Is this guy right or wrong about Austin, TX?

[yodaisgod]

Here's his Op-Ed:
https://outline.com/g3XcED

Article here and wonderful title to the Daily Mail's article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9187011/Sales-executive-slammed-complaining-Austin.html

'Douche' father-of-seven sales exec who moved his family from California to Texas then BACK again is blasted for complaining about Austin's 'rude locals, bland culture, oppressive heat and Yelp's bad food choices' in scathing Op-Ed

• Brett Alder moved his family from San Diego, California, to Austin, Texas, in 2015
• He wrote op-ed about the 10 things people should consider before moving
• His warning comes as Austin is ranked No. 1 city for gaining new residents
• Alder moaned about Yelp, rude locals, the 'monoculture,' and 'terrible drivers'
• He also complained about cedar allergies and the lack of hiking and mountains
• He wrote: 'There is good food in Austin, but you can't trust Yelp to find it because it doesn't work in Austin'
• Another problem Alder had while in Austin was the weather - saying it is too hot in summer and cold in winter
• 'Evening walks are less than refreshing when it's 11pm and you're sweating. It's hard to describe how oppressive it is,' he wrote
• He also detailed the problem he had with 'rudeness' he endured from the locals
• Following the op-ed, Alder was slammed on social media for his complaints

Former home in San Diego

His previous home in Austin

Current home in San Jose

 

[ucmgrad]

My Aunt moved from Turlock to Cedar Park (Burb' of Austin) back in 06/07 (right before the housing bubble) and pretty much bought at the right time. Got hired at UT Austin working in the tower which was her reason for moving. Here's my perspective/experience visiting:

Cedar Park has all the amenities you could ever want: a mall, lots of grocery stores, costco, etc and the schools aren't that bad over there. Austin is less than ten miles away and you can take their local train (similar to BART) straight into DT Austin for just a couple bucks.

Food was amazing, lots of variety and activities to do where it's music, museums, outdoor/cycling.

MY DEAL BREAKER for not moving out there for my undergrad back then was the weather. I visited during the summer where it was humid all day and it would rain randomly as well. Getting caught in the rain on a bike ride is not the business.

Cost of living was low back then, now rent/housing prices have shot up tremendously but personally I would encourage people to vacation there first before moving to experience the weather. :cool

I can't wait to go back and visit my family again

 

[NorCalAthlete]

He had nicer houses in CA, more land in TX, but if you're not gonna use the land, well...

He's right about the weather.

Food....eh, depends on how picky you are. Hispanics still make up like 1/3 of Austin, so Mexican food is plentiful. Depending on where you go there's Santana Row-esque areas and there's outer sunset dive bar areas. BBQ? Definitely better in Austin. Vegetarian options? Probably not so much.

The way I'd describe Austin is "San Francisco with more guns and less fog" but he's right about the lack of mountain hikes and such - there are hills but it's overall pretty flat, and SF bay area has a lot more water around it in terms of reservoirs, lakes, tributaries (the delta), and of course the bay / ocean.

Yes, you'll get a light dusting of snow in the winter and 100+ degree summers. ATGATT is rough - you basically have to ride with a Camelbak to stay hydrated. No helmet laws there either, so you'll see a lot of people in "cruise" mode - there were times I had to make a quick run to the bank or for lunch and if it was just through suburbia neighborhoods where I never got above 30 mph I'd take the bike with no helmet, just wearing gloves and boots so I didn't burn myself too much touching things. Even flip flops can get too hot and you can sunburn your feet pretty easily till you adjust.

Lived there for 4 years before coming back to the bay, I didn't mind it THAT much I had a lot of fun there. It's on my short list of places to move to if/when I ever leave the bay. Then again, I'm solar powered - the more sun the better for the most part. Denver and Austin are my top two choices and I'd say in terms of oppressive heat, Denver wins out handily over Austin - nowhere near the humidity just lots of nice sun.

 

[afm199]

I've lived in California most of my life, lived in Texas as a kid and went back a couple times.

Ya'll need to understand that "HOT AS FUCK" is how you describe Texas. That includes Austin ( I'd prefer San Antonio, actually,) and every other city in Texas. Or live in Galveston and learn what shitty weather is really like.

You really don't know what hot humid Texas is like until the first time you leave an air conditioned house, wearing a short sleeve shirt, and are soaked in sweat within a minute.

Now when it comes to music, Texas has some of the best country/bluegrass in the US, but it's not enough to make me move back there.

 

[mrzuzzo]

I went to Dallas a year ago and didn't notice any rudeness at all. The drivers didn't seem any different than here.

The one thing that was nice was the sheer number of strip clubs.

As for the weather and hiking, you really don't need to move to Texas to figure that one out...

 

[HappyHighwayman]

I've been. It's nice. I'd never want to live there. Ok it's cheaper but the weather doesn't appeal, Texas doesn't appeal, etc etc

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

I've visited TX only in DFW and noticed immediate rudeness already at the airport.

Then I had a biker throw mean looks at me while driving(a rental car).

I think TX compared to CA, it should be obvious to any thinking person, which one is more rude. I'm not saying which one is more tense or high-strung, but I'm saying rude.
Same thinking goes for any monoculture claims..

I'm in awe you spent the time to put comparison pics in the OP. Good job. :thumbup

 

[DucatiHoney]

I partied in Austin for a weekend. Now, if you want to use that as a basis of an accurate evaluation of the place, well, that's up to you. What I can say is that it was literally one of the friendliest places I've ever been. It was strange actually. I kept checking for my wallet, thinking that someone was being sweet while her kid picked my pocket. Guys, girls, everyone. I wasn't buying rounds for everyone. I wasn't dressed in a way that might invite "friendliness". I wasn't being overly friendly myself. I was with my husband and mother in-law and people were awesome at the grocery store, at the hotel, at the restaurant, etc. It was February, and it was hot then, so I wouldn't want to be around in summer. I harbor an unfair hatred of Texas due to its politics, but Austin is like the cool, weird cousin you can't help but love despite hating the rest of the family.

 

[TylerW]

I've lived in California most of my life, lived in Texas as a kid and went back a couple times.

Ya'll need to understand that "HOT AS FUCK" is how you describe Texas. That includes Austin ( I'd prefer San Antonio, actually,) and every other city in Texas. Or live in Galveston and learn what shitty weather is really like.

You really don't know what hot humid Texas is like until the first time you leave an air conditioned house, wearing a short sleeve shirt, and are soaked in sweat within a minute.

Now when it comes to music, Texas has some of the best country/bluegrass in the US, but it's not enough to make me move back there.

Ten or so years ago I attended a convention in Dallas in August. It was in an air conditioned hotel complex but you had to go through outdoor breezeways to get to different buildings in the complex. The delta of temperature between air conditioned interior and the summer exterior was so great that my camera gear would get so much condensation on it that even the internal lens elements were fogged up. I had to seal up my camera in the camera bag when going between buildings to prevent that from happening.

I haven't been to Austin since 2015, and that was for SXSW, so not the clearest picture. But most of this seems true. Its a fun town to visit but these's such an influx of culture of tech hipsterism that I don't think I'd be happy living there.

 

[wazzuFreddo]

His neighbor in Texas has a pretty boss antenna setup :nerd

 

[aminalmutha]

Moving from San Diego to anywhere else and bitching about the weather is ridiculous. This guy not do his research? Anywhere east of the Rockies can get hot and muggy.

I enjoy Austin when I visit, but it’s not enough to get me to move. Especially now that housing prices have exploded.

 

[HappyHighwayman]

Portland has the most genuinely nice people I've met randomly. Texans I found pretty polite.

If everybody moves there, it will be 1. Crowded 2. Not as affordable 3. Full of Californians

 

[berth]

Honestly, anyone moving from San Diego to...anywhere...is going to have a climate/weather complaint .

People talk about leaving CA for economic and/or political reasons, but CA is CA for a reason.

My one trip to Dallas, years ago, was in April, so the weather was fine. I was there a week, and even drove down to Houston to visit a friend (that's a long drive). Weather wasn't notable there either, but, again, this is April. April is nice most everywhere.

 

[yodaisgod]

Portland has the most genuinely nice people I've met randomly.

Friendly people...yes. Many of them.

But...I've never felt more unsafe in my life while walking in downtown Portland at night. And that was walking from my hotel to Target and back. Fuck that city. I feel safer in Oakland and SF at night.

HOWEVER...zero sales tax is nice. :laughing

 

[HappyHighwayman]

Downtown was sketchy and abandoned when I was there a few months ago but the suburbs were super nice.

 

[DucatiHoney]

I partied in Austin for a weekend. Now, if you want to use that as a basis of an accurate evaluation of the place, well, that's up to you. What I can say is that it was literally one of the friendliest places I've ever been. It was strange actually. I kept checking for my wallet, thinking that someone was being sweet while her kid picked my pocket. Guys, girls, everyone. I wasn't buying rounds for everyone. I wasn't dressed in a way that might invite "friendliness". I wasn't being overly friendly myself. I was with my husband and mother in-law and people were awesome at the grocery store, at the hotel, at the restaurant, etc. It was February, and it was hot then, so I wouldn't want to be around in summer. I harbor an unfair hatred of Texas due to its politics, but Austin is like the cool, weird cousin you can't help but love despite hating the rest of the family.

 

[Agent Orange]

This dude tried to be like everyone else in CA by bouncing to a place full of people like himself who moved there recently and was pissed about it. Its like reading about Tahoe locals who moved up there in the past few years about "their" mountain town being crowded by former Bay Area folks. Get fucked

 

[HappyHighwayman]

The thing is I'm sure many of them WILL prefer it there. ALso this dude has SEVEN children.

 

[yodaisgod]

SEVEN children.

It's not a clown car!! :laughing

 

[easter bunny]

Anyone who expects anywhere in Texas to be less like Texas is in for a surprise. The guy should have done more homework before moving out there but some of his observations can only be from living there. As a transplant myself I get it. He's not wrong on most of his points though. If he wasn't a white church going type he wouldn't have even lasted that long.

California takes a lot of bashing for the politics, the taxes, and a lot more but there's a reason real estate is in such high demand.