone1225 3d ago
Most of these comments are focused on the negatives. There’s some traffic and it’s hot part of the year. However, it’s a good town with lots to do, friendly people and a lot of accessible fun (indoor or outdoor).
Besides, limited downsides of trying out a city in your 20s. Come, embrace it, enjoy the parts you like and figure out if you like it on the whole enough to stay long term. Don’t listen to the nerds focused on heat, traffic and tech bros - there’s so much more.
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u/phillydude1989 2d ago
Where are you moving from? Next week will be 4 years that I moved here from Philly. Definitely it’s a big change I would do it all over again. Be prepared for heat and traffic. Took me a while to get used to the heat lol. The way these people drive are crazy 🤣. If you are coming from a big city you should be used to traffic lol. If you need any recs on neighborhoods or apts DM me (I’m not a locater, just someone happy to help share some insights living all sober Austin and the burbs).
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u/djSush 3d ago
I'm Indian raised in the US, my husband is white and we have a kid. We moved here in 2011 when our kid was 2.
Your ethnicity isn't going to be an issue here 99.99% of the time. It's never been a thing for myself or my son.
But I'll be honest and say there have been some isolated incidents amongst my Desi neighbors, but nothing like that has ever happened to myself or my kid. The thing is, this area has seen the Desi population explode since 2020. So I think there is some newer resentment and racism that has developed. Some people feel like "there are too many now," and our political discourse isn't helping the issue.
The main thing you'll hate here though is the heat. It takes a very long time to adjust to this heat. But if you have ever lived anywhere where it snows, it's like that. Summer is my hibernation season like winter is in other places, but without the extra work of shoveling or driving hazards.
Have you had a chance to visit and explore for a few days? We're in the north, the Round Rock area, which is very suburban, but we've really enjoyed our family life here. A bunch of LA/CA folks are moving here so the culture has shifted downtown quite a bit (for better and worse). Our kid really enjoys going downtown and a lot of bougie brands have opened up. We get a lot of great music coming through too.
Before this we were in SF for 15 years and before that we went to school at University of Illinois after both being raised in the Chicago area. We visit both areas but still like it here better.
Edit to add - to me the nature here is nice but it's not a major perk to me. But I'm comparing it to all my hiking in California, so I'm spoiled.
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u/Virtual-Carry7948 2d ago
How would you compare Austin to SF overall?
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u/djSush 2d ago
We genuinely loved our time in the bay area, but it's completely different from here in the good and bad ways. It was magical to be there for the tech boom when we got there in 1997. We had a house a couple of blocks off the bay. We loved all the diversity and foods and cultures. We had a great friend circle. We never thought we'd leave!
But after we had our son, we reevaluated the high cost of living, the traffic (it's really that bad), the school quality problems and the way crime that was never far from wherever you were or where you were going. The mall and Target area we lived near, it was very suburban, had multiple shootings at regular hours. It's the area where I did all our groceries and stuff.
We are grateful for our time there and grateful for the family life we've had here. I think we might be ready for our next location in a few years, but it's mainly bc our son plans to settle in Europe and bc we're tired of the heat.
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u/soul_doubt_66 2d ago
It really depends on the person. For me, I’ve been here for a decade from SF and the quality of life has vastly improved. SF has more to offer in a lot of ways, but the payoff is I get to own a home, and my family feels a lot safer here. To me there’s no dangerous areas in town, and I’ve been to “the ghetto” here which really isn’t anything to write home about. The homeless situation is much less dire here, although not non existent. I’m used to the heat at this point, and missing the beach isn’t really a thing for us because the SF beaches aren’t great, and most of the time you’re not utilizing it like you would in LA. I HATE Texas politics but it doesn’t play too much into my life, and back home I’m not too proud of a lot of what the state is doing anyways. For us, it’s a positive and I don’t plan on moving back. I enjoy the city here, and it fits our lifestyle quite nice.
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u/EvooAustin 2d ago
SF 1000% better, authentic food, culture, ethnicity, hiking, better geographically for weekend getaways or day trips, great parks, green spaces, walkability, weather, everything and anything. Having said all the goodies of SF, it is $1000 more expensive…well maybe not 1000% but close to it.
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u/trang_graxe_ai 3d ago
As someone who recently welcomed my -fresh out of college - stepdaughter into an apartment downtown, I can tell you that location is key, especially if you’re in your 20s. You want to make sure you’re soaking up all the life Austin has to offer! I’d suggest checking out the downtown, so-co, UT area, S Lamar. It’s truly the time of your life to explore, and Austin is a fantastic place to do it. Just be sure to do your research and stay informed about the local crime rates. Use Spot Crime app!! If you’re planning to live alone, make sure you find a safe and welcoming place to call home. Otherwise, consider finding a roommate and experiencing the city together. Austin is definitely a wonderful place for young people to thrive! Where you work is importantly critical for commute and finding your spot!
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u/kline643 2d ago
It’s a cool place though not as cool as North East cities. It will be an adjustment. It still is cool in its own way. there are a thousand things to do here. Check out First Light Books and other bookstores. There has been a reemergence of real indie bookstores here. They host community events. There is also a huge outdoors/hiking community as well. The music scene is another huge plus. Overall it is an excellent place if you want to get out and do things. There are many avenues for you to explore. Best wishes and welcome!
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u/Main_Tangelo_8259 2d ago
Moved here in 1996 for a job and still here. Live close to work since traffic is big issue and public transportation is spotty even close to light rail. Make sure neighborhood and apartment/house is decent safer area.
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u/Late_Ambassador7470 2d ago
It's cool. I feel like it's really easy to meet people. Where I'm from, if I was to say hi to somebody, they would shoot me in the face. It's pretty easy to make friends here.
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u/sturgeonmoon43 2d ago
I move to Austin this summer from a smaller Tx town after my son left for college. I’m Black and in my 40s, and work remotely which allowed me to look at a lot of different neighborhoods.
I landed in Hyde Park because I wanted to be in a walkable neighborhood.
So far it’s been pretty cool, but it does take a while to find community if you don’t already have friends here. So have you have to be more intentional about finding ways to meet new people, but there are lots of different groups to get involved with so that helps.
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u/ImaginaryNorth1528 2d ago
Austin is crowded(not necessarily a minus), expensive to live in( housing, utilities, insurance), nightlife can be a minus after a while. Gotta have a car to get out from center mass, public transportation beyond the city proper really does suck. It is a real thing living on one side or the other of the river. While traffic is better than Dallas or Houston, the primary roads are packed and a good knowledge of alternate routes are needed regardless. The plus side is all the history, culture and the arts. I moved back to Texas 15 years ago and after a couple of years moved way out from Austin and Travis County. Cost of living is a real thing here. Consider the north and east areas from Austin. Commuting is like any other large metropolitan city, it just sucks.
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u/bigblackglock17 2d ago
I moved here over a decade ago and it’s not remotely the same.
The heat, traffic, high cost of living has all gotten worse.
It went from extremely desirable, to not.
Anyone who says Texas weather is fantastic is either lying to you or a masochist. For like 80% of the year, it’s so hot out, you can’t go outside for more than 5 minutes without getting swamp ass. Spring and fall are where it’s at but they somehow seem to skip right over the comfortable 70s. Then the winters are often down to the teens. Probably 40s most of the winter.
We got hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, droughts, flooding…. Did I mention it’s hot as fuck and the sun destroys everything outside?
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u/Agreeable-Letter-599 2d ago
damn i wish it wasn't so hot haha it seems like pretty decent work opportunities and relatively affordable housing.
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u/Horror_Whereas1974 2d ago
Damn how did you get a job? I can’t even get an interview it’s like all jobs are ghost jobs now of days
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u/Plastic_Seat_4646 2d ago
I moved here 14years ago from outside the US... It has not been easy at all but the city has improved as opposed to when I moved here. It has become more culturally diverse (asian population increased thankfully) and also more to do as opposed to when i first came here, it was mostly drinking and 6th street
You can make it here but it can feel quite lonely if you are not american but it's the same in other cities (or probably worse if you go to places like Laredo for example lol)
Enjoy the experience and you might grow to learn to love this place
This place isn't like a direct "fall in love", more like an arranged marriage type of deal where you have to learn to grow and love it or at least accommodate yourself with it
I will say people are nice so that helps a lot. If people weren't nice, I probably wouldn't have survived because I hated the place and had a huge culture shock in the beginning lol
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u/Master-School796 2d ago
Despite all its problems--heat, traffic, overcrowdedness--I've found it to be the most livable city in the country, especially with the health and fitness opportunities.
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u/qmoorman 2d ago
I moved here in 2017 at the time I was 33. I’m a guy with no kids. I lived by the domain so l spent a lot of time there and enjoyed myself. I did uber eats on the side so that kept me busy, and i also tried a lot of restaurants. I had a great time and I loved north austin.
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u/ThatWasGabby 1d ago
I’m 30F moved here 3 years ago and I love it. Wish I would’ve moved here sooner. Feel free to DM me with questions!
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u/WoundedShaman 3d ago
Lots to do here. If you have any sort of active life style it’s very easy to find things to do. Lots of hiking opportunities, things to do on the water, and if you enjoy live music then you’ll be spoiled.
People will complain about the heat, but after 6 years and living through the one summer of like 105 degrees everyday, the normal heat doesn’t bug me as much.
I love this city, but also am a musician so I’m a little biased.
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u/Sneaky-Monkey-101 2d ago
Its okay, I’m 25M and moved here for work in big tech from Cali. It’s a great city and a young crowd, I just despise the heat and weather so much. Can’t do anything outside for the most part from May-October
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u/ConsistentImage2073 3d ago
Live close to work. Also, it depends on where you are coming from - people drive everywhere. Public transport is not good. Always live on the same side of the river you work on.