Tell me about Texas

[zelatore]

We've got plenty of Texans and former Texans on the board, so I've got a question for you guys.

Why might I want to live in Texas?

Here's the deal - Michele's company will have 2 openings in Texas later this year for the job she currently does here on the west coast. Although we hadn't considered it seriously, she did ask me if I'd like to live there.

My initial response was NO!

But it's been rolling around in my head for a few days now and I'm slowly changing that to a very cautious 'well, maybe'.

Seeing how Texans are inordinately proud of their state, perhaps you guys can tell me what makes it so great. I can come up with lots of negatives on my own but not too many positives. But then again, it's a big state and I'm really just drawing on stereotypes.

Keep in mind neither of is is exactly the 'conservative christian, right-wing republican' type, nor do we give a rat's ass about football! I do think we own enough guns to pass the entrance test though, at least on a probationary basis.

We could live just about anywhere in the state if she were to take the job, though Austin is the only place that has come up as a possible option.

To get an idea of what I'm talking about, if I were trying to pimp my part of California I'd point out things like:

You're within 2-3 hrs of some of the most spectacular places in the country-Yosemite, Tahoe, Avenue of the Giants, Mendocino, Big Sur, etc.

Excellent sports car and motorcycle roads!

Several great tracks near-by- Sears Point, Thunder Hill, Laguna Seca (and more if you're willing to drive a bit further)

Mountains! I've been to the Alps, the Canadian and US Rockies, the Smokies, the Blue Ridge, etc, and although each has it's pluses, the Sierras are as good or better than anything else out there.

The weather is generally very good. Hot in the summer, but with very low humidity. If you want hotter or colder, snow skiing or water skiing, just drive an hour or two toward higher/lower elevation and you can find it.

Several major airports to choose from for travel.

The people/politics runs very liberal, but 90% of the people don't shove it in your face and have more of a 'live and let live/do your own thing' attitude.

While I won't live in a big city, it's good to have them near-by. Anything you want is readily available and likely available here first. Want a Lotus, MV Agusta, or Tesla? Take your pick of dealers. If it's available in the US, it's probably available in the bay area. And yes, that includes more than just cars and bikes, they just make convenient examples.

Water! The delta, the bay, the lakes, the coast - we've got plenty of places for boating whether you prefer big or small, power or sail, fast or slow.


This is probably all a pointless exercise. There are plenty of reasons not to move, starting with trying to sell our house and boat in the current market. But all the same, the idea just won't go away.

[JimG]

I can come up with lots of negatives on my own but not too many positives.


Nope, can't think of any reason why you should move here...

[zelatore]

I'm trying to say my negatives are based more on stereotype and ignorance than actual fact.

When I think of Texas, what comes to mind is-

flat
brown
humid and hot
ultra-conservative
rusted 4x4's with chrome plated truck nuts

and a few other things that may or not be true.

Just as you might think northern California is all granola munching free love hippies in Priuses.

But I'm admitting that I haven't actually spent time in Texas, so there's a chance I could be wrong. Hence the original question.

[Jraysray]

Nope, can't think of any reason why you should move here...

:confused::confused:

As we Texans are proud of our State starting this out with anything else but a compliment is an insult.... Lesson 1

I get what you’re saying and I’m sure you meant no harm.
My question is why move if you want to go somewhere that is just like the place you left? Stay there and all is fine.

Now if you want to go somewhere with an OPEN mind and are looking for a place to live that offers a VAST variety of resources Natural, Human and Economical then TEXAS is the place for you.

If you’re looking for a city that might be more familiar to you then Austin is your city. Keep in mind it is in TEXAS not cali so its not gonna be the same just similar to what you have described.
Oh think of all the cash you get to keep here as well. We don't have 50 year mortgages.

[Jraysray]

Come to our lil get together in June. See for yourself. I'm sure we can get you on a boat.

[JimG]

Still blank... I got nothing...



But you can ride on my boat if you come down! Love to have ya!

[tmh]

The hill country around Austin is a place I'd like to live. Unfortunately, Austin is a liberal college town/state capital rather than being conservative like the majority of Texas. It has pretty scenery and the river/lakes are wonderful. There is a reason Texans are proud of their state. Take a brief vacation for a long weekend and I'll bet you will be impressed.
T.M. Hayes

[gcarter]

Great driving roads in the Edwards Plateau and the Texas Hill Country.
One of the most liberal cities in the country is Austin. You'd feel right at home.
No earthquakes......Darn!!!!!
Like California, it has over 300 years of history, Spanish, French, German, Confederacy, it's own country.......
The east is swampy, hilly and timber covered.
The middle is semi arid.
The west is desert and mountains. Not really a lot of flat land except along the Gulf and the Panhandle.
No Chinese television......Double Darn! Plenty of Spanish though.

Ya probably oughta stay in CA, you'd always be regretting what ya left.
High taxes, relentless regulations, completely out of countrol legislature, $5.00 gasoline, unbelieveable cost of living.

Don't disappoint us, stay there.

[gcarter]

Oh, and the hills west of Austin toward Wimberly would be a terrible place to live or even look at.
What ever you do, don't go there. You wouldn't like it.

[jl1962]

Texas is great.

I'm a stuck up, elitist, Jeter rooting, liberal a$$ New Yorker and whenever I go to Texas, I have a great time.

All the world's a stage and in Texas, it's a very BIG stage.

You just need to channel Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray and Sandy Cheeks!

:cool:

[The Hedgehog]

TN works well for me, but most folks that I have met from Texas are pretty cool. They don't lack natural resources either. It could not see it being a bad place to live.

[Jraysray]

Oh, and the hills west of Austin toward Wimberly would be a terrible place to live or even look at.
What ever you do, don't go there. You wouldn't like it.

The list goes on and on....

Pssstttt Zel..... Look into those places just don't tell anyone I told you...:wink::wink:

Might get my chrome nut sack revoked of my pickem up truck. :shocking::shocking:

Come on down..........

Where is JEFE??? Be prepared the dood chits Lone Star turds. Now thats a TEXAN, YE HAW.........

[Tony]

Great driving roads in the Edwards Plateau and the Texas Hill Country.
One of the most liberal cities in the country is Austin. You'd feel right at home.
No earthquakes......Darn!!!!!
Like California, it has over 300 years of history, Spanish, French, German, Confederacy, it's own country.......
The east is swampy, hilly and timber covered.
The middle is semi arid.
The west is desert and mountains. Not really a lot of flat land except along the Gulf and the Panhandle.
No Chinese television......Double Darn! Plenty of Spanish though.

Ya probably oughta stay in CA, you'd always be regretting what ya left.
High taxes, relentless regulations, completely out of countrol legislature, $5.00 gasoline, unbelieveable cost of living.

Don't disappoint us, stay there.

Good reply, George, this is more what he was looking for...until your last sentence!

Geez, Don, about half of these replies have got kind of an attitude...like having a burr in the saddle or something. :sombrero:

I can't help you, obviously, having never been there myself. FWIW, I thought you presented your original query honestly and mostly tactfully, admitting generalizations that are not uncommon for those who don't live there.

:beer:

[Jraysray]

Good reply, George, this is more what he was looking for...until your last sentence!

Geez, Don, about half of these replies have got kind of an attitude...like having a burr in the saddle or something. :sombrero:

I can't help you, obviously, having never been there myself. FWIW, I thought you presented your original query honestly and mostly tactfully, admitting generalizations that are not uncommon for those who don't live there.

:beer:

It's tongue in cheek humor, thats all. Ohhhhhhhh THE FOOD THE FOOD!!!!! Welcome to TEXMEX... Ole!

[Tony]

Good, I was hoping so. Sorry for the misinterpretation!


:beer:

[Carl C]

Ted Nugent, guns and Mexicans.

[gcarter]

Good, I was hoping so. Sorry for the misinterpretation!


:beer:

About the largest influx of folks escaping into Nevada are from CA.
I fear if they knew about Texas, half the state of CA would head there.

Let the Liberals try to maintain all those programs in CA w/o the tax receipts from the working folks that are getting out. :wink:

[gcarter]

Ted Nugent, guns and Mexicans.

Carl, I thought Ted lived in your home state??????

[Jraysray]

Carl, I thought Ted lived in your home state??????

Ted has a bumper sticker that say's I wasn't born in TEXAS but I got here as soon as I could. The Nuge I a TRIP! Yep he belongs to us now. Sorry Carl.

Side note: Ted played in a bar not to far from here and I'm pissed I missed it. Must have had cat scratch fever.

[zelatore]

OK, OK, perhaps not played as well as I could have. I'm not trying to turn this into a political or CA vs TX thing.

Yes, I do like it here in northern CA. However the list of pros I brought up were not meant as a 'look how good it is here - how could you possibly compare' so much as an example of what I'd like to hear from the locals.

I'm not trying to say one area is 'better' than the other. I happen to know a bit about my area and would like to know more about yours. Maybe I'll like it, maybe I won't. Chance are I'd find a little of both. While I wasn't looking to move, the opportunity may be there so why not consider it?

When I posted the same query to some of my friends, the best they could come up with was 'well, it's not Indiana'. (great, now I've offended the Hoosiers on the forum as well!) So better to ask somebody who actually lives there, right?

And no, I'm not blind to the negatives of my own state. I have no problem coming up with a list of those. Would you like me to give it a try?

Expensive real estate (yes, even in today's market)
Expensive gas - Gas at AOTH was running 25-40 cents less than when I left
Crowded; the local freeways are a parking lot during commute hours
Economy is in the crapper and will likely remain so for some years to come. Just saw a piece on Yahoo on the 10 worst places to find a job and the 10 best. Sacramento was 3rd on the worst list; Austin 6th on the best list.
Yes, the politics can get out of hand.

Yet despite those and more you'd be lying to yourself if you said northern California didn't have a lot going for it, so don't get upset if I happen to view Texas through that particular lens.

And on the food front, I'm no foodie so I didn't include that. San Francisco is considered either first or second (ahead or behind NYC) as a food city but it just doesn't matter much to me. On the other hand, I had a friend some years ago who was originally from Texas who could grill road kill and make it turn out great, so maybe there is something to the Texas food thing after all.

Same thing with music/entertainment - both areas offer great music scenes and while I enjoy the occasional show it's not something I'm specifically interested in.

As Tony said, those who live outside Texas have a certain stereotypical view of the state. I hinted at the same when I made the comments about outsiders' views of all us hippies here in NorCal. I'm sure the stereotypes of both states have some truth to them. I'm trying to find out a little more about how much.

Despite the mess, there are some bits of info to be found among the replies.

But let's make it more specific since subtleness can be lost via this medium:

If you were going to move to Texas, where would you look and why?

[zelatore]

TN works well for me, but most folks that I have met from Texas are pretty cool. They don't lack natural resources either. It could not see it being a bad place to live.


Yeah, I was having a bit of homesickness while at AOTH. I think I could live in parts of TN; Chattanooga comes to mind. The green and the trees just look 'right'. I've never quite gotten used to the trees here. Redwoods and sequoias are cool in their own way, but they still aren't 'right'. Of course, all that green that's so nice to look at requires a lot of humidity, so there are some trade-offs.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

About the largest influx of folks escaping into Nevada are from CA.
I fear if they knew about Texas, half the state of CA would head there.

Let the Liberals try to maintain all those programs in CA w/o the tax receipts from the working folks that are getting out. :wink:

The 72 year old welder I mainly use for difficult welding jobs was forced out of CA by the cumbersome laws requiring expensive bonding to operate his small shop. Thank goodness he and his family ended up here in my area of Texas - just an example of your statement.
I grew up in Memphis TN and always wanted to move to Texas since I was a kid. I moved here in 1971 and will never leave the great people and sanity which prevails here. Tons of things to do with all the diversity. I usually don't promote Texas since I like it as it is - :yes:

[Just Say N20]

Don, I worked for Kodak for 22 years, which afforded me the "opportunity" to live/work in many different areas.

I grew up in Rochester, NY, went to school in Ohio, and have lived or worked in Florida (Miami), Texas (lived in Houston, but worked from the Mexican boarder to Baton Rouge, La), Illinois (Rockford, covering southern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa), and have been in Michigan since 1987, living in Grand Rapids.

Your mention of how things "looked" in Tn is interesting. Texas has a lot of great things to offer. I was not able to completely get used to the weather. I'm not a hot/humid weather guy, which is what the eastern side of the state has. Dallas, and the Austin/San Antonio section is much drier. I also liked being able to boat almost year round, although it could be brutal during the summer. Seems I remember water skiing in Lake Houston, and feeling like I was in a hot tub. I swear the lake water was over 90 degrees.

Lake Travis is a great place to boat, but different than the openness of the Great Lakes or ocean (you should write that down. It is brilliant!).

But perhaps the most sage insight I was given when I started with Kodak was the following story.

A new recruit was being assigned his first territory, and was nervous about it, so he asked an old timer if he would like the area he was being moved to.

The old timer asked him if he liked living where he was currently living.

The recruit said, "No, the weather is terrible, the people are rude and unpleasant, and there is almost nothing to do."

The old timer said, "No, I don't think you are going to like living where you are going."

Another recruit was listening to this conversation, and became concerned because he too was relocating, so he asked the old timer about where he was going to be moving to.

He got the same question, "Do you like living where you are right now?"

The 2nd recruit said, "Absolutely! The people are great, the weather is wonderful, and the area offers so much variety in terms of entertainment and outdoor activities, I don't think you could ever do everything it has to offer!"

The old timer then replied, "You are going to Love it where you are moving to."

The first recruit overhead this, and came back with a confused look on his face. He said, "I just heard you tell him he was going to love where he was moving to. You told me I wasn't going to like where I was moving to. I don't get it. We are both moving to the same place!"

The old timer said, "Its simple. If you like where you are right now, you will probably like where you are going. If you don't like where you are, you probably won't like where you are going either."

[gcarter]

Where Bill lives on lake Texhoma is cool w/that huge lake, but it can get pretty cold in the winter. And Dallas is nearby, good shopping and airports.
Houston is a huge metropolis that has eveything a city can provide. Great shopping, an airport w/flights to anywhere in the world, excellent highway system, good rail service, #2, or so port, but it's at least 80-90 miles to get out of town. It's real flat and as hot and humid as here in Florida.
The San Antonio-Austin Corridor is a really cool area. I-35 runs SW-NE along the Balcones Fault which puts both of those cities in the hills. Lots of Info Services type jobs. Really beautiful country, lots of history, large lakes, rocky rivers, great vistas, caverns, canyons, and lots of wild west history. But no real mountains there, you have to go a bit further west. Elaine and I have discussed moving to the Hill Country NW of there if we ever leave Florida. This area was first settled by the Spanish until the Mexican Revolution in the 1820's, lator by folks from TN, and then the Germans after the Civil War. There's lots of honey colored native limestone that makes great building material and you will see historical homes made of the stuff w/both Spanish and German architectural influence.
The area is semi arid and gets about 15" of rain a year and is loaded w/desert vegetation. It's a particularly attractive area.

[gcarter]

And my most favorite National Park, Big Bend!

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=63937&stc=1&d=1306240879

[RedDog]

No TX State income tax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jraysray]

Zel,
There is a member here that made the move that your talking about. Super guy, he came from Cali and settled in Austin on Lake Travis.

PM him and I'm sure he can give you some great input. jimishooch (http://www.donzi.net/forums/member.php?u=6559)

[handfulz28]

Have you researched BMWCCA and PCA in Texas? How about NASA and SCCA? There's lots going on I'm sure. Plenty of two-wheel action also whether it be organized or just cruising.

Plenty of scenery i.e. mountainous/curvy terrain once you get a little north of I-10 probably.

Obviously down by Houston and southward along the Gulf coast is where you'd find the more open waters, but from everything I've read the more popular lakes in Texas offer more than plentiful enjoyment for running the 22. Plus think about how much closer to a lot of other places you'd be to trailer the 22.

You mention CA being liberal, but I bet Texas offers much more personal freedom in so many ways. You definitely have to go see someplace like Austin to understand that what the Bay area offers isn't exactly unique in that perspective.

It sounds like even though you guys are relatively young, adventurous, and don't have anything holding you down, you've pretty much settled on where you're at. But it sounds like you might have an opportunity to go explore something different without too much hassle. Do you REALLY have to sell the house/big boat? Can you rent them out or time share the boat in some way?

My final analysis as someone who considers travel/relocation regularly for work:
Dallas is too far north; gets cold in winter and no big lakes nearby.
Houston gets hot as hell in summer, plus it's a hurricane risk. But water access is prime and it's probably the biggest, best growing city in the state. Being from Florida, the heat/hurricane issue is a wash.
Austin - young influence from college-age people. But since there's a lot of high-tech and large business activity, people stick around and "mature" in the area. Big popular lakes nearby plus plenty of scenery. There's an airport there and it's not that difficult to get to Dallas or Houston which will get you anywhere.

I've lived everywhere from Tuscaloosa, AL to NYC/Boston, with Atlanta and DC/MD/VA thrown in. Texas wouldn't be first on my list, but I'd go to Houston or Austin without hesitation if offered. And I'd keep my house in FL just to have it if I wanted to come back.

[Craig S]

I live in the Houston area and love it. Normally (!), lots of rain in the Southeast Texas area, close salt and fresh water, property values low enough that you can own waterfront, 12 month boating. It seems I can buy things for my boat like I lived in Fort Lauderdale. I also have a place in the Coastal Bend - what I call home...very pleasant, more "small townish", nice , greenish water (we don't have a sandy bottom on the Texas coast-but a few of the fresh water lakes have limestone, which sorta makes up for it!).

The motorcycle riding west of San Antonio is the best for maybe 1000 miles. Intricate tight work with changes in elevation, mile after mile. No cross streets.

The Coastal areas (including Houston) are more easy going and laid back. The Western areas seem more conservative (Dallas and such). San Antonio is a huge retirement town (mostly retired military) and tourist destination.

The waterfront on the few constant level lakes is pretty pricey, but only Lake Austin requires you to be a movie star to afford it.

Much of the state has a strong Spanish/Mexican/Catholic influence due to the way it was colonized and the way Texas developed.

I'm a Texan...and can't think of anywhere else I would want to call home. Visit? lots of places, but this is home. :us-texas:

[Team Jefe]

Its really very simple....why move to Texas?....





Jefe is here!:kingme:





What else do you need to know!!!!!

Seriously, Texas has so much to offer and we'll treat you so many different ways, you're bound to like some of them.

Don, Like Jim and Scott said....come on down to our rally Jun10-12 and we'll show you a good time. I'll even offer you a bed in El Resort Del Jefe if you wanna save a little coin.

Stay a few days after and take a drive to Austin and San Antonio....I agree, Dallas is too far north...then you can make up your own mind and bury the sterotypes.

Texans are proud...I guarantee there no rust on my 4X4:wink:

[Marvair]

You'll love the view!!!!!

http://www.use.com/showorig.pl?set=25aed0c33f4e755e650d&p=1




Marvin.

[zelatore]

Have you researched BMWCCA and PCA in Texas? How about NASA and SCCA? There's lots going on I'm sure. Plenty of two-wheel action also whether it be organized or just cruising.

Plenty of scenery i.e. mountainous/curvy terrain once you get a little north of I-10 probably.

Obviously down by Houston and southward along the Gulf coast is where you'd find the more open waters, but from everything I've read the more popular lakes in Texas offer more than plentiful enjoyment for running the 22. Plus think about how much closer to a lot of other places you'd be to trailer the 22.

You mention CA being liberal, but I bet Texas offers much more personal freedom in so many ways. You definitely have to go see someplace like Austin to understand that what the Bay area offers isn't exactly unique in that perspective.

It sounds like even though you guys are relatively young, adventurous, and don't have anything holding you down, you've pretty much settled on where you're at. But it sounds like you might have an opportunity to go explore something different without too much hassle. Do you REALLY have to sell the house/big boat? Can you rent them out or time share the boat in some way?

My final analysis as someone who considers travel/relocation regularly for work:
Dallas is too far north; gets cold in winter and no big lakes nearby.
Houston gets hot as hell in summer, plus it's a hurricane risk. But water access is prime and it's probably the biggest, best growing city in the state. Being from Florida, the heat/hurricane issue is a wash.
Austin - young influence from college-age people. But since there's a lot of high-tech and large business activity, people stick around and "mature" in the area. Big popular lakes nearby plus plenty of scenery. There's an airport there and it's not that difficult to get to Dallas or Houston which will get you anywhere.

I've lived everywhere from Tuscaloosa, AL to NYC/Boston, with Atlanta and DC/MD/VA thrown in. Texas wouldn't be first on my list, but I'd go to Houston or Austin without hesitation if offered. And I'd keep my house in FL just to have it if I wanted to come back.


I think you've pretty much got it figured out. Over all, we like the area we're in but the idea of trying something new has got our attention.

The boat would have to sell, but it's paid off so if we take a bath on it it's not the end of the world. The house isn't paid for as we've only had it for just under 10 years. We shouldn't be upside down on it, but we wouldn't make much selling it either. Renting might be an option, but I don't know how much demand there would be for rentals in a small rural town like ours or even if we'd want to deal with the hassle. More likely we'd sell though; even if we wanted to move back here we'd be looking to build something different. Small house/big garage.

Geographically, it sounds like east of 35 and north of 10 are the areas we'd like best. I like visiting the desert but don't want to live there and it seems like the western part of the state is more like that. While I like living here in the delta, my biggest complaint is the lack of hills. The levees are the biggest hills around! We have hills and mountains within an hour's drive or less, but it would be good to actually live in the hills for a change. Marry the hills (scenery, good roads) with decent size lakes and rivers (scenery, good boating) and you're starting to get somewhere!

Thanks for the invitations to the rally, but the timing is off. For the first time in over a year I've actually got a back-log of work and I need to get on it while I can, so taking a few days off so soon after AOTH just doesn't fit the schedule this year.

We may have to take a trip out to Austin and just drive around for a few days later this year to get a feel for the place. Michele has spent some time there for work, but my only time in Texas has been driving across I40 and flying into Austin to buy an Alfa which I then drove north to Indiana through the night. In other words, I haven't seen much of anything.

Like I said at the outset, the whole thing is speculative but the more I think about it the more interesting it becomes. Of course, I'm easily distracted so who knows what shinny thing will come along next to lure me away from this exercise. :bonk:

[Tony]

Ted Nugent, guns and Mexicans.

Carl, we cannot give them the Motor City Madman!

I saw him play at Denby High School in Detroit when I was in 8th grade. He is Motown born and bred, and will in my mind be a Michigander forever. Plus, he is a master "wordsmith", and can spew some impressivr dialogue right off the top of his head.

:beer: