For those who live in Texas....

ForceofNature101

Do ya like it there? As a guy from SoCal, I hear a lot of jokes and insults thrown at Texans and the state itself. Of course, a lot of that stuff is major BS, but I am curious what people who live there think of it. I have never been anywhere near that area, I really have only traveled to cities (Seattle, NYC, etc.) because I am in love with the city life lol

unsung

My father moved to a Houston suburb two years ago. At first I didn't like it when I went to visit but now after being there a few times and comparing it to Illinois I'd like to move. One thing is I could get twice the house down there for my money. Plus Illinois is nearly bankrupt because of wasteful spending. I can only compare the two and I know I'd rather be there, just have to get the income flow there first.

RFTC

I moved from San Diego to Houston 3.5 years back for career purposes. My wife was in utter shock at first discussion and only after making her 'exploratory' visit started to warm up (no pun intended). the upsides are:

1. housing, crazy value compared to so cal
2. neighborhoods, if you have young kids this is huge, there is a communal aspect that is far stronger than any community i lived in from diego, to huntington beach, to the valley area.
3. restaurants, houstonians eat out a bunch, my family not so much. when we do however, its a foodie paradise, lebanese, french, malaysian, yep their here alongside standard chains.
4. business climate, my industry is logistics and h-town is a fantastic manufacturing base that has largely not participated in econ downturn.

downsides:

1. weather, sucks 5-6 months of year. nuff said
2. drivers, F150 truck drivers speeding, tailgating, acting like tough douchebags.
3. traffic, picture moving 5 mph or less w/the above douchers most of time you travel 'inside the loop'
4. i am a political moderate that voted for obama, i get blasted w/regularity from co-workers and neighbors. nothing get's too personal but i am definitely the minority in what i view a very consertative political base.

sorry for the novella, this is a topic that gets brought up a bunch. all in all, we are pleased w/the move and would do it again. that said, we have designs to get back to san diego after kids get a bit older.

haffajappa

Interesting about the housing costs...
When my bf and i watch house hunters on TV and see the people down there scoff at 210,000 for like a 7 bedroom house we find it hilarious!

if you wanted a bachelor apartment in vancouver it would probably start at about 300,000 for 500 square feet... and thats a steal!

chadwick

dallas/fort worth...
i been around there many times.
dallas and the surrounding area is a cluster fuck.
it is a race track and a stove.
you can get laid in dfw.
women out number men by 1300 to 1.
margarita festival carnival west end.
it's pretty amazing with horse drawn carriages in downtown dallas,
women are a pain in the ass, yet fantastic.
great food.
great fun people.
friendly people.

hot as fuck.
race track = i-35.

housing = i have no idea.
education = some woman's college is north of dallas.
football = dallas cowboy cheer leaders... the rest of the team are stupid and don't matter.

texans like guns and dancing.
texans like gw senior and jr.
texans like bull riding and bbq beef briquet.
texans eat bbq and tacos.

texans dance.
texans dance.

texans live in a heater.
texans drive giant pick up trucks on concrete and asphalt forever.
texans have large trucks.

texans have casinos and big parking lots with big trucks parked there.
texans are scared of northern yankees.

the end.

_

Texas is a large and diverse place, so you'd be better off asking about a specific town if you have one in mind. I've lived there before, still visit regularly, and would live there again. Overall, I give Texas :thumbup: :thumbup:.

Jeanwah

chadwick wrote:

texans are scared of northern yankees.

the end.

Don't ever make the mistake of driving around the state with New York plates. Many times, friends of mine who moved there did this (they had to drive to get there...) nearly got shot a few times and got harassed all the time. Austin was more laid back on them though.

blackredyellow

house prices are incredibly low...

heat is incredibly high... I couldn't live in that weather.

PJPOWER

It really just depends where you are thinking about moving in Texas...it's a big state... I live in the "Panhandle". Farming/ranching culture for the most part. Most people here are hard working and take pride in their work. It is in the "bible belt" and some people around here are pretty close minded, but most people are pretty nice. Austin has a great music scene and you run into some beautiful country around San Antonio. Dallas/Fort Worth is a busy place, but has a lot to do. I would avoid the El Paso area at all costs. Most of Texas does experience some extreme weather conditions...where I'm at, it gets really cold in the winter and really hot during the summer. I've learned to like it here, mainly for the fact that I can afford to leave and go on Vacations from time to time due to the low cost of living

unsung

I'm curious, what is "really cold" to a Texan?

Ledbetterdays

I moved here from the midwest about 10 years ago. I could not live in Dallas or Houston but I live near Austin and it is perfect except for the traffic. Great food, great live music, great people and a very young city. Austin has just about anything water, trees, hills, etc. Texas is huge and once you are here it is hard to leave--at least by car. San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas are so very different. You should choose wisely if you would be going to one of those cities. Housing is great, economy is pretty good. Education is not great so you have to find good school districts. No state sales tax either. If you want more details PM me. I would say that if you get into the 50s during the daytime, people are freaking out here.

PJPOWER

unsung wrote:

I'm curious, what is "really cold" to a Texan?

5 degree fahrenheit with a 60 MHP wind

unsung

That is probably cold to anyone.

Jason P

unsung wrote:

I'm curious, what is "really cold" to a Texan?

I worked construction one summer outside of Corpus Christi and stayed at my cousin's house. One evening, I set the thermostat to 65 degrees. When I woke up the next morning, he had all the windows and doors open with fans drawing in warm air . . . he was also covered in a blanket.

So I'm going with 65 degrees as my final answer.