I moved to Austin in 2011 after traveling for 6 months around the country, including weeks in the bay area and other tech cities. I like SF and I'd consider liv

I moved to Austin in 2011 after traveling for 6 months around the country, including weeks in the bay area and other tech cities. I like SF and I'd consider living in SF if it wasn't for the terrible CA government (both local and state). High tax rates on everything, ridiculous entitlement expenditures, anti-business anti-free market policies (rent control, stupid building restrictions contributing to ridiculous housing costs, high business fees, etc). That said, Austin is great. Come out and visit, flights are pretty reasonable. I prefer Austin weather, Texans are very friendly and welcoming people, and the area is booming which creates a lot of opportunity. TX is much more business friendly. No income tax, a strong libertarian sentiment, similar social views to SF. The tech scene is obviously smaller but vibrant. There are quite a few coworking spaces and a few incubators. There's at least one tech meetup / event every day of the week. SXSW. Like any city it has its weaknesses. North south traffic during rush hour is terrible. Our public transportation isn't great. It's very much a car city. The pickup trucks take some getting used to (I still find their proliferation odd). Housing costs are going up but IMO are still very reasonable. Much, much less than the bay.