So you’re thinking about moving from Salt Lake City, UT to Austin, TX?

Salt Lake City, Utah is one of the most interesting cities in the United States. While it is beautiful in scenery, it is also noted for its pleasing cityscape and friendly people. Austin, Texas is one of the most up-and-coming locations in the country, and has emerged from being simply the capitol city of Texas to being one of the hippest places to live. This article will help you see why moving from Salt Lake City to Austin might be one of the best decisions you could possibly make.

What is the weather and geography of Austin?

Salt Lake City is a cold and often dry location to live. Like many cities in the American West, Salt Lake doesn’t receive much in the way of annual rainfall, with only about 16 inches coming each year. Instead of receiving plentiful rainfall, the town instead ops for plentiful snowfall. The town must endure more than 56 inches every winter season, meaning that heavy coats, toboggans, and shovels see much activity.

Austin, Texas, offers a completely different type of climate. Unlike much of Texas, Austin lies in an interesting region that receives a little something of every season. While its summers are hot and humid, in comparison to Salt Lake City, the town’s prevalent air conditioning helps it keep from being unmanageable. Meanwhile, the autumns are crisp and beautiful, with the surrounding area turning to lovely shades of yellow, brown, and red. This aesthetically pleasing time turns into a mild winter that will come as a welcome relief to many Salt Lake natives. Instead of bitterly cold temperatures, most Austin Januaries reach about 61 degrees, and the lows rarely drop far beyond 41. Snowfall is infrequent in Austin, with only about .6 inches coming annually. Rainfall, meanwhile is very prevalent, with almost 35 inches falling each year. This gives way to a lush and green spring, with trees and flowers coming to full bloom in the pleasant 70-someodd degree weather.

What are the demographics like in Austin?

As the center of the Texas political scene, Austin is a very diverse city, with large representations from many different types of people. In addition to almost 50 percent of the town being made up of Anglo Saxons, there is a healthy percentage of Hispanics (over 35 percent), African Americans (just over eight percent) and Asians (a little more than six percent). You can also find segments of American Indians and Pacific Islanders.

The city’s largest age group comes from people aged 25 to 44, and the city is younger-skewing with a median age of 30 years old. There are a significant number of more males than females in the city, too with 105.8 males for every 100 females. The median family income is a healthy $54,091 according to the most recent census.

Austin is most certainly a city that celebrates diversity and that is attracted a youthful population.

What is Austin economy like?

There are many different companies that are housed within the confines of the Austin city limits, giving those moving from Salt Lake City many economic opportunities. In fact, the town is thought of to be one of the “Best Places for Business and Careers” in the country according to Forbes. It is one of the top “high tech” centers in the United States, with companies like Amazon, Google, Dell, and Xerox all having bases in the town.

The large grocery chain Whole Foods is headquartered in Austin, and it helps to represent the idea of “Keep Austin Weird.” This slogan has long been identified with the city and helps to showcase its green, counterculture, pro-environment movement. The grocery chain is famed for specializing in natural products.

As the state capitol and the home of the large University of Texas, both government and education jobs have a foothold in the city, and there are also businesses like Keller Williams Realty, EZCorp, Goldsmith, and Sweet Leaf Tea Company based in Austin.

Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have a foothold in the city, too, with about 85 such companies found within the city limits, including ArthroCare Corporation and Hospice.

Many films have been produced in the city in recent years, including Office Space, Blank Check, True Grit (2010), Grindhouse and Miss Congeniality.

Austin enjoys a large Gross Domestic Product, bringing in $86 million in 2010, making it one of the most financially successful places to live in the nation.

Your Austin move

Vibrant, beautiful Austin is waiting for you. To make the most of your move, give U-Pack^® a try. We’ll help you move to Austin without driving a rental truck, but for an affordable price. Go online to get a moving quote. Explore our coverage map here. 

Welcome to Austin, your new home!

What are you waiting for? This beautiful and diverse city is just waiting for you to join!