settle a dispute - where is better to live

[Deb]

We are 25 miles outside of Austin on Lake travis. Much better than Houston.

[jpbruni]

I grew up in Dallas, watched it turn into a Megatropolis (how do you like my new word? ).

Lived in Houston for several months and worked for 2 companies who were based there.

Moved to Austin in 2001.

I live on the SW side in Bee Cave and it is a great place to live and raise kids. We love it! Schools are fantastic and my kids love it. We are on the edge of the hill country and it is really nice out here.

There are perks to both cities, but Austin has been the nicest place I have found in the state, with the exception of the Bandera/Kerrville/Hunt/Leakey area.

That being said, we will most likely end up in the Rockport area someday after the kids go off to college. Too much salt in my blood now. Gotta get to the coast.

J.P.

[JW]

I lived in 3 nice places in Houstons Area. The Woodlands, Kingwood and Friendswood.

Austin hands down.

[JW]

Hippies or hurricanes.....pick your poison.

You couldn't pay me enough to move to Houston. Austin isn't much higher on my list of places to live, but I might consider it if I had to. I'm not a city person though. San Antonio and Fort Worth are about the only big cities (and FW isn't THAT big) that seem like Texas these days. None of the other big cities in Texas feel like Texas anymore.

Hippies!!!!! Lol

[Patton]

Austin by a long shot, been here all my life so I'm biased but..

It's got ranches real close
great downtown scene
creeks and greenbelts and mountain biking and walking trails all over
5 lakes within an hour
Music events all the time
The University of Texas
I could go on forever.

I've killed my biggest deer in Austin, it was legal, and also a turkey 50 minutes away in Lockhart.

Austin wins

[Tmag]

well the conversation has been plentiful. i aprpeciate all of the views and comments. here are some of our arguements. alot of which yall have touched on.

wife:
-lower pay
-not near family. mine is close, but not big. hers is all in houston, and large.
-tougher job market
-upside - would be something differnt for her

mine:
-able to live out of town and commute in for a good job
-smaller than houston
-able to put the country back in the boy
-able to teach my boys some of the things i learned growing up on land
-closer to the deer lease
-downside - less money may make it harder on a one income family

Sounds like you need to find you a country place with a nice drive to work to boot.

[Hardware]

Houston just because the Motto of Austin is " Keep the City Weird"

[Landrover]

Not comparable! Just pick the suburbs of either or any metro area and enjoy the most of both areas!

[BigL]

For all the Keep Austin Wierd slogans check out Georgetown, I know Duke's BBQ sells shirts that say Keep Georgetown Normal...

[Mertzon Man]

Austin, Lake Travis area, can't beat it!

[sharkhunter]

I have lived in H-Town 47 yrs... Lets just say I'm ready to see new country...

[BuckTag]

I'd rather live with the hippies then in big ole Htown, but that's just me.

I'm in the same situation... I grew up in the country near a small town and married a city girl. She got me to at least look at places on the east coast, but told her right away my gut feeling was that if we were going to make it work it was going to have to be in Texas.

Have some family land in the country and almost talked her into having a dream house on 60 acres... She backed out just before I pulled the trigger and break ground so went back up to San Antonio. Our house was broken into and I felt crowded living in a housing development and we compromised and just bought a house on some land in Bulverde area. It's just far enough for me to feel like we're in the country, but still close enough for her to hit up strip malls and the northside of SA... Thank tha Lord! Never leaving the Lone Star State....

Hope ya get it figured out. Will she consider living just outside of Austin? Good luck!

This topic is the "dead horse" around our house, but I thought I would bring it to the brain trust on the GS.

Background, I am from a small town outside of Austin. Grew up on land and in a small community. I married a city girl, grew up in Houston and never lived anywhere else. Right before we married I moved from Austin to Houston to get married. I thought I would give the big city a try. After many years of living here, and now having kids, the debate still goes on as to whether it would be better for our family to live here in Houston, or move back to Austin. In both cases, we would be living in the "city", as I doubt I will ever make it back to land. But what is the thoughts of you folks. Which place is better and why? What are pros and cons? Personal experieces? I consider us all like minded and welcome an unbaised opinion.

Thanks...

[RedRiverRedneck]

This [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbk81X6WHA4"]1966 opening theme to Green Acres tv show - YouTube[/ame]

[tremman78]

outskirts of houston gets my vote, austin is nice to visit. but id move to san antonio in a heartbeat!

[DidIDoThat]

I grew up north of San Antonio, did my 10 year tour of duty in Houston. Now I've lived north west of Austin for 20 years, if I didn't like it here I'd move.