It’s official: after careful consideration, my wife and I are leaving Rochester, New York in September and moving to Austin, Texas.
A few reasons for the move are:
- The cost of living is lower.
- The taxes are lower (including no state income tax).
- There are more IT companies, and hopefully, more job opportunities for an experienced software developer.
- Most of my family members are moving or have already moved to other states for better work.
In the past decade, there has been an exodus from Rochester. Declining local businesses and clueless state lawmakers, who believe that raising taxes is the way out of our recession woes, offer little incentive for anyone to stay.
I’ve read and heard so many great things about Austin that we decided to pay a visit in April. Everyone was incredibly friendly, the city was easy to drive (I normally hate city driving), and the food was amazing. Most Austinites seem proud of where they live, and I like that.
Here are some recent news articles contrasting New York State and Texas:
- Gov. Paterson warns of tax hikes, possible return of clothing sales tax, to close budget gap
- America’s most recession-proof cities
Barbecue, here we come.
The Public Void 