Austin, TX

I loved my stay in Austin. I had heard a lot of people moved here during COVID and wanted to see it for myself.

We stayed around Lady Bird Lake, like on the south side of the river, a very nice area. We were there in July so it was quite hot, but in the shadow it was fine to walk. It is dry heat, not like in Thailand, so while it's hot it's not sweaty which is much better.

The average quality of food here is very high, like some of the best food I had in the world besides maybe Japan. Not everything is great of course but just the average level is much higher than other places in US or the world.

People are generally very friendly. There is some thing where they say Austinites are friendly but behind the facade mean. I did see this sometimes but not a lot. One thing that helps is that a lot (maybe most?) people here are import from other places. Especially in the last few years. So people are quite open to meeting new people and making friends.

People generally are VERY FIT here. You see women walk in Lululemon everywhere, and guys also shirtless and in shorts. Everyone here seems like they're fit and active. Lots of runners.

Also everyone seems to have a dog here and they walk it. People also seemed quite individualistic here like you see a lot of people here walk alone, drive alone, sit alone, go places alone. Much more than other US cities, and the rest of the world. Maybe that's a part of people being new here and not having lots of friends yet. Or maybe it means it's hard to make friends here, I am not sure yet. It seems to me it'd be easy to make friends here if you just put effort in like go into your work, hobby or sports subculture.

Austin feels very tech-y now, lots of people you overhear talking about building startups and business here. You see lots of money, rich people, expensive cars, but not in an annoying way.

There's lots of shopping, all the big brands are here, some good malls although there has to be more I think. South of Congress Avenue (SoCo) is a place we kept going, a nice area with shopping, food and good coffee. Also much further drive 20 minutes up is The Domain, also nice area.

We went shooting at The Range, very cool experience. And we went to Sandbox VR in The Domain which was fun too.

One thing is, but maybe American problem, it was hard to find good healthy food. We did find Sweet Green which seemed to be relatively healthiest option. But most food here is great but not so healthy if you eat out every day. I guess you really have to rent a place here and cook.

I think it's a great city to live if you are single and looking for a fit boyfriend or girlfriend. But also great if you're in a relationship because there's so much stuff to eat, drink and do here.

One thing that was VERY bad is the homeless people. They were in downtown and it was very scary seeing them do drugs right on the street and you have to pass them. Problem is they're NOT JUST in downtown in Austin, they're kinda everywhere. Not like A LOT. But also not nothing either. You'll hear random homeless shouting or standing in the middle of the road. Sometimes you're surrounded by homeless and you can't cross the street and it's scary af. They're not harmless homeless either, they will spot you and come up to you and shout at you. Very creepy. I really think the city should clean that up and take the homeless of the streets and help them. And don't let them get back on. It's dangerous for people and children and it makes the city look really bad.

Austin is walkable and very good for bicycling, but random homeless make that more dangerous. I guess that's one reason why running clubs are so big here because people feel safer running in a massive group.

All around I do think it's a GREAT city and a great place to live or visit. It's one of my top places I've lived in the world and it is very comfortable and nice.

All in, Austin is a good city. We live in Hill Country now so we're a bit removed. But it's beautiful area once you get away from the highways. A good tech scene. Not too expensive (~$2100 for a nice 2 bedroom apt) for the U.S. Has wineries and breweries galore. Not a great place if you are a recovering alcoholic (!). Cons: extremely hot in the summer; reaches 110 F (43.3 C) in summer afternoons from June - September. Not very diverse. Highways are loud and obnoxious.

Grew up here in the 80s/90s, moved back in 2015 after 10 years in LA and 10 years abroad. I don't get why it's so highly rated. It's a far cry from the free-living, cheap to live, music-infused past. The old music venues are being torn down to build condos. Tech bros moving en masse has caused housing demand to spike, and with it, property values, rent, and cost of living, and no scale with increases in pay.

All the musicians and artists are leaving, and everyone here is young, white, and has the same pedestrian, reactionary opinions about everything. If you want Orange County, CA without the Pacific coast, this is it. I'm getting the hell out of here.

One of the fastest growing cities in the USA with a lot of tech companies opening offices. Usually a fun city with a lively downtown (music, University, bars), a lake for boating, and lots of land outside the city. Texas is the second largest state in the USA and generally hot, so you may want to check the weather for any intended visits. Generally, a pretty good place to go: lots of young people and pretty good paying tech related jobs.

Not a great place to live for diversity. It may seem diverse but when you actually live there, it’s just a group of diverse white people from small towns. High population of Hispanics and whites.

Great place to hang out in Texas. Enjoy the crowds? Head downtown during and after a UT football game in the fall. Avoid the crowds? Take a short drive to the hill country to hang out on a lake, hike the hills, or tour one of the many wineries or distilleries.