Moving to Austin, TX - any advice?

Hey guys, moving to Austin soon for a job from the east coast. Any advice on where to live / how best to meet people? In my mid-20s, would like a place with a younger vibe and not too far away from downtown. This is the first time I'm moving to a new city where I don't know a single soul. Also, any WSOers currently working in Austin? Thanks

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My first piece of advice would be: don't.

But since you're beyond saving in that regard...

Where to live: what's your budget? Central and Hyde Park is nice. If you're more of a traditional family guy look at Mueller. If you're hipster live in South Austin. If you hate people, live in the suburbs. If you have money to burn, live in one of the high-rises downtown. The east side is also up-and-coming, although its history is controversial (used to be where the poor folks lived, it's getting uber gentrified as of late.)

Things to do: I hope you like the outdoors, because anything worth doing is an outdoor activity.

No liquor sales on Sundays. Welcome to the south.

Overrated: Barton Springs. The Domain. The 360 bridge which is only good for cheesy Instagram posts. Yoga anything, especially goat yoga (seriously wtf).

Not overrated: Bats. Deep Eddy Pool. Food trucks.

Hit me up via PM if you want to hang. I'm in Austin, no longer in finance, but always happy to introduce folks around.

Currently: future neurologist, current psychotherapist Previously: investor relations (top consulting firm), M&A consulting (Big 4), M&A banking (MM)
 

Overrated, overpriced, not enough infrastructure for the population. City planning is shit, so it takes forever to get anywhere at all times of the day. Public transport is shit (if you're coming from a place like NYC/Philly/Chicago/Boston, you'll have an aneurysm). Rent prices are getting to Boston levels of ridiculous without the corresponding benefits. Lots of young hippie types who think they're all that because they live on SoCo, exclusively eat gluten free vegan food from Juiceland, and go to goat yoga every weekend. Some industries are SHIT here (I'm in healthcare, so I'm biased - we have horrible healthcare opportunities because all of the hospitals are owned by two major institutions). "Live music capital of the world" is a misnomer because all that live music are washed up indie bands playing in bars.

Of course, a lot of this is biased by the fact that 1) my industry does not thrive here, and 2) I grew up here so my "it was better back in my day" goggles are strong.

Currently: future neurologist, current psychotherapist Previously: investor relations (top consulting firm), M&A consulting (Big 4), M&A banking (MM)
 

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