It's Albuquerque for us

[brewer12345]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo I believe that's spelled "$anta Fee". A very expensive place to live.

Yep, and it has a nasty sprawl problem to boot. Wouldn't particularly wish to move there. But somewhere around Taos, ahhh...

Santa Fe is an expensive place to live. Austin is very humid. El Paso is an ugly city with no charm to it. Las Cruces - no there there, a very sleepy nothing to do and no shopping choices place. Also in a city of 80,000 there is one library which sums the place up for us.

In Albuquerque we saw very nice, new homes in the $200-225K range. The cost of food & gas is much lower then in the NYC area. The city has a very laid back feel. The shopping is more then adequate and the people are friendly. We felt very comfortable from the day we got there.

[Danny]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo Since the city's official motto is "Keep Austin Weird", sounds like a perfect fit! Seriously, you don't want to move to TX, even to live in Austin. 25 years ago Austin was a great place to live and it probably still is if you are under 35. Unfortunately it has become a victim of it's own success. Rapid population growth has created a traffic nightmare. And I'd describe city politics as a mixture of SF, Chicago, Boston...and Guadalajara.

Takes one to know one brother...I know you are just trying to keep Tejas to yourself and not Chamber of Commerce it, I can read between the lines - reading those spaces you really make it sound good...if I just stay in South Austin Nov- April don't have to go anywhere except music & eat joints and take off for the hills or parts west when nature calls... I could be happy, I AM from Minnesota...doesn't take THAT much to make me happy in winter.

[HFWR]

Last time I visited Austin, it took an hour to get from Round Rock to South Austin...

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by HFWR Last time I visited Austin, it took an hour to get from Round Rock to South Austin...

Goodness!

The last time I visited Austin was to spend a day at U.T. in 1987, and mostly what I recall was a freeway with two levels that was a little unnerving/confusing, and a hideous rush hour that just STOPPED traffic. So, I gave up and tried to drive again after rush hour.

It seemed nicer than other Texas cities at the time, though.

[ProspectiveBum]

As a Californian, Austin is the only place in Texas I could imagine myself living. If Californianians feel at home, you know it's weird!

I've never been to New Mexico, and have always wanted to go. When the kids get a bit older we'll take a road trip out there to check out Carlsbad Caverns, Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

[Danny]

...sounds like if you don't drive a car in Austin you'll be fine!

Must be tough for people that are still working. and living in the outskirts

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by Danny ...sounds like if you don't drive a car in Austin you'll be fine!

As long as you like burnt orange and white (U.T. colors) you'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by Danny Must be tough for people that are still working. and living in the outskirts

A commute there during rush hour would probably be a real drag. So, you would probably want to arrange your working hours or where you lived with that in mind.

[Danny]

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Originally Posted by Want2retire As long as you like burnt orange and white (U.T. colors) you'll be fine. A commute there during rush hour would probably be a real drag. So, you would probably want to arrange your working hours or where you lived with that in mind.

not my favorite colors....I'm not working...if this fantasy becomes reality I would live South Austin in winter..and do as I and the other retired do here - if I need to drive I would venture out after 9am and make sure I get the car back before 3pm. otherwise I would walk and bus some like I did last visit not so bad and with $5 gallon gas coming I 'll be better off and get more exercise.

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by Danny not my favorite colors....I'm not working...if this fantasy becomes reality I would live South Austin in winter..and do as I and the other retired do here - if I need to drive I would venture out after 9am and make sure I get the car back before 3pm. otherwise I would walk and bus some like I did last visit not so bad and with $5 gallon gas coming I 'll be better off and get more exercise.

Sounds like a great life! Like you, I plan to walk more and drive less in ER.

[Zantastic]

Tiger,

There are lots of good things about ABQ, but before you move I would encourage you to visit in other seasons. It can get pretty hot in the summer and the sun feels scorching because of the high altitude. The winters can get cold which isn't so bad, but man is the air DRY. When I visit my brother and parents in the winter, my skin dehydrates the minute I set foot off the plane. The skin on my fingers turns into sandpaper and snags on everything I touch. It drives me crazy. But then, I'm a Southern California girl, so I'm pretty spoiled with the weather.

Zan

[bright eyed]

i went to albq a couple years ago in december and it was 16 degrees and snowed the night before i landed...

[RunningBum]

I'm moving from just north of Austin, tomorrow. Some parts I'll miss, others, not at all. Traffic on I-35 on the double decker part by campus and downtown is miserable just about any time of day, doubly miserable at rush hour. I avoid it when I can, but had to use it Sunday and nearly plowed into someone when traffic went from 50 to a stop just as I entered the lower level. The new bypass will help, but since it's a toll road many won't take it. Light rail is coming, but the town is so spread out I don't know how well it will fly, at a major, major cost.

Real estate is still reasonable, and west Austin and beyond is really pretty.

Austin is for people who don't want to be in Texas. The rest of Texas doesn't think much of Austin.

[Danny]

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Originally Posted by RunningBum I'm moving from just north of Austin, tomorrow. Some parts I'll miss, others, not at all. Traffic on I-35 on the double decker part by campus and downtown is miserable just about any time of day, doubly miserable at rush hour. I avoid it when I can, but had to use it Sunday and nearly plowed into someone when traffic went from 50 to a stop just as I entered the lower level. The new bypass will help, but since it's a toll road many won't take it. Light rail is coming, but the town is so spread out I don't know how well it will fly, at a major, major cost. Real estate is still reasonable, and west Austin and beyond is really pretty. Austin is for people who don't want to be in Texas. The rest of Texas doesn't think much of Austin.

Texas is really diverse and different...wife has people around Tyler...I've spent time in Fort Worth Dallas Amarillo Lubbock Folsom Prison San Antone Hill Country and they were so different from each other..people in Fort Worth look down on Dallas I learned...I gather the whole state looks askance at Austin..the place where "weird" refugees go I guess.

Where are you moving to runningbum?

[haha]

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Originally Posted by Tiger We just returned from visiting Reno, Las Cruces, El Paso and Albuquerque.

Can you say what made you reject Reno? I've never been there when the weather wasn't fine, there is really good outdoor recreation quite near, University of Nevada is there, and it is a pretty lively spot 24-7.

Ha

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunningBum I'm moving from just north of Austin, tomorrow. Some parts I'll miss, others, not at all. Traffic on I-35 on the double decker part by campus and downtown is miserable just about any time of day, doubly miserable at rush hour.

That was the part I was talking about! It was really confusing to me as an out-of-towner driving in from a small town like College Station, and not expecting that sort of thing.

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Originally Posted by RunningBum Austin is for people who don't want to be in Texas. The rest of Texas doesn't think much of Austin.

I think the opinions of Austin held by people in BCS were strongly influenced by the Longhorns being in Austin. But overall nobody said anything too bad about it (other than that). Well, and they didn't much like the liberal/hippy/arts/music sort of thing going on by campus either. I thought it was kind of cool.

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Originally Posted by haha Can you say what made you reject Reno? I've never been there when the weather wasn't fine, there is really good outdoor recreation quite near, University of Nevada is there, and it is a pretty lively spot 24-7. Ha

You should have been there when we were, it was the coldest and wettest Memorial Day weekend in 20 years but that didn't influence us. The city itself didn't have anything that appealed to us, we drove down the main street and until we reached the area where the government buildings are all we saw were pawn shops, adult book stores & seedy looking characters. We just didn't like the feel of the place.

Zantastic,

It was 100 or over the week we spent in Las Cruces & El Paso and it was nothing compared to NY in the 90's with high humidity. I also would rather have a warmer winter with less snow than our winters, we'll just buy lots of chap stick & skin cream.

[haha]

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Originally Posted by Tiger The city itself didn't have anything that appealed to us, we drove down the main street and until we reached the area where the government buildings are all we saw were pawn shops, adult book stores & seedy looking characters. We just didn't like the feel of the place.

Hey, you might have been looking at me!

Ha