Any Texans in the House - Potential Relo

[kiwigtx]

 

[Budnicks]

Good luck with the choices Kevin

too bad they didn't have 'real mountain' country
like rural Conservative Calif.
(not the bay area/LA or Sac. Valley shitholes)
some 'actual mountains', not just rolling hills
or I'd have been in Texas decades ago
(way too much of nothing to see or look at, so flat you can see the
curvature of the earth, torrential rains & winds, tornadoes/hurricanes)
But nowhere near Austin or Dallas
or the Southern parts like Houston, are way too humid for my tastes...
I'd like to be on the coast but then you have hurricanes
& stifling humidity...

I was thinking of Southern Utah, Webster or St. George
'sort of area' still conservative & mild-er weather extremes

 

[Pawpaw68]

Why Austin... It's California Lite....

I live in Spring. Austin is a cesspool now.

 

[joe smith]

I saw my home state of Oregon Californicated.... I think you

I’ve had those same thoughts. My place doesn’t cost much to maintain and I know once you leave there ‘s no going back. But I dislike this culture and totalitatism so much why the hell would I ever want to return? I’m not talking just in the last decade even - more like the last two decades at least. My biggest problem is where to go and also be considerate of my wife. I want out badly, she could stay here forever. She’s an immigrant and knows little of the rest of the country and her only family is here. She doesn’t let any of what goes on here bother her. She came from a communist country and knows nothing of the Americana that I know. It’s a very difficult situation. We think of this as such a big country with limitless possibilities - but it’s not really that way for me any more. The choices that are palatable are few and again I have to take care of her vs trying to drag her away to satisfy myself. Complicated and I struggle with it every day.

Curious here since you brought it up.. Did you bring your wife over from another country?

 

[DeltaV]

I lived in both Dallas and Fort Worth for 10+ years along with pleasure and business trips all the way down to the Gulf of Texas .

Here's where I would look if I were to move there again in no particular order):
Wise County/Springtown
Weatherford and Thurber/Mingus/Mingus
West side of Waco, like Crawford
Hill Country
New Braunfels
Waxahachie
Mansfield (since another member another member mentioned it).

 

[Cranky]

There's lot of places in Texas to live that are nice. The state is big so do your homework. I've been living SE of Houston for over 50 years when there were hardly no roads that were more than two lanes and would like to move away now that most are 6 lanes but at nearly 71 now, don't think it's going to happen. Lots of places that sorta matches up with what you might like but the only way you will know is to spend some time in those areas.....or do extensive research. Outside of Austin is ok for the most part but living in and around the bigger cities sucks imo. If you like the coast as a second or vacation place, then don't live too far away but enough to not have to run every time a hurricane comes in. Even living away from the coast, there will be times it gets hot and humid. Living near the coast means hot and humid most of the time but there's pretty much always a nice breeze coming in. Urban sprawl is happening like wild fire here so if you don't want to get caught in that within the next 10 years, double or triple your distance from any of the larger cities and then take a hard look at the cities that are not all that large. Where in the hell are all the people coming from!!???

 

[440 4 speed]

Good luck with the choices Kevin

too bad they didn't have 'real mountain' country
like rural Conservative Calif.
(not the bay area/LA or Sac. Valley shitholes)
some 'actual mountains', not just rolling hills
or I'd have been in Texas decades ago
(way too much of nothing to see or look at, so flat you can see the
curvature of the earth, torrential rains & winds, tornadoes/hurricanes)
But nowhere near Austin or Dallas
or the Southern parts like Houston, are way too humid for my tastes...
I'd like to be on the coast but then you have hurricanes
& stifling humidity...

I was thinking of Southern Utah, Webster or St. George
'sort of area' still conservative & mild-er weather extremes

In our travels, we have seen quite a few of the states. Have NOT done much of the Eastern seaboard. Now this was winter when we were south. Class b camper van. Because of the size we never were refused a spot in a campground. Can’t tell you a thing about living there. This travel was usually February March. Mostly took State highways, met very friendly people everywhere.
1998 we flew to Austin in June, rented a car stayed with the owners of the big fish red charger for a couple of nights near Georgetown. Drove through the hill country to the TDC Meet in Boerne. Also while we were in Austin we had very enjoyable music at the blues bars. 2009 drove down 83 to Galveston in February with the van.
83 happens to be the longest same numbered highway in North America.
In our travels, we liked the Texas hill country, New Mexico, Cedar City Utah, where they have a polygamy beer. Their ad or saying is (one is never enough).
We also met some people that retired to South Dakota, mainly for health stuff taxes etc housing was supposedly inexpensive. Never met anyone ever that were not helpful and friendly.
It won’t happen, but if we would think of living anywhere else in the world it would be Portugal, prior to covid-19.
In North America we will stay put. We have few natural calamities, and only a little over a million people in a province larger than Texas.
My humble thoughts.

 

[GetX'd]

Man o man. Prairie Style. And on a lake to boot!!! My dream home too!!

Good Luck with the Relo Kev!!

You should have seen our design Mario - It was to die for. The builder told me when I bailed that he liked what We designed so much that he was going to build it as a spec home and sell it. Part of the contract was he would have the rights to our design if we bailed because we worked With his architects. That’s okay maybe I’ll build it somewhere else. I also started to think maybe the Treasure Valley area wasn’t really for us. Thousands of good people moving in and building homes -but was the area infrastructure and amenities that desirable? The home building has waaay out paced those things. And I always wondered where in the hell were all those people going to work. There wasn’t much there to support the population boom. Why did that bother me - I don’t know. I’m retired and my wife is an RN and can work anywhere but the pay will be substantially less. I wanted the mountains and outdoor life, friendly people like we don’t have here. Still may end up there but going to look around more too.

 

[GetX'd]

I saw my home state of Oregon Californicated.... I think you

Curious here since you brought it up.. Did you bring your wife over from another country?

Yes - A very long and winding story. But after a number of trips to SE Asia, making close friends of some in VN that were family to friends here - they ultimately introduced me to someone that I eventually married. I could not ask for more in a wife - she’s from Saigon and comes from a wonderful family. CA is all she knows and there is a huge VN pop in OC although she doesn’t care that much about that part as long as she can get her VN food supplies.

And yes Californians ruined OR and everywhere else they congregate I.e Colorado too.

 

[Cranky]

You should have seen our design Mario - It was to die for. The builder told me when I bailed that he liked what We designed so much that he was going to build it as a spec home and sell it. Part of the contract was he would have the rights to our design if we bailed because we worked With his architects. That’s okay maybe I’ll build it somewhere else. I also started to think maybe the Treasure Valley area wasn’t really for us. Thousands of good people moving in and building homes -but was the area infrastructure and amenities that desirable? The home building has waaay out paced those things. And I always wondered where in the hell were all those people going to work. There wasn’t much there to support the population boom. Why did that bother me - I don’t know. I’m retired and my wife is an RN and can work anywhere but the pay will be substantially less. I wanted the mountains and outdoor life, friendly people like we don’t have here. Still may end up there but going to look around more too.

Well, from what I hear (from one of my daughters) is that Houston is the place to be in Texas for good pay as an RN and Austin sucks. My daughter is an neonatal nurse and she loves Austin for the hiking trails etc etc etc and hates the pay it has to offer. She'll be 38 shortly and is already complaining about her knees.....and her mom has had bad knees and had recent replacements so they can both keep on hiking lol

 

[MIKESPOLARA]

What about northern Arizona, Prescott, Bisbee, Flagstaff, maybe even Sedona. If you own in Laguna Beach you should have plenty of money to play with

 

[Dennis H]

Someone say Bisbee, Arizona. Amazing place. And throw a stone over the Border to Mexico too.

 

[GetX'd]

I lived in both Dallas and Fort Worth for 10+ years along with pleasure and business trips all the way down to the Gulf of Texas .

Here's where I would look if I were to move there again in no particular order):
Wise County/Springtown
Weatherford and Thurber/Mingus/Mingus
West side of Waco, like Crawford
Hill Country
New Braunfels
Waxahachie
Mansfield (since another member another member mentioned it).

But I thought Hill Country meant the greater Austin area - am I mistaken in that? That’s what I want is beautiful hill country/nature in a decent sized populated area with all the amenities. I don’t want to be out in the sticks and I wouldn’t do that to my wife. What do I have mixed up here?

 

[GetX'd]

What about northern Arizona, Prescott, Bisbee, Flagstaff, maybe even Sedona. If you own in Laguna Beach you should have plenty of money to play with

Money is not really an issue - per se. we’re not rich but we can afford more than we want or need. I was noodling Flagstaff but then checked population and it seemed a bit smaller that I may want. A pop of only about 75k. Honestly I’ve never been to N Arizona and really should check it out. I dislike the desert a lot - but I hear it’s different up there.

 

[GetX'd]

Someone say Bisbee, Arizona. Amazing place. And throw a stone over the Border to Mexico too. View attachment 1220296View attachment 1220297

God bless you Dennis - From the pics that.looks like a witness protection site. We’re looking for a more decked out area. I would go nuts in an area like that. And my wife may execute me for bringing her there. Remember she’s VN and from Saigon. All she knows is the big city per se. I want to bring it down from here but not to the ground. I need her to be happy where ever we go. She’s sacrificing a lot more than me in leaving. I think you kind of like the small town - while I really don’t for lifestyle. But Thx

 

[MIKESPOLARA]

God bless you Dennis - From the pics that.looks like a witness protection site. We’re looking for a more decked out area. I would go nuts in an area like that. And my wife may execute me for bringing her there. Remember she’s VN and from Saigon. All she knows is the big city per se. I want to bring it down from here but not to the ground. I need her to be happy where ever we go. She’s sacrificing a lot more than me in leaving. I think you kind of like the small town - while I really don’t for lifestyle. But Thx

Bisbee got in the mix, somehow. Look at Presscott, Sedona and Flagstaff

 

[MIKESPOLARA]

If I may ask, what's wrong with Laguna Bch?

 

[DeltaV]

But I thought Hill Country meant the greater Austin area - am I mistaken in that? That’s what I want is beautiful hill country/nature in a decent sized populated area with all the amenities. I don’t want to be out in the sticks and I wouldn’t do that to my wife. What do I have mixed up here?

It's a large area. Not really out in the sticks.

https://texashillcountry.com/texas-hill-country-defined/

 

[DeltaV]

Also,
https://texashillcountry.com/highland-lakes-of-burnet-county-texas/

 

[GetX'd]

Well, from what I hear (from one of my daughters) is that Houston is the place to be in Texas for good pay as an RN and Austin sucks. My daughter is an neonatal nurse and she loves Austin for the hiking trails etc etc etc and hates the pay it has to offer. She'll be 38 shortly and is already complaining about her knees.....and her mom has had bad knees and had recent replacements so they can both keep on hiking lol

One of my wife’s closest friends from growing up in Saigon now lives and works as an RN in Houston area. From what she says the pay is nothing close to what Cam makes here. Like as much as $50k a year less. And another issue there is the patient load is very heavy. Where here it’s an Arnie passed state law - no more then 3 - 4 patients per nurse. There you can have 5,6,7. We know we’ll never replace her career bennies wherever we move - For everything that sucks in CA the Nurses are by a wide margin the highest paid in the country plus pension etc. She makes $65+ an hour with more on the way this year. Irreplaceable anywhere else probably in the world. But we’re leaving for lifestyle mostly for me and the money is secondary. It’s just that it’s hard for her after having worked so hard to get where she is coming from VN and all. If she would have started younger she could have been a doctor. You should have seen the size of the VN/English medical dictionary she had to use throughout school. It was about 8” thick. She would think in VN and take notes that way and then translate to English. It was amazing to observe her dedication to get where she is.

Besides Cranky - I’ve spent business time in Houston and never really liked it or saw myself there. In contrast going to Austin on business w/o knowing anything about the liberal nature - I immediately thought I could live there and spent extra time to scope it out. Now I know a bit more about certain things there that are giving me cause for pause. But the attraction is the Hill Country beauty and nature offerings there.