Moving from New York to Texas

[sdt13]

Hey everyone!

 

So right now I am contemplating take an offer from UT Austin, however, I am nervous about the vast difference in culture/location. Does anyone have any advice or willing to share their experience with a similar move? 

As a brief background, I've grown up in the NJ suburbs of NYC, currently live in NYC, and attend university in upstate NY.

 

[biscuits]

Congrats on your acceptance! I am not a Texas native, but I have talked to lots of people about Austin (also considering an offer), and I'm originally from the South. There are some vague cultural similarities.

 

Location: Probably much hotter and possibly more humid than you have ever really experienced. Austin is not a desert, so there will be grass and trees. But yeah, it's hot. I've found that a lot of folks in the north east think nothing of walking a half mile or even a mile to go the grocery store, etc. This will be much more painful when it is 95 degrees out on a semi-regular basis. On the plus side, the winters are much milder, and spring actually happens at a decent time of year. 

 

Culture: Austin has a reputation for being a liberal bubble within Texas, and I think that's largely the case, but it's still not the same environment as San Francisco, etc. There is also the rest of Texas to contend with. However, as long as you aren't insisting on striking up intense political discussions with total strangers, I don't see this as a huge problem. There are also a few big cultural differences - I think for "Yankees", the biggest ones will be religion and guns. Both are a very vibrant part of everyday life for many people down around here. People will have guns, and will enjoy shooting them at things - things being targets and/or deer, not people - but this does not mean they are crazed with violence. It's just a hobby/sport to them. I know many people - primarily those from regions where personal gun ownership is almost non-existent - who have had a very hard time coming to grips with the prevalence of guns in regions where gun ownership is the norm. I would advise anyone to make an attempt to understand the regional culture before instigating bar-room brawls over gun control. You don't have to agree with it, but you should make some attempt to understand where other people are coming from. 

 

Religion! Lots of people attend some sort of church, and are happy to have you join them, but are also happy for you to do your own thing. Some people, however, will try to actively convert you. Be wary of dinner invites that turn into prayer-meetings (this has happened to more than one friend), but keep in mind that generally people are very nice if you indicate that you have different beliefs. Be aware that if someone indicates that they will "pray for you" after a heated debate, this is generally a passive aggressive insult. Also, anything along the lines of "bless his heart, he just doesn't {X}" is also typically an insult. As with anywhere, don't put up with people being hateful little turds. 

 

People: I've found that people in the lower half of the country are much nicer to strangers than people in the northern half. People may start conversations with you in the grocery store. They genuinely want to know how you are doing and are happy to help you if you are lost. In Boston, at least, folks just stare at you suspiciously and then try to run you over as they speed desperately towards the nearest Dunkin Donuts. 

 

This concludes my rambling. 

Edited March 25, 2013 by biscuits

[lypiphera]

I've been living in Houston for a few years after having grown up in Chicago, and I would mostly agree with the above poster.  Houston is not as liberally as Austin, but it is definitely still mostly liberal/democratic, despite being in Texas.  Gun culture is definitely different, but it's never something that bothered me - sure, a lot of my friends have and like guns, whereas that wasn't the case in the north, but it doesn't really affect my life.  Certainly no one cares if you don't have a gun as long as you aren't actively ranting about gun control.  One thing that is a nice positive, even if it's counter-intuitive, is that I learned about driving in Texas to always assume the other person has a gun in their car (since there's a good bet that's true).  What I have found comparing driving in Chicago and other cities to driving in Texas is that there is a lot less road rage - people honking and yelling and screaming at each other.  Sure, there is still traffic, but I think that everyone is more wary of pissing other people off if they are worried about violent retaliation, which makes everything less violent!  I know that's a common argument against gun control, and I'm not saying this is scientific evidence or related to wider gun use, but it is what I have noticed.

 

Similarly, no one I have met has had a problem with me not being religious - I have not actually ever had someone try to convert me, but I'm not saying it couldn't happen.  There are definitely a lot more very religious people here, but most of my friends are not, and most of the very-religious people I do know are super cool and not stereotypical evangelicals.  I would also agree with the general atmosphere of friendliness to strangers.  One thing I would amend to the above poster's comment is to beware NOT to assume a religious comment is an insult.  While his example probably is, it is very common for people to end conversations with something like "god bless you" and it's not an insult - even though I don't believe in god, I understand it was meant well and always just respond with "you too" rather than get into an argument with someone who was not trying to insult.  Because religion is more common here, it is acceptable for people to assume that, as long as they don't act bigoted when they find out you are not religious.  As I said, I'm sure it happens, but I've never experienced it.

[biscuits]

The clarification about religious comments is quite accurate! In general, folks will not be insulting you through the use of veiled comments. I was slightly scarred by a particular breed of Southern bible camp at an early age, so I am probably overly sensitive to barbed religious comments. 

[pears]

biscuits and lypiphera are right on the money. i'm from nj/nyc, and i worked on a farm outside of austin for a while. guns are normal, gun violence is not. many people have concealed carry permits, and many people have guns in their car, but they're more like "security blankets" and for "well, just in case my friend wants to go shooting after lunch" situations. going to church on sunday is par for the course, but nobody's going to give you a hard time if you don't go. you'll occasionally hear derogatory terms being used (namely ones related to race and sexuality), but that's less common in the city itself. as long as you're polite, respectful, and kind, people will be the same in return. for all the guns and bible-thumping and name-calling in various degrees, people are most concerned about everyone having the freedom to do what they want, while still respecting everyone else's "you do you" plan. austin and the surrounding areas are more libertarian than conservative, really, although you tend to lean more to the right as you get further from the city.

 

in all, the weather is a big ol' PIA, but i really enjoyed my time there. the city is great, the surrounding areas are beautiful, and the vast majority of people are very kindhearted with a good sense of humor. patience and respect run deep, as long as they're running on a two-way street. you'll probably like it more than you expect to 

[sdt13]

Thank you guys so much for the insight! After these comments my only concern now is how to manage my hair in that heat 

I'll be heading down next week to check it out and I am certainly excited about it!