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No_Representative_23 OP t1_j1qqlzf wrote

But out of those two what would be better

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No_Comfortable6029 t1_j1qrbef wrote

Portland is probably more "Seattle" than Seattle is these days. I moved from Texas five years ago because the writing was already on the wall for the direction it was headed. With that said, Austin is still one of the best cities for live music so it depends on what you are seeking. New Orleans might be the only music city that stays true to its roots, all other local genres/trends come and go with the times.

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Sweet_Bang_Tube t1_j1s4p0h wrote

Austin is too expensive for musicians now. It has been for several years.

Source: have lived in Austin for over 40 years.

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No_Comfortable6029 t1_j1s6fj4 wrote

for living or for playing? I think there are still plenty of venues to play. Whether it is profitable to tour as a musician is a different conversation

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Sweet_Bang_Tube t1_j1s6o9z wrote

For living and playing in the city they live in.

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No_Comfortable6029 t1_j1s6ufz wrote

but a 45-60 min drive is normal for just about anyone who lives in Texas and there are plenty of affordable suburbs outside Austin

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Sweet_Bang_Tube t1_j1s7mam wrote

I guess you'll need to define "affordable", since that's a bit different for everyone. 45-60 min was never a normal drive for me, in Austin. Maybe in Houston. I just bought a house here this year and it was anything but affordable. The suburbs, like Cedar Park, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Buda, Kyle, Lakeway, Manor, Elgin, Lago Vista, Tyler Georgetown, Jonestown, Leander Hutto, are all in the $400K range now. That isn't affordable to most musicians like the OP who are young and just trying to start out.

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No_Comfortable6029 t1_j1s8127 wrote

I get what you are saying but OP prob isn't looking to buy a house yet either. There are apartments and I have plenty of former friends in what I'm guessing is a similar financial situation that have managed to get by; even living in Austin proper.

Edit: are you sure you have lived there for 40 years? lol You could spend 45 mins in Austin traffic alone

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Sweet_Bang_Tube t1_j1s8zvf wrote

Yes, I'm sure I was born and raised here. Maybe that is a normal amount of traffic to be in now, but that only started being an issue about 5-8 years ago, when so many people really start migrating here. It was too much, too quickly.

Apartments are not any cheaper, unless you share with multiple people and don't own a car. I'm not sure if saying you have "former friends" who you are "guessing" are in similar financial situations is a good supporting statement to make.

But it makes no difference to me either way. People can show to here themselves and see what it is like.

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No_Comfortable6029 t1_j1s9wdp wrote

Hah is it because I'm not still friends with them? Not sure why having friends (or former) who have tried to do the same thing is not a good supporting statement. Agreed, your lifestyle ain't gonna cut it as an up and coming musician but not everyone in Austin is living the high life either. Also, I think your memory is a bit short if you think traffic only got worse in the last 5-8 years.

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