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There's an article going around about that entitled dude from San Diego who moved to Austin and then hated it and moved back. Naturally, as an opinionated San Diegan who moved to Austin...I have THOUGHTS. (Big Thread) https://outline.com/g3XcED
First off, before we continue any further -- this guy is privileged AF. He comes across as arrogant and rude and like a person who didn't do his research before doing a major life move. I'm going to start out with The Bad and then move onto the few things I agree with him on.
First of all, let me tell you about the area he chose. This area is 87% white. It has a median household income of $129,000 which is affluent in central Texas. Median house values are just shy of $600,000, which is almost California costs.
He complains both about how expensive Austin is and about the lack of diversity, after choosing one of the least diverse and more expensive areas of Austin. 
He chose Bee Cave because of the "best schools", meanwhile all the school ratings mean is that the schools are less diverse and more academic. He then complains about how academic and draconian the schools are. Okay then.
He complains about how conservative Texas is. Meanwhile, he also chose a suburb of Austin. A quick Google search will explain that if you drive 10 minutes outside of Austin proper, it's all religion, guns, and conservatism. It's Texas, y'all.
He complains about the utility costs, when he chose a 4,000 square foot house. In the summers it's usually over 100 degrees for three straight months here, and he thinks it shouldn't be expensive to A/C a house of that size? Okay. Has this guy has never lived outside of CA?
He complains about water costs, meanwhile he has a sprinkler system that's keeping 10,000 square foot of grass alive in 95+ degree heat. He complains about pool services and costs as if having a pool isn't a tremendous luxury.
He says that his backyard wasn't a living space. I don't understand this AT ALL. We have 1/4 acre and we spend so much time out back. Dude has a pool had he says he can't live outside? I don't get it. We are ALWAYS outside.
He complains about lack of other kinds of schools aside from public schools, but I think he did zero research in this area. We have charters, we have private schools, we have unschools (Abrome), there's homeschooling. He clearly didn't look.
Also you cannot complain about a city's climate when literally everyone will tell you that it's hot as balls in Austin and that you either acclimate or you leave. It's oppressive and if you can't handle heat/humidity then you shouldn't choose Central TX at all.
It's very hard to take the words seriously of someone who complains about Texas's big luxury home obsession while he actively choose a BIG LUXURY HOME.
Now, despite him sounding like a total douche there are a few things I have to agree with him on, even if the way he phrased them makes me wants to punt him into the sun.
The first is that the allergies here really ARE terrible. Cedar, pollen, mold -- these are debilitating. My son who never had an ear infection in CA got so many after moving here that he needed surgery to put tubes in his ears.
Many people go to allergists and are put on drops they take daily. Nasal spray constantly. The allergies here don't just feel like hay fever, they genuinely make you feel so SICK that you can't tell if you're actually sick or not. It's very awful.
Second is that I agree with him that if you're used to CA scenery, you will be disappointed in the lack of public land here. Sure, we have state parks and greenbelts and Hamilton pool and Hill Country. But I desperately miss the variety of biomes.
In CA you can drive 1-2 hours and hide out in a country cabin and ski down snow-capped mountains, swim in the ocean, ride down rapids, get lost in national forests, dune buggy in the desert. Here, it's the same thing for 7-8 hours and the gulf beaches suck.
The drivers ARE in fact terrible here. I'd never seen so many accidents in my life. I've spent much time in many cities in my life and I've never seen people as awful and reckless as Austinites at driving. It's scary.
He's also right that there's not a ton of places to go within a few hours. We have lakes and some wineries, but compared to the day trip potential in CA it's very lackluster. Trips do tend to require a flight or long drive to get to something wildly different.
And the bugs are bad. I've complained about it here, but I've gone to the doctor 3 separate times for huge allergic reactions to crazy bug bites here. My son gets bit all the time by fire ants. The roaches are out of control. The mosquitos make outdoor living rough.
Austin is currently undergoing a huge influx of Californian transplants. Many are going to be happy here with how far their money can stretch, and others will be disappointed because it doesn't feel like CA here. Do your research.
The next few years are going to be very challenging for locals. Home prices are astronomical right now (a home we toured a month ago just closed at $77k over asking!!!!!!!). Gentrification is an irreversible process that's taking over Austin & all the suburbs.
It's still very cheap here compared to CA, but the CA cash is flooding in and forcing the home prices to look a lot further from the old reality. Appraisals aren't catching up yet, so the disparity is being covered in cash difference. ATX locals can't afford that.
New home builds used to be a dime a dozen here, but now there are 2 year waitlists at home sites or the builders are auctioning off home sites as a lottery. Lumber imports have slowed due to the pandemic and so home building is a slower process.
I think we will continue to see disappointed Californians moving here, especially if they keep driving the prices up. If you pay CA prices, you're going to expect a CA lifestyle. Austin does not offer that, it's something unique & special that you will love or hate.
