Moving from CO to Austin, TX

The issue with my specific type of work is that Colorado will most likely never have a good job market for it. I was offered a job to stay but it was about 50% less than the one offered in Austin. I figured I can just try to grind it out for a few years and come back out west when a better job is offered. We just had a newborn and if it’s anything like having my first kid, we won’t be doing a damn thing for the first year anyway. I’ll still try to come up to CO, WY, or ID for an elk hunt every year so hopefully that keeps me sane enough.
Funny. We had our first child while living there and actually felt it made it far worse. We had to put one of those flexible ice packs behind our daughter in the stroller just to walk around the neighborhood. When we would try to sit in the backyard in the evening the mosquitos were so bad it was awful. Watch out for fire ants. The only thing going for Austin is the food and nightlife. Once we had a kid that ended and I felt trapped.
 
Funny. We had our first child while living there and actually felt it made it far worse. We had to put one of those flexible ice packs behind our daughter in the stroller just to walk around the neighborhood. When we would try to sit in the backyard in the evening the mosquitos were so bad it was awful. Watch out for fire ants. The only thing going for Austin is the food and nightlife. Once we had a kid that ended and I felt trapped.
Yeah I felt similar but not weather related here. Between nap schedule and breastfeeding it made it almost impossible to go do outdoor activities. Not sure if you have family in the area but we didn’t have any support so that definitely made it tougher.
 
It is just a big adjustment, I passed a few years ago because of lack of public land. That said everybody has different needs.
Yes, I’m definitely bummed but I think financially it’s too much to pass up. Hope I can scratch the itch for a few years buy traveling up for a week for elk. Then maybe come back with a remote gig or something else that will allow for more time in the mountains.
 
OP, look to the coast for a lot of things. Austin is a few hours to many coastal destinations. The gulf provides a lot of activities year round, fishing obviously, offshore and inshore 365 days/yr. Good time to get all the kids to catch their first sharks so they have cool stories to tell when they go back to CO in a few years. Duck hunting is pretty good and most of the coast is public. There's quite a few national forests if you're wanting to kill hogs and some deer but the deer will be some work and you have some non-draw public right on top of you around the Austin area for pigs and dove and such, tons of dove properties on the annual permit for $48. I don't do the lease game anymore, but there are good and bad and some are what you make of them. Most you'll have year round so lots of guys just use it as a place to recreate on weekends and shoot or whatever.

We toyed with moving to Wyoming or Ft Collins to be closer to my sons, wife had a couple job offers in Laramie and I work anywhere since before it was cool. There's just too much to do on the coast down here and year round recreation and couldn't leave it.
 
I am reading a ton of failure to adapt................ This area is awesome other than all the out of state people moving here trying to make Ausitn be Commifornia or Commirado. I've travelled the world and can state there is no place I would rather be 90% of the time. Summers are hot, food is great and rural people are friendly. The # of manbun wearing, Tesla driving, Starbucks drinking dinks needs to shrink. There are lots of hunting and fishing opportunities as Screaming Potato stated, you just need to look for them. The other nice thing is being 98% private land you don't have to worry about a bunch of hippies rolling into your bowhunting set up to practice yoga.

Regarding little kid activities, there is plenty to do. Adapt to the time as it is plenty cool in the mornings to take a walk with a stroller.
 
Been living in Austin for 10 years. Montana born and raised. Be prepared for the awful gut ache that kicks in come late July when you just want to see mountains again. Oh, and when the locals say "cool front coming next week" they probably mean it'll drop from 103 down to 90 with a side of humidity.

There are ways to hunt public land, but it'll kick your ass. The hard part of Texas public land is figuring out who runs what, and which areas are actually allowing hunting. OnX layers made my buddy think a lot of lands were available for hunting and they really weren't. Fight club rules apply in terms of naming spots, but you can PM me to ask about properties you discover in your research.

Don't forget... Snake boots or gaiters (turtleskin is decent). Permethrin. Thermacell. Get them. Use them.
 
Been living in Austin for 10 years. Montana born and raised. Be prepared for the awful gut ache that kicks in come late July when you just want to see mountains again. Oh, and when the locals say "cool front coming next week" they probably mean it'll drop from 103 down to 90 with a side of humidity.

There are ways to hunt public land, but it'll kick your ass. The hard part of Texas public land is figuring out who runs what, and which areas are actually allowing hunting. OnX layers made my buddy think a lot of lands were available for hunting and they really weren't. Fight club rules apply in terms of naming spots, but you can PM me to ask about properties you discover in your research.

Don't forget... Snake boots or gaiters (turtleskin is decent). Permethrin. Thermacell. Get them. Use them.
Yeah OnX is almost completely useless in Texas. I think I remember when you moved and showed up on TBH, can't believe it's been 10 years.

Snake boots 100%
 
Been living in Austin for 10 years. Montana born and raised. Be prepared for the awful gut ache that kicks in come late July when you just want to see mountains again. Oh, and when the locals say "cool front coming next week" they probably mean it'll drop from 103 down to 90 with a side of humidity.

There are ways to hunt public land, but it'll kick your ass. The hard part of Texas public land is figuring out who runs what, and which areas are actually allowing hunting. OnX layers made my buddy think a lot of lands were available for hunting and they really weren't. Fight club rules apply in terms of naming spots, but you can PM me to ask about properties you discover in your research.

Don't forget... Snake boots or gaiters (turtleskin is decent). Permethrin. Thermacell. Get them. Use them.
Thanks. Will try to reach out. What’s kept you in Austin for so long?
 
I am reading a ton of failure to adapt................ This area is awesome other than all the out of state people moving here trying to make Ausitn be Commifornia or Commirado. I've travelled the world and can state there is no place I would rather be 90% of the time. Summers are hot, food is great and rural people are friendly. The # of manbun wearing, Tesla driving, Starbucks drinking dinks needs to shrink. There are lots of hunting and fishing opportunities as Screaming Potato stated, you just need to look for them. The other nice thing is being 98% private land you don't have to worry about a bunch of hippies rolling into your bowhunting set up to practice yoga.

Regarding little kid activities, there is plenty to do. Adapt to the time as it is plenty cool in the mornings to take a walk with a stroller.

Curious on when and where a bunch of hippies rolled on to your bow hunting set up to practice yoga?


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If you like Colorado then you’ll hate Texas. I lived in Austin for 5 years. I would try to find a different job. Not trying to be a downer just being honest. It’s a very very long drive to get somewhere with mountains and out of the awful heat and humidity. You can probably find a lease but the hunting style around central Texas is pretty boring in comparison to hunting out west.
This. Austin has no upsides outside the job. You are not promised anything more than today and my suggestion is to live like that.
 
Op,

Do you have to commute to downtown for work? Austin traffic can be pretty intense. Some decent communities in all directions, but generally west is going to be more expensive than north.

There’s ample public hunting opportunity within 3 hours town that you can hunt every year. Some good fishing opportunities near by, be it shallow water river fly fishing or traditional bass fishing or everything the coast has to offer.

I’d rather live in Austin vs Houston, so it could definitely be worse. That being said, Austin is grown exponentially population wise and the rest of the infrastructure not as much.


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