I keep hearing how wonderful TX is... True?

[dancer67]

If all you TX residents could chime in on this. It seems that everyone I have spoken to, online or not, LOVE TX.

 

Why?

 

Besides homeschooling, why is TX so great?

 

I wold love nothing more then to get the heck out of MA. I have lived here almost all my life. What I really hate, is the politics, the taxes, and the WEATHER!!! We have a very short summer. We maybe have TWO weeks of very hot weather(in the 90's), and that's it. Summer is supposed to start here in June, and end Sept 21. HA. We may get some 70-80degree days.

 

Now it is the end of summer. We went from 80 degree days to BLAMO, 60 degree days, and in about another month we could actually have SNOW. YUCK YUCK YUCK.

 

I am a warm weather girl. I love my sandals and shorts. I love to go outside without freezing my petushie off, scraping ice, shoveling snow, driving in bad weather, being cold all the time. UGGGH.

 

My 11 yo dd BF just moved to Flower Mound TX. Anyone know about that area?

 

And what about jobs in TX. Is it just as bad as everywhere else? Cost of living? My husband is in the electrical field.

 

I never could figure out how to relocate. What do you tell employers when you apply? That you are relocating to the area? As some of them may not like that idea at all.

 

I know when people ask me about MA, I say STAY AWAY!!! Funny, when I ask people about TX, they say GREAT!!!

 

Just wondering why??????

 

I would love to get out of here, did I say that already?? LOL

[amy g.]

I have friends in Flower Mound I think it is nice.

 

I'm outside of Houston where there are still plenty of jobs and the cost of living is low.

 

The down sides are the bugs and the heat.

[Rebecca VA]

This has been a weird summer for a lot of us! I live in Virginia, and we had a cold winter, a cold spring, and a cool summer. It only got really hot in August. And we're hearing that we might get another cold winter this year.

 

So it's not just Massachusetts that's freezing. Texas will sound nice to me in another couple of months.

[Mommyof4ks]

Hmmm...I am a bit biased, because I was born in TX and have lived here all my life!

 

We love it! Taxes are low, jobs are plentiful, the weather is great, and you can find any type of land you want (pasture, hills, desert, city whatever). It is hot during the summer. This summer we had 52 days of 100+ degree weather, but the a/c and a glass of tea takes care of that. :001_smile: We don't own coats (just jackets), no snow tires, and there is no fear of freezing pipes, and no 'winter prep'. There is no escaping politics here, but it may be different than what you are used to.

 

I have no experience with relocation, but someone else will I'm sure.

 

Come on down! We love new neighbors!

[Shawna in Texas]

If all you TX residents could chime in on this. It seems that everyone I have spoken to, online or not, LOVE TX.

 

Why?

 

Besides homeschooling, why is TX so great?

 

I wold love nothing more then to get the heck out of MA. I have lived here almost all my life. What I really hate, is the politics, the taxes, and the WEATHER!!! We have a very short summer. We maybe have TWO weeks of very hot weather(in the 90's), and that's it. Summer is supposed to start here in June, and end Sept 21. HA. We may get some 70-80degree days.

 

Now it is the end of summer. We went from 80 degree days to BLAMO, 60 degree days, and in about another month we could actually have SNOW. YUCK YUCK YUCK.

 

I am a warm weather girl. I love my sandals and shorts. I love to go outside without freezing my petushie off, scraping ice, shoveling snow, driving in bad weather, being cold all the time. UGGGH.

 

My 11 yo dd BF just moved to Flower Mound TX. Anyone know about that area?

 

And what about jobs in TX. Is it just as bad as everywhere else? Cost of living? My husband is in the electrical field.

 

I never could figure out how to relocate. What do you tell employers when you apply? That you are relocating to the area? As some of them may not like that idea at all.

 

I know when people ask me about MA, I say STAY AWAY!!! Funny, when I ask people about TX, they say GREAT!!!

 

Just wondering why??????

 

I would love to get out of here, did I say that already?? LOL

 

One of the reasons I think Texas is so great is because we have a little (and sometimes a lot) of everything. It's a red state, but most of the more populated areas can be moderate-to-liberal, so it's friendly to most. Great museums, great food, ocean, desert, Austin, and plenty of sunshine.

 

 

Heat index right now in Houston is 98F. :glare:

 

Flower Mound is in an area, last I visited, that was rapidly growing. I used to have family in The Colony and when they first moved there, they bought their house for about $50,000. The sold it 2 years ago for triple that.

 

Cost of living is really reasonable. Depending on the company, some prefer to hire locally, but some don't care. It depends on if they want you to be familiar with the area. But, I'm not familiar with that particular field. Politically, I think, Dallas leans a left since last election, but driving out of town it goes more conservative. I could be wrong, though.

[elegantlion]

My family grew up in MO. My sister left for Texas for college 20 + years ago and has never left. She lived in Flower Mound for several years and is still in that area.

 

We live in Louisiana, close enough we can almost see Texas from here. ;)

 

I have to say I hate cold winters. Growing up I would hibernate from Dec-Feb, hate the ice and snow. Now we have a nice winter and Christmas shopping in flip flops is wonderful. I feel like I can live for twelve months out of the year, not just nine. Granted weather patterns are different depending on which part of the state you're in, but our goal is to stay south of the I-20 line.

 

Our next move is going to be to Texas. IOW, when I grow up I want to be a Texan.

[shinyhappypeople]

I've heard mixed reviews about Texas, but I've never lived there so I'll keep my mouth shut (at least about that ;) ) However, if Texas doesn't work out for you, my personal favorite place to live is TENNESSEE :D Lovely people, pretty scenery, low COL, and decent weather. Summer weather is great, if you don't mind some humidity. Also, there's a lot to do in that part of the country. I'd move back there in a heartbeat.

[dancer67]

So, where would I even start looking??? TX is HUGE!!!

 

Hmmm, okay, Maybe if I mentioned what I am looking for it might be easier.

 

We would need to rent a house. No apt though. Could not buy a home right away. 4 Br/2BA and one that would allow our dog. Can't really come up with a rental price since not sure about job situation. I can tell you that rentals here for homes are over $2,000 a month for a 3 br. About 2500.00 a month for a 4br. So preferably LESS..........LOL.(We own a house now, but we would not be in a position to buy right away) So prices of homes not through the roof.

 

Preferably in an area that is not high on the Tornado list.

...lol

 

 

Not in a city, but in a town that can be in close proximaty to shopping, colleges, museums etc....(within a half hour ride).

 

Parks!!!!! We live in an area with no parks at all!!

 

Even though I homeschool, a town where there are excellent schools, and a choice of private and Christian Schools.

 

LOW crime.

 

Republicans......LOL.

 

Warm weather and no snow!!!!!

 

Okay, does this place exist in TX?

[forty-two]

I grew up in TX (south of Houston), and my dh lived there (in Abilene) from age 11. We both want to go back ;).

 

No state income tax, and my ILs say the economy is still doing pretty well. Easy to homeschool. Affordable housing. Some places in TX get cold, but not where I grew up. TX is great - I love it!

[Sonshine]

I live in Texas and love it. I visited here my senior year of high school, and moved here to go to college, intending to stay after college. That was over 30 years ago and I have never regretted it. I did see an article in some magazine a few months ago about the cities/towns in America that are doing well and not experiencing the recession. One town was in the Dallas area, but I can't remember the name. You might look for that type of information. I would think they would be in need of electricians. We are affected in Texas by the recession - it's not been immune to that. Do you like mountains, hills, lots of green, etc? The ocean and beaches? A college town?

[KidsHappen]

I've heard mixed reviews about Texas, but I've never lived there so I'll keep my mouth shut (at least about that ;) ) However, if Texas doesn't work out for you, my personal favorite place to live is TENNESSEE :D Lovely people, pretty scenery, low COL, and decent weather. Summer weather is great, if you don't mind some humidity. Also, there's a lot to do in that part of the country. I'd move back there in a heartbeat.

 

Yep, all my X'es (only one actually) live in TX, that why I hang my hat in TN. :tongue_smilie:

[Shawna in Texas]

So, where would I even start looking??? TX is HUGE!!!

 

Hmmm, okay, Maybe if I mentioned what I am looking for it might be easier.

 

We would need to rent a house. No apt though. Could not buy a home right away. 4 Br/2BA and one that would allow our dog. Can't really come up with a rental price since not sure about job situation. I can tell you that rentals here for homes are over $2,000 a month for a 3 br. About 2500.00 a month for a 4br. So preferably LESS..........LOL.(We own a house now, but we would not be in a position to buy right away) So prices of homes not through the roof.

 

Preferably in an area that is not high on the Tornado list.

...lol

 

 

Not in a city, but in a town that can be in close proximaty to shopping, colleges, museums etc....(within a half hour ride).

 

Parks!!!!! We live in an area with no parks at all!!

 

Even though I homeschool, a town where there are excellent schools, and a choice of private and Christian Schools.

 

LOW crime.

 

Republicans......LOL.

 

Warm weather and no snow!!!!!

 

Okay, does this place exist in TX?

 

Georgetown is lovely. Austin may be liberal, but Williamson Co. is not. I don't think you'll have a problem finding something in your price range. We rented a 2 bedroom duplex for $600 a month. It's a fairly small town, but growing.

 

New Braunfels is neat; between Austin and San Antonio.

 

Though I live in Houston currently, and like it well enough, I'm not familiar enough with the little towns around it.

[shalom22]

As a 23 year transplant to Texas, I will chime in and say that I wouldn't want to live anywhere else but Texas. I am from Oklahoma and I don't like cold wintery weather. You learn to deal with the heat, learn to go shopping and doing your running around before noon.

 

You can find very reasonable rental rates on 4/2 homes, you don't pay sales tax on food, variety of food and cultures, long on warm weather and short on cold weather.

 

Texas does have high property taxes, but if you are renting, that won't be an issue yet. But we don't have an income tax.

 

So, Yes. I must say that Texas is great.:D

 

 

For rental rates around Houston, check out www.har.com aka Houston Area Realtors. You can find great 4/2 homes to rent in the $1200.00 and up range. Best areas to look in Houston are the West, Northwest and North. Lots of great suburbs with easy access to Downtown Houston.

Edited September 28, 2009 by shalom22
rental rates

[Ellie]

So, where would I even start looking??? TX is HUGE!!!

 

Hmmm, okay, Maybe if I mentioned what I am looking for it might be easier.

 

We would need to rent a house. No apt though. Could not buy a home right away. 4 Br/2BA and one that would allow our dog. Can't really come up with a rental price since not sure about job situation. I can tell you that rentals here for homes are over $2,000 a month for a 3 br. About 2500.00 a month for a 4br. So preferably LESS..........LOL.(We own a house now, but we would not be in a position to buy right away) So prices of homes not through the roof.

 

Preferably in an area that is not high on the Tornado list.

...lol

 

 

Not in a city, but in a town that can be in close proximaty to shopping, colleges, museums etc....(within a half hour ride).

 

Parks!!!!! We live in an area with no parks at all!!

 

Even though I homeschool, a town where there are excellent schools, and a choice of private and Christian Schools.

 

LOW crime.

 

Republicans......LOL.

 

Warm weather and no snow!!!!!

 

Okay, does this place exist in TX?

The Austin area. I live in Round Rock, just north of Austin. We're close enough to Austin to be able to appreciate its amenities but we're far enough away to be more conservative and have lower real estate costs. We shelter in the summer, as opposed to folks in colder parts of the country sheltering in the winter, and then our winters are still mild enough to be out and about. High electric bills in the summer, not that high in winter. We're just about in the middle of the state, making "field trips" to other cities very doable.

 

And we're pretty much right between Disneyland and Disney World--how great is that?:D

[KidsHappen]

I can't really explain why TX is so wonderful. I can tell you the good, the bad and the ugly, the things I love and the things I hate but I can't really explain the emotional attachment. TX is home. I cross the state line and I feel like I belong. It where my family is from. It is part of my heritage. It gets in your blood and becomes part of who you are. You don't claim TX as your home. It claims you. Anyhow, I will try to give you some specifics that will help you in your quest.

 

First I'll start with the things I don't like so much. I hate the heat and humidity. It is oppressive. I hate the bugs. I hate the allergies. The traffic in some areas can be horrific. The urban sprawl get worse with every passing year, and they have some really stupid laws which they harshly enforce. But that is about it.

 

The up side is people are friendly, even in the big cities. The homeschooling laws are great as are the immunization exemption and midwifery laws. The are pockets of almost all political, religious and ethinic persuations as well as fully integrated areas. The cost if living is very good even in the big cities. There is no state income tax. There are tons of things to do no matter what it is you like to do. There are very few things that you can't do in TX (ski-ing is one of the only that comes to mind) but we have nature of all sorts, mountains, deserts, hills, rivers, valleys, woods, lakes, the beach as well as city and culture. There are zoos, science museums, aquariums, Sea World, amusment parks, planetariums, botanical gardens, one of the biggest state fairs, symphonies, orchestras', theater, art, music, sports, colleges, shopping. I could go on all night. You could easily find jobs in most of the larger cities and housing withing you price range. I have heard tell of people who didn't like TX but I don't know that I have ever actually met one.

[Shawna in Texas]

The Austin area. I live in Round Rock, just north of Austin. We're close enough to Austin to be able to appreciate its amenities but we're far enough away to be more conservative and have lower real estate costs. We shelter in the summer, as opposed to folks in colder parts of the country sheltering in the winter, and then our winters are still mild enough to be out and about. High electric bills in the summer, not that high in winter. We're just about in the middle of the state, making "field trips" to other cities very doable.

 

And we're pretty much right between Disneyland and Disney World--how great is that?:D

 

My grandparents live in Round Rock and they go walking at the IKEA. Round Rock has expanded so far north, it's nearly in Georgetown. When we visit from Houston, that new tollway cuts our trip by a half hour.

[Mommyof4ks]

Round Rock is lovely, but it is growing quickly. Lots of traffic lol. We travel there frequently to shop. Our little town is north of Round Rock/Georgetown/Pfulgerville (they are all right together just outside of north Austin). The Belton/Temple area is about 1 hour from Austin, 45 mins from Waco, and 2 hours from Dallas/Ft. Worth. There is a small town called Academy just outside of those little towns that has a wonderful public schools.

 

Rent is much lower than $2000 around here. I don't know exactly what it is, but we have friends who pay $1100 for a 3/2 in a good neighborhood.

[KingM]

We love it! Taxes are low, jobs are plentiful, the weather is great, and you can find any type of land you want (pasture, hills, desert, city whatever). It is hot during the summer. This summer we had 52 days of 100+ degree weather!

 

That sounds like hell to me. In fact, I think I'm the exact opposite of the OP, although I live in the same part of the world. A sunny day about 65 degrees is the perfect weather for me, but I also like snow, rain, chilly weather, everything, that is, except temps above 85 degrees. Let's make that 80. That's my cutoff for pleasant weather. I would seriously prefer ten below. I can always put on an extra layer, but I can't peel off my skin when it's too hot.

[Wyndie]

We were stationed in Wichita Falls, TX for five years and I did love it there. Didn't care much for the hot summer days but we just stayed inside or played outside with the sprinklers on. I can't explain what I loved about TX but it was nice. The heat, while horrid some days, was a dry heat which I much prefer from the damp heat of SC. There's always something to do in TX and the people were friendly in that area.

[melissel]

I have family in Flower Mound, and they love it. They say they'll never live anywhere else. It's a lovely area, from what I remember. If we ever move from NJ, it will be either there or the Raleigh area of NC (family there too). I like most of what I've heard about both areas. Unfortunately, this describes me to a T:

 

That sounds like hell to me. In fact, I think I'm the exact opposite of the OP, although I live in the same part of the world. A sunny day about 65 degrees is the perfect weather for me, but I also like snow, rain, chilly weather, everything, that is, except temps above 85 degrees. Let's make that 80. That's my cutoff for pleasant weather. I would seriously prefer ten below. I can always put on an extra layer, but I can't peel off my skin when it's too hot.

 

So we have some thinking to do :lol: But yes, I've heard great things about Texas as well!

[kdurfee]

I lived in Texas all my life and found it quite pleasant - people, jobs, land, housing. But... we left the hot nine years ago for the northeast and never want to return. If you love hot, you will be in heaven.

[dancer67]

Well, looks like I have a lot of places to look into. This is obviously a very, very big decision. And it isn't like we have ANY family that lives there. We only have friends that live in Flower Mound.

 

People keep talking about bugs. Okay, dare I ask? What kind of bugs? The only bugs we deal with here, are ants, bees, wasps, mayflies, and lightning bugs. Nothing huge or poisonous...LOL.

 

Tornadoes scare me. Never saw one in person, but I have seen movies and it scares the daylights out of me. When it storms here, we can get bad ones, lots of lightning, but we never have to worry about a siren going off...LOL

 

Thanks all:D

[Happy]

I live near Ft. Worth and think it's pretty awesome. A lot more laid back than Dallas or Houston. We do actually get some freezing temps at night in the winter...but I usually put out Christmas decorations in a light jacket...I've done it in flip flops, too. ;) I can't stand cold weather, but I do love sweatshirts, so I live in a great place.

 

I grew up in the Texas panhandle, in Lubbock. I loved it. Texas Tech University brings in lots of diversity, but it's still a down to earth town. Allergies can be tough there because of the dust in the spring and cotton gins in the fall. The best sunsets on the planet happen there. :D

 

Amarillo is lots of ranching, oil heritage, and canyon land. I loved living near there as a young married gal. Good people.

 

Lubbock, Amarillo, and Ft. Worth are doing decently in this economy. Near me, new construction is taking off again...slowly, but it's happening.

 

I've lived most of my life in Texas, with a short stint in Michigan (brrrrrrr) and a few years in Brussels, Belgium. I'd move back to Europe in a heartbeat...otherwise, life's too short NOT to live in Texas.

[melissel]

Well, looks like I have a lot of places to look into. This is obviously a very, very big decision. And it isn't like we have ANY family that lives there. We only have friends that live in Flower Mound.

 

People keep talking about bugs. Okay, dare I ask? What kind of bugs? The only bugs we deal with here, are ants, bees, wasps, mayflies, and lightning bugs. Nothing huge or poisonous...LOL.

 

Tornadoes scare me. Never saw one in person, but I have seen movies and it scares the daylights out of me. When it storms here, we can get bad ones, lots of lightning, but we never have to worry about a siren going off...LOL

 

Thanks all:D

 

From what I've heard, fire ants are a problem, even in the suburbs. Not a huge problem, but they do need to be addressed. It's the kind of thing you'd call an exterminator for. I'm trying to think of what else we talked about this summer--regular ants, of course, and lizards too. And I think black widow spiders. But it's not like anyone's moving out of state for those kinds of things, KWIM?

 

As for weather, my Flower Mound relatives have only recently had a tornado come close enough to cause some property damage around them (mainly uprooting some trees that I think it turned out were improperly planted, or something). That was the worst of it. And they've lived there for over 10 years. I'm not sure what other areas would get, but it seems that the DFW area in general is pretty safe from that kind of thing.

[teamturner]

Wow, I just pulled up some rental prices in my town on realtor.com. You can get a 6 bedroom 4000+ sq.ft. mansion looking house for $2500 a month! A more normal house with around 2800-3000 sq.ft. around $1800-2000 a month. I live in Plano, TX which is a suburb of Dallas and has a population over 250,000.

 

I'm from TX but have lived in other states (Florida and North Carolina). The fact that there is no state income tax is a huge savings. Put that together with the housing prices at or below $100/sq.ft. and you have a very affordable cost of living. Sales taxes and realestate taxes are a bit higher but still your overall taxes are lower here.

 

Climate wise I really liked NC better, but their taxes were crazy! I've also lived in Houston and that area as well as Austin/San Marcos area. Austin is really nice especially the climate, but the cost of living is a bit higher than the Dallas or Houston areas. I found Houston to be too hot and humid (more so than south Florida even) and the bugs drove me crazy. Up here in the Dallas area, it's not as humid but the summers once July hits are very hot! Very mild winter weather though. I actually wish it would snow once in a while. It can snow but it's very slushy and it melts almost immediately. We can get some ice on the roads.

 

 

 

You say you want to live in a town, not a city. How small is a town? There are all kinds of smaller towns further out from Dallas although urban sprawl is always moving. I have a friend that just moved to Prosper and it is more country out there. It's about 20 minutes north of Plano.

 

It's pretty conservative in the suburbs, but Dallas is liberal as far as the voting results.

[Ellie]

My grandparents live in Round Rock and they go walking at the IKEA. Round Rock has expanded so far north, it's nearly in Georgetown. When we visit from Houston, that new tollway cuts our trip by a half hour.

We're almost neighbors.:)

[Happy]

Well, looks like I have a lot of places to look into. This is obviously a very, very big decision. And it isn't like we have ANY family that lives there. We only have friends that live in Flower Mound.

 

People keep talking about bugs. Okay, dare I ask? What kind of bugs? The only bugs we deal with here, are ants, bees, wasps, mayflies, and lightning bugs. Nothing huge or poisonous...LOL.

 

Tornadoes scare me. Never saw one in person, but I have seen movies and it scares the daylights out of me. When it storms here, we can get bad ones, lots of lightning, but we never have to worry about a siren going off...LOL

 

Thanks all:D

 

Bugs...Mosquitos are my biggest problem. We have fire ants, but do a lawn treatment at the beginning of warm weather to slow them down. We are gardeners so we notice small mounds that pop up after a rain and treat them. They are not a huge hassle to us.

 

I've seen TWO black widow spiders in my whole life and I'm no spring chicken.

 

I've lived on farm land and had to deal with snakes, but not in town.

 

Weather...we have some mightly powerful weather. The up side of that is the local news stations stay on top of it...sometimes to the point of fear mongering, but I like weather maps and frequent updates, so I'm okay with that. If you are afraid of storms, do NOT rent or buy a mobile home. I call them tornado magnets. :D You learn what precautions to make and don't take the skies for granted.

 

I've seen more than one tornado and been close enough to a destructive one to feel the winds. (Living in the panhandle with its wide open skies....) It's a part of life that I respect greatly. I pay a lot of attention to the spring storms. The Houston area has to deal with hurricanes and their fun weather.

[Jugglin'5]

I live northwest of Houston, and my county (Montgomery) is consistently one of the most conservative voting counties in the nations. :D I love it here. It is very green, lots of trees, and super friendly.

[GoVanGogh]

From what I've heard, fire ants are a problem, even in the suburbs. Not a huge problem, but they do need to be addressed. It's the kind of thing you'd call an exterminator for.

Actually fire ants are super-easy to control through organic methods. We have been totally organic in the garden for 15 years and I seldom have a problem with fire ants. When we have a week straight of rain, I may have a mound pop up, but they are cheap and easy to treat.

 

Other bugs in this area... Just your typical pill bugs, flies, wasps and bees. Nothing serious.

We have snakes but nothing major. I think I have seen a dozen in 20+ years of living in Texas.

 

Yes, Flower Mound did have a tornado June 10th. :tongue_smilie:

 

If you are interested in gardening, you will be pleased to know that you can easily garden year round, including growing vegetables through the winter.

Summer is hard, due to the heat and drought. But I am from "up north" and I can't stand the cold, snow and ice!

 

Personally, I think our school system is awful in Texas. We are in an "excellent" school district, but monthly I hear of students being "pushed out" of the public school system because they can't pass the standardized tests. (I have no idea what the high school level state standardized test is like, but the elementary level tests are a joke!)

 

I have lived in Texas all of my adult life, but have traveled around the US. I do love other areas of the country, but I can't imagine moving. Texas has so much to offer - and the scenery is totally different if you drive from one hour west of Fort Worth to one hour east of Dallas. The hill country is incredible.

One thing we don't have -- tall trees. :tongue_smilie: Well, East Texas has some tall trees. But if you are used to the monsters in northern areas of the US, you would be in for a shock!

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Well, looks like I have a lot of places to look into. This is obviously a very, very big decision. And it isn't like we have ANY family that lives there. We only have friends that live in Flower Mound.

 

People keep talking about bugs. Okay, dare I ask? What kind of bugs? The only bugs we deal with here, are ants, bees, wasps, mayflies, and lightning bugs. Nothing huge or poisonous...LOL.

 

Tornadoes scare me. Never saw one in person, but I have seen movies and it scares the daylights out of me. When it storms here, we can get bad ones, lots of lightning, but we never have to worry about a siren going off...LOL

 

Thanks all:D

 

I grew up in Houston; hot, humid (which also allows for amazing tropical gardens), amazing museums, outdoor theaters, great food, huge city.

 

I lived in Austin for 8 years, and while this is a fun city with a lot of great things to offer, it has been through some major growing pains the last 10 years. The traffic is worst than D/FW, which has had the time to plan for growth.

 

D/FW work here (sort of). I drive to D/FW from south of Waco (where I currently live) a couple of times a month. We live on a farm near Waco, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the museums, parks, natural habitat zoo; and most of all, it's only an hour to Austin, 3 hours to San Antonio and a little under 2 hours to D/FW.

 

The bugs: Fire ants and mosquitoes are probably the ones that most people are referring to. I have never gotten used to them. I agree this is the most irritating thing about living where the weather is warm.

 

Homeschooling in TX: :D Absolutely nothing to do, no paperwork, testing, notification, no reporting, immunization, nothing, nada.... hence, the cults; sad, but true. :glare:

 

ETA: There was an F5 that leveled most of Waco in the 50s. There was also an F5 that leveled Jarrell (north of Austin) in the 90s. A couple of hurricanes have gone through Downtown Houston and Galveston. The weather can get pretty bad, but no blizzards for you here. ;)

Edited September 28, 2009 by Cindie2dds

[brehon]

KidsHappen pretty much hit everything. I live a wee bit northwest of Austin (outside Leander) and grew up in Houston (native Houstonian here) and west of the D/FW area.

 

Houston is hot and humid. No tornadoes (except those which show up on the edges of hurricanes), but hurricanes and flooding. Mosquitos big enough to carry off a small child.

 

D/FW .area is not easy to define as there is a definite difference between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Where I lived during my high school years was very nice. Good thunderstorms, but we never had a tornado in the 5 years I lived there.

 

Austin area -- if TX is like a whole 'nother country, then Austin is like a country within a country. Austin itself is very liberal politically. Travis County (where Austin is located) and Williamson County are both conservative. (Wilco is so conservative that I really wonder why candidates feel the need to put "Republican" on their campaign signs. :tongue_smilie:)

 

If you live in Willliamson County the COL is lower than in Travis County (especially Austin). As others have said TX has no state income tax; however, property taxes and the sales tax can be high (depending on where you live).

 

Austin area is great because it is central to many, many different places: San Antonio, the hill country, D/FW. There is so much to do here and so much history to explore. As far as natural disasters, well, Wilco/Travis Counties do get tornadoes, though most of them are not serious and they aren't an everyday occurance. For me snakes are the big bugger-boo. I hate the creatures with a passion bordering on psychosis. Every part of TX has snakes, both poisonous and non-poisonous. Fire ants don't bother me too much, at least compared to snakes. Then there are the usual bees, wasps, mosquitos, flies, gnats, mosquitos, did I mention mosquitos?

 

Um, and it does get hot. The pp wasn't kidding when she mentioned 56+ days of over 101 degrees. And no rain. Central TX is in the midst of a severe drought right now. A/C is a must, NOT a luxury, and your electric bills will be high in the summer -- generally reckoned to be from April through October. There's an old joke here: TX has 3 seasons - Hot, Hotter, and July/August.

 

I love TX, but, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm a 6th generation native Texan and have ancestors who fought with Houston at San Jacinto. The only place I would consider moving to are the Highlands of Scotland. Fell in love with that area when dh and I were on our honeymoon. Realistically, I'll stay in TX. And love it.

Edited September 28, 2009 by brehon

[Ravin]

Well, my parents live in the Panhandle. And while my dad has kvetched about looking for a new job (he's theoretically retired but keeps working), the unemployment rate has been steady in that area, as has the housing market. It's like Potter/Randall are the counties that the recession forgot, or something.

 

Anyway, I like the area a lot more than I did when I was a teenager and joined the Navy to get as far away from there as I could. I'd love to move there to have an actual (though usually mild) winter and not so many days in the triple digits. I do not love the desert.

 

I don't know where the town you mentioned is, but the northern part of the state is all pretty pleasant. My big city DH, though, was bored to misery when we lived in my hometown for a while.

[Ravin]

Well, my parents live in the Panhandle. And while my dad has kvetched about looking for a new job (he's theoretically retired but keeps working), the unemployment rate has been steady in that area, as has the housing market. It's like Potter/Randall are the counties that the recession forgot, or something.

 

Anyway, I like the area a lot more than I did when I was a teenager and joined the Navy to get as far away from there as I could. I'd love to move there to have an actual (though usually mild) winter and not so many days in the triple digits. I do not love the desert.

 

I don't know where the town you mentioned is, but the northern part of the state is all pretty pleasant. My big city DH, though, was bored to misery when we lived in my hometown for a while.

[amy g.]

When we lived in New Orleans for a couple of years, we rented our 4,000 sq ft house with a sun room and a 20X30 game room and granite counters slate floor,and in ground pool for $1,200 a month. This was in a nice neighborhood in a good school district.

 

Dh said that you could buy a house in Houston within your price range, but be sure to look at property taxes and electric bills. Those two can kill you if you are not expecting them to be so high.

[i.love.lucy]

The Austin area. I live in Round Rock, just north of Austin. We're close enough to Austin to be able to appreciate its amenities but we're far enough away to be more conservative and have lower real estate costs. We shelter in the summer, as opposed to folks in colder parts of the country sheltering in the winter, and then our winters are still mild enough to be out and about. High electric bills in the summer, not that high in winter. We're just about in the middle of the state, making "field trips" to other cities very doable.

 

And we're pretty much right between Disneyland and Disney World--how great is that?:D

 

Hi Neighbor!!! I'm in Cedar Park and used to live in Round Rock our first 10 years here.

 

KidsHappen pretty much hit everything. I live a wee bit northwest of Austin (outside Leander) and grew up in Houston (native Houstonian here) and west of the D/FW area.

Hi other neighbor!! :D Wonder if I know you...?

 

:iagree:All the main points have been stated. I am not a native. I am from California, but married a Southerner (Louisiana) and knew I'd have to live in the South because California is impossible. We did live in Tennessee for a while and I will agree that it is positively lovely. I'd seriously move back there in a heartbeat, mostly for the scenery and weather.

 

Austin is a great place to live. I am a city girl, so I couldn't go too small in town size. I really love the high-tech and college and music scenes around here. I think it really makes for a very diverse mix of people. I feel like it's a more highly educated populace than in TN too.

 

The weather is just something you deal with everywhere. The only perfect climate is California and it's so darn crazy that you couldn't pay me to live there anymore. So it's either too hot or too cold everywhere. At least TX has a lot of other great things going for it. And we just spent all summer at the pool, so I can't say it's too bad! :D

[tricia]

My married daughter lives in TX and loves it. In fact, tonight while doing ichat with her my son in law said there is some talk down there of receding from the United States. I've not heard anything about it but since at one time they were their own 'nation' there are by laws still in effect that would make such a move quite possible. So Texans, have you heard anything like this?

[tex-mex]

 

Preferably in an area that is not high on the Tornado list.

...lol

 

 

 

Skip the DFW area... we're in the infamous bottom portion of Tornado alley. Mixes real bad southwest of Ft. Worth. Houston and coast has its shares of hurricane season (Ike was really bad). Which leaves you with ______?? lol

 

I wouldn't freak out over tornadoes. To be honest, it is not that bad. However, I do have to agree with the poster who said TN was pretty. Don't get me wrong, but TX is high prairie, steppes, desert, and brown. Only the woodlands near the LA/East TX area is really pretty, IMO. Weather is really hot during a good part of the year. Someone said hot, hotter, and July/August. (They were dead serious. lol) I know of one HS gal who moved here in May from Vermont and claimed it was too hot. We giggled and then had to tell her the honest truth -- wait 'til August. :D Severe drought in the South (San Antonio and Austin area... quite serious. In our area, they restrict our outdoor water use. Frisco has a "water nazi" who patrols the streets and tickets/fines you if caught.) and our local lakes were very below normal levels about 3 years ago. One issue people argue over the drought in our area is the jump in building new homes and no plan in place to provide water for a large population. T. Boone Pickens has an idea to buy out the mineral water rights in the panhandle and sell water to the DFW/San Antonio/Austin area for a pretty penny. Big headache.

 

We have ice storms you will laugh at -- but please do not drive as the rest of TX are horrible with inclement weather. Traffic can be pretty bad in Houston, Austin, DFW, etc. We live up in Frisco... I like it better than the Flowermound area. It is more "open" and still yuppie enough with low crime and nice neighborhoods/shopping. Rent is a bit expensive. Lots of home foreclosures too. When Hurricane Katrina hit many LA natives relocated to TX -- Houston and DFW are the big spots. At first, locals complained that schools would have more crime due to New Orleans (9th Ward) moving in. In my area, I haven't heard of such a thing. You don't want to move to Fair Park or South Dallas, btw. (Dallas has a high crime rate.) Have seen news reports of Houston inner city schools dealing with more gangs from NO? But it sounds like everyone is moving to TX? Visit the area first and see if you like it? Better than moving and realizing you are unhappy.

Edited September 28, 2009 by tex-mex

[tex-mex]

Hi Neighbor!!! I'm in Cedar Park and used to live in Round Rock our first 10 years here.

 

 

We did live in Tennessee for a while and I will agree that it is positively lovely. I'd seriously move back there in a heartbeat, mostly for the scenery and weather.

 

Austin is a great place to live. I am a city girl, so I couldn't go too small in town size. I really love the high-tech and college and music scenes around here. I think it really makes for a very diverse mix of people. I feel like it's a more highly educated populace than in TN too.

 

 

 

Ditto on Austin -- very fun place to live! Cedar Park is great too!

[tex-mex]

As others have said TX has no state income tax; however, property taxes and the sales tax can be high (depending on where you live).

 

 

True that! City of Frisco just voted to increase property taxes. Our former home was appreciated at $350,000 and we paid close to $10,000 a year in property tax. $6700 of it alone was to the local school district. Ouch. (And homeschoolers are not allowed use in our area... :confused:) City officials have slashed budgets and laid off quite a few workers. Unemployment numbers are a bit high. Locally, we have overqualified professionals skilled in areas working as bag boys or Wal-Mart. Everyone in our city is nervous with the large number of foreclosed homes and lack of tax revenue come 2010 and 2011. Newspapers say the foreclosures in our area is up 34%. Only time will tell. I think we have 2-3 years to catch up with where CA and FL are at.

 

P.S. This Spring and Summer have been horrible for BUGS!!! We had a June Bug invasion that was large. Then a cricket invasion that was ridiculous. And now some type of black flying beetle swarms. Never seen so much in one season. ???

Edited September 28, 2009 by tex-mex

[eternalknot]

I guess I'll be the lone dissenter ::looks around the room with trepidation::

 

I've been here off and on for about 15 years now, and still haven't found the love. I've been in Austin, El Paso, Ft Hood, Wichita Falls, and DFW.

 

The weather is pretty much miserable - we get our three weeks of "nice" Spring weather, then our three weeks of "nice" Fall weather, and the rest of the year is either icky hot and humid or icy-sleety cold. Many times, all in the same week. There are no seasons, you have to pretty much keep at least a few sets of warm weather and cold weather clothes in your closets because ya just don't know what you're gonna get. Let's not even get into how people here can't drive if any inclement weather - not even a few rain sprinkles.

 

The hot weather brings bugs; the cold weather brings bugs. We have lots of geckos, which I like because they help keep the mosquitos down. Mosquitos are a HUGE problem. Ants, to a lesser extent. Roaches in El Paso, and they were true to rumored Texas-sized proportions. Did you know some can fly? ::shudders::

 

Lots of white protestants here! Probably a bonus to some, and a non-issue to others but for me (a non-white, non-Protestant married to a white catholic - which down here isn't considered Christian) it's something that colors how people treat us. Not the community at large, but the neighbors and people we see regularly. We get "prayed on" a lot. Smallish town, but not tiny - 17K residents - still small enough that even as homeschoolers we know a lot of the folks in our community. They mean well and are nice enough; it's just an annoyance that we've never dealt with anywhere else we've ever lived. Not even Oklahoma.

 

That affects many things, even extracurriculars. It's the Bible Belt after all! Few organizations meet on Wednesday evenings (a church night) and oh - the other religion. Football. At least in our town, extracurriculars are also planned around Cowboys games. Lots of season ticket holders where I live. Sigh.

 

Traffic is crazy. Especially in the DFW area. Worse than Seoul or Los Angeles, and anyone who has ever lived in either place would tell you - that's pretty bad.

 

On the plus side, cost of living is CHEAP. That makes a difference in quality of life, so that's worth considering even against all of the aforementioned cons :) you're smack dab in the middle of the country, which means vacations to either coast are equally doable. You can drive 2-3 hours in any direction and hit something different - hills, mountains, etc.

 

It's not a horrible place to live, I guess, but I'd never choose to be here. The military kept forcing me back LOL.

[vkay]

We were originally from CA and liked it ok enough. Then my dh had to relocate to MA for work. We spent 4 years there and HATED it (80% for reasons due to weather). Then my dh retired and we were in the unique situation of being able to choose anywhere we wanted to live............... While we were in MA, many relatives relocated to TX. After visits to TX and other states, we decided to choose TX.

 

That was 4 years ago and we couldn't be happier. I just don't mean I'm happy living here, I mean I'm practically "giddy" to live here! It's strange really, and my family and friends who don't live here are a bit tired of me gushing over it. So I've learned to tone it down.......but since you asked :lol:

 

 

<<deleted>>

 

Ok, I just typed away like a looney, gushing about how much I love TX. I realized that I can't post it for all to see. My sanity might be in question if I do.

 

So let me just say in Reader's Digest style: It's the weather, the people, the atmosphere, the mixtures of people (much more diverse than its stereotype gives it credit), state pride, cute honky tonk touristy things, restaurants, shopping, a certain city's townsquare!, it can't all be explained. It's almost as though people ARE happy here and you can feel it in the air around you.

 

I don't know. All I know is that I'm not moving out. :D

 

I'm not too far from Flowermound. It's a lovely area. DFW is HUGE and has something for everyone. We do have possible tornadoes though, and the winter weather is better in Austin. That's another great area. We initially tried to make it work there, but just couldn't. It's a bit more rural than what we like, but it is pretty. Texas is so big, that no matter your tastes (rural, city, suburbs, etc.), you can find it here.

[Shawna in Texas]

 

I've been here off and on for about 15 years now, and still haven't found the love. I've been in Austin, El Paso, Ft Hood, Wichita Falls, and DFW.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the reasons I started homeschooling was because of Killeen, Texas. The only redeeming quality of that town was that it was an hour from Austin. We were non-military; we got transferred because of dh's work.

 

Another town I won't live in again is Giddings, Texas. We went looking for small town life, close enough to Austin to commute. But the spiders! They were big enough to eat birds! It was the worst 6 months of my life. When you take 290 from Giddings to Austin, you can see these huge spiderwebs making a triangle from the trees to the ground. I make my husband take 10 to 71 now.

 

I thought all big roaches flew. :D We've been at our current place for over two years and I've only seen one. We have lots of geckos and ladybugs, though.

 

I've never been to El Paso or Wichita Falls. I grew up close to DFW and I'd take Austin, Houston, and San Antonio over north Texas. What did you not like about Austin?

[LNC]

I loved in Longmeadow from 3rd-5th grades. I loved it! I moved from Longmeadow Mass to Dallas Tx the summer before my 6th grade. It was such culture shock - I adapted and ended up going to college Baylor and really loved it. That was the best part of my Texas experience. I would never live in DFW if you payed me a million. I remember my years in Longmeadow as idyllic. I really want to take my kids back there.

[Happy]

a certain city's townsquare!,.

 

Southlake? ;)

 

That's where my favorite Barnes and Noble lives....

 

I love Sundance Square, too.

[dancer67]

I loved in Longmeadow from 3rd-5th grades. I loved it! I moved from Longmeadow Mass to Dallas Tx the summer before my 6th grade. It was such culture shock - I adapted and ended up going to college Baylor and really loved it. That was the best part of my Texas experience. I would never live in DFW if you payed me a million. I remember my years in Longmeadow as idyllic. I really want to take my kids back there.

 

OMG, I live like 20 minutes from Longmeadow!(Ritzy town, ohh la la). DH's grandparents lived their all their lives.

 

If it wasn't in MA, it would be one of my choices to live.

[dancer67]

I am not so sure on that bug situation...LOL. I am going to look into the areas that everyone has mentioned.

 

Actually, there are others who have mentioned TN. That was another state on my list. I hear everyone rave about that state as well.

 

So maybe a s/o thread is called for..:-)

 

Wow, you ladies are amazing, thanks for all of that information. Oh and before I actually decided to make a move there(ar anywhere), I would make sure I visited first!! We just got a pop-up camper, and we would love to take it and do some traveling in the spring.

[The Girls' Mom]

Well, I'm in TN (love it) and we are moving to Texas. (Dh is going to seminary) I'm reading this thread with MUCH interest!!

 

And um....if you'd like to buy a lovely house in a very convienient location in TN......;)

[Denisemomof4]

That sounds like hell to me. In fact, I think I'm the exact opposite of the OP, although I live in the same part of the world. A sunny day about 65 degrees is the perfect weather for me, but I also like snow, rain, chilly weather, everything, that is, except temps above 85 degrees. Let's make that 80. That's my cutoff for pleasant weather. I would seriously prefer ten below. I can always put on an extra layer, but I can't peel off my skin when it's too hot.

 

Now see, I'm sitting here thinking What's Wrong With Me?

 

I grew up in CA and LOVED the sunny, hot weather. BUT IT WAS NOT HUMID. I've lived in NH for 26 years now and have grown to LOVE winter (I absolutely LOVE walking outside, so refreshing and invigorating, and NO BUGS!!!) and have learned to tolerate the summers here. Yes, it's been a cool summer but we've also had summers that extended into October and have been very, very hot. I do NOT like those. Dry heat below 100 degress I'm fine with but humid summers? No.

 

IMO, absolutely NOTHING beats fall time in New England. I also love the quaint New England seacoast villages.

 

Ok, at least there's one other person out there like me. And dh. :D

 

I am done now. ;)

[Guest pkec99]

I have lived in Flower Mound for almost 10 years and love it. Cost of living is low. Job situation is better than most areas. Flower Mound has lots of young families, is less than an hour away from Dallas and Fort Worth, and has an awesome part time Classical Christian school. They also have a great homeschool store in Lewisville that offers excellent enrichment classes. It also isn't quite as flat and treeless as most of the surrounding area.

 

Summers are pretty miserable in Texas, but Fall and Spring are usually very nice. We don't have much of a winter. I have lived in Texas all my life and have only really been in one tornado in downtown Fort Worth. It was a little scary, but I think almost everyone survived.

[Tiff in TX]

Southlake? ;)

 

That's where my favorite Barnes and Noble lives....

 

I love Sundance Square, too.

 

You must be pretty close to me. We live in Keller.

 

As for tornados, I have lived right outside Fort Worth all my life, with the exception of 5 years in Waco for college, and have never been in one. I love being a Texan and I live in a great area. We don't actually live in Fort Worth, but in a surrounding suburb. There are a ton of great smaller towns around here. Mostly conservative, good schools (which is a plus even if your children don't attend them), a church on every corner (which could be good or bad) and you are close to two major cities so you get all the benifits.

 

The Dallas Science museum is awesome, the Fort Worth Zoo is top notch and don't forget about the State Fair of Texas... it is an event not to be missed.