I think it's good to try different places but Austin is especially cool. The nightlife is better than SF, the rents are more affordable, outdoor lifestyles are huge, the girls are prettier, and the weather is better.
1. No beach
2. Snakes
3. Scorpions
4. Coyotes
5. Steel guitars and country music
6. Guns
7. Heat kills everything, you better love the color brown
8. Few sidewalks and biking is a misdemeanor downtown
9. Everyone is obsessed with football and
10. Stevie Ray Vaughan
Unless they changed the law recently, certain roads you need to walk your bike, such as "The Drag" and Congress Ave. Yes you do see a lot of hipsters riding around the East 6th Street area. Generally speaking it's not a pedestrian friendly state, Texans joke they can tell you're from another state if you walk further than 20 feet. Because there's no coastline, everything is spread out. Goes with the "Everything is bigger in Texas" mantra.
Really I don't dislike Austin. I moved here about 10 years ago. You will hear some Texans complain about rude Californians moving here. But it makes sense why you're moving here. Lower taxes = more jobs. Just about everything is more expensive in California. I don't know what the situation is in California lately but from reading the headlines, sounds like the government is broke. Texas is more conservative. For example, "State legislators in Texas make $600 per month, or $7,200 per year" vs. "members of the California legislature are paid $95,291 per year" Wikipedia.
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.
If you are bored in the San Francisco Bay Area the problem is likely internal rather than where you live, so moving (even to somewhere awesome like Austin) will not resolve it.
Well that's a strange way of putting it. I understand what you're getting at, but every city has its own character. What if you're bored or exhausted with the Bay Area's character? Yes, that's an internal conflict but also yes, moving elsewhere can solve it.
It may be a great town, but it isn't the only one and it certainly isn't the most exciting or engaging. There's too much else going on in the world to put one place on a pedestal.
Ha, I've had the exact same feelings about Austin -- I've lived and worked here all my life, and have been thinking about moving to the bay area for some time now.
Austin's great. I just want to experience what it's like living in someplace different.
