Austin area

**T.S.** · 12-22-2006, 04:17 PM

Anybody from around Austin on here? I am considering relocating again, to the Austin area this time, maybe Round Rock. I like what I hear and read about the area. It seems to have the things I like about Charlotte, like warm weather and mild winters. It also seems to lack the things that I hate about Charlotte, like a ridiculously high crime rate. It looks like many high tech companies are based there, which is good for me since I have an Information Technology degree. The real estate looks to be even cheaper than the Charlotte area too.

I recently saw Austin listed as the 5th safest city over 500,000 people and Round Rock listed as the 13th safest city overall regardless of size.

deeptrance · 01-16-2007, 11:17 AM

Hi, I'm in Austin and was just referred to this forum by someone who got banned at city-data. But honestly you'll still find a lot more info at city-data.com because there are tons of members and you'll get lots of diverse responses.

From what I know about Charlotte, you would like Austin better unless you need those tall ultra-green trees. We have shorter scrubbier trees, it's not as wet here but it's quite green much of the year unless we're in a bad drought.

Other than that, it's culturally much more progressive here, it's growing way too fast, traffic is horrible, it's a super-fun place that's very hip and full of cultural amenities especially if you're on the young side... what else ya wanna know?

It's sad that we're among the safer cities. America is so violent! A city this size in Canada would have maybe 2 or 3 murders in a year, we have 30 to 40. But property crime is a much bigger problem. The murders are almost all within families or as a result of fights, it's not like there are people just walking around shooting each other. A lot of it is bar fights in bad neighborhoods and presumably that's not where you'd be spending your time, and you wouldn't be living with a drug dealer and getting into fights about who left the crack pipe on the kitchen counter. But you can live a very clean life and have your home burglarized here, that's the biggest concern. If you do decide to move here, be sure to get a LOT more info about which areas are safe and how to protect your personal property.

best wishes,
DT

**ProEye** · 01-17-2007, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

Hi, I'm in Austin and was just referred to this forum by someone who got banned at city-data. But honestly you'll still find a lot more info at city-data.com because there are tons of members and you'll get lots of diverse responses.

I lived in Austin for 5 years working for IBM. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Texas or Austin for that matter, but to each his own.

Not sure what five years will get anyone but I can offer my perspective.

I'm not a hot weather person so I was not impressed with Texas. I really would not have been there had I not landed a job at IBM. Then I went back to school in Houston, and it was the least expensive option, so I was stuck again for 4 more years. I worked for a year as an eye doctor and felt I was stuck again!

Anyway... Austin is okay. Unfortunately, many cities are losing their identity since there is so much corporate interest. A Wal-Mart in one city is the same as in any other right? Plus, since Austin is growing so fast it is very new, so I can't say that most of Austin was all that unique.

One thing that few people seem to mention is the violent weather in Austin. There are a lot of bad thunderstorms that occur there. I can't tell you now many times it seemed like there was a tornado outside my window. The biggie was the big hailstorm in the early 90's that caused something like $1 billion in damage. I was lucky in that the storm pooped out before it hit my area (I had a house in Cedar Park).

We don't get that kind of stuff here in CT.

My wife is from the panhandle and my daughter was born in Houston so I still have fond memories...

**T.S.** · 01-17-2007, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

Hi, I'm in Austin and was just referred to this forum by someone who got banned at city-data. But honestly you'll still find a lot more info at city-data.com because there are tons of members and you'll get lots of diverse responses.

From what I know about Charlotte, you would like Austin better unless you need those tall ultra-green trees. We have shorter scrubbier trees, it's not as wet here but it's quite green much of the year unless we're in a bad drought.

Other than that, it's culturally much more progressive here, it's growing way too fast, traffic is horrible, it's a super-fun place that's very hip and full of cultural amenities especially if you're on the young side... what else ya wanna know?

It's sad that we're among the safer cities. America is so violent! A city this size in Canada would have maybe 2 or 3 murders in a year, we have 30 to 40. But property crime is a much bigger problem. The murders are almost all within families or as a result of fights, it's not like there are people just walking around shooting each other. A lot of it is bar fights in bad neighborhoods and presumably that's not where you'd be spending your time, and you wouldn't be living with a drug dealer and getting into fights about who left the crack pipe on the kitchen counter. But you can live a very clean life and have your home burglarized here, that's the biggest concern. If you do decide to move here, be sure to get a LOT more info about which areas are safe and how to protect your personal property.

best wishes,
DT

Screw city-data, I was banned there also and know the admin here.

Thanks for the Austin info.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProEye

I lived in Austin for 5 years working for IBM. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Texas or Austin for that matter, but to each his own.

Not sure what five years will get anyone but I can offer my perspective.

I'm not a hot weather person so I was not impressed with Texas. I really would not have been there had I not landed a job at IBM. Then I went back to school in Houston, and it was the least expensive option, so I was stuck again for 4 more years. I worked for a year as an eye doctor and felt I was stuck again!

Anyway... Austin is okay. Unfortunately, many cities are losing their identity since there is so much corporate interest. A Wal-Mart in one city is the same as in any other right? Plus, since Austin is growing so fast it is very new, so I can't say that most of Austin was all that unique.

One thing that few people seem to mention is the violent weather in Austin. There are a lot of bad thunderstorms that occur there. I can't tell you now many times it seemed like there was a tornado outside my window. The biggie was the big hailstorm in the early 90's that caused something like $1 billion in damage. I was lucky in that the storm pooped out before it hit my area (I had a house in Cedar Park).

We don't get that kind of stuff here in CT.

My wife is from the panhandle and my daughter was born in Houston so I still have fond memories...

Thanks for the reply.

**the dufferz** · 01-23-2007, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

The murders are almost all within families or as a result of fights, it's not like there are people just walking around shooting each other.

best wishes,
DT

A reflection on the demise of the American family? What are we doing different to have this result? The problem is not local, but more national. Your thoughts? ( you always have them, and they are always good, so speak my friend)

**Panterro** · 01-23-2007, 05:32 AM

Someone mentioned the Shootings In Austin are mostly family related.. Thats not true. Im sure some are.. but ever sense Texas Cities took on the poor and the refrugees out of New Orleans, our cities crime rates have sky rocketed. These poeple have survived off the system.. our system is different here and they cant adjust, so they turn to crime.

deeptrance · 01-23-2007, 06:06 PM

Replies to 3 people here.

First, about ProEye's comment "I can't say that most of Austin was all that unique." --- and you lived in Cedar Park and commuted to a nearby suburb? That's like living in Jersey, commuting to another part of Jersey and then talkin' trash about New York! If you don't LIVE Austin then you WILL NOT GET WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! If you don't understand what I'm saying then you're disqualified to comment. Austin's suburbs, as I've said several times on city-data, are about as bad as suburbs can get. It's the same as if you spent your 5 years living in Simi Valley, commuting to Thousand Oaks, and then made a judgment about living in Los Angeles. Sorry, no street cred. You didn't experience Austin, you experienced hot summers and life in a generic suburb. I feel your pain and I'm sorry you didn't have the time or inclination to explore the depths and breadth of what people love about this city.

dufferz, I don't have any profound thoughts to offer about American culture and the demise of the family at this moment. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm recharging my batteries and hope to be back up to speed soon.

Panterro, I don't know what to say about your apparent acceptance of the right wing talk show rants against everyone who is Black and from New Orleans. Family violence is pandemic, not endemic. But I doubt you know what the difference is between those words, hence your simplistic acceptance of emotionally-charged racist radio sound bytes. Good luck with that.

**ProEye** · 01-23-2007, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

Replies to 3 people here.

First, about ProEye's comment "I can't say that most of Austin was all that unique." --- and you lived in Cedar Park and commuted to a nearby suburb? That's like living in Jersey, commuting to another part of Jersey and then talkin' trash about New York! If you don't LIVE Austin then you WILL NOT GET WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! If you don't understand what I'm saying then you're disqualified to comment. Austin's suburbs, as I've said several times on city-data, are about as bad as suburbs can get. It's the same as if you spent your 5 years living in Simi Valley, commuting to Thousand Oaks, and then made a judgment about living in Los Angeles. Sorry, no street cred. You didn't experience Austin, you experienced hot summers and life in a generic suburb. I feel your pain and I'm sorry you didn't have the time or inclination to explore the depths and breadth of what people love about this city.

dufferz, I don't have any profound thoughts to offer about American culture and the demise of the family at this moment. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm recharging my batteries and hope to be back up to speed soon.

Panterro, I don't know what to say about your apparent acceptance of the right wing talk show rants against everyone who is Black and from New Orleans. Family violence is pandemic, not endemic. But I doubt you know what the difference is between those words, hence your simplistic acceptance of emotionally-charged racist radio sound bytes. Good luck with that.

You know, people are not isolated to their homes. It's not like I was an invalid or I was under house arrest. I got around. I "experienced" all of Austin, believe me. I was young, I did everything.

It's just my opinion. No offense. I just didn't think Austin was all that special. You might think it's great and that's wonderful. But don't beat me down because I have an opinion.

I guess you didn't get my point. I said all cities are not that special. They are all losing their identities--especially those fast growing cities because they are full of the same stuff found every where else in America. I've been all over this country, I've lived in many states and many cities, I know what I'm talking about. Austin has very little that's unique about Austin and it's unfortunate.

**the dufferz** · 01-23-2007, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

Replies to 3 people here.

dufferz, I don't have any profound thoughts to offer about American culture and the demise of the family at this moment. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm recharging my batteries and hope to be back up to speed soon.

I'll keep the iced tea cooled, and the rocking chair warm. I understand the need to recharge. You and I don't agree on most things, but I value our conversations, so when you're ready....

tag, your it!

duff

deeptrance · 01-24-2007, 11:33 AM

ProEye:
Thanks for replying to my surprisingly hostile-sounding message. Wow, reading it again today makes me wonder "what the hell kind of mood was I in when I wrote that rant?" I didn't INTEND the hostility, but sometimes when I'm typing I forget that people are only going to see raw words, they can't see facial expressions, body language, or hear a tone of voice. So I apologize for writing recklessly. Same with my response to Panterro --- a little over the top!

However, regarding your statement that Austin has little that is uniquely Austin, I completely disagree with you on that and I've also got all that experience of living in different places and traveling cross country many times, so I guess we'll just agree to disagree. I'm glad you checked out other parts of town besides Cedar Park (a horrible place in my opinion), and I still think the reason you didn't get what's unique here is that you didn't live it.

For example, I challenge you to find another city with as many opportunities to live next to greenbelts through which you can hike or bike directly into downtown while being in the middle of a forest on a creek. You'd really have to spend time in neighborhoods like Travis Heights, Bouldin, Sola, SoFi, Clarkesville, and even parts of Tarrytown or Hyde Park, to get the Austin experience.

But you could live there and still not like it, of course!!! I agree that Austin is over-hyped. But I don't agree that it's not unique. It's a sunbelt city that is flooded with generic corporate development, sure, but it's got lots of pockets of uniqueness that are very well preserved, much like Seattle. None of that erases the fact that it's the freaking middle of Texas and summer is hell.

**the dufferz** · 01-24-2007, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

ProEye:
Thanks for replying to my surprisingly hostile-sounding message. Wow, reading it again today makes me wonder "what the hell kind of mood was I in when I wrote that rant?" I didn't INTEND the hostility, but sometimes when I'm typing I forget that people are only going to see raw words, they can't see facial expressions, body language, or hear a tone of voice. So I apologize for writing recklessly. Same with my response to Panterro --- a little over the top!
.

HA!

That's the Deept I know and love. Total class. I knew you were not doing so well. Rock on my good friend.

**ProEye** · 01-25-2007, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

ProEye:
Thanks for replying to my surprisingly hostile-sounding message. Wow, reading it again today makes me wonder "what the hell kind of mood was I in when I wrote that rant?" I didn't INTEND the hostility, but sometimes when I'm typing I forget that people are only going to see raw words, they can't see facial expressions, body language, or hear a tone of voice. So I apologize for writing recklessly. Same with my response to Panterro --- a little over the top!

Nice...

deeptrance · 01-25-2007, 09:18 AM

Thanks, dufferz and ProEye. And Pro --- your signature kinda says it all, eh? But sometimes when I'm in a web forum I do get all worked up and it's mostly about what's going on inside my own head, it's not anyone else's fault. I take full responsibility for that.

And you're wrong about everything you miserable SOB why I oughta.... [rant rant rant]

The name ProEye seems to indicate you're a photographer, yes? Or someone can point me to another thread where that's already been discussed.

Peace/Out!
DT AKA "The Hysterical One"

**the dufferz** · 01-25-2007, 11:58 AM

Maybe now it all get clear.

The reason deept and the dufferz (hey that rhymes!) get along.

Donald Duck.

My hero and all time favorite cartoon attitude.

**ProEye** · 01-25-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeptrance

Thanks, dufferz and ProEye. And Pro --- your signature kinda says it all, eh? But sometimes when I'm in a web forum I do get all worked up and it's mostly about what's going on inside my own head, it's not anyone else's fault. I take full responsibility for that.

And you're wrong about everything you miserable SOB why I oughta.... [rant rant rant]

The name ProEye seems to indicate you're a photographer, yes? Or someone can point me to another thread where that's already been discussed.

Peace/Out!
DT AKA "The Hysterical One"

No, I'm actually an eye doctor. ProEye = Professional Eye Care.

Have questions about the eyes? I need to start a forum for that...

**a1m1700** · 01-28-2007, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProEye

No, I'm actually an eye doctor. ProEye = Professional Eye Care.

Have questions about the eyes? I need to start a forum for that...

Do you think these eye twitches I'm getting is from computer strain or do you think it could be something else wrong like a neurological thing? My eye doctor didn't seem to think it was a big deal. It seems like it never stops though.

**ProEye** · 01-28-2007, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a1m1700

Do you think these eye twitches I'm getting is from computer strain or do you think it could be something else wrong like a neurological thing? My eye doctor didn't seem to think it was a big deal. It seems like it never stops though.

How long has it been going on?

90+% of all eye twitches are because of irritation of some kind, either dry eyes or allergies. Also, they rarely last more than 2 weeks.

Can be something more than this however... Tell me more...

12-22-2006, 04:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
T.S. Member Join Date: Oct 12th, 2006 Location: MN to NC to FL to MN Posts: 709	Austin area Anybody from around Austin on here? I am considering relocating again, to the Austin area this time, maybe Round Rock. I like what I hear and read about the area. It seems to have the things I like about Charlotte, like warm weather and mild winters. It also seems to lack the things that I hate about Charlotte, like a ridiculously high crime rate. It looks like many high tech companies are based there, which is good for me since I have an Information Technology degree. The real estate looks to be even cheaper than the Charlotte area too. I recently saw Austin listed as the 5th safest city over 500,000 people and Round Rock listed as the 13th safest city overall regardless of size.

01-16-2007, 11:17 AM	#2 (permalink)
deeptrance Member Join Date: Jan 16th, 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 265	Re: Austin area Hi, I'm in Austin and was just referred to this forum by someone who got banned at city-data. But honestly you'll still find a lot more info at city-data.com because there are tons of members and you'll get lots of diverse responses. From what I know about Charlotte, you would like Austin better unless you need those tall ultra-green trees. We have shorter scrubbier trees, it's not as wet here but it's quite green much of the year unless we're in a bad drought. Other than that, it's culturally much more progressive here, it's growing way too fast, traffic is horrible, it's a super-fun place that's very hip and full of cultural amenities especially if you're on the young side... what else ya wanna know? It's sad that we're among the safer cities. America is so violent! A city this size in Canada would have maybe 2 or 3 murders in a year, we have 30 to 40. But property crime is a much bigger problem. The murders are almost all within families or as a result of fights, it's not like there are people just walking around shooting each other. A lot of it is bar fights in bad neighborhoods and presumably that's not where you'd be spending your time, and you wouldn't be living with a drug dealer and getting into fights about who left the crack pipe on the kitchen counter. But you can live a very clean life and have your home burglarized here, that's the biggest concern. If you do decide to move here, be sure to get a LOT more info about which areas are safe and how to protect your personal property. best wishes, DT

01-23-2007, 05:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
Panterro TEXAS ***** ADVISOR Join Date: Jan 21st, 2007 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 1,512	Re: Austin area Someone mentioned the Shootings In Austin are mostly family related.. Thats not true. Im sure some are.. but ever sense Texas Cities took on the poor and the refrugees out of New Orleans, our cities crime rates have sky rocketed. These poeple have survived off the system.. our system is different here and they cant adjust, so they turn to crime.

01-23-2007, 06:06 PM	#7 (permalink)
deeptrance Member Join Date: Jan 16th, 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 265	Re: Austin area Replies to 3 people here. First, about ProEye's comment "I can't say that most of Austin was all that unique." --- and you lived in Cedar Park and commuted to a nearby suburb? That's like living in Jersey, commuting to another part of Jersey and then talkin' trash about New York! If you don't LIVE Austin then you WILL NOT GET WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! If you don't understand what I'm saying then you're disqualified to comment. Austin's suburbs, as I've said several times on city-data, are about as bad as suburbs can get. It's the same as if you spent your 5 years living in Simi Valley, commuting to Thousand Oaks, and then made a judgment about living in Los Angeles. Sorry, no street cred. You didn't experience Austin, you experienced hot summers and life in a generic suburb. I feel your pain and I'm sorry you didn't have the time or inclination to explore the depths and breadth of what people love about this city. dufferz, I don't have any profound thoughts to offer about American culture and the demise of the family at this moment. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm recharging my batteries and hope to be back up to speed soon. Panterro, I don't know what to say about your apparent acceptance of the right wing talk show rants against everyone who is Black and from New Orleans. Family violence is pandemic, not endemic. But I doubt you know what the difference is between those words, hence your simplistic acceptance of emotionally-charged racist radio sound bytes. Good luck with that.

01-24-2007, 11:33 AM	#10 (permalink)
deeptrance Member Join Date: Jan 16th, 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 265	Re: Austin area ProEye: Thanks for replying to my surprisingly hostile-sounding message. Wow, reading it again today makes me wonder "what the hell kind of mood was I in when I wrote that rant?" I didn't INTEND the hostility, but sometimes when I'm typing I forget that people are only going to see raw words, they can't see facial expressions, body language, or hear a tone of voice. So I apologize for writing recklessly. Same with my response to Panterro --- a little over the top! However, regarding your statement that Austin has little that is uniquely Austin, I completely disagree with you on that and I've also got all that experience of living in different places and traveling cross country many times, so I guess we'll just agree to disagree. I'm glad you checked out other parts of town besides Cedar Park (a horrible place in my opinion), and I still think the reason you didn't get what's unique here is that you didn't live it. For example, I challenge you to find another city with as many opportunities to live next to greenbelts through which you can hike or bike directly into downtown while being in the middle of a forest on a creek. You'd really have to spend time in neighborhoods like Travis Heights, Bouldin, Sola, SoFi, Clarkesville, and even parts of Tarrytown or Hyde Park, to get the Austin experience. But you could live there and still not like it, of course!!! I agree that Austin is over-hyped. But I don't agree that it's not unique. It's a sunbelt city that is flooded with generic corporate development, sure, but it's got lots of pockets of uniqueness that are very well preserved, much like Seattle. None of that erases the fact that it's the freaking middle of Texas and summer is hell.

01-25-2007, 09:18 AM	#13 (permalink)
deeptrance Member Join Date: Jan 16th, 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 265	Re: Austin area Thanks, dufferz and ProEye. And Pro --- your signature kinda says it all, eh? But sometimes when I'm in a web forum I do get all worked up and it's mostly about what's going on inside my own head, it's not anyone else's fault. I take full responsibility for that. And you're wrong about everything you miserable SOB why I oughta.... [rant rant rant] The name ProEye seems to indicate you're a photographer, yes? Or someone can point me to another thread where that's already been discussed. Peace/Out! DT AKA "The Hysterical One"

01-25-2007, 11:58 AM	#14 (permalink)
the dufferz Duff man! Join Date: Jan 04th, 2007 Location: Bothell, Washington Posts: 1,320	Re: Austin area Maybe now it all get clear. The reason deept and the dufferz (hey that rhymes!) get along. Donald Duck. My hero and all time favorite cartoon attitude. __________________ "Who am I and what am I doing here?" - James stockdale, Ross Perrot VP candidate, VP debate, 1992. My favorite political statement.