The big boom of people moving to Austin that started during the pandemic is over. Folks from all over the United States, and the world, were moving to this beautiful city. Many were running to something while many more were fleeing something else. No matter the reason, people wanted something new and Austin, Texas seemed to be on everyone's mind.
The population surge started well before the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, of course, which was back when Austin was an affordable alternative for people who still wanted to live in a major city. As the pandemic unfolded and many states and cities began to completely shut down and impose long term lockdowns, Austin was only shut down for a short while. This made Austin seem like a beacon of hope in an otherwise dreary time. Remaining open during most of the pandemic had its appeal, but there is much more that draws people to Austin than just that. If you are thinking of moving to Austin, our movers in Austin can help you with the relocation process.
Music Festivals & Events
Our city has a multitude of music festivals such as Austin City Limits, South By Southwest, Reggae Fest, Austin Blues Festival and Austin Psych Fest to name just a few of the more popular festivals out there. If you’d like to learn a little bit more about each of these festivals, click this link to open up your world of music in Austin.
Sports Team
Austin now has a professional sports team! We were the biggest little city in Texas; you could say we were like the cool cousin to Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. Maybe the cool cousin that didn’t have a job and hung out by the river all day playing the guitar. That was the reputation our city had before people moved here in droves. Now that we have a bustling tech industry and a thriving nightlife, we’re in the big leagues with those other other cities and what do all of those other cities have in common?
A professional sports team! That’s right - Austin is home to the Austin Football Club (European football, that is). It’s not the Dallas Stars, the San Antonio Spurs, or the Houston Rockets. It’s more fitting for Austin to have a football club as it proves how we don’t check all the normal boxes that a city in the south would normally check. Don’t worry though; you can still buy BBQ and drink Texas beer at the Q2 stadium on any given game night if you want to keep to your familiar Texas style.
Craft Breweries
We also have the largest concentration of award winning craft breweries in the country. I’m sure your uncle's beer is great, don’t get me wrong… but people come from all over the states to bar-crawl their way through downtown Austin, specifically 6th street. You should, however, do less crawling and more walking when you drink downtown as the police there are ready and willing to arrest folks who are publicly intoxicated.
Why Do People Leave Austin?
Austin had plenty to flock to, especially during a time when about half of the country was put on lockdown, but let's find out why they now would want to move away.
High Cost of Living in Austin
As previously mentioned in this article, Austin was the cost effective choice for someone who was looking to still live in a “major city.” Over the last few years, home prices have skyrocketed and it seems like it’s much harder to find an affordable place to live. Not just in terms of houses either - the average rent cost here is about $1,400.
And keep in mind, that’s not for a three bedroom apartment to yourself; that’s your one bedroom that you will be splitting rent three ways with roommates. With rent like that, you and two of your other roommates will all need to be making around $57k a year to live somewhat comfortably in town. These numbers vary zip code to zip code, but you can count on spending a bundle just to live in this city! Now, for houses, the average pre-pandemic home price was about $319k.
Just a few short years later in 2023, that same house would cost you around $450k. Keep in mind that Texas has no state income tax and Uncle Sam still needs to get his, and he does so in the form of property taxes. If you are a property owner in the state of texas, you will experience a higher tax burden than renters and it can be pretty brutal. This also contributes to people leaving Austin. You can check a detailed guide on cost of living in Austin.
Austin’s Overwhelmed Infrastructure
No one in Austin expected the city to grow so quickly, especially the Austin city planners back in the 60’s and 70’s. The people who drew up plans for the roads that were built “back in the day” definitely didn’t have a growth mindset. We have a handful of two or three lane highways that are supposed to support a rapidly growing populace that simply wasn’t properly planned for.
Don’t believe me? Drive out to I-35 anytime during morning or afternoon rush hour and you’ll change your mind quickly! These traffic jams that we experience are not what people had in mind when they thought they were flocking to paradise city. Now, I will say that there are many new roads that are being commissioned and worked on today, but it will be at least another 5 to 10 years before they are finished. This means that it will be a while before this traffic is alleviated in what has been the fastest growing city in the US for the 12th year in a row.
It’s So Hot in Austin!
Though states like Texas are synonymous with extreme heat, seeing how it’s right at the southern border and is known for a high heat index, many people cite the unexpected high heat as their reason for leaving Austin. Since we’re local movers in the Austin area, we have the opportunity to talk with people and learn about why they are moving.
For example, whenever we load a trailer for someone who is driving themselves out of town and back to the East or West coast, they will often tell us that the Texas heat is one of the main reasons why they are leaving. In conclusion, if 8 months of blistering heat isn’t for you, Austin may not be for you. We highly recommend coming to visit here before moving your entire life to Texas. Even as Texas natives, we know many people would agree with us when we say, we’ll never get used to this heat either!
Changes in the Austin Job Market
Many people moved here based on the assumption that remote work would always be an option. This was a mid-pandemic mind shift that took place for many people in the tech industry. It seemed, at the time, that many people were betting on the remote work lifestyle to be a permanent change in their industry. As sweet as it sounds, working remotely seems to be going away in many industries.
As companies move away from remote work and reopen their offices, people have found that they may have to move back to another major city in order to keep their jobs. Going into the office everyday isn’t ideal, but here at Sarver Movers, we never had that option and kept Austin moving all during the pandemic!
Having said that, it isn’t just the remote working situation. Many people are forced to leave town since many of the major tech companies have had to layoff their employees. This has caused many people to leave town in hopes of finding another job elsewhere.
Austin’s Culture
Some people have even told us that the culture is the main reason for people leaving the city. It’s possible they moved here expecting one thing culturally and got another. Maybe they wanted ten gallon hats and big boots but instead realized they moved to a tech city - who knows!
If you’re looking for old school Texas, you could drive 30 minutes in almost any direction out of town and get just that. Austin is polar opposite compared to all of it’s surrounding areas. In our humble opinion, we have the best of both worlds here in Austin, Texas.
We’ve got the city of Austin that brings all the comforts that a big city has to offer, but then things get country as you venture out to nearby cities like Marble Falls or Llano, Texas. Regardless of the exact reason, many people are leaving Austin due to cultural differences that they’ve come across in this city.
Summary
There you have it folks, based on what people say online as well as on loading and labor-only moving jobs that we have performed during 2023, these are the top five reasons people are leaving this fair city. To summarize, the most common listed reasons why people are moving out of Austin are: affordability, overwhelmed infrastructure, high temperatures, job market, and culture. Despite the challenges, many still find downtown Austin an exciting place to live and work.
If you are planning your exit strategy and would like to leave the city of Austin, fill out our quick, easy quote form to get in touch with our team of professional movers. Our movers can handle anything from loading up your Uhaul, to performing an entire full service, long distance move for you. And remember, if you are leaving Austin, come back and see us soon!
