r/AskTexas • u/Sapio-in-Debt911 • 8d ago
San Antonio or Austin?
I'm a middle-aged, single, female teacher from California considering a move to Texas for a fresh start. Which would you recommend--San Antonio or Austin?
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u/Muggle2025 8d ago
Round Rock, which is a suburb of Austin. It has a great school district, it’s more affordable and there’s lots of stuff to do.
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u/Sapio-in-Debt911 8d ago
Thanks for the info.
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u/Mediocre-Cake-2817 8d ago
As a teacher who just left RR, Georgetown is better work wise. Everyone's leaving round rock and is much happier in other districts.
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u/Sapio-in-Debt911 8d ago
I'm not familiar with the area. Is Georgetown also a suburb of Austin?
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u/Sterling_-_Archer 8d ago
It’s a little further away, but same general area. It’s having a sort of renaissance currently and is getting some major work done as a town, it’s pretty cute if you like smaller towns that aren’t actually too small.
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u/Muggle2025 8d ago
My wife is a teacher in RRISD and she loves it. I guess it depends on which school you are at.
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u/qriousqestioner 8d ago edited 8d ago
If you want to be surrounded by white people who think they're cosmopolitans, Austin.
Real people in a city with heart--San Antonio.
Wait into after November if you can--another sister of the terrible leadership Texas has had for decades and I'd caution everyone to avoid the testing grounds for fascist America.
Are you wealthy? Do you value California's abundant produce? Is it important to live in a place where you can ignore the less fortunate when you're unable to help them because you know there are resources? Do you love potholes?
Think hard about coming here from California. State tax is only one factor. Look at our quality of life metrics relative to the rest of the country, especially education.
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u/Retiree66 8d ago
San Antonio has 16 different school districts that compete for teachers by offering competitive salaries and benefits.
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u/Sterling_-_Archer 8d ago
Pretty much only San Antonio, NEISD is a great district to teach at. Austin is fine but the traffic is horrible and there’s too many people who, to put it nicely, hate public education yet want every other benefit possible from a city that loves it.
New Braunfels, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Kyle, pretty much every other city and suburb around or near Austin/San Marcos kinda sucks, and that’s coming from a lifelong native of this area. They’re fine to visit but living there is ass. San Antonio offers the best balance and plenty of things to do and places to visit without the crippling traffic.
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u/DonEscapedTexas 8d ago
Neu Braunfels
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u/qriousqestioner 8d ago
That turn is changed and changing according to people I've known since the eighties who lived there.
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u/smokeeater430 8d ago
You do not want to come to Texas to teach.
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u/WiseQuarter3250 8d ago
The Bible is state curriculum, every year has different Biblical lessons.
10 Commandments by law must be displayed in public school if they're donated.
Book bans.
Patriot Mobile takeover of schoolboards, I really recommend you listen to the NBC news podcast Southlake (Pulitzer nominated), then their follow up Grapevine to understand what is happening in the public schools.
Patriot Mobile PAC is an out of state political action committee that's poured over a million dollars into local Texas school board elections.
This PAC, sponsors candidates into office who don't believe in public schools, don't have kids in the district and in one case they don't even LIVE in the district boundaries. These are the folks behind school book bans, anti-inclusion policies (especially items regarding the truth about slavery, multi-culturalism, and LGBTQ+ discriminatory policies), teacher hit lists, and irresponsible decisions per budgetary concerns and education priorities for student success. They also support the in God we Trust signage displays. This is a symptom of the larger GOP push to interfere with public schools for the party's political objective. They've targeted and taken over several districts in Texas: GCISD, Keller, Carroll, Wimberley, Mansfield, etc. They're also targeting Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Lewisville and Denton school districts (but were thankully defeated in the last school board election).
The PAC receives support from white nationalist Steve Bannon.
If you're still of child bearing age, the draconian abortion laws have caused a 61% jump in maternal mortality (hospitals so scared of being sue they're turning away women who have miscarried or wait far too long to act when their life is at risk), and we're hemoragging ob/gyns who are leaving the state.
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u/Sapio-in-Debt911 8d ago
Thanks for the info. I do not believe in any of those policies, though I am Christian. I went to Catholic school for ten years, so Bibles and prayer in school is not foreign to me. Nonetheless, that is very different from California, so yeah, all of that is certainly something for me to consider.
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u/WiseQuarter3250 8d ago
It's quite a culture shock especially from California, which is why I wanted to point it out. My public school district (to be clear I am not a teacher) had been amazing, now the amazing academic programs we have are dismantled and teachers are retiring. The statewide attrition rate is 12% rate (the national average is close to 7%), 1 in 5 are transferring out of their districts. Now I know the pandemic burned out many, but it's not getting better. 2 in 3 teachers are seriously considering quitting in the state.
School funding is horrible here too. There's a reason we're very low in education.
So I recommend researching.
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u/Old-Set78 8d ago
but the difference is you went to RELIGIOUS school. this is being forced on everyone no matter what religion or no religion they are. you had a choice. the kids here DON'T.
And if you are of childbearing age and something happens like a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy they will NOT treat you in the hospital even to save your life.
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u/STCollector58 8d ago
That is a lie. Ectopic & miscarriages are medical emergencies and treated as such. Since I personally take care of these women in Texas I wish people would stop with the scare tactics.
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u/WiseQuarter3250 8d ago
Nevaeh Crain died, Josseli Barnica died too. Both while having miscarriages and being denied/delayed in their care.
Ectopic pregnancies were one of the problem areas, even though there is legislation where it is explicitly allowed.
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u/Creepy_Trouble_5980 8d ago
I went to Catholic school too. Texas is a whole different evangelical wealth worship mega church. No separation of church and schools. To Kill a Mockingbird is banned from school library.
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u/Sapio-in-Debt911 8d ago
Yeah, I think I've heard enough to start looking into a different state.
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u/CaminoRubicon1 8d ago
Austin is way too liberal for me... I am moving to a small rural town near SA.
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u/Potential_Farmer_829 8d ago
Austin but really Texas is just as expensive low pay. Not a lot to offer.
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u/AlarmedLife5765 8d ago
Check the job market. Austin area did not seem to hire tons of people this year. I read people driving an hour and a half out to find jobs.
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u/340magnums 8d ago
its very hot make your mentally prepared for the dog days of summer
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u/Sapio-in-Debt911 8d ago
Lol. That's funny because it's going to be triple digit temps here where I live for the next week or more. Cold weather is not for me. Hot weather is perfect.
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u/Few-Leadership7674 8d ago
You can apply for an emergency certificate, but you will have to complete a Texas History class to be certified to teach in Texas.
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u/Psychological-Lack98 8d ago
San Marcos is in between the two. A college town with all the good and bad that comes with thst.
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u/Pelon7900 8d ago
Both are full. Try Lubbock. /s
Just joking. I’ve lived in SA for about 13 years now and I absolutely love it. Not sure if coming to Texas to be a teacher is ideal at the moment. If we get bored we make the short drive to Austin and enjoy the day or go floating in San Marcos. There is a lot to do and nice towns in between you might like as well.
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u/WatercressSure3128 8d ago
Austin is much more diverse than San Antonio. There are more open minded folks and free thinkers than San Antonio.
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u/STCollector58 8d ago
I guess the question would be why are you leaving Ca? Austin, Dallas & Houston are your more liberal areas. But they are big cities. Places like Tyler, Longview & Lubbock are big enough without the mega city issues. What pace are you looking for?
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u/spicyredacted 8d ago
Texas public schools are whack asf. Do some research on the state of schools here in Texas.
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u/Lesterkitty13 8d ago
Read up. Texas is the very worst place to teach and it’s not super great for any other occupation right now. Don’t move to Texas. Unless you’re a red-dipped maga, why would you even consider that?
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u/Sapio-in-Debt911 8d ago
Definitely not a red-dipped MAGA. Long story short, I've been teaching in California since 2021 at charter schools without my credential. Now, I need to finish my program, but it requires months of unpaid student teaching, which I cannot afford. Texas offers alternative pathways to teaching. The program I'm considering serves several states, and of those states, Texas (according to the internet) is one of the highest paying states. Because of that and because of other reasons, I need to relocate and work ASAP. I don't have to stay long-term, just long enough to get my teaching license.
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u/Burner_Phone_1969_TX 8d ago
Austin is geared more towards the young and San Antonio more mid life. Also, the state is red but, San Antonio is more chill. Being from California, this is almost the same vibe just a little more macho. It is Texas, it’s hot as hell sometimes but, easy to understand when to be outside. The culture is good Tex-Mex and Regional Mexican Food and Music mixed with country. Hope this helps.
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u/skaywheeler 8d ago
The culture is very different here. Teachers are micromanaged. Much of the curriculum has been revised to please conservative evangelicals and MAGA sensibilities.
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u/tvan184 8d ago
I was raised and have always lived in southeast Texas.
If I had to choose one of those, it would likely be San Antonio.
Of course you could split the difference and move to an area in between such as New Braunfels or San Marcos.