Austin or Phoenix?

[Dirty Bob]

Do you care about schools?

I had a principal from the Phoenix area tell me that they can't get school construction bonds passed because the retired crowd is a huge voting bloc in the Phoenix area, and they vote against education bonds. This is hearsay, and I don't have personal experience there besides short visits, but it could be a factor if you have kids in public schools.

Austin IS the Berkeley of TX. The population has grown much faster than the infrastructure, and it makes for big parking and traffic headaches. I live in San Antonio and consider it the most "liveable" of the large Texas cities (I moved here from the El Paso area). We go to Austin for fun or when we need to, but I don't want to live there. On the other hand, the NSA is opening a new facility in San Antone (taking over the Sony campus). Go to their website (www.nsa.gov/careers) and see if there might be something for you. They have a job fair here in two weeks (on the 4th).

Good luck,
Dirty Bob

 

[DigMe]

Bob,

I like visiting San Anton but when I'm there I always get the sense that it's almost as liberal as Austin but in a different way...Austin is hippy/yuppy liberal, whereas I feel like San Antone is "Gimme my free ride/take the power from the people" kinda liberal. They definitely do not seem to be very gun (and knife) friendly as a whole. They also have a higher crime rate than Austin.

I'm not trying to dog San Antonio but I just wanted to give another perspective on it.

brad cook

 

[GEM]

I live in San Antonio and have not found the place to be unfriendly to gun.

There is a decent gun show each month. There are several shops - prices are bad to so-so but cheap ammo abounds in the chain stores.

There are tons of matches on the weekends of every kind. There are few 30.06 signs.

By knife unfriendly, you might mean the lockblade local ordinance but that is very rarely ever heard from as those knives are sold and carried everywhere.

The restaurant scene is improving and housing is awesomely cheap. As far as schools - UTSA is your mid level urban oriented university and can provide a decent education. Trinity is an upscale liberal arts campus.

It is not as culturally lively as Austin but Austin is not that far to drive.

As far as the crime rate - depends on your neighborhood. The Northern surburbs are not abnormally risky.