Everything you need to know about Austin, Texas — whether you're visiting, moving, or already here.
Car is king but alternatives exist. Capital Metro buses + MetroRail. Uber/Lyft everywhere. Scooters (Lime, Bird) downtown. Bike lanes expanding. I-35 is always congested. Avoid MoPac at rush hour.
Hot summers (95-105°F June-Sept). Mild winters (40-60°F). Spring is paradise (70-85°F, wildflowers). Fall is the best-kept secret. 300+ days of sunshine. Always carry sunscreen and water.
5-10% above national average. No state income tax (huge benefit). Housing is the big expense. Food and entertainment: reasonable. Gas: below average. Healthcare: average. Overall: much cheaper than CA/NY.
Breakfast tacos (Veracruz, Tacodeli, Torchy's). BBQ (Franklin, la Barbecue). Tex-Mex (Matt's El Rancho, Fonda San Miguel). Food trucks everywhere. H-E-B for groceries. Farmer's markets Saturday.
Live Music Capital of the World. 250+ venues. 6th Street (tourist), Rainey Street (local), East 6th (hip), South Congress (classic). ACL Fest (Oct), SXSW (March). Free live music any night.
Barton Springs (68°F year-round, $5). Lady Bird Lake (10-mile trail, kayaking). Zilker Park. Greenbelt hiking. Hamilton Pool (45 min, reservation required). Town Lake paddleboarding.
Tech dominates: Tesla, Apple, Google, Meta, Oracle, Samsung, Dell. Startups everywhere. Average tech salary: $120-150K. No income tax = bigger paycheck than coastal cities.
Downtown (expensive, walkable). East Austin (trendy, rising). South Austin (weird, affordable-ish). North/Domain (tech, suburban). Round Rock/Cedar Park (families, affordable). Bastrop (rural, cheapest).
AISD is hit-or-miss by neighborhood. Eanes ISD and Lake Travis ISD are top-rated (expensive areas). Round Rock ISD is excellent and affordable. UT Austin is a world-class university.
Traffic is bad (but not LA bad). Summers are brutally hot. Allergies are real (cedar fever Dec-Feb). The 'weird' is real — embrace it. Breakfast tacos are a food group. Queso is a religion.