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As a New Yorker would I be happier in Austin due to the vibe (let's not talk about politics because I separate politics and culture) or Houston due to the inter

As a New Yorker would I be happier in Austin due to the vibe (let's not talk about politics because I separate politics and culture) or Houston due to the international cuisine and options? I haven't driven in a decade but myself and many other people I know are ready to escape NY.

soupson 6y ago
Austin’s vibe is probably dead due to the reliance on live music. Houston still has tons of museums and food. If you can handle humidity, that’s a good option. Having said that, Austin will still have cheap housing way south, which means it will still have good weird stuff happening. It will just take a few years for it all to come back.
ghaff 6y ago
Neither would be high on my list but probably Austin. Haven't been to Houston for a while but it's quite the sprawl and I never liked it much even when I spent a lot of time there--admittedly many years ago.
rc_hackernews 6y ago
Austin. And this is coming from someone who has lived in Houston for 20 years. Cuisine is often touted as one of the best things about Houston, and it is good, no doubt. We have quality and variety. It's also very cheap to live here compared to other places. And that's pretty much it as far as pluses as far as I'm concerned. The job market tends to be good overall, but I would say the jobs are not as good, at least as far as technology. This is mostly "Line of Business" land, and while there's nothing wrong with that, you'll often find technology companies here who are still stuck in the old ways of making and delivering software. Oil and gas rules here and everything tends to be centered around that. The list of companies here doing what most of us would consider to be interesting work is rare. Also, you're going to be hard pressed to find anything that isn't centered around Java and/or .NET, so be aware of that. And while real estate is cheap, it really depends on where you live. You MUST have a car to live in Houston. You also may find yourself commuting 45+ minutes each way if you aren't careful and don't have a remote job. Oh, and the weather here SUCKS. With that being said, I'm sure there's worse places to live.

soupson 6y ago

Austin’s vibe is probably dead due to the reliance on live music. Houston still has tons of museums and food. If you can handle humidity, that’s a good option. Having said that, Austin will still have cheap housing way south, which means it will still have good weird stuff happening. It will just take a few years for it all to come back.

ghaff 6y ago

Neither would be high on my list but probably Austin. Haven't been to Houston for a while but it's quite the sprawl and I never liked it much even when I spent a lot of time there--admittedly many years ago.

rc_hackernews 6y ago

Austin. And this is coming from someone who has lived in Houston for 20 years. Cuisine is often touted as one of the best things about Houston, and it is good, no doubt. We have quality and variety. It's also very cheap to live here compared to other places. And that's pretty much it as far as pluses as far as I'm concerned. The job market tends to be good overall, but I would say the jobs are not as good, at least as far as technology. This is mostly "Line of Business" land, and while there's nothing wrong with that, you'll often find technology companies here who are still stuck in the old ways of making and delivering software. Oil and gas rules here and everything tends to be centered around that. The list of companies here doing what most of us would consider to be interesting work is rare. Also, you're going to be hard pressed to find anything that isn't centered around Java and/or .NET, so be aware of that. And while real estate is cheap, it really depends on where you live. You MUST have a car to live in Houston. You also may find yourself commuting 45+ minutes each way if you aren't careful and don't have a remote job. Oh, and the weather here SUCKS. With that being said, I'm sure there's worse places to live.