Houston

Ive been in Austin for two years now after 6 years in Houston and my first 25 years in new orleans.

I would not live in Houston again unless I was getting paid a ridiculous amount more money than I could make anywhere else. Id start looking in other states etc for work, living in Houston after having lived in Austin would have killed me. I lived in one of the youngest trendiest areas of houston (midtown) and it does not hold a candle to life in austin. Sorry to be a debbie downer, but I really disliked Houston as a single guy.

EDIT: As for the traffic point you raised in the OP, I think austin traffic is worse than houston traffic TBH.