Moving to Austin or Boston

[burtreynolds.jpeg]

I'm thinking about moving to one of these cities within the next year. I've heard great things about each scene but I haven't heard a whole lot about living there.

Anybody got an insight on the job market, cost of living, transportation options, etc.?

Anything helps.

Thanks!

[Grampa]

Austin is hot, pretty expensive due to tech presence, and pretty much everyone is a transplant but no one wants anyone else to move there. I don’t know what you do for a living, but lots of people work in hospitality or bars or whatever. All I know is the job market for my field is slim pickins. I’ve lived there twice over the past ten years and if I could find a decent job in my field I’d definitely move back. Food is good too. Public transit is decent, but having a car is best.

[Utopos]

Austin is hot, pretty expensive due to tech presence, and pretty much everyone is a transplant but no one wants anyone else to move there. I don’t know what you do for a living, but lots of people work in hospitality or bars or whatever. All I know is the job market for my field is slim pickins. I’ve lived there twice over the past ten years and if I could find a decent job in my field I’d definitely move back. Food is good too. Public transit is decent, but having a car is best.

What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?

[burtreynolds.jpeg]

Austin is hot, pretty expensive due to tech presence, and pretty much everyone is a transplant but no one wants anyone else to move there. I don’t know what you do for a living, but lots of people work in hospitality or bars or whatever. All I know is the job market for my field is slim pickins. I’ve lived there twice over the past ten years and if I could find a decent job in my field I’d definitely move back. Food is good too. Public transit is decent, but having a car is best.

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Journalism two years ago. Since graduating, I have been doing freelance work doing video production, writing for SEO, social media coordinating and retail management. I'm working a temporary position doing data entry & customer service. All in all, I'm not too concerned with finding a job. I'm planning on visiting in March for SXSW.

[super-basic]

Yeah, it's really expensive to live here. Hope you're cool with a roommate. Traffic is also fucked, Austin wasn't really designed for the kind of population it has, there are no loops or things like that, that you see in other big cities.

Also, in the past ~10 years or so, I would say they've built a lot of new stuff around town, so there are more nice skate spots, but on the whole it's pretty rough/crusty.

I don't really fuck with the parts of Austin that everyone loves, the nightlife/live music, so if it wasn't for work, I probably wouldn't live here.

[Grampa]

Expand Quote

Austin is hot, pretty expensive due to tech presence, and pretty much everyone is a transplant but no one wants anyone else to move there. I don’t know what you do for a living, but lots of people work in hospitality or bars or whatever. All I know is the job market for my field is slim pickins. I’ve lived there twice over the past ten years and if I could find a decent job in my field I’d definitely move back. Food is good too. Public transit is decent, but having a car is best.

[close]

What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?

Mechanical engineer, working mainly in manufacturing and automation/controls.

[tortfeasor]

Austin Boston is hotcold, pretty very expensive due to tech presence, and pretty much everyone is a transplant but no one wants anyone else to move there. I don’t know what you do for a living, but lots of people work in hospitality or bars or whatever. All I know is the job market for my field is slim pickins. I’ve lived there twice and over the past ten years  if I could find a decent job in my field I’d definitely move back to a tropical island. Food is can be good too. Public transit is decent, but having a car is best useless.

modified for boston.

[Sleazy]

i've lived in austin for 8 years or so. we moved here for family lifestyle and like it a lot. i also don't care about the nightlife, music, etc... but i'm in tech and the tech scene here is great. cost of housing has gone up a good bit but i still find things like food and dinning to be more approachable than when i lived in houston. food is good for casual food but not so good for ethnic and upscale especially if your not central or south... but good luck talking to anyone who lives here about that. we love the hill country and lakes side of austin. we live decently close to town (20mins, 25 bucks uber) and we get dear in our front yard all the time which we think is fantastic.

we also like that you get this weird mix of living in the south and texas but in a really liberal town. something about bbq culture mixed hipsters keeps it interesting for us. i hear people complain about the traffic but after moving from houston we don't find it that bad. the rush hour is predictable, you don't hit traffic jams at 2pm on sundays for example and i can count the unexpected traffic jams i've experienced on one hand in my 8 years. i like the skate scene but for me that just means theres a bunch of old guys who aren't bowl barneys that i can skate 3' qps and small ledges with on the weekend morning sessions at house park without having to navigate around a bunch of scooter kids. seems like the scene side of things are pretty cool with no comply holding it down. there are frequent cool events like the recent shoe release with vans where ray barbee showed up to play guitar. but i don't really do much at no comply outside of buying gear there so can't really talk too much to the scene other than to say it seems cool from the outside.

[theintern43]

Ive lived here (Austin) for about 2 years and enjoy it.

Best area of Texas hands down (Ive lived nearly all over)

rent price depends on area...up north is cheaper, I live in South East a bike ride to down town and pay $940 for my one bedroom per month.

Lots of shows and events.

University of Texas is here too so there are lots of events, restaurants, shows, etc.  things to keep kids busy

Its hot here, if you dont mind the heat I recommend austin

[Carrolls Chesthairs]

Austin is Hot and has Whataburger. Whole food's HQ there too.

Boston can be brutally cold and has Uburger.
I like the public trans there though. I like Boston more.

Best of luck with the decision.

[fakie nollie]

Austin Massachusetts? Or Boston Texas.

[burtreynolds.jpeg]

Austin Massachusetts? Or Boston Texas.

I realized shortly after posting this that it would open up jokes from Road Trip 

[Pappy Jones]

Koston went from Boston to Austin where he got heat exhaustion

[Bagelskate]

Koston went from being lost in Boston to Austin where he got heat exhaustion

Edited for more rhymes

[brent]

koston got lost in boston because it rhymed

[brycickle]

So, I don't live in either. I've been to Austin once though, and loved it. As a paramedic, I was recently considering applying to Williamson County EMS. I brought it up to my wife, and as she always does, she started looking at real estate prices in that area. Seems like if you get out of Austin proper, and are willing to be in a little bit smaller community, you can get all of the benefits of Austin, while still being able to afford buying a house. We found a number of houses in the Round Rock area, which is about 30 minutes north of Austin, with a population of around 130,000, that cost in the 250 range, with a pool.

Just some food for thought.

[HURRICANEDEATH]

I’ve lived in Austin for nine years or so from Houston. I live down south in a house with my fiancé and our son. We bought our house about a year and a half ago, and I think we ended up with a good deal due to a murder-suicide happening inside of the house. 

The worst part about Austin, in my opinion, has to be the traffic. Transportation infrastructure is severely lacking. The highways are too small to accommodate the load, and the surfaces roads back up almost as worse as the highways.

With that being said, the skateboard scene here is awesome, and there are a ton of people who skate. No-Comply is the only shop. House Park is the park that everyone skates, but there is a local skate park in all the major suburbs surrounding Austin. There’s also some cool DIY going on right now with wooden ramps and ledges at a basketball court on the east side and a cement ditch spot in the south.

Food wise: there are ton of restaurants to eat at, but the selection in anything authentic, other than BBQ, is somewhat limited. Some of my favorites are  Valentina’s (Tex-Mex BBQ), Matt’s El Rancho (Tex-Mex; get the Bob Armstrong), Ramen Tatsu-Ya (tsukemen on point), Kemuri (Japanese BBQ fusion), Better Half (New American with a bar and great coffee game).

There are a ton of swim spots along the local creek, but the creek is mostly dry now. You can also check out Barton Springs and Deep Eddy for year round swimming. Each hover around the mid to high-60’s in temperature.

[isaac617]

I live in Boston right now and have lived there my entire life. Boston's skate scene is to die for. We have a plethora of ledge spots, some good skateparks, and a booming local scene. Additionally, it is a small city which makes cruising from spot to spot or taking public transit easy. I truly love this city and will probably never live anywhere else.
Now the downsides. Our winters suck and we have no real indoor parks, your best bet is to either find a homie with a car and drive to NH (Red Alert Skatepark) or skate parking garages which there is a ton of by Prudential and the Boston Common. Another huge problem with this city is that it is incredibly expensive, if you end up living here you should probably get two roommates.
As for job situation I don't really know the deal because I'm going to college right now but it was really easy for me to get an internship if that means anything.

[tortfeasor]

best bet is to either find a homie with a car and drive to NH (Red Alert Skatepark)

it regularly blows my mind that there is no t accessible indoor park serving Boston.  there is an amazing market, easy spots to develop one, and the ideal business model is hiding in in plain site.  every once in a while i honestly find myself debate giving up practicing law and making the move.

[HyenaChaser]

I lived in Austin for many years, I think most people have covered the general vibes.

I was heavily involved in the music scene and I really enjoyed that, but I understand people being jaded on it there too.

All in all it’s pretty blown out these days but there’s still good stuff to be found.

I will say visiting during SXSW will not give you an accurate perception of it, it’s kind of like the circus is in town during that time. You may have fun during that first run but you can become pretty frustrated with it after experiencing it a few times.

[duster1]

i've lived in austin for 8 years or so. we moved here for family lifestyle and like it a lot. i  the nightlife, music, etc... but i'm in tech and the tech scene here is great. cost of housing has gone up a good bit but i still find things like food and dinning to be more approachable than when i but not so good for ethnic and upscale especially if your not central or south... but good luck talking to anyone who lives here about that. we love the hill country and lakes side of austin. we live decently close to town (20mins, 25 bucks uber) and we get dear in our front yard all the time which we

we alsolike that you get this weird mix of living in the south and texas but in a really liberal town. som bbq culture mixed hipsters keeps it interesting for  it that bad. the rush hour is predictable, you don't hit traffic jams at 2pm on sundays for example and i can count the unexpected traffic jams i've experienced on one hand in my 8 years. i like the skate scene but for me that just means theres a bunch of old guys who aren't bowl barneys that i can skate 3' qps and small ledges with on the weekend morning sessions at house park without having to navigate around a bunch of scooter kids. seems like the scene side of things are pretty cool with no comply holding it downshowed up to play guitar. but i don't really do much at no comply outside of buying gear there so can't really talk too muscene other than to say it seems cool from the outside.

Die Yuppie Scum

[Trash_Eater]

Lived in Austin for a hot second in 2015..

Someone told me while i was there that each day 50 people move to austin..

The traffic, as stated in a previous post, was abhorrent. from like 3pm-6pm the highway was literally bumper to bumper not moving.

Barton Springs is the shit though!

[Sleazy]

Expand Quote

i've lived in austin for 8 years or so. we moved here for family lifestyle and like it a lot. i  the nightlife, music, etc... but i'm in tech and the tech scene here is great. cost of housing has gone up a good bit but i still find things like food and dinning to be more approachable than when i but not so good for ethnic and upscale especially if your not central or south... but good luck talking to anyone who lives here about that. we love the hill country and lakes side of austin. we live decently close to town (20mins, 25 bucks uber) and we get dear in our front yard all the time which we

we alsolike that you get this weird mix of living in the south and texas but in a really liberal town. som bbq culture mixed hipsters keeps it interesting for  it that bad. the rush hour is predictable, you don't hit traffic jams at 2pm on sundays for example and i can count the unexpected traffic jams i've experienced on one hand in my 8 years. i like the skate scene but for me that just means theres a bunch of old guys who aren't bowl barneys that i can skate 3' qps and small ledges with on the weekend morning sessions at house park without having to navigate around a bunch of scooter kids. seems like the scene side of things are pretty cool with no comply holding it downshowed up to play guitar. but i don't really do much at no comply outside of buying gear there so can't really talk too muscene other than to say it seems cool from the outside.

Die Yuppie Scum

[close]

are yuppies still a thing?

[HyenaChaser]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

i've lived in austin for 8 years or so. we moved here for family lifestyle and like it a lot. i  the nightlife, music, etc... but i'm in tech and the tech scene here is great. cost of housing has gone up a good bit but i still find things like food and dinning to be more approachable than when i but not so good for ethnic and upscale especially if your not central or south... but good luck talking to anyone who lives here about that. we love the hill country and lakes side of austin. we live decently close to town (20mins, 25 bucks uber) and we get dear in our front yard all the time which we

we alsolike that you get this weird mix of living in the south and texas but in a really liberal town. som bbq culture mixed hipsters keeps it interesting for  it that bad. the rush hour is predictable, you don't hit traffic jams at 2pm on sundays for example and i can count the unexpected traffic jams i've experienced on one hand in my 8 years. i like the skate scene but for me that just means theres a bunch of old guys who aren't bowl barneys that i can skate 3' qps and small ledges with on the weekend morning sessions at house park without having to navigate around a bunch of scooter kids. seems like the scene side of things are pretty cool with no comply holding it downshowed up to play guitar. but i don't really do much at no comply outside of buying gear there so can't really talk too muscene other than to say it seems cool from the outside.

Die Yuppie Scum

[close]

[close]

are yuppies still a thing?

When I lived in Austin everyone I knew called all the tech transplants yuppies.

No offense, I lived as transplant there myself for 8 years.

[Sleazy]

fair enough. I’ve been a transplant most my life, gotta live somewhere, may as well pick a good spot


I thought yuppies had more money than tech workers though...

[VHS ERA]

Boston has spots but kinda sucks otherwise

[HyenaChaser]

fair enough. I’ve been a transplant most my life, gotta live somewhere, may as well pick a good spot


I thought yuppies had more money than tech workers though...

I was in the music scene, everyone had more money than us haha

[Sleazy]

Expand Quote

fair enough. I’ve been a transplant most my life, gotta live somewhere, may as well pick a good spot


I thought yuppies had more money than tech workers though...

[close]

I was in the music scene, everyone had more money than us haha

makes sense

when i think yuppies i think rich and driving benz's, when i think tech workers i think "gonna be shopping at costco after they get married and have kids"

[duster1]

Sorry fellas, I was drunk and being a bitter asshole, also I got the quote “Die Yuppie Scum” from American Psycho so it was kind of supposed to be a joke

[Sleazy]

Sorry fellas, I was drunk and being a bitter asshole, also I got the quote “Die Yuppie Scum” from American Psycho so it was kind of supposed to be a joke

i didn't realize it was in that show, love that show. i thought it was from an a old aussie punk song for some reason. when i used to live in australia in high school the punks would usually end up with the skaters when trouble would break out at house parties and the punks used to always start signing die, yuppie die.

maybe this song:

seems not so punk though, i had imagined it to be more gnarly