1) No State Income Tax
Because Texas has no income tax, you can potentially save a lot of money. Compare that to California, where a typical person pays roughly $8250 in taxes annually on a $100K income. In Texas you pay $0! Trust me, I know, I used to live in the Bay Area and I found myself struggling to keep up.
Other states that have no income tax include: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota and Washington.
2) Low Cost of Living
Compared to several parts of the country like New York, California, Colorado, Austin has a lower cost of living. For example, the average price of a home in San Francisco is $810K vs $228K in Austin. In New York, the average price is $1.3M! Use the cost of living calculator below to see the difference.
Cost of Living calculator:
http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx
3) Outdoor Activities
Forbes magazine ranked Austin #10 fittest cities in America just behind Portland and San Francisco. Running, cycling, triathlons, rowing and mountain biking are huge in central Texas.
Lakes
There are several large lakes that are very warm in the summer where you can kayak, swim, sail, water ski, wake board and jet ski. Lake Travis, Lake Buchanan, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Austin, Lake Georgetown, Canyon Lake and Lady Bird Lake are all either just a few minutes to an hour away.
Mountain Biking
There is great terrain in Austin with large hills and challenging rides. Even from downtown you can hop on your mountain bike and go on a 3-hour ride through the Barton Creek greenbelt.
Great mountain bike website/resource:
Popular Annual Races / Events
Austin summer X GAMES (starting June 5-8, 2014), Formula 1, Capital of Texas Triathlon, Austin Marathon, Livestrong ride (Oct. 19).
4) Culture/Cuisine
Because Austin is home to the University of Texas and where Michael Dell and Whole Foods started, you can quickly understand that Austin is extremely diverse. From the famous SXSW music festival, to Austin City Limits and Formula 1, businesses from around the world have decided to relocate here and entrepreneurs have opened stores and new restaurants that only exist here in Austin.
List of other popular restaurants in Austin:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/austin/restaurants
5) Job Growth/Low unemployment
Austin has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. **See my page on Job Growth.
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