What I Love (and Hate) About Living in Austin

There are periods 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 beneath string lights.

That becoming explained, there are sure matters I’m considerably less fond of: the sweltering summers, the isolation, the absence of walkability.

I have lived in Austin for pretty much two decades. Here’s what I have come to adore and detest about it:

What I appreciate about Austin

The Folks

By and substantial, Texans are incredibly wonderful folks: generous, funny, and sincerely sort. When I experienced Covid, several neighbors introduced me tortilla soup and walked my pet. Persons say hello to you on the road listed here, even if they do not know you. Austin is by far the friendliest area I’ve at any time lived.

The Meals

A further optimistic – the foodstuff. Austin’s foodstuff scene is flourishing: you can locate great TexMex, Thai, Vietnamese, and of training course, barbecue. Some of my beloved places are Uchiko (sushi), Odd Duck (new American), and Loro (Asian/barbecue fusion). I have also developed to Enjoy frozen margaritas, ha.

The H2o

As a born-and-elevated Michigander, I desperately need to have to dwell in the vicinity of h2o (that was one particular of the items I identified toughest about dwelling in Colorado). The good thing is, Austin has plenty of it: Town Lake, Barton Springs, and Lake Travis, to name a couple.

The Winters

The winters in this article are pleasant – the temperature hovers close to 70 degrees, and the skies are typically crisp and blue. While we do have the odd snow day, the winter season weather conditions is pretty mild.

Are living New music

I’d be remiss if I did not point out Austin’s internationally renowned dwell audio scene. I really like how you can wander into a random bar on a Tuesday and listen to an remarkable effectiveness for the price of a Shiner Bock.

The Dog-friendliness

In Austin, you can convey your doggy nearly anyplace — I convey my pup nearly everywhere I go. My regional CVS is even doggy-welcoming.

What I Dislike

The Crowds

Owing to its substantial acceptance in recent many years, Austin feels insanely crowded at times. Parking is really hard to come across, dining places are packed, and the weekends particularly can be hectic.

The Large Expense of Living

Austin is incredibly pricey. To invest in a plot of land – not even a residence – in my community, expenditures a million pounds.

Poor Walkability

Unfortunately, Austin is not a walkable metropolis. Bisected by two highways, Austin is a really automobile-dependent metropolis for walkability, it ranks 42nd in the US, among Las Vegas and Pheonix. As someone who enjoys to wander, this is a substantial draw back.

The Allergic reactions

Central Texas has been named the “Allergy Money of the Earth.” There’s even a every day allergy report on the regional news, the place official pollen counts for ragweed, grass, and mildew are measured. I in no way had allergic reactions in my lifetime until eventually I moved below — ugh.

The Heat

The summers in Austin are brutal. Temperatures can get to 110 levels (or larger). Immediately after this year’s scorching summer time, 90 degrees bizarrely feels relatively interesting to me.

The Isolation

Austin is shut to only a couple of cities: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Earlier this 12 months I designed the error of driving to New Orleans, which took 10 hours. Sometimes I come to feel so envious of the East Coast – picture driving a handful of hrs and staying ready to entry Boston, Philly, and NYC? Sigh.

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All this to say, I’ve been really happy here. I’m not positive if it’s my forever dwelling (I’m not certain I have a eternally household, time period), but I prepare to stay at the very least a few additional a long time. And delight in quite a few much more lake days and frozen margs.