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And Heat, Hail, Tornadoes and Catalytic converter thieves
Lol yes!!! We've moved since but we're on converter number three on our Prius!
You didn’t buy locks for it after the first one was stolen?
No one would install!!! We tried!!
And a failing electric grid, which is ironic in the energy capital of the country.
Left DFW 6 years ago and never looked back. We lived in Richardson (which I still love and always run/bike my old stomping grounds) but the rest of the area/state is awful. We visit family quite often in Wylie and I still can't believe how oppressively hot and humid it is. Dallas/Collin counties have become much more sprawling and the traffic is horrific. We settled in Denver. I always say our standard of living decreased in Denver but our quality of life has greatly improved. It's currently 53 degrees outside (on a July morning) and I have all the windows wide open.
For me the weather is one thing - and it's not a small one
But I love walkability and I enjoyed the feeling of being a part of a community. The burbs are very isolating. And there's almost nothing to do here that doesn't require driving, parking, and paying a lot of money.
Is the traffic in Denver as bad as everyone says it is?
Not when compared with Houston.
No, have lived in Denver for 10 years and the only traffic-related complaint I have is people running red lights.
Places I have lived with worse traffic: Chicago, Orlando, DC, Houston. Places with better traffic: Seattle (though that may be because I was rarely on the interstates), Charleston.
it's so nice today, denver has it's issues but the weather is generally great. even the snow melts fast.
Lol Denver literally sucks. There is literally no culture or vibe to that city. The food is awful. It’s fine I guess if white people in flannels is your thing. The weather can also be 30 one day and 80 the next. Hard pass.
Is it better than Dallas? I don’t know… but better than Austin, or Houston; definitely not.
I love nature & that’s why for me, Austin is an OKAY middle ground. But I’m happier being in a truly cool city that has a vibe vs whatever Denver is
Exactly. The weather and politics suck but it’s really the bland culture that I can’t stand.
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a lot to knock Texas on but bland culture is cap
you’re from Virginia but you think Texas culture is bland? lol
Yeah. I used to live there(Texas). In contrast Virginia is one of the most diverse places I’ve ever lived. Being this close to the capital does that.
Literally the same, I grew up in Mass and ended up in DFW and can’t wait to leave. 3 days of frozen followed by hot, hotter, and August doesn’t count as four seasons.
This was me except with Austin. I grew up there for almost 20 years and saw it go from a cheap quirky small city to an overrated and overcrowded city that matched the cost of Southern California. Sorry but I’m not paying California cost of living for Texas. Needless to say, I now pay Austin prices to live in Orange County lol.
Poor Austin. It was a cool town 15 years ago
lol wut? The median house in Southern California is around $1.8M. In Austin it’s $500k
What are you smoking? Please leave so we don’t have such uneducated people in Austin.
Not much better here in Houston - lifelong Houstonian
Been in the Houston area for 9 years now. Enjoyed it at first but now I’m counting down my last 3 years here. Still not sure where we’ll settling down at but it’s absolutely out of Texas.
I’m from the Boston area and live in DFW as well and I hate it here as well. I’m just on the lower of the financial spectrum so moving back home isn’t an option. I bought my house 12 years ago and I’ve almost paid off my mortgage. Even with how much my house has increased in value there is no way I can afford to move back home and get even close to the same home and amenities. Looking at the Boston area real estate market I’d have to live in a rural with a home from the 1800’s or a single bedroom condo with high condo fees and probably another mortgage. I’d have to hustle and go without a lot of things to make it work and it’s just don’t have it in me. However, I still want to move out of this hate filled, Bible thumping, never ending heat, patriarchal hellscape.
Yeah I moved to Boston for grad school and stayed for a job - but flying back to the south 3-4 times a year really chewed through any savings.
I don't really know what my next step will be but TX is not happening for me. Sadly it feels like I have even less expendable income here because of car related expenses. Whatever I would have used for airline tickets instead is put into gas and repairs.
We also would prefer to pay Boston prices to be out of DFW and are looking at Medford, Brookline, Somerville. Open to other Boston burbs!
The Texas weather and politics are too much. We like being outdoors and having to hunker down inside from the heat for 5-6 months out of the year is not ideal for us or our toddler. We want better for her.
I lived in Somerville and loved it, though it definitely skews younger with lots of students. If I could teleport my self and belongings to Somerville into an apartment right now I would.
But I think it's gotten lot more expensive in just the last year or two even as the rate of rent growth in a lot of other cities has tapered off at least some. I knew some coworkers there who were in their 30s and 40s with kids who opted to live further out and commute via train.
On a separate note, I dislike calling Somerville/Medford/Brookline the burbs because honestly they are more coherent cities with urban lifestyle than you can find in most of the south.
Like public transit + walkability + wide variety of food + easy access to Boston proper + universities + bars/night life + lots of misc recreation stuff to do
And out of these, most cities in the south don't have all of these or at least not in close proximity. The burbs are legit just an ocean of cookie cutter houses with a 7/11 and some fast food.
Totally agree that burbs might be a misnomer. My research on the area calls them this but totally agree that their features of walkability etc are not on par with what we call suburbs here in DFW. Heck, even dallas isn’t walkable haha. Unless you live and work in say Uptown or Oaklawn, there isn’t much walkability at all and even in those areas it’s limited compared to many places in the NE.
Thank you for your local input! Brookline is certainly expensive and I’m not sure we could buy into there. But it’s on the list. With a toddler, we will be dependent on public schools and MA has much better public schools overall than Texas and some of those areas in particular have a lot of our boxes checked (walkability, left-leaning politics, good education, human rights, access to nature and culture, etc).
Schools in MA are fantastic. For a long time I had no idea the elementary school I walked by in Somerville daily was one of the top ranked public schools in the country - albeit I'm kinda fuzzy on how you could create rankings for elementary schools with any efficacy and probably part of these rankings existing is because everything on the internet nowadays has to be ranked.
I will say access to nature is tricky without a car from my experience. There's some nice parks and there's a pleasant bike/walking trail that cuts through Somerville away from traffic except for 1-2 crossings. Can't speak much to Medford/Brookline/Malden/etc. But I would assume anything like a nice nature walk/hike would require a car. Same for access to any good beaches.
For reference, I lived in Somerville for 5 years and never had a car. And only in a handful of very specific scenarios did I ever think "man if I had a car here" but overall I'm glad I didn't have one.
DFW is super bland and feels very materialistic. The culture, in my limited experience, feels like a city for mid-level bank executives in the same way DC feels like a city wannabe politicians.
Houston has more character and a more interesting urban environment, but I can’t handle the swamp weather.
Haven’t spent much time in Austin so I won’t comment much. I could see the appeal 10-20 years ago, but with COL now, it feels like you may as well stay in SF or Seattle if you’re in tech.
San Antonio is my favorite big TX city. The huge Hispanic population gives it a unique and more laid back/friendly culture than the other big TX cities, IMO. It’s still hot and a sprawling mess of a car-dependent city, but it suits me best.
SA and Austin also have the benefit of bordering the Hill Country. DFW and Houston don’t have much in terms of interesting geography.
I’ll co-sign to all of this. I love San Antonio, I love 1990s Austin. Never been to Houston though, and don’t want to go back to Dallas.
San Antonio is beautiful, wonderful culture, great food and nice nature close by. Big Bend isn’t exactly close but it’s the most beautiful place on earth, for me.
The only things I miss about Houston are the great food, low housing cost, and abundant parking. I’m in greater Boston currently and the housing situation is bleak even with a good salary.
You can be perfectly happy and financially secure without ever owning a house. I'd much rather rent in a place I loved than buy a house in a place I didn't like or was ambivalent about.
Obviously, when you have a child, school quality is a major factor. For the sake of my kids, I'd rather be the poorest person in Chappaqua than the richest person in some shithole town governed by fundamentalist nutballs.
I'm with you but my pragmatic side takes over. Our mortgage on our 800 sq foot house in the Denver area is $1,250 and another $300 or so for insurance and property taxes. For reference, we paid $2k/month on a slightly larger rental house about 5 miles away - in 2019. Can't imagine what it is now. I do miss the rental house and the freedom we had, but one day, I know we'll make this place our own and I'll fall in love with this house (the area not so much, but I'm 15 minutes from the foothills, which is the whole reason we moved here).
Whatever works for you works. My point is that people should buy a house because they want to make it their home in a place they want to sink roots. Buying a house in a place you don't like, just for the sake of owning a house, is dooming yourself to a prison sentence.
I wouldn’t say it’s for the sake of owning a house. The point of my post is it’s pragmatic if you’re planning on staying for at least 5 years. You’re essentially locking in your living costs for the next 30 years, which eat up a good chunk of anyone’s budget. Rent in urban centers always goes up over time. If you make really good money and it’s irrelevant to you how much you pay for shelter, then whatever. But I don’t know a lot of people who are in this position and wouldn’t love to inflation proof their living costs
You are inflation proofing ... sort of.
For one thing, I am dubious that the additional costs of home ownership for you, including insurance and taxes, are only $300/month.
For another, you are going to start incurring serious expenses as the house ages. And property taxes and insurance are going to continue rising more than inflation in most places for the foreseeable future.
I have substantial investments, enough for a big down payment or even to buy a house outright. I continue to rent. Why? Because I'm living in a place I love (NYC), and buying an apartment that I liked as much in a neighborhood I loved would cost more than I want to spend, probably more than I should sensibly spend. Also, it would mean cashing in a big chunk of my invested funds, which are liquid and growing, and allow me to do fun stuff l Iike travel the world without worry, to sink into an illiquid asset that probably wouldn't be sold until after I die. So I'd never even reap the benefit of that investment.
Bear in mind that in a strong real estate market like the NYC suburbs, real estate has appreciated by about 1,000% since 1975. The S&P 500 has appreciated by 14,000% over that time. If you invested in a house in say, Buffalo or Utica, NY, or Gary, IN in 1975, you're SOL. So houses aren't even great investments, even in the strongest markets. And in weaker markets, you could lose everything.
Again, my point is, what works for you, works. But the conventional wisdom that people are stupid to "throw away" their money on rent is stupid, when in some cases continuing to rent is very smart. For me, financially, the main appeal is continuing to have substantial liquid funds at my disposal, invested in funds that grow many times faster than real estate does.
Buying a house, more than anything else, ties you to a place. The most important thing is whether you want to be tied to that house in that place. The financial stuff is secondary.
I continue to rent. Why? Because I'm living in a place I love (NY
NYC has tenants rights that don't exist in the vast majority of the US. The housing market in NYC is also very different than most of the country.
True, but I lease from the owner of a co-op, so I don't have those same rights. I suppose he could throw me out when my lease is up, but he only raises my rent about 3% to 4% per year. He probably sees it as being in his interest to retain a tenant who's paid on time every month for 12 years over bringing in someone new who's an unknown factor.
I'm not saying what works for me works for everyone, although I don't believe the NYC housing market is fundamentally different from that of most major US metro areas. Just want to provide a counterpoint to the conventional wisdom that buying is always smarter than renting. It pains me to see these questions, in which someone is trying to figure out the least bad place for them to move, just for the sake of owning property, as if it's the be all and end all of life.
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This is what a mutual fund allows you. You are buying a tiny little sliver of the stock market. It is much easier to buy and sell shares in a Vanguard fund than to buy and sell houses.
You're right and smart, no_soup.
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And you just summed up what is so screwed up about proposition 13. You, and millions of others, are actually disincentived from selling a house in the future because it costs less to keep it. Thus, less inventory and a price spiral. Not to mention scenarios where wealthy people are subsidized by lower wage earners.
uh...that seems not too crazy of a price at all...speaking from Oregon 😩
That is the starter home that a lot of people across the country dream of. We had a similar sized condo in the Boston area over 10 years ago and we paid double that. With a mortgage, your payments will hold steady as your salary expands. I know it feels tough at the moment, but honestly not living in a scary red state is priceless (we are trying to get out of Florida for obvious reasons).
I agree with you. You can totally be financially independent and not own a house. Plus you’d be a lot happier without the headache of a house and more free time. The American standard is to buy a house and that means you’ve done good lol screw that. People just need to make sure they have a plan for when they retire. Which is to invest and save of course. Buy a house when you need to actually have a house.
Renting vs owning isn’t just about financial security. If you have a landlord, he can kick you out to do renovations. He can refuse to do repairs or let you do them. He can make up things to charge you for, or decide to ban pets, or tow your car one day even though you followed all the parking rules. Worst of all, he has a key to your place and can barge in at any time. And even if you love your current landlord, he might sell the place to another one that is terrible.
Financially renting isn’t as much of a problem for me. It was the endless stress and harassment.
Greg Abbott is definitely a governor I would never want in my life as a resident of any state. He’s scum. I can’t look past that personally.
They’re all scum in that state.
The summers will kill your soul. Been here 10 years. Moving north in the next few years.
lol, the winters killed my soul after 30 years living up north. Give me 100 degree weather and my pool any day over depressing Chicago winter.
Ah, a transplant. This explains it.
Isn’t this entire sub centered around being a “transplant” to somewhere new?
How is that relevant? I’m a Texas native, and hot summers are way easier to handle than harsh winters. You can still hang out at the pool in the summer to cool off, and can go out without putting on layers of clothes or waking up an hour early to shovel the snow. Unless you’re on the west coast, you have to pick your poison. Some pick winter, some pick summer. There’s no right or wrong answer.
This guy has been commenting on a million threads, not anything to do with his winter comment.
Idk about the pool thing, im in Houston right now and have gone to a pool everyday for the last few days, it feels like swimming in warm saliva, there is no cooling off. I miss my cool refreshing pool in the northeast D:
I grew up in Texas. I miss it all the time but it is not a good place to live imo. The sheer expanse of highways like you’ve never seen and copy paste strip malls is so incredibly depressing. The politics are terrifying and the state and local government(s) is/are only getting more Christian Alt Right Fundamentalist. When I lived in Denton, TX, we were the first county to ban oil fracking. The state overturned that and said we weren’t allowed. The legendary libertarian sensibilities of Texas are a complete and total myth. The droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes (depending on where you are), flooding, electricity grid, general infrastructure tomfoolery is insane. The cost of living has skyrocketed just like everywhere else but the massive influx of people has made it especially bad. I don’t think enough people talk about this but the allergens in the air are intense and the air quality can be very bad depending on where you are. My uncle had to leave the state because of it. Lastly, if your kid is a girl, do not pass go.
I also think that if I relocate from where I live now, I’m going to think long and hard about where I go in regards to climate change estimations. Texas is a terrible pick for that as well.
Texas is beautiful, encompasses many different ecological zones, has a lot of character, and generally has a populous that cares about their state. The people are friendly and open (depending on who you are; I’m white so ymmv). However, if you do choose move, I recommend San Antonio if you’re a city person. Super latino dominant culture, very cute, and has some great nature and general fun to be had.
Lifelong Texan here - I don't think you've given us enough information to know if Texas overall is worth your consideration, and even more specifically, which cities you should consider because they are all so different.
What are you looking for in terms of affordability? Put some numbers to it because different regions vary. Keep in mind that Texas property taxes are sky high.
Are you looking to settle your family in a quiet suburb or do you prefer city advantages like walkability?
How do you feel about the weather and outdoor activities? This might actually be the most important one.
You mentioned that your friends aren't moving to big cities. Are they moving to the suburbs of those cities or to some of the small cities in between? Living in Plano (outside of Dallas) is way different from living somewhere like Plainview (outside of nowhere lol).
San Antonio is nice. You can find vibrant, thriving neighborhoods that aren’t just strip malls and highways. Also: HEB.
You get what you pay for.
Weather is decent for 5-6 months. Professional white-collar employment opportunities are plentiful. If you're a RWNJ, or a supporter, you'll love living in Texas. If you're really a POS, you'll really love living in the rural areas. Living in the large cities can be enjoyable, but it's not NYC, Chicago, or LA. Especially since the state government is intent on making life as difficult and expensive as possible for city dwellers.
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If your kid is female, I wouldn’t go to Texas.
Native Texan (Dallas). Got out in 2022 after 40+ years and I’m grateful every day to not be there anymore. I used to love my state and be so proud of it. I left for a few years in college and moved back after, intending to stay forever.
But the last decade is total embarrassment, the people have gotten mean, and losing my reproductive rights was a last straw. Do not recommend. Also the climate is a lot worse than it was when I was a kid. I always knew it was a tough climate, but I didn’t realize how utterly miserable it was until I moved north as an adult. I also saw a pretty distinct (negative) change in the climate around 2019. It went from tough to oppressive. Texas is a volatile, unsafe, unkind place to live in 2024.
SAME. Born in Texas and lived there 40 years (Houston and Austin). We left 10 years ago for a blue state. I would never, ever live there again. Before leaving I had only the slightest idea how much Texas politics influenced our quality of life. Upgrading from the overarching misogyny and filthy environment are the best parts of leaving. The wages are wayyyyyyy better in my current state. Even with HCOL now we are much better off financially.
Reproductive rights was one of our biggest reasons for leaving. It's so unsafe for women and who knows what new ridiculous laws they'll come up with. My husband always says "People in the south are nice but not kind, where people in the north are not nice but are kind" and that was kind of our motto when we lived in Texas.
You could be me but Texas instead of Florida. This state is sunk (literally?) if DeSantis passes the torch to his wife or Matt Gaetz
My husband and I just moved back to Boston after living nine long years in Texas due to his job. We both hated every minute of it. Guns are out of control, shitty political leadership, laws on women's bodies, scary for anyone LGBTQ, and summer is 7 months out of the year. People do not get it. You cannot be outside, when it's 100 during the day, it's still 100 at midnight, there is no cooling off.
Boston is expensive but honestly, everywhere is expensive. We lived in north Dallas and rents were high. Studio for $1750 a month for the two of us. Sure could have bought a house, but people also don't realize most housing communities have an HOA (yes SFH) and property taxes are wild out the gate. Our mortgage in Boston is still less than it would have been if we had bought the same size in Texas.
The climate crisis is going to hit Texas hard and people are already becoming underwater on their homes in Austin and Round Rock trying to sell to get out. In addition, the upcoming presidential election, it's going to be horrible to live there during the fall.
0/10 recommend
Can confirm. My MIL who lives north of Austin just had to have their well lowered because it was running dry. She loves plants but can’t keep them alive anymore. They never planned to leave Texas but now they are discovering just how unbearable it’s becoming.
“People do not get it. You cannot be outside”
I spend more time outside in Texas summer than winter. I’ll be outside all day today. Just be near or in water.
You think the ENTIRE state of Texas with millions of people don’t go outside in the summer?
I’m from the north near Michigan and when I tell people similar things about the heat I say those 100 degree days are like winter in Michigan. Sure you can go outside but it’s not ideal and won’t be comfortable. The difference is, in the north I can add more and more layers over my base layer. I can only remove so many clothes
No need to jump to the offensive. I never meant to say everyone in the whole of Texas, but more generalized from my opinion and what I saw from friends, coworkers, their families, etc. I'm speaking from my experience. I always felt like everyone was running from AC to AC.
That's how it is during new England during winter, only from heater to heater.
Never lived there full-time, but spent a lot of time in various cities and Texas is actually a pretty diverse place in terms of culture, climate, etc. Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the country for example and it's near the gulf coast so it has a much more humid climate than west Texas which is dry desert heat, yet cool in the winter months. Dallas reminds me of a lot of other cities like say Atlanta or Phoenix where it's sprawling suburbia but lots to do and reasonable cost of living. Austin is a pretty progressive city with a lot of hipsters and vibrant music and art scene. San Antonio kinda has its own vibe. Feels more historic and traditionally southwestern. Hard not to like it. And the entire state seems to love sports of all kinds.
As a footnote, every time I go there, I come away thinking, "damn, there are tons of really beautiful women in this state."
So, if you can tolerate the politics, it has plenty to offer.
Don’t do it! Uncomfortably hot 6 months out of the year so say goodbye to being outside after 10 am. Property taxes are outrageous for the bad education Texas has. Sure you will buy a house and pay $1000 a month just on property taxes. Another crazy amount on home insurance before Florida and Texas home insurances have increase by over 40% just this year. I moved here from the east coast 3 years ago and planning to go back east before the end of the year.
“Uncomfortably hot” is maybe 3 months out of the year unless you just hate warm weather. It’s been a rough couple years triple digit wise and even then we’re not even clocking more than a quarter of the year I’d call uncomfortable. The summer sucks, but the trade off is having a very mild to no winter.
Also I totally understand the property tax argument, but in terms of total tax burden Texas is totally fine. Now if you want to argue the taxes are beneficial in places like Cali and New York, I don’t argue that. But even with higher property taxes you’re gonna have more money in your pocket than other places
Living in Texas it is easy to forget that what seems moderate there is uncomfortable in other places. I’m kinda mad at myself for feeling like it is hot when it is 90 degrees outside after having been out of Texas for 4 years. Austin just had a 45 consecutive days of 100 degree temperatures last year or the year before.
This is pretty much my exact same sentiment. I have lived in Austin for the past 3 years, and I was in the Midwest before then. I can’t believe I ever complained about Midwest summers in the past now that I’m in Austin. The intense and oppressive daily heat is hard to explain unless you experience it.
The thing that just killed my wife and honestly was one of the reasons we moved is... she would be out trying to jog at like 6 in the morning and it would already be too hot. it is just relentless. I lived in Texas my whole life, I was in Austin for 15 years, I didn't think it was *that big of a deal* and man the last time I flew home to Houston the second I stepped out of the airport it was just.... goddamn
I hear you. I was up at 630 this morning for my run because any later than that would be too unbearable.
Temperatures well into the 90s or over 100F May-October. That's six months of sweltering — not "warm" — weather. The east half of the state is also humid AF, especially as you get closer to the gulf. I've lived here 20 years and I'm counting down the days to my escape.
Leave already then.
I live in Texas and spend summer outside and love it. I just stay in or around water. Plus after sun down a fan is all you need and you can still be outside.
You don’t have to shovel the heat like you do the snow up north.
I agree and think 6 months is a stretch here. If anything you have pretty great weather relative outside of the summer months. October to April is great weather imo
If you’re going to be hot at least be near a good beach in FL.
Property taxes suck. But it’s in place of income tax. Property taxes fund the school districts which is why many people choose houses based on school district- good schools and resale value . Schools in growing areas will always have funding. A 700k house will run 9-11k in property taxes a year in most places. I’ve considered living in Colorado and run the numbers. All taxes considered it’s cheaper in Texas. Vehicle registration in Texas is 100$ or less per car. Colorado can be thousand+ for new vehicles. Insurance sucks here.
Rural towns have it rough because they don’t have a growing tax base. So some small school districts struggle in education.
Latinos everywhere. Good people.
Texas is massive and very diverse environments so it’s hard to compare a whole state but it’s not even close to Colorado options. The heat sucks memorial day to Labor Day. The humidity sucks. But outside of those times we don’t need to shovel snow, don’t need coats, no snow tires. I can get by on a light jacket or less 95% of the year
There’s a reason there’s so many industries, jobs, families here. Texas is massive. There will be an area that fits your desires if you want to move here.
I would have considered San Antonio. I lived there for a bit too and enjoyed it. I can co-exist with the politics just not the wackadoos and that’s on either side.
I think the issues with climate now effecting TX and their abortion laws don’t make it a great fit for me personally.
I wouldn’t want to be in a state where I could possibly die because they can’t treat my miscarriage. Maternal mortality gets worse in certain demographics when we divide into racial categories on top of that.
I’m not trying to be political about this either just earnest concern about access to healthcare issues there.
SA is a great place. It's much more than just tourism. It has real local culture and the people are genuinely nice.
Yessss, that’s exactly what I liked about living there, but recent issues with laws and healthcare are now a major deterrent there for me.
Texas in the late 80s and early 90s was awesome. I lived there then. Economic opportunity was everywhere and socially it was fun. It leaned conservative but diversity was growing in acceptance and politically it was almost progressive.
Ann Richards, a moderate Democrat was governor and immigrants weren't feared and hated like today. The whole state seemed to have more of a present-day Austin attitude.
I don't know what happened but that all disappeared. GWB was elected governor in the mid-90s and Texas joined the right-wing political migration with the rest of the South.
Austin or San Antonio are the only places in Texas I'd consider these days.
Just think logically for a minute. If droves of people are moving somewhere, it can't possibly be a bad place to live. You don't see large amounts of people moving to places with objectively bad qualities of life such as Mississippi, west Virginia, Detroit, Chicago, etc.
A lot of people love living here tbf, and so many more people are moving in everyday (just anecdotally, the vast majority of the transplants seem to be conservatives from California or the northern states, but I'm also temporarily living in deep red suburbia despite being very leftist myself). I can't really understand it, and I've lived in Texas my whole life (I'm in my late 20s) but can't wait to be out of here pretty soon.
People who haven't experienced it don't know what months of triple-digit temperatures actually is like. The heat is just relentless and physically draining. It's even worse in places with higher humidity, which unfortunately are also the only really fun places to live in Texas (Austin, San Antonio, probably Houston too but I've never visited or lived there). I think that my personal tolerance of the heat has actually worsened significantly in recent years, but the temperature also is climbing annually and is going to be complete hell in 15-20 years.
The political climate is extremely bad too. In the cities I mentioned (plus Dallas and Denton in my experience) most people are progressive, but the state government is every bit as Christofascist as the national media portrays and bulls over progressive legislation the cities pass, which is has made it a very unsafe place for women especially. Rural and suburban Texan voters are so numerous that there is no chance that state politics will not continue to get worse.
I do genuinely love Austin and would only live there at this point if I was going to stay here in Texas. Beautiful parks and lake areas, lively downtown, amazing food (I love the food trucks all over the place), concerts and shows, and compared to anywhere else I've lived the public transit is solid. It's also gotten pretty expensive, and the city has changed dramatically just in the last decade.
You’re gonna need to diversify where you ask this question. Reddit has a very specific demographic
You have to be prepared for the heat, but economy is pretty good
All of the larger cities except for Ft Worth are democratically run, so you will find plenty of left leaning neighbors, and you can all complain about the do-nothing right wing state government together.
Finally, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
That is, if you can’t afford to buy a house in Colorado because they’re all being bought up by Texans, then go make your money in Texas and vacation/buy a house in Colorado later
The thing that surprised me the most (besides the politics) when I moved here from Chicago was how unfriendly Texans are. They don’t appreciate outsiders. Are always complaining about Californians ruining their state. It’s mostly the Texans from rural areas that I’ve noticed are like this. No southern hospitality there.
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The "real" Texas types, as they'd call themselves, detest outsiders of almost any kind. Some small redneck towns are still, for all intents and purposes, sundown towns. And, I met a not-insignificant number of Hispanics there that are even more racist and hateful than the rednecks (whereas I found Hispanics more welcoming in California).
So, so very glad to be outta Texas. And, I lived near Houston but worked in small towns. Not much Southern hospitality either way.
I was born and raised in Texas and utterly despise it. That being said, there are some fantastic public schools in Texas that you should consider as a factor.
Texas is booming, and as much as this sub doesn’t want to admit, will continue to keep booming even with what they think are doomsday politics. Businesses keep pouring in and jobs keep coming as well.
It's booming depending on your industry. And if you're looking for entry level grunt work, there's plenty to be had. But IMO established professionals with a more specific skillset have a tougher time.
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He seems certifiable
This guy is clearly on of those alt-right incel types who moved to Austin in his 30’s and has to constantly justify his own decision—ignore him.
To be fair, it’s booming and soaking up a lot of people who will eventually make sure those doomsday politicians aren’t elected. It’s the next Colorado/Virginia, but it’s just such a massive state that it will take longer.
The conservatives bragging about California/NYC/etc leaving those respective areas will regret it soon enough haha
Texas is booming, to an extent, but as the other commenter said, most of the jobs seem to be lower level stuff with lower pay, where a one-bedroom apartment will take up 30% of your income.
Most of my friends who moved to Texas are all looking to get out. Cost of living is insane, weather is great if you like triple digits 1/2 the year, and the social services are non-existent. If you are a moderately high earner, you'll be fine in Texas, but you'd likely be better off somewhere with an income tax, moderate temperature, good schools, and a government that actually works.
and the social services are non-existent
I was going to say the same thing. I read some comments that those with low income who depend on public assistance from the government to make ends meet, they moved back to California because of generous social services. With climate change, it’s going to be really hot this time of year in Texas. They also have high property taxes in case you decided to own a house. There is no perfect state.
The last sentence says it all.
If you think TX cost of living is insane, you don't get out much.
Even in Austin the cost of living is only insane compared to the rest of Texas. Texas is still one of the most affordable states that has a growing economy
Even Austin you can find a respectable home for $350k (median I think in the US right now is $400k).
Texas does not have a high cost of living.
I'd say it's gotten way worse in Texas. My spouse is a teacher and there was a time when he could buy a home on a teacher's salary. That's not the case anymore. We sold our home in the Dallas area in 2018 for $270k and it's valued at almost $400k now. This was a 1200 sq ft 1950 home. I love the house and we put a lot of work and love into it, but $400k is insane.
That’s literally almost all real estate even in other states. It’s the reason we now have high interest rates.
It has gotten way worse everywhere.
For what you get, it absolutely is. Literally anywhere that's not on the coasts costs less than a comparable part of TX does.
I’m from middle of nowhere Illinois and even Austin is cheaper than there. And Austin is the most expensive part of Texas.
What the hell are you talking about?
Based on my brief perusal of Zillow, middle of nowhere Illinois will run you about 170k to 280k. In Austin, that will get you one of three things - 1) a house right next to an active crack house, 2) a house in need of at least $80,000 work, or 3) a house with a 50-minute commute one way on a good day. ETA: take a look at Zillow and tell me that with a straight face. Lol There's nothing for sale in Austin outside of the hood for less than about 650 grand. I've lived all over the country and there is literally no rural area in this country, except for maybe some of the areas near the San Francisco Bay, where a modest house costs that much.
I think when people say the cost of living is insane they usually mean relative to what you get. So like sure you can buy some big house that you're going to have to spend a lot to cool most of the year in a shitty school district in a state with poor social services and a crappy higher education system, but that might not be the worth it for most.
I can tell you actually haven’t spent time in Texas if you think all that.
It’s hot sure, but even Austin has affordable areas and the state and cities are booming.
Sure, every metro area here has "affordable areas" any other state that isn't on the coasts, you can live in an affordable area without having to live in a slum.
Exactly, but those places don’t have the job opportunities like Texas has.
Maybe in certain very specific fields, but there are plenty of jobs everywhere from Oklahoma City to St Louis to Columbus that you can get without having to pay 600 grand for a house and $1,000 a month in property taxes.
What social services are missing?
Insane cost of living? 100 degrees for half the year? Govt works anywhere? Nah
Spoken like a person who would choose that username.
30 million people are in Texas. It’s not as bad as Reddit likes to make it seem.
Depends on who you are and where you live. My wife and I are Latine, living in Austin with our kid. Born and raised in south Texas (near the border). The politics are terrible, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting better any time soon. That being said, day in and day out most of us go to work and pay our bills. This is a big life decision so I’d spend some more time doing research. Visit potential cities during the week and get to meet people. IMO as a lifelong tejano, Texan people are friendly. Politics just ruin everything
My opinion: in general Texas sucks, but it does have affordable housing.
I played junior hockey in Texas for one of the franchises with a big stadium in DFW adjacent area for a few months. It was fun as an athlete with some local buzz but absolutely would suck without any of that.
I mean, Texas is cheap and there is no income tax which is why people are moving there. If those things are important to you then I would considerate.
I lived in Dallss for almost 2 years and it was okay. You can buy a house for cheap which is nice.
I lived in ATX from 2016 - 2023 and really enjoyed my time there and made lots of friends through work in SaaS sales. However, even in that short of time ATX has changed significantly and my wife and I couldn’t deal with heat the same way we did in our mid 20’s, as well as deal with the politics of the state of Texas. Even Austin wasn’t as liberal as people make it seem and it’s definitely relative. I personally wouldn’t live anywhere but Austin if I had to move back to Texas. If I was a millionaire then sure I would prob go back but that’s just not the case. We do miss our friends a lot tho sadly and still enjoy visiting and staying on the East side
The thing that strikes me about Texas is that Texans love Texas way more than Californians love California or New Yorkers love New York. Texas pride is something else. Personally I don’t get it: even the cooler parts of the state are hotter than hell and their politics are fucked. But…? Texans love Texas!
People like different things. Texas has been one of the fastest growing states for years, so there are lots of people who like it.
reddit has a hate boner for texas. gotta take everything reddit says about texas (and other "red" states like FL) with a big grain of salt.
You gotta realize that the people on this subreddit and Reddit in general are not the average person. The average person mostly just cares if they can get a job, pay their rent/mortgage, and send their kids to a good school. A lot of Texas, especially the DFW suburbs satisfies this. On the other hand, if you care about Blue politics, walkability, and diversity/city character like this sub does, Texas probably isn’t your best choice. I think this subreddit tends to overestimate how much where you live affects your life anyway, but that’s just my opinion 🤷♂️.
50+ years in Texas. Now is not the time to move here. We are no longer the friendship state.
Moved here 2 years ago. love it.
You seem to be in the minority here, so honestly curious what it is that makes you happy about TX?
Most people i know that moved to Texas from a somewhere else have said that it’s the best move that they’ve made in their life. Is it their final stop? Maybe not, but it’s a good place to live for their day to day. It’s diverse so a big melting pot of cultures and people.
I’m black so Texas has the largest number of black people. (Not to be confused with highest percentage) in my experience i see and work with a lot of other black young professionals something that wasn’t nearly as common when i lived in the midwest. Many with families, careers, that are homeowners, business owners. obviously, not the only place this exists but from a volume standpoint it’s noticeable and is something that when family visits from other parts of the country they indeed notice. Great to have community.
2 of the top 5ish largest metros in the country so there’s tons of stuff to do and amenities imo. Great for road trips and if you like events, food, and sports. Today’s the 4th and there’s been fireworks and festivals from surrounding towns and cities to go see all week with the family.
Tons of different industries so there’s a lot of job opportunities and corporate HQs so having to constantly move around the country for more opportunity isn’t a must.(I’ve already lived in 4 states in my career don’t really desire to move again)
Close on a house in couple of weeks. Couldn’t be happier with our decision to move here.
They're probably a normal person and not a typical Redditor.
You need better friends.
And I say that as a 7th generation Texan.
I spent a few months in Dallas; wasn’t a fan and will never go back. The heat was unbearable, there was no proper downtown; just endless sprawl, no natural beauty, and rent prices weren’t that much lower than the nicer east coast cities.
Definitely not worth it, especially since you have a kid. Put down roots somewhere that you actually like! There's no point in buying a home just to have one, especially in a state like Texas. I used to live in AL. We could afford a home there quite easily but then we'd be living in Alabama. Things are going to get worse...
Dallas is great! Come on down!
I personally like having bodily autonomy and I also quite like having access to electricity, so Texas is a no go for me 🥲
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My brother in Christ, touch grass
Worst places in the world... right.... the other stuff whatever but that comment makes me feel like you have never been outside the developed world much if at all.
I’m Latino and I think Texas fucking sucks.
I’m left leaning though with an autistic daughter, so if you don’t care about politics and just want a big house with a big yard then I can see why it’s an option for people.
No one could drag me to Texas for anything.
What is your occupation? Are you married? Spouse’s occupation? Child female or male? A female has no reproductive rights in Texas.
Is there another area of Colorado that would be better for you? Between Denver and Ft Collins? Pueblo? Maybe even go up to Cheyenne.
Texas sucks. Heat, politics, etc. I can’t wait to get out.
Gavelston is the only place in Texas I could live in.
"...with that dirty ass water." - Charles Barkley
Galveston floods regularly because of hurricanes. I’m surprised anyone there can get insurance.
Check into El Paso. Safe, largely Hispanic, not as humid.
Texas is great if you looked at the beginning of the movie Office Space and thought, "That looks fun!"
We lived in hill country just north of San Antonio. We left for northern Nevada because it wasn’t for us. But it all depends on what is important to you. We really value outdoors time and having a lot of open areas to explore. 99% (it actually might only be 97%) of land there is privately owned.
It’s also really hot and humid for a decent amount of time in that area which puts a damper on things.
And we weren’t a cultural fit. But, Texas is a big state and I personally like the western part like Big Bend or El Paso. It’s far enough away from the southern areas to be more of a western flavor and the weather is actually better.
I have a lot of family in Texas (various places). It’s a crappy place to live overall (compared to your other options), but land and housing are often cheap. That’s pretty much the selling point.
One of my family left for NY, another bought a huge tract of land along a river and turned it into a summer camp for rich kids; they travel the rest of the year. One brews beer in Austin. One is much older and kind of stuck in central Texas. One really likes TX, but decided to go childless rather than risk having a baby there.
El Paso is great. They have lots of hiking, great food, friendly people and its liberal. I'd suggest there and it's also cheap
For those that moved to Texas, is it true that the property taxes are high? And I mean high as in not worth the investment in buying a house.
Yes. It is that bad. I lived in Texas for several years and hated every moment of it.
A lot of comments are glossing over your situation as a single parent. I think this comes down to the details on your financial/housing situation in CO and how moving to TX stands to improve that.
You are correct that stability is extremely important for your child. You can be stable without owning a home though. If you’re struggling to make rent that’s another thing entirely, but your kid isn’t going to be telling their therapist “my childhood was rough because.. . we were… renters” in their 30s. You didn’t mention what kind of family/friends you have around in CO either? If moving to Texas would mean cheaper housing and better work opportunities for you and/or more social support from friends/family then I certainly see the appeal. Texas, like most places, can be a tolerable or even comfortable place to live if you are doing well enough financially. If it’s just about owning a home but you’re otherwise doing okay financially/professionally and are close to family I think the value proposition is less strong. If you’re receiving any kind of government assistance in CO it will almost certainly deteriorate in quality in TX, if it doesn’t go away entirely.
The other thing to keep in mind is education. The Texas public education system, once actually pretty good after adjusting for levels of poverty, non English speaking students, etc. is collapsing in real time. Right wing zealots are getting into school boards and emphasizing culture war issues over actually running competent school districts. The Governor has long pushed private school vouchers as a means to defund public education and after the most recent primary elections, in which several incumbents who had been opposed were knocked off by supporters, he may have the votes to push it through. The state implemented a politically motivated, hostile takeover of the largest district in the state. It’s an unmitigated disaster. That would steer me away as a parent and is part of why my wife and I left after living the vast majority of our lives in TX - we don’t have kids, but if we do, we not want to have them in TX.
I prefer living in NM to Texas. Similar cost of living.
Yes, and it was more expensive than it appears on the surface. Espeically with the pay wage gap or somewhat middle to lower salaries and things like utilities being out of the control with pricing. You end up still paying a higher cost of living but it is more subtle than in an HCOL. They hike up taxes, insurance, shopping and things like utilities, etc. Everyone I know who moved there didn't last more than a few years and left.
I've lived in Houston, SF, Chicago, and abroad. All have their benefits, and I chose to come back to Houston. Yes, the weather sucks and the politics are iffy, but of the places I've lived, Houston is by far the most diverse and has a huge Latino population.
Some pros and cons I have of Houston:
Pros: *Very diverse and well integrated *Amazing food *Very affordable. I was able to buy my home as a single female with a salary under 100k *Top tier hospitals and medical care. People assume because of the politics our healthcare is shit, but that has not been my experience. I have had much better quality, and quicker medical care in Houston than I did in SF or Chicago. It is why I had to move back. *It's cheap enough that with the money you save, you can comfortably travel elsewhere *Great job market
Cons: *The weather. Summers are hot, we get hurricanes, we don't get 4 seasons and I miss watching the leaves change. *State politics are concerning *It's a car dependent area, and driving here sucks *Property taxes are hella expensive (but overall still.more affordable than buying elsewhere)
It all depends on what you prioritize that determines if the move is worth it. For some people, they can't get over the politics or the weather and that's totally understandable. It can be tough. For me, the pros out weigh the cons and I am content. If I want to leave, thanks to how much I'm saving by living here I have the means to do so.
I have family that lives there. Aside from people being generally insane (TX pride is a mental illness), it is HOT. It was 80 DEGREES ON CHRISTMAS DAY. If you’re okay with that then you’d probably fit right in :)
Been here 9 years; I live in Houston and have spent time in Dallas, Austin, midland, San Antonio. Texas is really rough, for me personally anyway. The politics aren’t great, there’s next to no nature unless you’re near Austin, the heat is just beyond manageable. I truly don’t think people will be able to live here in the next 30-50 years. The diversity and culture is top tier though, and I don’t think I’d be able to buy a house elsewhere but i think that’s ok. Owning doesn’t have to be a normal life step. You gotta do what’s best for you and your family, just be aware that Texas isn’t the most livable place
Aiming to leave but property prices are very cheap here.
No, i like it here despite the politicians sucking.. If you smoke weed or Abortion acess is personally impactful stay away. Otherwise, that mess is not impacful on a daily media
Media stokes hateful stereotypes
I left Texas (DFW) for Maryland 2.5 years ago and it was a 100% positive change. We left for three reasons:
Politics Weather Complete lack if social services and incompetent infrastructure management (see ERCOT)
It has only gotten worse in all three areas since we left and cost if living in DFW keeps rising.
If you have a person with a functioning uterus or an LGBTQ+ person or a child with any learning disabilities do not even consider Texas. If you are a family of cis-het white Christian men, you will probably think it is fine.
Very little public land, and not a lot of opportunity to commune in nature. It’s unbearable during the summer and that makes parenting difficult for 5 months of the year. The schools and quality of education is abysmal. The state legislature is a horror show. The oil and gas industry have just been given the green light to dump their contaminated discharge into Texas streams and rivers. Texas is about to see cancer rates go through the roof. This state worse than what you are hearing about.
Everyone is blathering on about the big cities in central or east Texas. El Paso beats ass and I would love to live there if I didn’t have my almost my whole entire life here.
It’s crazy hot here. Electricity is expensive. Gas is cheaper. Food is amazing. But it’s HOT and expensive
The state government is determined not to put any money into public schools even though they have a lot of it. They haven’t increased funding for the past 5 years. Along with the other negatives if I had children that go to public schools I wouldn’t move here.
I really liked West Texas because it’s mainly Latino and the food was amazing. However, property is expensive. Taxes are expensive. Schools suck because they are getting less and less funding. Then, there are the rights being stripped away from women and bodily autonomy. Imagine having a miscarriage and then the courts blaming you for miscarrying and charging you with murder… pass. Glad we left!
This is Reddit, you’re going to get a lot of takes that don’t reflect your average American. Texas and Florida are some of the fastest growing states, but according to Reddit they are maga-infested hell holes.
Texas builds a lot of homes, so you can get a nice home for way cheaper than other parts of the country. That cuts both ways, as I wouldn’t be surprised if property values don’t rise or have a higher risk of falling.
I have lived many places in the US. I do like living in Texas, aside from the state politics. This sub hates Texas and would rather you moved to Philadelphia or Chicago, but Texas continues to grow rapidly because people want to move there. I had no problem affording my home in central Houston and paid off the mortgage early too. The extra income has enabled me to save for college for my kids, to travel, to plan for retirement, and to otherwise enjoy myself. In particular, given that you are Hispanic, you will find a huge Latino community in San Antonio and Houston and all across south Texas if that is important to you. I wish you well.
Texas is the last ditch place people move to when they prioritize owning a home over every other value in their lives. And for people with those priorities, Texas is great for them. Others will discover that maybe other things in life are more important than owning a home and escape.
If you’re a straight, white, Christian, cis-gendered human bean who doesn’t care about things like power grids and human rights, you’ll be A1 Gucci.
ETA: I work with a huge Hispanic population who move to/from Texas as seasons in their life change. While proximity to Mexico is desirable for them, local policing and border security are trash and even treat the documented folks like dirt. Texas policies exploit bipoc folks and women. It’s rough.
Yet Black and Brown Americans are doing better in Texas than a ton of blue states. As a Black American what’s forcing so many Black people from blue states to move to cities like Houston, DFW, Atlanta and Charlotte in droves?
The "real" Texas types, as they'd call themselves, detest outsiders of almost any kind - and I lived near cosmopolitan Houston, mind you. Away from Houston, some small redneck towns are still, for all intents and purposes, sundown towns, as bad as some such places in the Deep South states.
Also, I met a not-insignificant number of Hispanics there that are even more racist and hateful than the rednecks (whereas I found Hispanics more welcoming in California).
The natural beauty is there if you look for it, but it'll never exactly be California, Hawaii, Utah, Oregon, or even Florida, New York, or Kentucky. And, sometimes, you have to drive through vast swaths of the ugly to get to the pretty.
Houston (despite what its defenders have to say), Dallas and Fort Worth are painfully soulless. Austin has just about lost its soul and personality. San Antonio still has some soul left, but even there I still found that the locals seemed provincial and unfriendly. El Paso's okay-ish.
Property taxes are as insane as they are in New Jersey or Massachusetts.
So, so very glad to be outta Texas.
texas bad
The politics are terrible and climate crisis is here. The governor sucks. Not a place I'd hope for a bright future or raise a family
Texas is good if you like mid states and really aren’t affected by reactionary conservatives and their politics.
People really undersell how much red state politics impact your life, as a lifelong Tennessean.
The abortion ban impacts more than just fertile women, for example. It’s caused doctors and educated people in general to leave, when we already had a shortage of healthcare options due to (another state political thing) the state refusing to expand Medicaid, which has caused like a dozen rural hospitals to close. Both of these are also true in Texas. I’ve seen a lot of Californians move back after coming here for cheaper land and “freedom.” Not all, because, well, they probably can’t afford to leave now, like the rest of us.
Failing power grid disconnect from the rest of the US, continuing degradation of human rights, lack of women's healthcare, no public transit, and sweltering heat that is only going to get worse.
If you are a young male and a great job opens up I can see going there a few years as a resume career otherwise I see no long term prospects in TX.
Yeah I'm looking to get out of TX. Moved here because it was close to my other family in the south and where I'm also from, but I'm not a fan at all. For reference, I live in the DFW area.
I miss Boston and would unironically prefer to pay Boston rent for the quality of life there over this lifeless expanse of highways, chain restaurants, and strip malls.