What I Love (and Hate) About Living in Austin

There are situations when I totally adore living in Austin: when I’m paddleboarding on City Lake, when I’m consuming a frozen margarita at Maudie’s, when I’m hanging out in hip East Austin below string lights.

That currently being said, there are particular matters I’m fewer fond of: the sweltering summers, the isolation, the absence of walkability.

I have lived in Austin for practically two a long time. Here’s what I have appear to really like and loathe about it:

What I like about Austin

The Folks

By and big, Texans are incredibly pleasant individuals: generous, amusing, and sincerely kind. When I experienced Covid, several neighbors brought me tortilla soup and walked my doggy. Persons say hello to you on the road in this article, even if they do not know you. Austin is by significantly the friendliest place I have ever lived.

The Meals

Yet another constructive – the foodstuff. Austin’s food scene is flourishing: you can discover fantastic TexMex, Thai, Vietnamese, and of class, barbecue. Some of my favourite places are Uchiko (sushi), Odd Duck (new American), and Loro (Asian/barbecue fusion). I’ve also developed to Appreciate frozen margaritas, ha.

The H2o

As a born-and-elevated Michigander, I desperately will need to stay close to h2o (that was one of the items I discovered toughest about living in Colorado). The good thing is, Austin has loads of it: Town Lake, Barton Springs, and Lake Travis, to identify a number of.

The Winters

The winters in this article are delightful – the temperature hovers around 70 degrees, and the skies are usually crisp and blue. Nevertheless we do have the odd snow day, the winter season climate is extremely moderate.

Dwell Songs

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Austin’s internationally renowned stay audio scene. I enjoy how you can walk into a random bar on a Tuesday and hear an incredible overall performance for the selling price of a Shiner Bock.

The Canine-friendliness

In Austin, you can bring your canine nearly anyplace — I convey my pup just about just about everywhere I go. My local CVS is even doggy-pleasant.

What I Hate

The Crowds

Because of to its massive level of popularity in current yrs, Austin feels insanely crowded at periods. Parking is difficult to obtain, eating places are packed, and the weekends specially can be hectic.

The Higher Cost of Dwelling

Austin is incredibly expensive. To invest in a plot of land – not even a dwelling – in my community, costs a million dollars.

Lousy Walkability

Regrettably, Austin is not a walkable town. Bisected by two highways, Austin is a pretty automobile-dependent city for walkability, it ranks 42nd in the US, between Las Vegas and Pheonix. As somebody who loves to wander, this is a enormous downside.

The Allergy symptoms

Central Texas has been referred to as the “Allergy Funds of the World.” There’s even a everyday allergy report on the area news, the place formal pollen counts for ragweed, grass, and mildew are measured. I in no way experienced allergy symptoms in my life till I moved listed here — ugh.

The Warmth

The summers in Austin are brutal. Temperatures can reach 110 levels (or better). Soon after this year’s scorching summer months, 90 levels bizarrely feels considerably neat to me.

The Isolation

Austin is close to only a handful of cities: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Before this yr I built the mistake of driving to New Orleans, which took 10 several hours. Often I sense so envious of the East Coast – picture driving a couple of hours and becoming capable to accessibility Boston, Philly, and NYC? Sigh.

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All this to say, I have been really joyful in this article. I’m not certain if it’s my eternally house (I’m not sure I have a permanently property, interval), but I program to remain at minimum a couple of additional many years. And appreciate numerous a lot more lake days and frozen margs.