6 Reasons to Move to Austin, Texas (From a Local Realtor)

If you’re thinking about moving to Austin, Texas, you want more than a highlight reel. You want to know what it actually feels like to live here day to day — the weekends, the weekday commute, the food, the schools, the job market. After living in Austin for over a decade and helping dozens of families relocate here every year, here are the six reasons I recommend Austin to buyers who are on the fence.

I’m William Zhang, a local real estate agent with eXp Realty (TREC #811948). I help people move to Austin from California, Houston, Dallas, and out of state every month. This is the shortlist I give every client who asks, “What’s it really like to live in Austin?“

1. Austin Has the Best Nature of Any Major Texas City

This is the reason I stayed after college. I grew up in Houston and lived in Dallas for a year for work, and the difference is obvious the moment you drive into Austin. Houston and Dallas are flat — they’ve built outward across wide, open, featureless land. Austin is built into the Hill Country, wrapped around Lady Bird Lake, and bordered on the west by Lake Travis, one of the biggest lakes in Texas.

What that means in practice:

• Lady Bird Lake runs through downtown. In the summer I kayak and paddleboard here after work.
• McKinney Falls State Park is 20 minutes from downtown. In spring the Onion Creek Trail fills up with bluebonnets, the Texas state flower.
• Lake Travis on the west side has Hill Country views you don’t get anywhere else in Texas. Boating, cliff jumping, waterfront restaurants, the whole thing.
• Mount Bonnell and the parks along the Greenbelt give you hiking and rock climbing inside city limits.

If outdoor access matters to you, Austin is in a different league from Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.

2. Events and Entertainment You Can’t Get Anywhere Else in Texas

Austin is called the Live Music Capital of the World, and it earns that label. Between SXSW, ACL (Austin City Limits), and the smaller festivals that run almost every weekend, there is always something happening. I volunteered at SXSW in college and got to experience the film, music, and education tracks for free — that kind of access is one of the reasons Austin attracts creative and tech talent.

Beyond the big festivals, you get tennis tournaments at the Austin Open in Westlake, Formula 1 at Circuit of the Americas, Oktoberfest celebrations, strawberry picking in the spring, pumpkin patches in October. The calendar is full year-round. If you’re someone who likes to have things to do on weekends, you won’t run out of options.

3. One of the Healthiest Cities in the Country

Austin consistently ranks as one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., and you feel it walking around. Everywhere you go, people are hiking, biking, running, or on their way to a workout. A few data points:

• Austin was ranked the #1 pickleball city in the U.S. in 2024.
• The Longhorn Run, Austin Marathon, and 3M Half Marathon draw thousands of local runners every year.
• Startup communities like Sweat Pals organize free yoga, bouldering, and run clubs almost daily.

If you’re moving from a less active city, this cultural difference is real. It’s easier to stay in shape in Austin because everyone around you is doing the same thing.

4. A Foodie Scene That Rivals Any Major U.S. City

Austin’s food scene has exploded over the last decade. When I first moved here, a dim sum restaurant was hard to find. Today there are full-service dim sum, authentic Sichuan, Korean BBQ, Japanese izakayas, Portuguese chicken spots like Nando’s, and of course the Texas BBQ Austin is famous for (Franklin, La Barbecue, Terry Black’s).

What makes Austin’s food scene different from Houston or Dallas is the density and diversity. You don’t have to drive 40 minutes across a sprawling metro to get good food — Austin’s food neighborhoods (East Austin, South Lamar, North Loop, Round Rock, Pflugerville) all have strong, walkable restaurant scenes of their own.

5. One of the Best Public School Systems in Texas

This is the reason most families I work with choose Austin over Dallas or Houston. The school quality in the Austin metro is genuinely elite.

• Eanes ISD (Westlake) is ranked the #1 public school district in Texas.
• LASA (Liberal Arts and Science Academy) is one of the top public high schools in the state.
• Lake Travis ISD, Leander ISD, and Round Rock ISD all have top-rated schools with strong test scores and college placement.
• The University of Texas at Austin is a top-tier public university with elite business (McCombs), engineering, and computer science programs.

Graduates from Eanes and LASA regularly go to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. UT Austin computer science grads start at Meta, Google, and Apple — many of them right here in Austin. If you’re moving with kids, school district should be the first filter you apply to neighborhoods. See my best neighborhoods for families in Austin guide for a breakdown of every top district.

6. A Tech and Business Job Market That Keeps Growing

Austin’s job market is the reason so many people are moving here from California and out of state. The big employers:

• Apple — a massive campus in North Austin
• Tesla — Gigafactory Texas and its new headquarters east of Austin
• Google, Meta, IBM, Oracle, Dell, Samsung, AMD, Nvidia — all have major Austin offices
• Indeed, Bumble, and dozens of venture-backed startups are headquartered here

This isn’t just about tech. Austin is the state capital of Texas, which means government jobs, healthcare systems (St. David’s, Ascension Seton), the University of Texas, and a growing finance and consulting sector. The economic base is diverse, the population is growing, and companies keep announcing new headquarters.

For buyers, this matters because job growth supports long-term home values. Austin has had corrections (we’re in one now), but the underlying fundamentals — jobs, population, quality of life — are still strong.

What Austin Isn’t

Nothing is perfect. Before you move, know the trade-offs:

• Summers are hot. June through September you’ll live between the AC and the pool.
• Traffic is bad. I-35 is the main north-south artery and it’s congested most of the day. Neighborhood choice is mostly about managing your commute.
• Home prices are higher than most of Texas. Austin is more expensive than Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio. You pay a premium for the lifestyle.
• Property taxes are high. Texas has no state income tax, but property taxes are 2-2.5% of assessed value. Factor this into your monthly payment.

If you want a fuller picture of the financial side, read my Austin vs Dallas cost of living comparison.

Where to Start Your Austin Move

If you’re seriously considering a move, the order of operations I recommend:

1. Pick the right area first, not the house. The wrong suburb will make you regret the move even if the house is perfect. Start with my neighborhood guides.
2. Get pre-approved with a local lender. Texas lending rules are different and local lenders understand our property tax situation.
3. Plan a scouting trip. Spend 2-3 days driving the neighborhoods you’re considering. I run these for clients regularly.
4. Work with a local agent. I’ve done this over a hundred times. I can save you from the mistakes I see relocation buyers make every month.

Austin isn’t the right fit for everyone. But if the six reasons above sound like the life you want, it’s worth a serious look.

If you want to talk through whether Austin is the right move for your family, reach out for a free relocation consultation. I’ll give you a straight answer — even if the answer is that another city might fit better. Call or text me at (512) 766-3188.