Possibly moving to Austin/need guidance

Re: Possibly moving to Austin/need guidance

• ssinca

  March 2011

  hey there...I remember you from back in the day when it was the E08 board!  you should post this on the austin babies board, it's quite active over there.

  to answer a few of your questions though, yes, there is a large children's hospital in town. 

  as for where you should look to live, do you know where your husband might be working?  it's better to stay closer to where you work - i.e.  live north if he works north, etc.   that being said, I would think round rock would be worth a look - it's a suburb of austin, has nice homes, not too far from the hospital, and has some good parks.  but it would not be a fun commute if your husband is going to work downtown.

  anyway, welcome (tentatively!) and be sure to stop by the babies board, too.

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• angelaggie

  March 2011

  Ditto ssinca.  Also, just throwing this out there, but most ChemE jobs I know of are in Houston.  I have tons of friends in that field, all living somewhere in/near Houston...

  But Austin is WAY better

  

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• ssinca

  March 2011

  p.s. I just read the other post on PC&E and I have to agree with ftnups.  BUT, I'm a CA girl and miss it like crazy - we are definitely in the minority, 99.999999999% of people LOVE austin.

  where are you moving from if you don't mind me asking?

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• AustinMimi

  March 2011

  You might want to XP this on the Austin Bump board. A lot of the moms could probably answer your questions about schools and family-friendly communities. We do have a children's hospital downtown (Dell) and I *think* it's pretty good, but again, the moms could help you more with that. I don't know what kind of health concerns your child has, but Austin can be miserable for people who suffer from allergies (oak, cedar, mold, etc.). My DH and I take prescription allergy medication year-round and I have developed mild asthma in the eight years I've lived here. Neither of us had allergy problems before moving here.

  I live just south of downtown and love it, but I don't have children yet. A lot of Nesties live further north or south and I think a lot of those neighborhoods and areas are more family-friendly and have much better schools. I know that the public schools in my neighborhood are ranked pretty badly.  

   

  Business Cat.

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• shanwalk2

  March 2011

  answered questions in  your quote below...

  oh, and Austin is awesome.  It's the only city I have any desire to live in within Texas (and I was raised in the Dallas area). 

   

  is_it_over_yet?:

  Hi all - my H and I are considering relocating and Texas is a strong contender given his profession (ChemE).  I posted on my regular board, P&CE, asking for Texas recommendations and Austin seemed to be the clear favorite.  Here's the link if you are interested.

  -- my DH is EE and this is a great area for work.  I can't speak for ChemE - but there are a lot of big industry employers here.  

  I have a couple basic questions and need some guidance.  First, does Austin have a good children's hospital, or a good health care industry in general?  My 3yo son has some medical issues, so proximity to a really good hospital is important.

  -- Dell Children's Hospital is here and from what I've heard - gets excellent reviews. I don't have a kiddo, or have any first hand knowledge about Dell.  (but heard good things, through the grapevine) 

  Second, is there any area of Austin that is particularly family-friendly, i.e., any area that has lots of parks, good schools, etc.?  Yes, I realize this is a hugely broad inquiry and open to interpretation.

  -- Austin is family friendly everywhere.  There are tons of more affordable housing (get a lot for your money) in Cedar Park or Leander.  They have good reps for schools and many neighborhoods are kind of "master planned community" kind of feel.   DH and I don't care for that part of Austin - but so many families love it!  We really enjoy south Austin and there are great neighborhoods and schools around, too.  I know Circle C is great and we would have loved to live there... but the prices were a tad steep for us.  We are actually building near Dripping Springs  in (southwest) Austin.  There are several awesome neighborhoods there:  Belterra, Highpoint, Sawyer Ranch.  DSISD is excellent and we cannot wait for our house to be complete.  (you can also get a lot for your money there!  fwiw, I would not buy until you know where your DH is going to be employed because traffic can be a b!tch.  If you work north, you probably want to live north.  I will live southwest and work north but thankfully work 'off hours' so it's not too bad.    

  The second question dovetails with my third, which is, where do you recommend we look when we visit?  We'll be making a scouting trip this summer and I have no idea where to begin.  What part of town should we stay in? 

  --I would stay in the area near your/DH's work so you can get a feel for traffic and areas. 

  Any restaurant/activity recommendations?  Anything we should definitely see?  Both of our kids (ages 4 and 3) will be with us on the trip so kid-friendly ideas would be great.

  -- gotta eat the tex mex.  Trudy's mexican martinis are awesome.  Chuys is kind of a staple for us.  In regards to your kiddos - I'm sorry I'm not more help. 

  Also, any general thoughts are appreciated.  I've only been to Texas once and that was a layover in the Dallas airport, , so I'm open to suggestions.

  --Austin is a great city with tons of activities for active lifestyles.  The heat can be terrible in the summers - so I hope you're prepared for that!  Other than the heat - it's hard to beat! 

  Thank you!

  
  "The House We Built."
  A journey of building the dream.
  

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• mcurban

  March 2011

  is_it_over_yet?:

  Ditto the others, you might want to XP this on the Austin babies board.
  

  I have a couple basic questions and need some guidance.  First, does Austin have a good children's hospital, or a good health care industry in general?  My 3yo son has some medical issues, so proximity to a really good hospital is important.

  For the most part, yes. Dell Children's is great. However, for the size of the city, I have found that specialists are lacking. For instance, there is ONE pediatric urology practice. We have been thrilled w/ our pediatrician, as well as the local hospitals. 
  

  Second, is there any area of Austin that is particularly family-friendly, i.e., any area that has lots of parks, good schools, etc.?  Yes, I realize this is a hugely broad inquiry and open to interpretation.

  Austin, as well as the surrounding areas, are family friendly. Austinites love the outdoors, value parks and green space and you see folks out w/ their kids everywhere. Schools- Be careful when looking in Austin proper. It is hit or miss. There are some great schools there, but be sure to research. Also, I think there's been discussion about it on P&CE, but like many states, we're going through a budget shortfall and the schools are suffering because of it. Lots of jobs being cut at the schools- again, just something to be aware of.
  

  The second question dovetails with my third, which is, where do you recommend we look when we visit?  We'll be making a scouting trip this summer and I have no idea where to begin.  What part of town should we stay in?  Any restaurant/activity recommendations?  Anything we should definitely see?  Both of our kids (ages 4 and 3) will be with us on the trip so kid-friendly ideas would be great.

  If you are planning on moving before your husband gets a job, I would strongly recommend renting. People complain about the traffic here, and it is relative, but it is a good idea to live on the same side of town in which you work. It could easily cut an hour out of your commute. 

  As far as when you visit- coming in the summer, you should check out a sprinkler park, for sure! There's a kids' train at Zilker Park, as well as at a park up in Cedar Park (northern suburb of Austin). Our children's museum is small by most city's standards, but we like it. 

  Central Market is a great place to grab lunch and let the kids run around and play. Oh, and if y'all like to swim, a dip in Barton Springs is a must. 

  Where to look- I live north of Austin (address is Austin, but right on the border of Cedar Park), so I'm more familiar w/ this area. We have great schools (Leander ISD), we live right on a hike and bike trail which is super family friendly (parks along the trail) and the cost of housing is much lower than Austin proper. It's easy access to downtown via 183. 
  

  Also, any general thoughts are appreciated.  I've only been to Texas once and that was a layover in the Dallas airport, , so I'm open to suggestions.

  When we have had guests, one thing that they comment on is how spread out Austin is. It might be worth it to contact a realtor (you could get recs on the board) to drive you around. If not your whole family- then, just you or DH while the other has the kids, so that you can get a feel for the area.

   

  

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• is_it_over_yet?

  March 2011

  Thanks for all the information, this is great!  I will definitely post over on the Bump local.  I sometimes forget that the Bump has local boards.

  Thanks again! 

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