What goes on round Austin Tx? shall i move there?

I live in England with my girlfriend who is half American and a lot of her family live in Austin, sometimes we talk about moving out there. So tell me what kind of scene is going on there? i heard it's a cool cultural city with a lot of music stuff going on... but i'm more interested in the Hot Rod/Custom scene, meets and shows

Thanks

Tim.

 

too bad no one has ever asked this question before.

 

I heard there are at least 1 or 2 hot rods around there.

It's a little different than England though. Hot rodding is about adventure. I say go for it!

 

Depends on your age and taste. A lot of South of the Border action,i.e. low riders,ricers,tuners.
There are still many old school guys that live there. Many of them are H.A.M.B. members.
You will find tradional Hot Rodders all over this state, some in major cities like Austin, San Antonio,Houston and Dallas.
I live in Crockett,Texas about Halfway between Dallas and Houston on the 287, and we'd be proud to have you over. We build T buckets,A's and B cars.
If you come over, be prepared to eat a lot of BBQ! Welcome Home my Limey Brother!! Mikey

 

Well... there you go, then.

 

Austin is great. I visited a couple of times and loved it! Musical capital of the world! Live music every night no matter what type you are into. Lots of concert halls. The riverwalk in the center of the city is cool, but pricey. The weather is Hotrod friendly year round. The mountains are just a short skip away. Hunting, fishing, motorcycles, hotrods, music, BBQ........ Hey come to think of it, get a extra room when you move there, I'm coming too!

 

Low riders, ricers and tuners i'll be avoiding, i have a thing for mid 30's to early 40's cars at the moment but like lots of different styles and ages, not a lot after 63 does it for me though. i really like to look round cars that have been built to drive well and are well sorted mechanically, it doesn't matter if they are shiney or original patina on the outside.


where's the nearest drag strip to Austin?

 

Thanks, the house prices are so low compared to the UK, maybe we'll be able to afford that extra room for you

 

What better an endorsement can you get than by Ryan.

 

Look up Von Franco when you move there. He left all of L.A. behind to go to Austin.
I drove big rig in the '60s, nearly moved to Texas...I liked Brownsville, but Austin has it all.

 

Wait, Ryan lives here?

 

I guess i should pay more attention, i hadn't seen you live there Ryan

It sounds like a very interesting place to be!

 

hey tim,i started to come to austin in 98 and have been back every yearsince. i have now been living here for 2 years best move ever.you will never understand how wesome this place is by still livin in stamford. (is that near loughborough).

 

Yeah 40 miles(ish) from loughborough, were you from there?

 

I have met some of the best people from Austin

 

Austin is a fantastic place. I moved here in '95 from New Orleans and haven't seriously considered moving anywhere else since. Great music scene, very culturally diverse, beautiful scenary (particularly out west in the hill country), lots of outdoor activities. It's a pretty liberal city in a very conservative state. The result, IMO, is a pretty moderate stance overall. And I like that a lot since I'm not a radical lefty or righty. Lots of hippies, though.

We'd love to have you, but you'll need to start saying "y'all" regularly.

 

Good deal, I also have two girls, a wife, two cats, a large dog, 5 cars, 2 harleys, and an old tractor. The wife and kids can sleep in a tent, but I have to have a room for the dog! I am packing my stuff now, let me know our new address! LOL

 

Austin is a really cool place, it's probably the hot rodding Mecca of Texas. If California laws keep getting worse for antique automobile owners, there'll probably be more action here than in SoCal. That's my opinion.

 

Thanks for all the input guys, sounds like i need to spend a week or so out there and experience it all for real... i suspect from what y'all() been saying that'll be the start of a new beginning

 

All the positives mentioned are true, it's a great place to be. I've been here 20 years and haven't considered living anywhere else.

BUT...

No one has mentioned how brutally hot the summers can be here, probably because we're all used to it (actually, you never get used to it). A month straight (at least) of 100+ degrees with high humidity is pretty routine. Thought it was worth a mention since the weather in England is vastly different!

 

Hey, we had that cold front last week didn't we? Mid 90s

 

At least I'm not Canadian.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=382971&highlight=moving+to+austin
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=357598&highlight=moving+to+austin
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=283310&highlight=moving+to+austin
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=208401&highlight=moving+to+austin
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=195213&highlight=moving+to+austin

 

True, I think it got down to the upper 60's one night, left my windows open all night!

 

So in the summer we leave our windows open at night to let the cool air in but you keep them shut to keep the hot air out?

Wow 53sled, you got that forum searching down, well done and thanks.

 

AC baby, have to have AC.

 

Agreed. AC = much better!

 

I have visited Austin twice, There are places that you go that just have a vibe, Moab, Austin, Key Largo, Key West, Crescent City Cali. This is one of those places, lots of art and music and a good food scene, lot of people "living life".

 

where's the nearest drag strip to Austin?[/QUOTE]

Little river drag strip is about an hour northeast of Austin. Good times!
www.littleriverdragway.net

 

Yep, in the summer you keep the windows shut 24/7 and the air-conditioning on ALL the time. No open windows, it's just too damned hot. We were refering to a freak cold front that came through that lasted about 2 days and brought daytime temps into the 90's and 60's/70's at night. It was very unusual for August.