I have a cousin who lives in Austin. The people are friendly and good-ol’ American types. There’s no uppity West LA, La Jolla, Del Mar type attitude.
You can buy a brand new house for $150k-200k there (see DR Horton and KB homes websites). It’s a good city and the University of Texas (major tech research) is there. It’s also the capital of TX so government and university jobs make the economy stable. It’s a fairly progressive city also, but if you want neo-con conservatism, there’s plenty of that too (kinda like San Diego politically).
I think that summer heat is preferable to tundra cold of the north. The warm sunny weather also means you can live and retire in Austin, without having to worry about your arthristis when you’re old.
If I wanted a “wholesome” family and lifestyle, at low cost, no mortgage, I’d take my California money there and live stressfree.
I’ve never been to Ft Collins or Boise, but I’d bet that the employment base in Austin is much better. If I remember well, Dell has a call center and operations in San Marcos (near Austin).
