MrMaster
What If
Premium
join:2000-12-16
Austin, TX
clubs:
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| San Antonio versus Austin
I am definitely moving in a few months to Texas. I have an inside track on jobs in both Austin and San Antonio.
I've done a lot of research on Austin but very little on San Antonio because it wasn't even on my radar until just the other day. I do think Austin would be a great fit for me but can someone shed some light on the differences between these two cities? I have compared each of them using the cnn/money website but that is just numbers.
I'll be a (going to be) 30 yr old single male who will not be knowing anyone when he moves. While I thoroughly enjoy downtown living my job opportunties will not be located in a downtown setting.
I am moving for a change of scenery, if i don't do it now I probably will never get the chance, I love hot weather, my job here will be ending very soon so why not?
Any thoughts?
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One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done. -Marie Curie |
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Vaquero4
join:2006-10-17
Austin, TX
| Hi,
Definitely Austin!!
I was in Austin for 3 weeks and San Antonio for like 6. Austin is a great environment - liberal and energetic. Lots of opportunities for young professionals. It's a diverse town, probably because many people from all over the country (and world) come to UT, then find work locally. Penty of tech companies around (Dell, IBM, etc).
Not to mention the student body of over 50,000+ UT students, which provides a never-ending supply of college booty for plundering... 
The local music scene is top notch, if you're into that. Plenty of bars, pubs and clubs with lots of live stuff to see. The city is also like 4th safest in the US, or somesuch.
San Antonio is technically bigger, but ... eh, not that great of a city. It's more spread out, so the density doesn't seem any different, and stuff like nightlife, music, etc. just can't hold a candle to Austin. I believe the per capita is fairly low as well (it certainly seemed so), not nearly as safe as Austin, and not much tech industry.
Cheers,
Brian |
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MrMaster
What If
Premium
join:2000-12-16
Austin, TX
clubs: | reply to MrMaster
I'm suprised no one else has responded. |
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brh99
Premium
join:2002-12-09
Houston, TX | I'd probably pick Austin over San Antonio too. Austin is livelier, younger, weirder. There is tech industry in San Antonio, but not as much as Austin, imho. |
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alg
Just a shot away
Premium
join:2001-04-10
Houston, TX
clubs: 
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
| reply to MrMaster
Although I am living in Austin for school, I haven't spent more than a day or two in San Antonio so I really can't make an accurate comparison. That said I have to agree with the rest and recommend Austin. More stuff to do, more liberal (I don't mean in the political sense, but in that it has more music, arts, etc). Also one thing I like about Austin is that even in the poorest areas of the city I still felt relatively safe, don't think I can say that about other cities.
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So many loosers, so few wrenches and screwdrivers. By the way, just randomly choose between there, their, and they're when you type a post. |
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Corona
It's cool, I'm takin it back
Premium
join:2000-03-14
Aubrey, TX
| reply to MrMaster
Austin = college town and traffic clusterf!^@$
San Antonio = big town that acts like a small town, and really slow drivers.
Most of the drivers in both towns tend not to look more than 50 feet in front of their vehicles. So you're going to see lots of left turns from right lanes, and people weaving to make freeway exits, etc.
I live in San Antonio, but travel to Austin for meetings twice a month.
IF you are considering Austin, you really need to check out your commute BEFORE you select a place to live. Unless you have a helecopter. 
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d00mz |
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MrMaster
What If
Premium
join:2000-12-16
Austin, TX
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to MrMaster
I'm in banking so the tech sector is really a non-factor for me.
I do have one big question. Why in the world is housing prices so cheap in San Antonio? I'm looking at listings that should be double the price if this was the Milwaukee area.
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One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done. -Marie Curie |
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Corona
It's cool, I'm takin it back
Premium
join:2000-03-14
Aubrey, TX
| I moved to San Antonio 5 1/2 years ago from Metro Detroit. The cost of housing here is insanely cheap. A few reasons.
1. property taxes in the City of San Antonio are kinda high. Our house is valued around $250k, and our property taxes are $6,000.
2. There is still a LOT of space in San Antonio, so the market is flooded with new subdivisions in lots of places.
There are no less than 15 new construction subdivisions withing a 5 mile circle from my house, and they're all by the same 6 or 7 builders. So the constant new construction sells for just a few points more than the used house they built 3-5 years ago, 0-5 miles away. It keeps the market suppressed with available homes.
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d00mz |
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buttoni
Premium
join:2005-08-16
Temple, TX
 ·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
1 edit | reply to MrMaster
Depends on what you like in a city. Personally, I don't like big cities because of the traffic. And of course, exactly where your job will be is of major importance. Commuting to work is no fun either place.
I go to San Antonio 5-6 times a year (my Mom lives there). Has history & the RiverWalk charm, but basically I just don't like it much! You can only do the RiverWalk, Fiesta, the Alamo & the missions so many times! Drivers are the absolute worst there!  They must have read the Texas Driver's Handbook I had ato read. But the 410 Loop makes getting around the city easy, even at peak times (provided there are no wrecks!)
Austin traffic situation on I-35 is a mess, because locals and North/South through traffic both use it as a major thoroughfare. But the city itself is GREAT! Offers numerous cultural events and other fun things going on all the time! It's a fun place to live for someone your age. After all, it is a liberal, university town and young people do like to have fun, now, don't they? I'm a bit biased because my hubby & I both went to UT in the late 60's.
But given its rapid growth & traffic congestion, I'd consider living in one of the outlying suburbs/communities like Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park, etc. That's an option to consider, of course, depending on where your job will be located.
My husband & I are retired teachers and live in Temple, just an hour north of Austin. We drive in for favorite restaurants, shopping and events about twice a month. Hate the traffic, but the city still has a magnetic draw for us.
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Peggy
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WinXP5.1 SP2 w/ all patches;
IE6; Comodo Firewall; 2Wire DSL modem; Avast AV; CounterSpy; |
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alg
Just a shot away
Premium
join:2001-04-10
Houston, TX
clubs:
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
1 edit | said by buttoni  :Austin traffic situation on I-35 is a mess, because locals and North/South through traffic both use it as a major thoroughfare. Unfortunately this is very, very true. A while back I made a comment on how bad the traffic was in Austin here on the boards and someone said if you think Austin is bad try Houston. Problem is that I lived in Houston for all but the last 2.5 years as I am now here at UT. People assume that as Austin is relatively small the traffic can't be nearly as bad as Houston, but that is WRONG WRONG WRONG! Houston traffic is a breeze compared to here. About the only time it is sane to drive in Austin is Saturday (non game days) and Sundays when all the cars mysteriously disappear and the city appears deserted. Weekdays though are an absolute mess.
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So many loosers, so few wrenches and screwdrivers. By the way, just randomly choose between there, their, and they're when you type a post. |
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buttoni
Premium
join:2005-08-16
Temple, TX
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
1 edit | I lived in the Galveston/Houston area for over 30 years and I thoroughly agree with you. Houston traffic is not nearly as bad as Austin's! There are just not enough multi-lane thoroughfares in Austin. It's full of mostly two-lane streets and businesses perched way too close to the curbs to widen them. Never can figure out why Austin hasn't built built a five lane loop all the way around the city, or even two, like Boston and other major cities have had to do.
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Peggy
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WinXP5.1 SP2 w/ all patches;
IE6; Comodo Firewall; 2Wire DSL modem; Avast AV; CounterSpy; |
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MrMaster
What If
Premium
join:2000-12-16
Austin, TX
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by buttoni :I lived in the Galveston/Houston area for over 30 years and I thoroughly agree with you. Houston traffic is not nearly as bad as Austin's! There are just not enough multi-lane thoroughfares in Austin. It's full of mostly two-lane streets and businesses perched way too close to the curbs to widen them. Never can figure out why Austin hasn't built built a five lane loop all the way around the city, or even two, like Boston and other major cities have had to do. Probably for the same reason we don't have a loop in Milwaukee. Constant lawsuits from rural areas that don't want expressways going through their pretty little areas.
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One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done. -Marie Curie |
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