Texas Guys

[Zoomin]

I used to live in California also, and I do not miss it a bit. I moved to Oklahoma though because it has the best college football team.

However, if this country continues its downward spiral and Texas secedes, I be moving there for sure. Lots of great places in Texas, but the San Antonio area would probably be my choice.

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by Zoomin

I used to live in California also, and I do not miss it a bit. I moved to Oklahoma though because it has the best college football team.

However, if this country continues its downward spiral and Texas secedes, I be moving there for sure. Lots of great places in Texas, but the San Antonio area would probably be my choice.

Texas can't secede from the Union, That was settled by the Civil War. No state has that option. Texas did have that option the first time it joined the Union but gave up that right when it surrendered to the north. The other myth is that Texas can fly its state flag at the same height as the US flag. Fact is all states can, but don't out of respect for the Union.

[jbristo67]

Originally Posted by dwcsr

HOA's are a real problem in Texas but you can buy in an area that doesn't have them.

What is an HOA

[low'n slow]

Originally Posted by jbristo67

What is an HOA

Home Owners Association.

[dan42]

I lived in Plano for 2 months when I worked for EDS - it was the longest 2 months of my life. This California boy could not handle the heat and humidity of July and August - the thunderstorms that kept you awake all night - and the bugs! The bugs that you could hear whacking against your front door at night that were as big as golf balls. When you woke up in the morning it was already 90 degrees and the screeching of the bugs was deafening - I thought I was in another world. Don't get me wrong, if you guys like it, more power to you, but give me the fog and 60 degree days all summer and I'll be just fine, thank you very much. No air conditioning, just open windows all year long, no huge goblin bugs that leave bruises when they run into you, just a sweet, cool seabreeze that actually invigorates you, rather than sapping every last ounce of energy out of you. All I'm saying is that if your from California, you're gonna be in for a pretty good shock.

[danman987123]

i live in san antonio, and wouldnt choose any place else. austin is cool too......just more pricey. in san antonio you can buy a 2300sq ft house for 150k-175k and a nice one. in austin it may cost a bit more. just my 2 cents . but good luck with everything.....does have big city living or great hill country in any direction.

[nastyc10]

I'm here in austin on the southwest side. paid 180k for my 1800sqft home with no HOA in a nice neighborhood. I like the austin area (but the traffic sucks) more than any other area of the state. I can hunt 30 minutes away on any side of town. There is plenty of lakes and rivers for watersports and fishing. Food is great, awesome live music scene and has a nice central location for traveling to other towns or down to the coast. It is hot here though!!

[OhOneWS6]

Not all HOA's are bad. In fact most are not. It's harder and harder to find a new neighborhood that does not have an HOA. The cities encourage them because they police themselves as far as code violations. There is usually another side to the horror stories you hear about them. I've lived in TX all my 40 years. I'm in DFW but Austin would be my choice just for the lakes. Trust me, Dallas and Houston have traffic that is every bit as bad as Austin.

[Dads69C10]

I have to put in my 2 cents for El Paso,Tx. We are the 2nd safest large city in the country even though we are bordered by one the most dangerous city in Mexico. I am LE here, we were just issued brand new M4's ! Eppd.org

[68jewel]

Try Dallas, Houston or San Antonio. Houston will probably be the most expensive to live in. Dallas is equally as fun as Houston. San Antonio would be my last choice (just a preference). But for $200k you can get anywhere from 2200 sq. ft. to 2800sq. ft. I know a some guys may not agree with this, but move and live somewhere where you have an HOA. Without it you have no leverage as far as unruly neighbors who will not cut their grass, leave broken down cars in front of their home, will not keep up their home, of which all of this brings down your property value. Why sacrifice all of that to save a measley HOA fee of about $150-$250 year. I live on 1.5 acres right outside of Dallas and only pay $250/year. I agree, HOA can be a pest sometimes. Buy, if you follow the rules, why is there anything to worry about? The rules are there for the idiots who won't follow them and make conducive healthy, living miserable for the rest of us.

[Texasbigblock]

I would consider looking into Taylor... great town. My brother worked TFD for a few years and just loved that town. We are from a tiny town near waco and he loved Taylor so much cause it had the small town charm and feel with all the amenities of a big town. Just a thought, check it out. But if you ask me...West, (comma) Tx is the best!

[AusTruck]

36 yrs ago I was a young hotshot with a fresh Mechanical Engineering degree. I interviewed with the Chevron refinery at El Segundo and with Amoco out in west Texas. The engineers I spoke with at El Segundo told me that most saved for 5 yrs to get a down payment to buy a house. The Amoco guys told me they had their down payments after the first few months. Made my decision for me.

I've lived in Austin for 28 years and its still a pretty good place. Although for someone new, places like Taylor, Round Rock, or Buda outside of Austin are more reasonable for housing. You can still enjoy the Hill Country and Austin, but housing prices are more reasonable.

For most of us with 68-72 trucks, inspections aren't an issue. But keep in mind that if you own a new car, Austin is moving towards the same inspections as Southern Cal and anything related to emission controls better be perfect to pass the inspections. Close don't count and a Check Engine Light is an instant failure.

I've actually been on HOA boards when I lived in Houston. Most often they seem to reflect the community somewhat. If the neighborhood looks like a bunch of nebnose old women, the HOA will likely be problematic. The neighborhood I lived in was run by these nebnoses when I moved here. I had a 65 Malibu SS that although wasn't a show car, was pretty darned nice back then. One of the old biddies actually came by when I was washing and waxing it and told me "You oughta get rid of this piece of **it and get a new car". I noticed when her kids came to visit they were the stereotypical suburbanites with a minivan or Camry loaded with screaming ill-behaved kids. And you could almost feel their credit card debt when they drove by. Thankfully, the old biddies have all died, or gone to nursing homes and the neighborhood is pretty nice now.

Note: Nothing in this post constitutes an offer or even an intimation to sell anything. I have no parts nor cars for sale at this time.

[tx71smallblock]

come up near us, the georgetown/round rock area is perfect. about 30 min from austin. if i was to move anywhere else it would be san marcos!!

[68GMCCustom]

I think the concensus may be... come to Texas but pick a smaller town outside of the city of your chosing...and that has the annual climate you can handle best. Texas is a BIG state....but then so is California.

[Ole Blue 68]

Where's the love for H-town? Even guys from Katy are raggin' on it.....

After 5 years in Houston, I moved back to the Philly area last year so my wife and daugther could be closer to family. I don't mind it here since it's home but I'd move back to Houston in a heartbeat.

Pluses:
Low cost of housing
Low cost of living
Great food (Let's see...BBQ, Cajun, Tex Mex, Steaks 'nuff said)
Great people
No snow
No hills (heh heh heh)

Negs:
It's hot/humid (for about 5 months or so)
It rains, man does it rain
Awful lot of power outages/brownouts (even w/o Rita and Ike)
Traffic is tough at rush hour

As far as HOA's go, I give them a mixed review. There's no zoning in Houston so HOA's play an important role. At the same time, they can be a pain. Example: I got a letter telling me to cut my "weeds" down. Turns out it was they were talking about my Monkey grass. I wrote them a protest letter and that was the end of that. And I always wonder who in the hell has time to drive around and look for $hit like that?

As far as other Texas cities go, I spent time in SA, Austin and DFW and they all seemed nice. Keep in mind that Austin's motto is "Keep Austin Weird" and they take it to heart. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it may just not be your cup of tea.

[SATownChevy]

I grew up in San Antonio and went to school in Austin. Now im back in San Antonio. It really depends on what lifestyle you have and for the most part, living along the I35 corridor works. It gives you easy access to other cities. Austin has some bad traffic sometimes and its due to the fact that the highway system is underdeveloped for a city of that size. San Antonio has been getting better about building more highways but there are a few areas that will make you pull out your hair. This is due to everyone and their mother moving to a new side of town, the current roads can not keep up.

My best friend is a bexar county sheriff deputy and he loves it. He has gone through more jobs in a 7 year period than most do in their lifetime but he found his calling.

It does get hot here in the summer but the winters are mild. All it means is that there are more sunny days to take out the ol chevy for a spin.

[lilred67]

if your thinking DFW, i would recommend FW. Anything south, southwest of FT.Worth is nice. country living close to the city. ftw is alot easier to get around in tha dallas.

[Pont406]

In 2003 I spent a few weeks in Houston. I was there for some tech update training. Houston got some best strip bars I ever seen. I will never forget Houston Dolls. No yellow line BS like we have here in LA.

[midevil1]

Ripgod is looking at Austin because of the Police Dept. $$$$$$ They pay VERY well. 2nd highest in the country to Oakland, CA. I'd rather be back in Iraq, then live in Oak-town. Ripdog PM me your contact info. My Big Bro is a 12 year Austin VET. Maybe I can introduce you and it will help you get the ball rollin'.

[ripdog28]

Thanks for all the info guys, its helping a lot. Just love my job here and its hard, as most of you know, to leave all your friends (No family here) and your job to pack up for something unknown. This move isnt happening anytime soon but im planning for the future.

[1956cameo]

As a native Houstonian I am a little dissapointed after reading thru this thread. I didn't know Houston was such an intolerable place to live. However I feel compelled to set a couple of things straight. First Houston has trees, huge trees infact. We are known as the city of trees. Next I don't know why (especially without any points to explain why) Houston should not be considered as part of Texas. We are just as much a part of this states rich history as any other region and we are just as proud as well. No it doesn't have a stereotypical Texas landscape and it's humid; but it is a subtropical environment.

With all of that bieng said I will give my opinion. I think any of the large cities would be great to live in; and most everywhere in between. I could easily see myself living in the hill country (San Antonio & Austin area). I still think I might retire out there some day. Dallas is always alot of fun. Houston has a great economy and has plenty to keep any peson entertained as well. The panhandle is only a couple hours away from the rockies, and south Texas is very culturally rich. I think ANYWHERE in this GREAT state would be a good choice. We have many diverse cultures, political ideas, landscapes, and cities. We are much more than what 90% of people that live outside of this state think that we are. I have also seen ALOT of California, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, and Florida plates in the last 6-12 months. It always seems that when the rest of the nation suffers the population of Texas swells.

[clay68c10]

Lived in DFW for 8 years, it was ok but hot as hell and just a BIG city. From Wyoming originally so I prefer a bit of country.
I'd say go south/west of Ft Worth or the Hill Country.

[AusTx68]

I was born and raised in SoCal and currently live in Austin. Prior to Austin I lived in Dallas for 8 yrs. Having spent so much time in Texas there is no way I would move back to Cali. I'm totally spoiled by the Texas cost of living and not having to pay state income tax! However your vices(alcohol & tabaco) will cost you more here. I once walked into a Texas convenience store and searched 10 minutes for the beer before asking at the counter. Dry County? Who ever heard of such a thing! Can't buy alcohol in the whole county! That's crazy! Anyway, I'm over it. Austin is a way cool place to live if you enjoy outdoor activities. Dallas doesn't have many outdoor activities but there is WAY more to do in Dallas than Austin. Austin is extremely laid back while the folks in Dallas tend to be pretentious. Housing in Austin is way higher than Dallas but both are cheap when compared to SoCal. For example, a condo in downtown Dallas will be $100k cheaper than one in downtown Austin..I've checked.

As dan42 described, Texas weather can be extreme. I suggest visiting Austin mid summer to experience it for yourself. It could be a mind changing experience.

[chevytruckluver]

Califorinia is like a big bowl of cereal, lots of fruits, nuts and flakes!
No really, anything you could ever need or want to do or type of country you want to see is in Texas. I live near Ft Worth and love it! If I ever need to travel I am close to DFW airport, lots of lakes around here, plenty of amusements, a great Zoo for the kids, Dallas Cowboys stadium 20 mins away, Texas Rangers same, Dallas Stars and Mavricks only about 35-40 mins to downtown Dallas. and of course the western tradition of the Ft Worth stockyards if you want to see a real live cattle drive. http://www.stockyardsstation.com/eventdetail.php?id=7
good luck....get out of there as fast as you can dude

[gizmo1]

I live in Lee county, 50 miles east of Austin. I drive to Austin every day to work nice drive on US 290 . What i LIke most is that there are more cattle in Lee county than people .I bought 20 acres with a house 5 years ago for 106,000. I have several old chevy pickups and no one bothers me. I put up a 25X30 shop and am now going to add on 25 more feet.