JasonD

For as long as i can remember, I have wanted to live in Texas. I am not sure why, just seemed like something I wanted to say I tried sometime in my life.

Anyone live there now who lived in another area previously have any thoughts. What's good and what's bad about life in Texas?

Z28SORR

This is like asking what' it like to live in the USA. Texas varies from hilly green forested land in the NE, swamps in the SE, to near deserts in the far W. In the S you can have 100*+ in the summer and sub zero's in the winter in the Panhandle. So basically whatever you want we got it.

mitchntx

Give us back our Texas section and we'll tell you.

camaro383tt

I agree with Z28SORR. I was just south of Austin over the weekend and it had me wanting to move out there. It is a very nice area. Houston is too flat and humid IMO. as far as nice land goes, houston is not very high on my list but it has many other things to make up for it.

Have you lived in MI your entire life Jason?

km9v

It is the promised land.

JakeRobb

I visited the Dallas/Ft Worth area a few years ago and I can tell you that I would never want to live there. Too flat, too hot, too dry, too many people, too much traffic. I can't speak for the rest of the state.

I can say that Texan pride gets a bit annoying.

ulakovic22

Where did you visit, D/FW is BIG.

The biggest adjustment to Texas is the weather, whatever else you want, we have it. Also the economy here seems to be more stable than most other places, but that's just what I hear on the news.

LilRedRagtop

I LOVE Texas! One of the great things about Texas is that there is a variety of terrains from beaches to hill country to desert to piney woods. The weather is a crapshoot during the Spring. It can be beautiful one minute and raining the next. When its beautiful, its beautiful. Hail is an issue during the Spring. Summers are long and hot. I personally love the hot summers but I have lived in Texas my whole life. Fall is beautiful but doesnt last long. Winter...well we dont really have much until November and December. I love that I can wear shorts in December most years. Winter usually lasts from Jan to April. We rarely see snow, if anything we have ice storms. Not having to winterize or store your car for the winter is a very nice thing!

JakeRobb

Plano, mostly... but not just there. It was more than ten years ago and I don't remember the details. I just remember wanting to go home.

Are you suggesting that parts of D/FW are not flat, hot, dry, or crowded?

ulakovic22

Yes, D/FW is big. For the area you are in I would agree and it's only gotten more crowded since you visited 10 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas%...ropolitan_area

If you stay to the west of the area though it's actually quite nice. I grew up in the Flower Mound area a couple miles away from Lake Grapevine. Very different from Plano/Frisco/Richardson, etc.

JasonD

Okay...so the weather/terrain varies. Awesome, got it!

You are in it!

I have lived in Kansas, Arizona, Tennessee for a few months here and there, but mostly lived in Michigan.

Why? What makes it so? What makes it better than another state?

I think I will be okay with that one.

So if someone like me were to pick a place in Texes to live and continue raising a family, have a decent job, breathe decent air, pay reasonable taxes, and be surrounded by "clean" people...what would be the best area to consider first? I'd like to live away from the city...but not too far to where having a job would be an hour drive.

ulakovic22

Since I don't know you, that's a tough question and the answer depends mainly on the job and then the lifestyle you want and are used to.

My area is broken down like this. Texas has no state tax, sales tax is 8.25% and property taxes in my area and what i'm familiar with range from 2.7-3.2%. Housing varies greatly as well depending on what you want. You can find older ranch style homes from the 70's and 80's for cheap ($175K)or you can buy in a place like Lantana, Bridlewood etc for $250K. Those communities are the .3 acre lot, 2-story home on the golf course type place. LISD and DISD are good schools and you have UNT, UTA, UTD and TCU in the area.

The commute obviously depends where your job is. I work about 22 miles away from home and it takes about 30-40 minutes to get to work depending on the usual stuff like lights, wrecks and when I leave in the morning.

Personally I wouldn't go any farther south than Austin. I have family in Houston and I can't stand it, the humidity and smell are horrible. I've heard the west side of Houston is a lot nicer though.

camaro383tt

I think many Texans can tell you about their part of texas but not abotu other parts of Texas. I know I couldnt tell you anything about Texas West of San Antonio. It may as well be another state as for as I know. I bet many Texans are in a similar boat (but it may apply to different areas)

I think the area around Austin is very nice. In between Austin and San Antonio is cool because you can go either way and a larger city is not too far away.

The Houston area is good if you are in the oil industry (thats what keeps me around, that and family somewhat) you can live way outside of Houston and still be near stuff (ie you dont need to go far for shopping, jobs, entertainment etc)

dont really know a lot about the dallas area.

camaro383tt

what part of Houston are you refering to?
i have never noticed a smell in Houston compared to other areas. if you go on teh SE side where teh plants are there might be but i dont ever go ont eh east side of town. hell i hardly ever go inside the beltway (the outer loop)

I am on teh west side and its pretty nice. the humidity does suck. it gets a bit better as you go inland but its still somewhat humid

JasonD

For those who don't know me well, I am in my late 30s, married with one 13 year old son. I am a web development project manager and my wife is a student coordinator/exam administrator for a law school.

I like cars, snowmobiles (in Texas? Yeah, right. Guess I'll have to get a bike.), technology, off-roading, outdoor/wilderness activities, sport shooting. Dunno how much this helps. I feel like I am filling out a date application.