For those of you who live in TX Where to live in TX)

[cml750]

I'm looking to move from Los Angeles to TX within the next 2-3 years or maybe less.

I've driven through TX a couple times but wasn't thinking about moving there at the time so I didn't pay attention to the neighborhoods.

I am hoping some of you that live in TX might be able to offer some ideas on cities to look at.

The wife and I are planning a trip later this year to scout a few neighborhoods so I'd like to start working on a game plan on which ones to check out while we are in TX

couple things I'm looking for, I can not be more than 30 minutes away from the ocean. I do a lot of salt water fishing. Some fresh as well so if there is also a freshwater lake near by as well that would be idea. I'd prefer not to have to tow the boat for an hour every time I want to go fishing like I have to living in L.A.

It needs to be somewhat near a major metropolitan area for work. Living out in the sticks where I have to drive a couple hours to get to work would be impractical

I know this limits my options to south/ southwest Texas. And I'm fine with that

I'm hoping to stay around $300k but would be willing to go up to $400k if it meets my needs. Even $500k of the place was a dream home/ranch. I would like to have hunting options available as well. But I would rather have to drive further to hunt than to fish because I fish a lot more often than I hunt.

The only stipulation that my wife has is she doesn't want to be so close to the ocean that she has to worry about hurricanes

I'm sure that may conflict with my wanting to be within 30 minutes of the gulf. If so then I'll just lie to her and tell her that the hurricanes don't come that far inland. Even if we can see the gulf from the patio window. lol

If the $300-$400 price range is way out of line for what I'm looking for please let me know. My plan is to pay cash for it and have a nice chunk of change leftover for a nice boat. But if that price range isn't even in the ballpark for what I want I need to know so I can plan accordingly

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

I live in the Beaumont/ Port Arthur area which is referred to as the Golden Triangle along with Orange. This area is a good place due to a lot of jobs in the petrochemical industry. Real estate is fairly cheap and there are a lot of good jobs. We are close to the coast although the beaches are not the best but the fishing is good. We are about 90 miles East of Houston. The area is primarily a Dallas Cowboy area even though we are close to Houston. The only real downside is the high humidity. High school football is really big around here. The town I live in has one the oldest trivalries in the state with the neighboring town on Port Neches. They have an annual Bum Phillips bowl since Bum actually coached both of the schools at one time. Jimmy Johnson grew up in Port Arthur.

 

[touchdown]

Wherever you live in Texas... I heartily suggest you invest in a good air-conditioning system for your health and comfort. And maintain it with a change of air filters regularly, and thoroughly spray wash the fins on the outside unit monthly, or more often as needed. Fins clogged with dirt and organic stuff that floats in the air, makes your system inefficient, and makes it work harder (you wear it out faster....).

12:30am Heat Index 93F

 

[Doomsday]

It got up to 105 here yesterday. It stayed below 79 in my house. Helped that there was no heat index. Extremely low humidity. Cold front came through as scheduled overnight, we'll see only 85 or so today and the next couple of days.

 

[Scot]

Is there any part of Texas that isn’t hot as hell all summer?

 

[Doomsday]

Is there any part of Texas that isn’t hot as hell all summer?

The part where I'm at. Saw 84 for a high today.

Plus it ain't the temp so much as the humidity. It's dry here, makes the hot days much more bearable than they would be in the lowlands like Dallas for example.

Also, your definition of the word "hot" is no doubt different than ours. We don't say it's "hot" until it's 96 out. Below that, we say "warm." conversely, same thing goes for the word "cold." It ain't considered "cold" here until it drops to around 24.

 

[Scot]

I consider hot mid 90’s to 105. Anything over that is just considered “fuck that” I’m staying inside today

As for cold anything under 60 is cold.

 

[Doomsday]

I consider hot mid 90’s to 105. Anything over that is just considered “fuck that” I’m staying inside today

As for cold anything under 60 is cold.

105 in Dallas usually means a heat index of 125. 105 here is just, 105.

 

[touchdown]

Still, the Hottest Place in the USA

 

[Doomsday]

Still, the Hottest Place in the USA

It's not. Heat index requires humidity. So it's no surprise for intelligent people when the heat index is higher in Dallas than it is in desert Phoenix. Temperature isn't heat index. It's hotter in Phoenix.

 

[SixisBetter]

It's not. Heat index requires humidity. So it's no surprise for intelligent people when the heat index is higher in Dallas than it is in desert Phoenix. Temperature isn't heat index. It's hotter in Phoenix.

Yep, 105 here is merely hotter than fuck. 105 in Houston is like a steambath you can't get out of.

 

[touchdown]

It's not. Heat index requires humidity. So it's no surprise for intelligent people when the heat index is higher in Dallas than it is in desert Phoenix. Temperature isn't heat index. It's hotter in Phoenix.

Point Taken. Thank you!

 

[CouchCoach]

Your housing budget is the best part of your desire to re-locate. You can get a lot for your money in Texas as it is still booming. Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are still in the top 10 in growth so the housing business is going strong, especially if you are OK with suburbs.

Your requirement to live near the ocean and not face hurricanes is unrealistic and the Houston area is your only option if you require metropolitan and get ready for traffic and living in a terrarium. Or you could elect to live south and be closer to the Galveston Bay area.

Since your interest in the water is fishing and not recreational, you won't mind the water looking like dirt but you can drive on the beaches in Bolivar and have your wife run screaming into the night "no more Sweet Home Alabama, don't these people know where they live?!?!?!".

Scot, that's quite a list of requirements that you are going to have to adjust if you are Texas bound.

 

[touchdown]

Sat June 16th....

It's hot and muggy in Dallas... The Hottest Place in the US considering both the temperature AND the Heat Index 86F/91F !!

Temperature 1AM:

Heat Index 1AM:

 

[Doomsday]

Sat June 16th....

It's hot and muggy in Dallas... The Hottest Place in the US considering both the temperature AND the Heat Index. 1AM

Well, no shit. Dry air cools very fast and water vapor retains heat so naturally it's going to take a lot longer for the humid areas to cool down at night, while in the desert the temperature drops like a rock after sunset. Are you stupid? You can cherry pick different times of day, different conditions and even different seasons to make the idiot claim "Dallas is the hottest place in the country" but, it's not. Not even close.

 

[CouchCoach]

Why would anybody want to live there?

Because his wife likes hurricanes.

 

[CouchCoach]

First of all, if you are leaving SoCal for Texas, it's going to be hotter in the summer just accept that but you will be able to get a much better house for the money. You will have property taxes but no state income tax. They're still searching for the body of the last legislator to bring up a state income tax.

Unless you want to live in the Galveston area, where you will eventually deal with a hurricane(s), you will either have to make a drive or decide to fish in the lakes. Depending on which part of Houston you would live in, you could only be a little over an hour from being on the water in the Galveston area.

Not knowing your political temperature, the most liberal place in the state is Austin and if you like live music, that's the place to be and best of all, it's not all country. That's the capital and home of UT so it does offer a different point of view from Dallas or Houston. I live 45 minutes West of Austin in the Hill Country and that is the prettiest part of a very flat state. The best BBQ in the state is around Austin and it is second only to LA in food trucks per capita and some damned fine ones too.

But beware, I just saw where your guy got the divide CA into 3 states on the ballot and since Texas came into the union as a republic, we can divide into 4 and have the right to fly the state flag at the same height as Old Glory. Most outside of Austin thinks it's a state unto itself so that would be 1.

 

[Doomsday]

...have the right to fly the state flag at the same height as Old Glory.

Not sure how this myth continues, probably because it usually goes ignorantly unchallenged. First of all, there are no "flag laws.” There is a flag code, but you can’t be penalized for not following it. Furthermore, any state flag can be flown at the same height as the US flag. But Texas’ own state flag code says, “the United States flag should be above the state flag.” Sec. 3100.055. DISPLAY ON FLAGPOLE OR FLAGSTAFF WITH FLAG OF UNITED STATES. (a) If it is necessary for the state flag and the flag of the United States to be displayed on the same flagpole or flagstaff, the United States flag should be above the state flag.

since Texas came into the union as a republic, we can divide into 4

Another myth. The 1845 US Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas floated the possibility of additional states “not exceeding four in number, in addition to said State of Texas.” But the US Constitution (among other sources) overrides this prospect. In Article IV, Section 3, it reads “no new states shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other states.” Reconstruction after the Civil War further clarified this and also "right to secession" never existed anyway. It's not anywhere in any Texas founding document, and it does not exist in the annexation agreement either.

Our state legislature can do just what California's recently did, this does not mean it passes muster in the US Federal courts and also does not mean it will actually happen. Article 4 section 3 completely nixes it, so short of a US Constitutional Amendment they're out of luck dividing into three or any other number. And so are we.

I live 45 minutes West of Austin in the Hill Country and that is the prettiest part of a very flat state.

That's quite subjective. It's dog-ugly there IMO, certainly compared to the Llano Estacado which by the way is home to the 2nd largest canyon in the US. A super great big hole in the middle of the table rock!

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I've always thought the hill country was vastly overrated as far as beauty goes, probably because so much of the state is so unremarkable-looking that it looks different in comparison. Parts of Arkansas, even Oklahoma, and New Mexico are better looking than almost anything in Texas.

And I say that as basically a lifelong Texan.

 

[Scot]

The last thing I want is to move from Los Angeles to a Liberal city in Texas. The reason I’m leaving California is to get away from the liberals here. I’m against pretty much every agenda this fucked up state of California tries to push forward. Well it’s actually the city of L.A. that’s pushing for it, but it’s the same as the state since L.A. and San Fransisco dictate what happens to the rest of the state.

As far as CA being split into 3 states, that will never happen like Dooms said. They have been trying that for as long as I can remember. But this is the first time it will have made it to the ballot (this coming November)

Plus if it did split into three states that would give more power to the Dems/liberals because the new California which is in essence just L.A. county is the center for all things Liberal, then the second split would be No Cal which is the second Liberal enclave of San Fran, and then you would have So Cal which would stand a chance at turning back to Red finally.

But that would still double the libs voting power by adding Nor Cal and New Cal together thereby increasing the Dems/libs base

Which is the last thing we need

 

[CouchCoach]

I've always thought the hill country was vastly overrated as far as beauty goes, probably because so much of the state is so unremarkable-looking that it looks different in comparison. Parts of Arkansas, even Oklahoma, and New Mexico are better looking than almost anything in Texas.

And I say that as basically a lifelong Texan.

Agree with that, northwestern AR is God's county and He gave Satan the southeastern part.

His questions were about moving to Texas, not those other states. I think the Hill Country is the best looking part of Texas that fits his criteria of wanting to be near a metropolitan area. I agree that it is the prettiest by contrast and there are also lakes for fishing which seems to be a desire of his.