I was just in Austin and loved it so much, I'm thinking of moving there! I have a couple of questions I'm hoping someone can answer.

- Are there four seasons? What are the different seasons like?

- Are Cedar Park and Leander suburbs of Austin or neighborhoods in Austin? Are they in the hilly part, or just near it?

-What is a good area in the hills to raise young children? The hills that I saw were so steep, the children would never be able to own a bicycle. Is there an area that is hilly but not so steep, yet still close enough to commute to Round Rock or North Austin for work?

Sorry to have so many questions, but if you can answer even just one, it would really help me out! Thanks!

There isn't much of a winter--very infrequent snow, and the temperatures don't stay cool for very long. Spring is nice with all the wildflowers in bloom, but Austin has a long, hot, humid late spring through summer and into fall. The fall isn't much to speak of because there isn't a lot of fall color--but it's a relief when the temperatures finally start to fall.

Cedar Park and Leander are suburbs. Cedar Park is about 20 miles from downtown Austin, and Leander's even farther out Highway 183. Cedar Park's pretty flat--don't know about Leander. But a few miles west of Cedar Park you get into the hills around Highway 2222 and Lake Travis.

Can't answer your other questions, unfortunately. I don't even live in Austin any more, although I went to UT and lived near Cedar Park and in Round Rock for several years. Austin's a nice place if you can stand the heat and the traffic.

Hope this helps...

The big question about moving to Austin is what sort of work do you do? The high-tech industry there has taken a major hit with all of the dot.com failures and layoffs at Dell. Still, there are quite a few companies there who are still doing well. In light of today's economy, you would be wise to line up employment before moving.

Traffic coming from the North can be pretty ugly. Austin lacks a complete loop highway, so all of the major roads are jammed during rush hours.

I wouldn't worry about the hills affecting whether or not your kids could ride a bike. Most kids I see around Austin do just fine once they get used to the hills. My mother was raised in Pennsylvania, and the hills there are lots bigger than the ones in Texas!

Check on the area schools, too. I know that Pflugerville has good schools.

Rollingwood and Westlake Hills are close to town & convenient to N. Austin, but not to Round Rock.

Yes Austin has four seasons, but spring doesn't seem to last very long. Two years ago we had 15 days in May over 100 and it stayed that way all the way to October. This year,thank God, it's been milder (we haven't hit 100 yet!)
Best school districts are Westlake ($$$), the Round Rock and Pflugerville. Traffic is becoming prohibitive to commuters, but if you can work off hours or go opposite traffic, Pflugerville, Georgetown, and Cedar Park are okay. Most of your hills are going to be West of HWY 183 and West of MOPAC. Forget seeing snow except every five years. If you want 4 seasons, flat real estate, and good schools in Texas you might think about Fort Worth.
Despite the high tech downturn, I have not seen home prices drop.