If you were given a choice where to live in Texas....?

I am filling out an application for a teaching program in Texas. The choices are El Paso, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. Which city would be the best choice to relocate to?

I am from Southern CA (LA County).

if i were you, i'd pick austin in a heartbeat! it is the capital, has the university, good weather and great things to do. the traffic in/around san antonio is terrible, even in the middle of the day, but you can visit from austin in less than 2 hours. el paso is kind of isolated from the rest of the state - you'd be more likely to do things in new mexico or arizona. don't have much time in dallas, but it seems to just be a big city full of sky scrapers instead of the relaxed fee of austin has (sky scrapers mixed with great parks). hope this helps!

san antonio spurs..

Austin its the capitol

depends onw here you are from....If you are from anywhere NOT the south or midwest, than Austin is the only place you will not feel out of place

Austin would be my pick for most people. It is a beautiful city with a great climate...except for hot summers. It has a lot of city parks, lakes, rivers, swimming holes. It is a liberal oasis in a very conservative state. It has a university, so, all of the diversity, energy, intelligence, culture, and good food that this brings. There is a fun nightlife and live music culture, but plenty of outdoor activities available. It is a very health conscious town and I have noticed...a lot of attractive people!

It is also a town that is quickly growing and becoming more urbane by the day. You won't be lacking for anything that you are used to in southern California...except the beaches and cooler summers. This growth means that there are a lot of good schools to choose from.

Dallas is generic and often materialistic. San Antonio has some fun culture...but, is much more conservative and has less outdoor activities. El Paso is pretty isolated and hot! This is just my opinion as someone who has grown up in and around Austin...I am biased.

Good luck to you!

-Kango Traveler

I live just south of Austin in a very small town. (I can be in Austin in 20 minutes from my front door) I have been to all of the places you listed and here is my take -- Dallas is very fake, very flat and very boring. San Antonio is full of culture but the traffic is murder and housing prices (in decent areas) are steadily becoming unaffordable. El Paso is way to far from anywhere. If you lived there you would have to fly to see any of the rest of Texas! Austin is full of young people with lots of things to do and see. The museums are wonderful. Live music is everywhere! Housing is relatively affordable. The opportunities for outdoor activites are endless (including water sports)Traffic at rush hour can be a little daunting until you learn the shortcuts but it is managable. International airport is easy to get into and out of. General population is multicultural and very accepting of outsiders. The motto of Austin is "Keep Austin Weird". Driving from Austin you can be at the beach in 4 hours (and Texas has awesome beaches!), accross the border in 6, in the mountains in 4 and in the gorgeous hill country (where I live) in 20 minutes. Some places you might want to Google are -- Barton Springs, Zilker Park, 6th Street and the SXSW Music and Film Festival. If you are under 35 and want to have fun PICK AUSTIN!!!!!!

The live music capital of the world is Austin.

I think you would have the most fun there.

I live there and it has the best people and is just an AWESOME place to live and raise kids.

Austin for sure!! It is so much fun there. I wish I still lived there! You've got Lake Travis, Lake Austin, the Guadalupe not too far for tubing. It is a very much outdoorsy town. Lot's of people ride their bikes or public transportation instead of using cars. Very green city. Farmer's markets, great recycling, etc. The people are friendly as well. It's just an awesome place to live!

This is my personal order of preference...

Austin - I have lived there for almost 20 years and have little desire to live elsewhere.

Dallas - It is a generic western city, but that also means that is has a lot to do (arts, sports, recreation, etc) and good food.

San Antonio - I have visited both several times I just prefer Dallas.

El Paso - I have never spent any significant time in El Paso and so cannot make any honest answer. But, it holds little or no appeal to me.