Anyone here live or lived in Texas?

[Mosaud1998]

I am planning on moving to Texas once I finish college (2022). I did go to Texas back in 2009 (I was 12 years old at the time). All I remember is going to see a new construction house in forth worth that was dirt cheap. It had a theater room, swimming pool, stone, and brick exterior finishing (I don't remember how many beds or baths it had). It was around $300k (Built by Toll Brothers). I think $300k was the starting price. So, the more options you added the higher the price went. My cousins live there and back in 2009, they were trying to get us to move to Texas because of how cheap it is. But, my dad didn't really feel comfortable moving again (We moved to Illinois from New Jersey in 05). Plus, it's not so easy to move. Ever since visiting texas and hearing how cheap it is, I basically want to move out there. But, my parents think I won't be able to handle the heat. I mean, it gets pretty hot here in Chicago (85ish on average 😂 ). What are some pros and cons to living there? I heard there's no income tax, cars are a bit cheaper, property tax is very low and overall living is cheaper there.

[ASAP]

I dont live in TX but have friends and colleagues in TX... yes its definitely cheaper than where you live but those 2009 prices are long gone... everywhere is expensive these days. Also TX property taxes are some of the highest in the country.

Either way i'd move there from Illinois in a heart beat because it's a million times better...weather alone would cause me to move.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by ASAP

I dont live in TX but have friends and colleagues in TX... yes its definitely cheaper than where you live but those 2009 prices are long gone... everywhere is expensive these days. Also TX property taxes are some of the highest in the country.

Either way i'd move there from Illinois in a heart beat because it's a million times better...weather alone would cause me to move.

Oh yeah, Illinois sucks. My parents are planning on moving out of Illinois because taxes are high as fu*ck here. My dad paid $14k property tax I think past year. Sales tax is 7.25%. Taxes on plastic bags and stuff. This year our property tax might rise because we got a patio built and fencing installed. Majority of the tax money goes to high school. No one in the family goes to the high school anymore (youngest is 17) and it's not like the kids graduating from that highschool become rocket scientists or surgeons.

I was on Zillow browsing houses in El Paso, Houston, and property taxes there aren't that bad compared to here and the houses are cheaper compared to out here. My plan is to either get an internship in Texas and live on rent for a while or graduate and find a job there and live on rent.


https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...70531030_zpid/

A house like this here would easily be around $500k+.

[Germanauto]

I also have friends and colleagues in TX and been there quite a bit, specifically the greater Houston area. Objectively it makes a lot of sense to relocate there. Yes property taxes are high but home prices are significantly lower than any of the coastal metros and there is no income tax. While in the nicer parts LA any home under $3 million is unimpressive, in most of TX a home even half that cost is ginormous.

But since you asked for cons I'll chime in on my personal bias on Houston at least: it is a very boring place to live if you are used to living in a metropolis with a vibrant downtown, shopping, beaches, mountains, etc. I could never do it, and I hear Dallas is no different. Austin is hyped but ultimately it's still a small town compared to other major metros. Haven't been there though so what do I know.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

I also have friends and colleagues in TX and been there quite a bit, specifically the greater Houston area. Objectively it makes a lot of sense to relocate there. Yes property taxes are high but home prices are significantly lower than any of the coastal metros and there is no income tax. While in the nicer parts LA any home under $3 million is unimpressive, in most of TX a home even half that cost is ginormous.

But since you asked for cons I'll chime in on my personal bias on Houston at least: it is a very boring place to live if you are used to living in a metropolis with a vibrant downtown, shopping, beaches, mountains, etc. I could never do it, and I hear Dallas is no different. Austin is hyped but ultimately it's still a small town compared to other major metros. Haven't been there though so what do I know.

My subdivision is surrounded by corn I don't think I would mind

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

Oh yeah, Illinois sucks. My parents are planning on moving out of Illinois because taxes are high as fu*ck here. My dad paid $14k property tax I think past year. Sales tax is 7.25%. Taxes on plastic bags and stuff. This year our property tax might rise because we got a patio built and fencing installed. Majority of the tax money goes to high school. No one in the family goes to the high school anymore (youngest is 17) and it's not like the kids graduating from that highschool become rocket scientists or surgeons.

I was on Zillow browsing houses in El Paso, Houston, and property taxes there aren't that bad compared to here and the houses are cheaper compared to out here. My plan is to either get an internship in Texas and live on rent for a while or graduate and find a job there and live on rent.


https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...70531030_zpid/

A house like this here would easily be around $500k+.

A house like that in Austin would be easily $750K plus. El Paso is well... research it. I have a 3600 sq ft Taylor Morrison home that's 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bathroom, assessed at $632K and my property taxes were $17K.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by dinonz

A house like that in Austin would be easily $750K plus. El Paso is well... research it. I have a 3600 sq ft Taylor Morrison home that's 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bathroom, assessed at $632K and my property taxes were $17K.

Yeah, I don't think El Paso is so hot. I'm still researching the best cities out there. Climate wise, I think Houston would be best. Real Estate and amenities wise.. I've got no clue as of today.

[erickonphoenix]

Please don't move to Austin.

[EricVR4]

Born and raised Houstonian here. Texas is definitely tough to beat in terms of quality of life and how far the dollar goes (although it's slowly leveling out with other states to an extent). I'm slightly biased because I'm from here (and Houston specifically) but there's obviously good and bad to it. In terms of income, tax, quality of life, and certain liberties you will love Texas compared to Illinois. It won't even be close.

Weather in Texas is dependent on the area you're living in. Houston has mild winters and hot summers (with an assload of humidity pretty much year-round). Austin gets hot too and stays slightly cooler in the winter than Houston. Dallas is drier year-round and actually hotter than Houston during the summer, and gets colder in the winter. North Texas has the most "seasons" out of anywhere in the state.

As for Houston, this place is completely whatever you make of it. It's not the prettiest and people certainly don't move here for the climate, but the culture and people here make this place awesome (to me). The quality of life and things to do here are great as well. It's a unique place in that it is absolutely massive and very spread out. Instead of having one main "downtown" like most cities, we have like 8 (Downtown, Galleria/Uptown, Midtown, Greenspoint, Energy Corridor, Med Center, etc). The food here is second to none due to it now being one of the most diverse cities in the States. We have a good bar/club scene if that's your thing. There are a ton of parks/green spaces around the city, dog parks, running/biking trails along the bayou, etc. Lots of great museums and outdoor things to do (when the weather isn't 95+). Our economy stays fairly strong as well thanks to it being fairly diverse in terms of industries. We're definitely not a tech hub though (unless you count the medical center which is the largest in the world).

If you have any specific questions though, I'll be happy to answer whatever I can

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by EricVR4

Born and raised Houstonian here. Texas is definitely tough to beat in terms of quality of life and how far the dollar goes (although it's slowly leveling out with other states to an extent). I'm slightly biased because I'm from here (and Houston specifically) but there's obviously good and bad to it. In terms of income, tax, quality of life, and certain liberties you will love Texas compared to Illinois. It won't even be close.

Weather in Texas is dependent on the area you're living in. Houston has mild winters and hot summers (with an assload of humidity pretty much year-round). Austin gets hot too and stays slightly cooler in the winter. Dallas is drier year-round and actually hotter than Houston during the summer, and gets colder in the winter. North Texas has the most "seasons" out of anywhere in the state.

As for Houston, this place is completely whatever you make of it. It's not the prettiest and people certainly don't move here for the climate, but the culture and people here make this place awesome (to me). The quality of life and things to do here are great as well. It's a unique place in that it is absolutely massive and very spread out. Instead of having one main "downtown" like most cities, we have like 8 (Downtown, Galleria/Uptown, Midtown, Greenspoint, Energy Corridor, Med Center, etc). The food here is second to none due to it now being one of the most diverse cities in the States. We have a good bar/club scene if that's your thing. There are a ton of parks/green spaces around the city, dog parks, running/biking trails along the bayou, etc. Lots of great museums and outdoor things to do (when the weather isn't 95+). Our economy stays fairly strong as well thanks to it being fairly diverse in terms of industries. We're definitely not a tech hub though (unless you count the medical center which is the largest in the world).

If you have any specific questions though, I'll be happy to answer whatever I can

Yessir, has of right now Houston is number one followed by Fort Worth.

[erickonphoenix]

Originally Posted by EricVR4

Born and raised Houstonian here. Texas is definitely tough to beat in terms of quality of life and how far the dollar goes (although it's slowly leveling out with other states to an extent). I'm slightly biased because I'm from here (and Houston specifically) but there's obviously good and bad to it. In terms of income, tax, quality of life, and certain liberties you will love Texas compared to Illinois. It won't even be close.

Weather in Texas is dependent on the area you're living in. Houston has mild winters and hot summers (with an assload of humidity pretty much year-round). Austin gets hot too and stays slightly cooler in the winter than Houston. Dallas is drier year-round and actually hotter than Houston during the summer, and gets colder in the winter. North Texas has the most "seasons" out of anywhere in the state.

As for Houston, this place is completely whatever you make of it. It's not the prettiest and people certainly don't move here for the climate, but the culture and people here make this place awesome (to me). The quality of life and things to do here are great as well. It's a unique place in that it is absolutely massive and very spread out. Instead of having one main "downtown" like most cities, we have like 8 (Downtown, Galleria/Uptown, Midtown, Greenspoint, Energy Corridor, Med Center, etc). The food here is second to none due to it now being one of the most diverse cities in the States. We have a good bar/club scene if that's your thing. There are a ton of parks/green spaces around the city, dog parks, running/biking trails along the bayou, etc. Lots of great museums and outdoor things to do (when the weather isn't 95+). Our economy stays fairly strong as well thanks to it being fairly diverse in terms of industries. We're definitely not a tech hub though (unless you count the medical center which is the largest in the world).

If you have any specific questions though, I'll be happy to answer whatever I can

I'm originally from Beaumont but moved here in 87. Pretty much nailed it ^
As for scenery, not much else besides power lines and billboards but the food and bar scene is one of the best in the country.

[EricVR4]

For what it's worth too, I lived in Dallas for 2 years and hated it. So much of Dallas thinks it's the LA of Texas and I have no idea why. I have family up there and have spent most of my life going back and forth. It's not for me haha.

Austin is wildly different than it was 10-15 years ago. I haven't ever lived there so I can't really comment on what it's like. Every time I visit though, real estate is still insane, and the traffic is terrible. The hill country (central Texas) is still one of my favorite places though. It's pretty and there are endless things to do outside.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

Please don't move to Austin.

I googled "best cities in texas" and fort worth was number one followed by Plano. I think my best bet would be to visit texas again maybe a year before I graduate and stay in each city for a week. The only city and stayed in was Forth Worth for like 2-3 weeks at my cousins' house.

[EricVR4]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

I google "best cities in texas" and fort worth was number one followed by Plano.

My brother has lived around the north Dallas area since 2003. Plano, Frisco, Carrollton, Celina, etc. It's picture-perfect suburbia pretty much, but also just a ton of people living house-broke. They have mcmansions everywhere and I don't know how anyone affords it

[Dlpfcb]

I looked at Texas a lot in the past as would move there, maybe Austin or a smaller suburb. Ended up coming to Boise and have loved it. Only problem is here you won’t be able to find a house.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by EricVR4

My brother has lived around the north Dallas area since 2003. Plano, Frisco, Carrollton, Celina, etc. It's picture-perfect suburbia pretty much, but also just a ton of people living house-broke. They have mcmansions everywhere and I don't know how anyone affords it

All I know is in Texas I won't be needing AWD

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by Dlpfcb

I looked at Texas a lot in the past as would move there, maybe Austin or a smaller suburb. Ended up coming to Boise and have loved it. Only problem is here you won’t be able to find a house.

Why's that?

[EricVR4]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

All I know is in Texas I won't be needing AWD

Correct

Houston and Dallas have the best car scenes too in Texas (in my opinion). Austin is the most liberal/green city in Texas so there are a million Teslas but I would assume there are also some decent car scenes there too just given that it's a tech place and there's quite a bit of money there.

One thing of note about Houston though, there are absolutely no zoning laws here so the businesses you see strung together will make zero sense at times. You'll have a daycare, a church, and then a strip club....all sitting in a row off a freeway

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by Dlpfcb

I looked at Texas a lot in the past as would move there, maybe Austin or a smaller suburb. Ended up coming to Boise and have loved it. Only problem is here you won’t be able to find a house.

You weren't wrong lol. That's weird

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by EricVR4

Correct

Houston and Dallas have the best car scenes too in Texas (in my opinion). Austin is the most liberal/green city in Texas so there are a million Teslas but I would assume there are also some decent car scenes there too just given that it's a tech place and there's quite a bit of money there.

One thing of note about Houston though, there are absolutely no zoning laws here so the businesses you see strung together will make zero sense at times. You'll have a daycare, a church, and then a strip club....all sitting in a row off a freeway

Go to church then the strip club.

[Merami fan]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

Please don't move to Austin.

Slight technical update to this: Austin FC plans to begin playing in the 2021 MLS season (starts around March or April). I am into soccer, but the MLS is really only "major league" in name in the soccer world... Still, at least it's something.

More on topic: prices are rising quickly with the influx of wealthy people, but still very attractive compared to where I was in NY (LI) and NYC. People mention high tax rates, but property values are still on the low side compared to many places. It's not bad. A win-win for me. No income tax and relatively cheap rent as I build up wealth, and reasonable taxes if/when I decide to buy a house. I feel like I dodged a bullet by not moving into Manhattan early this year... WFH lets me avoid traffic. After getting used to NY traffic, it doesn't seem any worse than usual to me, although I've only sat in rush hour traffic for a few miles after a DMV/DPS appointment.

[3.0L]

I 'lived' in El Paso once upon a time. Actually, it was Ft. Bliss. US Army Basic Combat Training, during the summer months. Sucked, to say the least. I've hated Texas ever since.

Son bought a house in Houston many years later. That sucked, too. Hot, humid, Hurricanes, floods.

I visited Houston a few times and it still sucks. Lousy zoning, bad weather.

Texas sucks.