What is it like to live in Texas?

[Xantippe]

It also depends how big a city you want.

Dallas has everything in it, but it takes around an hour to get from any two points. (At least in my limited experience.) We have discovered that when we do trips there, it’s best to just choose a single destination, because otherwise you spend too much time in the car.

I personally prefer a town in the six digits where you can get from end to end in 20 minutes. We can always visit the big city, as needed.

 

[dilsey]

You bet. We DO have cold weather here in Amarillo, but except for every 6-7 years we don’t have enough snow to paralyze the city. And that would just be for 24-48 hours.

However, when folks down state get heat, we do too but with much less humidity. I grew up in the Hill Country. A great place for newbies to move to.

 

[Orogeny]

You bet. We DO have cold weather here in Amarillo, but except for every 6-7 years we don’t have enough snow to paralyze the city. And that would just be for 24-48 hours.

However, when folks down state get heat, we do too but with much less humidity. I grew up in the Hill Country. A great place for newbies to move to.

I grew up in Amarillo. Spent most of my first 20 years of life there and loved it. I never wanted to live anywhere else.

Peace

Tim

 

[1ke]

St. Mary’s at Texas A&M has more vocations to the priesthood or religious life than a lot of Catholic universities.

aggiecatholic.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=222

 

[Demetra2]

Speaking of bugs, watch out for fire ants. Seriously they are nasty little buggers and live just about everywhere in giant ant hill mounds.
When I lived in Texas I found the people to be very proud of their state and also friendly. The weather in Houston was very hot and humid from May to October but the winter is mild and not humid. San Antonio in the summer can be so humid it takes your breath away.

 

[pnewton]

Padre Island is much closer and the beaches are better!

Peace

Tim

Padre Island is isolated from major metropolitan centers though.

I like my own little corner, naturally. I can have any advantage of a big city within an hours drive, thirty minutes to a beach, yet in a community with most anything one can want in the way or shopping and restaurants, but lacking the traffic issues. The only down side is the long summer and the humidity, but that is why every thing is air-conditioned. However, it is usually green year round, except the grass my die back in the winter. Oh, and we actually have a community college that now offers several four year degrees, at community college pricing, as well as jobs.

Yes, the people are as friendly here as anywhere. I would say moving here would depend on what lifestyle you want and what your needs are.

 

[CaliLobo]

There’s a bumper sticker that says, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I came as soon as I could.”

One thing we were told to get used to before we came is that you have to be prepared for the fact that your kids are going to be Texans. Texas, as you might imagine, is very big on regional patriotism and identity, and it gets drilled into school kids pretty hard. A lot of people don’t care for that, but given the size and diversity of the state, it is very important to have a unifying state identity.

Xantippe and other Texans:

Just out of curiosity, with the increasing Hispanic population and increase in the number of Yankees moving to Texas due to its growing economy, do you sense that Texas will eventually become a purple state and possibly even a blue state?

(I assure you this has nothing to do with my previous posts, but simply my curiosity.)

 

[pnewton]

Xantippe and other Texans:

Just out of curiosity, with the increasing Hispanic population and increase in the number of Yankees moving to Texas due to its growing economy, do you sense that Texas will eventually become a purple state and possibly even a blue state?

(I assure you this has nothing to do with my previous posts, but simply my curiosity.)

No time soon. I think the Hispanic population is not as stably Democrat as they would hope for. That abortion issue that the Democrats have as their current flag is not popular. Immigration is still up for grabs, as the Republicans have traditionally done more for immigrants that Democrats. Finally, the Republicans here kind of like the Hispanics and visa versa. GW Bush broke ranks with his party over immigration. We have a Hispanic Senator. I think in Texas, Hispanics are more Texan that Hispanic, and are seen as such.

Now those coming in for jobs, that is an issue. I would only hope that this fact alone would persuade some of the error of their thinking. The fact that Democratic policies have resulted in job loss in other states and Republican policies have created a vibrant economy in others testifies to why they are here. If not, and we do turn purple are blue, their jobs will be gone, they will flit off to elsewhere and we will remain to rebuild, carpetbagger-free… again.

 

[1ke]

No time soon. I think the Hispanic population is not as stably Democrat as they would hope for. That abortion issue that the Democrats have as their current flag is not popular. Immigration is still up for grabs, as the Republicans have traditionally done more for immigrants that Democrats. Finally, the Republicans here kind of like the Hispanics and visa versa. GW Bush broke ranks with his party over immigration. We have a Hispanic Senator. I think in Texas, Hispanics are more Texan that Hispanic, and are seen as such.

Now those coming in for jobs, that is an issue. I would only hope that this fact alone would persuade some of the error of their thinking. The fact that Democratic policies have resulted in job loss in other states and Republican policies have created a vibrant economy in others testifies to why they are here. If not, and we do turn purple are blue, their jobs will be gone, they will flit off to elsewhere and we will remain to rebuild, carpetbagger-free… again.

When I lived in H-town and went to Eagle Forum events, the most vocal and anti-amnesty ladies in the room were the Hispanic ladies.

Although Hispanics tend to vote Democratic, Hispanics in TX are not a unified voting block, probably because TX is not a big union state.

 

[Xantippe]

CaliLobo said:

“Just out of curiosity, with the increasing Hispanic population and increase in the number of Yankees moving to Texas due to its growing economy, do you sense that Texas will eventually become a purple state and possibly even a blue state?”

I honestly don’t know. I wouldn’t call myself a Texan, but my kids are Texans. I’ve only been here 7 years. I’ve heard of that possibility, but I also recently saw a map of voting records (current and 20 or more years ago), and Texas has had a huge swing toward Republicans over that time. Remember that traditionally, southern states voted Democrat and the pattern of southern states voting Republican is relatively recent.

There’s also the effect of something like health care reform on political affiliation. And the existing effects of religion, of course. Everybody goes to church–it may be a ragingly liberal church, but pretty much everybody middle class goes to church. I also feel like a lot of the liberalish Texans I meet would read as very conservative if you dropped them into Berkeley.

All I can say is that Texas has an extremely strong regional identity, strong regional pride and a strong program of Texification of school kids. There’s much more shared identity than in a place like California, for instance. (I did undergrad at USC.)

 

[Burt_Macklin]

Xantippe and other Texans:

Just out of curiosity, with the increasing Hispanic population and increase in the number of Yankees moving to Texas due to its growing economy, do you sense that Texas will eventually become a purple state and possibly even a blue state?

(I assure you this has nothing to do with my previous posts, but simply my curiosity.)

Hispanics are generally socially conservative, going against gay marriage and abortion, but support strong social safety net programs and progressive taxation. I guess it all depends on how they choose to prioritize in the future.

 

[lax16]

1ke said:

“Dallas is not Houston is not Austin is not Amarillo is not College Station is not Waco”

Exactly. There’s also the general regional division between Southern-ish Texas (the East), Western-ish Texas, and Hispanic Texas (which gets more pronounced as you go South). There’s some overlap. We live in an area where you can get sweet tea in Mexican restaurants. Oh, that’s another thing–I hope you like Mexican food, because by my count, about 50% of our local restaurants are some kind of Mexican. Also, bear in mind that Texas is so very large that should you wind up in the more geographically extreme locations, you’d have to fly to do much out-of-state travel.

We love Mexican food!
Good point about the extreme locations.

We’ve lived in a medium-sized college community in Texas for nearly 7 years and we love it. It’s affordable (we were previously in the expensive mid-Atlantic), the people are nice, I’ve made a lot of friends (which was really hard in the mid-Atlantic), and the local Catholic culture is small but strong and vibrant. There are fewer parishes than we are used to having at our fingertips, but the quality of pastor is generally very good. It’s very home-y–you keep bumping into the same people. (That would presumably not be true in a really big city.)

How many people live in your city?
That is great that you’ve made friends there. That can be hard to do when you move states.

For somebody coming from Utah, I have to warn you that the demographics are very different than what you’re used to. I think Texas is probably way more fun than Utah, but there is more poverty and I have to warn you if you are a non-Hispanic white that non-Hispanic whites are only about 45% of the population. If you’re not used to being a minority, it might come as a shock.

We moved from Southern California so we are used to a culturally diverse area. Utah is not very diverse, but it is starting to change.
Do you have people from non-Hispanic cultures as well?

There’s also the issue of religious demographics. We live in a deeply Baptist area, but there are a lot of smart Baptists, and I find it keeps us on our toes. However, one could easily find oneself in an area that was less congenial. (Our old pastor was reassigned to a parish in a small town about an hour away where the local cafe’s initials spell out–none too subtly–KKK.)

If the OP PMs me, I will give more exact coordinates.

Very interesting. Living around the Mormons keeps me on my toes as well!

Thanks for the info.

 

[lax16]

There’s a bumper sticker that says, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I came as soon as I could.”

One thing we were told to get used to before we came is that you have to be prepared for the fact that your kids are going to be Texans. Texas, as you might imagine, is very big on regional patriotism and identity, and it gets drilled into school kids pretty hard. A lot of people don’t care for that, but given the size and diversity of the state, it is very important to have a unifying state identity.

The Texans I’ve met are very proud of their state and love(d) living there.

That tells me there must be something good going on in the Lone Star state because I don’t hear too many other people praising their state.

I have heard it is also a good idea to not complain about the weather - Texans don’t like that.

 

[lax16]

I agree with the previous answers to your question- Texas is a HUGE state with a lot of variety and diversity. My husband has to travel frequently from Austin to El Paso- and it is over a 2 hour flight and in a different time zone! We have lived in Dallas, Denton, and Houston- and currently are living in Austin. We travel often to San Antonio, as well. The people have always been very friendly and our parishes have been excellent. I love my current parish but also loved the two I attended in Houston (our last place of residence before moving to Austin)! There is no state income tax and the economy is excellent. Houston and Dallas are huge cities- and if you decide to live in one of them, you also have to pick an area! Your schools and parishes will vary depending on the area of the city! So, I guess what I’m saying is that I could help you more once you narrow down your choices in the state. Come visit!! I’ll keep you in my prayers as you discern whether this is the place for you and your family.

It is hard to believe a state can be that big!!!

I have heard great things about Austin and San Antonio.

I have learned, after moving to three different states, that it is important to find out the “culture” of an area and the way people think.

Here in Utah, and I am sure elsewhere, a Catholic parish and school can be very different from the one 15 minutes away. We didn’t really think about that before moving here.

Thank you for the prayers. My husband wanted to visit over spring break but unfortunately the kids have different vacation times. We will try to get there soon. If nothing else, for the good food!

 

[lax16]

Let me tell you about Dallas, especially our weather, it can stink. One moment is 80 degrees and 8 hours later its 28 degrees with the roads covered in ice. The summers are hot and humid (yuck) the winters are cool to chilly.

What part of the state has the best weather, in your opinion?

 

[lax16]

Bear in mind that while Texas has no income tax, the property tax is brutal. It runs around 2%. So don’t make the rookie mistake of buying a big house in Texas and then discovering it comes with a Texas-sized tax bill.

Another potential tax issue is that if you own your own business, there’s a tax on capital. (Sorry, I’m not sure of the terminology–forgive any inexactness.) So you need to value the stuff you use in your business every year and pay a small percentage (1%?)–I believe WA has something similar. So I would definitely research this if you own your own business and are moving it here. The horrid thing about this particular tax is that it runs counter to federal tax. Under federal taxes, you can write off business expenses. Meanwhile, under Texas tax law, you have to pay taxes on a lot of business expenses. Crazy!

So, research, research, research!

That is high!

I am hoping to downsize to a one-story home or townhome. Are there townhomes in master planned communities there?

 

[lax16]

Chero23 said:

“Let me tell you about Dallas, especially our weather, it can stink. One moment is 80 degrees and 8 hours later its 28 degrees with the roads covered in ice. The summers are hot and humid (yuck) the winters are cool to chilly.”

I don’t think I would like that.

If you get a little more south, the winters are somewhat milder and I find the summers are hot and dry, rather than hot and humid.

Can you give me an idea of what is a little more south with dryer summers?

We do have the same exact issues with HUGE temperature swings in the course of a single 24 hour period. This winter has been particularly bad. The good news, though, is even if you should have a blizzard (and we had a real one several years ago), it will all melt away in a few days and you’ll have 70 degree temperatures. That’s nice.

This has been a crazy winter for so many people.

I suggest reading Kinky Friedman’s “Guide to Texas Etiquette: Or How to Get to Heaven or Hell Without Going Through Dallas Fort Worth.”

amazon.com/Kinky-Friedmans-Guide-Texas-Etiquette/dp/0060935359

He somehow manages to skip the religious dimension of life in Texas, but it’s a fun read. Somewhat dated at this point, but fun.

Thanks for the book info - I will add it to my next Amazon order.

By the way, I have to mention that Texans LOVE Colorado. In our area, it’s quite common for families to head to Colorado for summer vacations to beat the heat (110 degree days being not a rarety). I joke that Colorado is heaven for Texans.

How long does it take to get to Colorado?

What is the elevation in Texas?

 

[lax16]

Regardless of region, my response would be “it is full of Texans.” That is obviously a very good thing, or a very bad thing, depending upon your perspective!

Very true! Considering my conservative nature, I would say it is a good thing!

 

[lax16]

Salt Lake and Provo are much more scenic and beautiful than anything around Houston. Houston is miles of flat, boring wasteland and Texas sized ghettos. With the love for the automobile, the heat and good food it can also be a real problem trying to stay in shape. Expect your waste line to expand a little if you make the move.

Yes it is beautiful here. And people are exercise conscious here as well.

I bet with the good food we would probably put on a few pounds!

On the plus side, jobs are plentiful and homes are cheap. Houston is probably the only town where a poor schlub like myself could hope to be gainfully employed with a nice home. In other parts of the country I would be struggling to even get by. You have to take the good with the bad I suppose.

That is hilarious that you used the word “schlub!” That is the word my husband and his college roommates called each other (and still do!) I thought it was totally made up because they said they thought of it.

 

[lax16]

I will slightly disagree with the above comment about property taxes. Bear in mind, however, that before moving to Houston, I lived in San Francisco!! There are homestead exemptions here that significantly lower your property tax. Currently, we have homestead exemption and historic landmark reductions. In Austin, as well, there is a reduction based on one’s age. We aren’t old enough yet, but the lady from whom we purchased our house only paid $4,000 a year property tax on a $900,000 house because she had all three of the tax reductions! I’m wondering about whether the property tax differs from city to city. I know that in Houston, we lived inside the loop, in Bellaire, and with the homestead exemption paid much less than California. Someone suggested that you do your research, and I agree- but we haven’t found the property taxes to be bad at all. Also, Austin seems to encourage small business owners and start-ups. We have lots of food trucks and trailers here- and many small, local boutique stores. I am assuming that it must be easy based on the many new ones we have every year! To me, the only weakness would be schools- but the Catholic schools are plentiful and excellent- so unless you plan on public school, you should be fine there, as well. The weather, as previously mentioned, certainly varies from place to place! Houston is warm and very humid in the summer- and yet Austin, only a 2 hour drive away, tends to be cooler and drier. However, we hit 105- yep that’s right- many days last summer. They also had a severe drought and terrible fires in Bastrop several years ago- so things are pretty unpredictable. Our winters are nice and mild with usually no snow and few freezing days. Again, though, I’m talking Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

We had very high property taxes in California. More than $7,000 and we had public schools that were too dangerous to use. Our property taxes in Utah are very reasonable.

Glad to hear Catholic schools are excellent. We would be down to one in school and would like to continue to use Catholic school.