Austin, Texas, is one of the hottest places to move in America. It has music – lots of it – from lo-fi indie artists in five-dollar clubs to the big-time buzz of South by Southwest. It has food – unique menus made by tops chefs and a spicy local cuisine. And it has an exciting job market, fueled by the tech industry, arts and the local University of Texas.
All of this sounds good, right? The problem is, you’re not the only one it sounds good to. Many people are trying to move to Austin right now. If you want to beat them out for housing and a job, you need to learn how to move to Austin. Read on for tips:
Network – In a place like Austin, which is relatively small and home to a major campus, networking is key. Make sure to take the effort to rub elbows with people, so to speak. That will very significantly increase your chances of finding a job or a place to live. Because it’s Austin, try doing this at a UT tailgate, at a music venue, or at a diner downtown.
Save up – Austin rents regularly top $1,000/mo, especially in the downtown area. Try to move to Austin with a bit of a buffer, so you can live comfortably while looking for a job and/or settling in.
Check during the summer – It’s really hot in Austin in the summer, meaning people ar fleeing the city, proving you the best time to sneak in. Try early/mid summer, before the college kids come back.
Live away from campus – UT is located just off the downtown grid. Obviously many of its tens of thousands of students want to live near campus, pushing rents up. They have the student loans to pay for it (though they’ll pay it back later). You, however, don’t, so try to push outward into other cool neighborhoods, like Pflugerville and east East Austin.
Consider San Antonio – San Antonio is just over an hour away, and there is currently a train in the works that will connect the two. If you can’t find work in Austin, but you still want to live there, perhaps look for work in the northern area San Antonio, which are closer to Austin and have a less-saturated job market than Austin. Once the train is running, getting between the two will be much easier, too.
Learn more about Austin’s pros and cons, and check out some Austin movers.