You just might enjoy Austin a whole heck of a lot. Lots of IT companies, a very active cycling community and many, many miles to ride in all directions. Your options are even greater and more bucolic if you drive just an hour or two out of the city and enjoy some of the little-travelled county roads in the area. You're already accustomed to heat (ah, but it's a dry heat ), so you may just find the weather to your liking. The high temp last summer was 108, and I know Phoenix gets hotter than that. And now, in the middle of January, it's 70 degrees and sunny . I wore long sleeves on my mtb ride today and was overdressed !

I am raising an almost 6 year old here, and find it to be a great place for kids. There are events nearly every weekend that are kid-friendly, many of them free, and in my little pocket of Austin there is a very low crime rate. Most of the crime that makes the news is personal vendetta, not random stranger-on-stranger crime. Lots of swimming holes, creeks, etc. and entertainment, hey, it's the Live Music Capital! It also sees its share of touring companies (we're going to see Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan next month) in addition to wacky Austintatious groups like the Cycle Circus.

You likely won't need a covered court in the winter here, but I bet you could find one if you looked. I live in a (relatively) popular older neighborhood, and homes are priced from $200K up. Go farther afield (I can see downtown from my porch) and the prices are better. Oh yeah, and an international airport not far from downtown.

I'm not a city girl, and don't know how long I'm going to last here, but there is a live and let live vibe in this town that I really love. Freaks, geeks and guys in $2000 suits all mingling together. People here really like to be outside, from hard-core athletes to Ma & Pa sitting on the porch shelling pecans, folks really value their outdoor time. Makes for a pretty livable city, I think.