O.T. Austin TX

[mcdawg22]

I don’t need recommendations because I can use the search function on this board unlike others. And also they have these things called TripAdvisor and Yelp and other ****. All I have to say is it is a fun *** town. It’s like NO used to be in the early 90’s. I highly recommend it.

 

[MarkDallas]

Just don't wear you cowboy hat and boots. I made that mistake because I thought I was in Texas.

 

[AustinDawg]

I don’t need recommendations because I can use the search function on this board unlike others. And also they have these things called TripAdvisor and Yelp and other ****. All I have to say is it is a fun *** town. It’s like NO used to be in the early 90’s. I highly recommend it.

I have lived here since the late 90s, it's a fun town, but has really boomed and housing prices are getting crazy.
That being said, no state income tax and lots of beer/microbreweries. Also, while the summers are HOT, there is often a breeze
and it's not nearly as sticky and humid as Starkvegas was.

The 4th/rainy st areas are fun downtown, and there are a bunch of specialty bars now up in the north-central part of town (The domain).

 

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

Used to date a chic that was in school at UT back in 93 and 94. Didn't go back to Austin till '08 and was shocked at how it had exploded in 14 yrs. Man, I've had some good times in that town.

 

[Turd Fergusondawg]

Same as AustinDawg, we moved here in the late 90s8)8)8)8), and I can't get over the 20 years of sustained, explosive growth. The city doesn't have enough roads to move the traffic smoothly, so traffic generally is terrible.

I bought my first small starter house in north Austin for $93k in '99. Sold it in 18 months for $140k without putting a penny into it. I just now looked up the neighborhood, and current prices in there are in the $325-350k range. These are all shabby 3/2s in the 1500 sf range. Nothing special.

I blame invading Californians for most everything going wrong here, but they truly are driving up housing prices, contractor prices (driveway work, fencing, plumbing, pools, etc.), and changing the culture.

I bought our current place in 2010 well out of the city, on some land just west of Dripping Springs, and the value rose from $310k to $550k as of last year's in-person appraisal for a refinance.

You might say--"hey, nothing wrong with rising home values!" Except in Texas, the schools are funded primarily through property taxes, so rising values eventually price old folks on fixed incomes out of their homes.

That's part of the calculation, though: when looking for houses on zillow or realtor.com or wherever, you look at price, and then you immediately scroll down to look at the taxes. Some comparable properties right next to each other can have wildly different tax bills because one has been bought and sold more times.

There's a big builder spec development/neighborhood called Belterra between Dripping Springs and Austin where it's not uncommon for property taxes to run $15k-$20k/year! Imagine paying that every month in your mortgage payment.

No state income tax, which is nice, but they definitely get you.

Great weather for part of the year and a shorter winter. I'm getting old, so we don't take advantage of much of the downtown "fun" stuff, so it's more or less just become a really expensive place to live. We're actually considering cashing out and moving to north GA. I telecommute, so we're not locked in here, and at this point we can't really afford to upgrade and stay in the area.

I'm sure the first bid on our house will be from a Californian with cash who will immediately start voting YES for every bond issue that raises everybody's taxes. They seem dumb that way.

 

[hdogg]

TFDawg : I'd just like to say that 100% of everything you said is true.
I'll also add this : it's impossible to do a last-minute camping trip any month except August. All state park camp sites are booked weeks (sometimes months) in advance. It wasn't like this even 10 years ago.

My kids are 8 and 10, and we are pretty locked into our community in NW Austin (Spicewood estates). My group is about to get wiped out, so I'm about to be looking for a new job.
If we weren't so engrained into our neighborhood (we depend on friends for a lot), I would be moving. It's not the same place I moved to 18 years ago.
Every time I meet someone new from California, it takes a lot of willpower to not punch them in the throat. Of course that was also true 18 years ago, it's just amplified now.

 

[Turd Fergusondawg]

Every time I meet someone new from California, it takes a lot of willpower to not punch them in the throat. Of course that was also true 18 years ago, it's just amplified now.

LOLOLOL -- ^^^^this.

I think their numbers are increasing rapidly here. Hell, if I can't drive from little Henly to the Home Depot in Dripping Springs on any given day without seeing a California tag heading east from I-10, I know it has to be much worse in the city.

The part that drives me crazy is how oblivious they are to the backlash. I can't tell you how many of those ******** walk around thinking it's cute to say "THE 290" like they're referring to "the 405." YES, WE GET IT. YOU'RE FROM CALIFORNIA. CONGRATULATIONS. PLEASE LEAVE.

 

[Turd Fergusondawg]

My kids are 14, 11, 9, and 6, so I'm sure they'll be somewhat traumatized by leaving, though they're being pretty upbeat about it.

I look at it this way: if they hope to stay around Mom and Dad, then living somewhere so expensive doesn't make that easy. And I sure don't want them moving back in with us after they finish college.

 

[hdogg]

My kids are 14, 11, 9, and 6, so I'm sure they'll be somewhat traumatized by leaving, though they're being pretty upbeat about it.

I look at it this way: if they hope to stay around Mom and Dad, then living somewhere so expensive doesn't make that easy. And I sure don't want them moving back in with us after they finish college.

Yes, this is true. No good answer for us - my job skills are in chip design so we'd have to move to Cal (nope), Portland (nope), Phoenix (nope), maybe Boston (nope), or Fort Collins. I'd actually love to try out Colorado.
No offense to anyone who lives in the aforementioned "nope" areas, they just aren't for me.
I know people move w/ kids all the time but I'm just not quite ready to move them now. Having said that, if it was just me, I'd try Ft Collins tomorrow.
Despite all the changes, I do still like it here (not as much as I used to), but the $$ and crowds will eventually drive me away.

 

[johnson86-1]

I'm sure the first bid on our house will be from a Californian with cash who will immediately start voting YES for every bond issue that raises everybody's taxes. They seem dumb that way.

It is somewhat crazy to see people go through all that pain of relocating, and then start advocating for the same policies that made them leave in the first place.

 

[Turd Fergusondawg]

It is somewhat crazy to see people go through all that pain of relocating, and then start advocating for the same policies that made them leave in the first place.

The only thing I can figure is they're too dumb to realize that, or they think that they've reset the clock.

 

[Drebin]

I don’t need recommendations because I can use the search function on this board unlike others. And also they have these things called TripAdvisor and Yelp and other ****. All I have to say is it is a fun *** town. It’s like NO used to be in the early 90’s. I highly recommend it.

I travel to Austin twice a month on business and I hate everything about it. The traffic, the weather, you name it. I actually like the airport...it's easy to get around in there. I'm sure if I was single and in my 20s I would enjoy it more but I'm too old for the party scene and my politics don't align in any way with the fruits and nuts running around down there. As someone else in this thread mentioned, don't make the mistake of assuming you're in Texas.

 

[johnson86-1]

The only thing I can figure is they're too dumb to realize that, or they think that they've reset the clock.

I think they're mostly too dumb to realize. They could think think that it will drive real estate prices through the roof and while it will screw young people and new comers, it will drive up their property value and be good for them. But I think even taht is giving them too much credit. They vote for whatever makes them feel warm and fuzzy without giving a minute of thought to the impacts of their vote beyond whether it will make them feel warm and fuzzy.

 

[boatsandhoes]

I’ve lived all over Texas for 18 years

Since graduating MSU. NW Austin now for a while. There are a lot of good things, and a lot of bad things about it.

1. It isn’t Texas. Ppl from undesirable places have ruined it. Mostly cali/NE US, Chicago, etc
2. there are still true Texans here, just overwhelmed by the shitheads.
3. It’s all Rick Perry’s fault
4. The ppl who move here want to change it to where they fled in the first place.
5. thank God amazon picked denver

 

[mcdawg22]

I get the traffic situation, I’m not advocating living here. But from an airport to ubering at a hotel and staying put perspective, it’s a fun town. I guess I forgot to discuss politics with the bartender that was serving me a flight of pappy at a gourmet hot dog restaurant. I don’t give a **** about political views when I am walking distance to a great steakhouse, mexican joint, dive bar with great burgers, and fantastic ribs. I was just pointing out that I used to love New Orleans, but now it’s strip club, strip club, pat o’s, strip club, strip club, gold mine, strip club, strip club, strip club, Popeyes. And yes I am aware uptown NO is way better but I still have the nostalgia for my misspent youth on bourbon. E 6th and surrounding areas feel the way bourbon used to. Again, would I live here? Hell no. It’s just a fun town to come to for a company conference.