Should I move to TX (Instead of AZ??)

[1stFreedom]

I'm thinking about packing up from NY and moving out to Texas. But before I consider moving out there, I want to make sure I'm not moving to another Kalifornia or New York.

What is the political climate like? Is it conservative? Republican?

What are the philosophical undertones of the population? Conservative? Liberal?

How about the faith of the population? Is there a large Catholic [faituful] population?

How are the gun laws? Open carry?

Income tax? Corporate Tax?

Is the State homeschool friendly?

How organized are Freepers out there?

What is the best place to find employment for IT workers?

What is the best place to move to avoid allergies?

Is the state moving towards the left?

Is it as dry as Arizona?

[1066AD]

Can you still take credit courses in horseshoeing at Sul Ross U ?

[Joe Hadenuf]

Better yet, forget what everyone is saying, go to Texas or Arizona in the middle of the summer season and make up your own mind. Hehehe.

And just ignore all those illegal aliens you see speaking foreign laungages, the government says they are all OK.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Good question!

[greyfoxx39]

Having lived in TX, AZ, CA and NM, I think the Albuquerque area wins hands down....weather can't be beat...Phoenix and Tucson are unbearably hot in the summer, Central Texas weather is extremely hot and humid and the ice storms are incredible, allergies were aggravated in Texas, and of course there is always the chance of a tornado...IT jobs are more plentiful in Phoenix, but so are gangs, and there is a pretty good employment mix available in Albuquerque, HOWEVER....wages will not match CA or NY, but you can buy a nice house in a nice neighborhood for under 200k. Unfortunately, we now have Bill Richardson as our governor.

[Vision Thing]

Is the state moving towards the left?

I just read a Texas Monthly article about Karl Rove. In it, Rove forsaw the Texas shift to the Right about 20 years ago, and this shift is in full play now. But the article doesn't say which way he thinks Texas is headed in the next 20 years. I presume this is because Rove's focus is no longer limited to Texas.

[wireplay]

Fair comment. Texans are thick-skinned but they will give you the shirts off their back. If you want to cry on someone's shoulder it will only go so far. past that, they are of the ilk to tell you to get your life together.

Texans do have their problems though and they are a mixed bag. Personally, I watch Cops to see if I can spot relatives...

[asneditor]

Quit telling them that! LOL We don't want anyone moving here!

[gitmo]

See if this helps:

[4mycountry]

>>Is the state moving towards the left?

>>>Not a snowball's chance in hell

LOL! You and I had the same thought! Check out post #79 under the same question!

[Alissa]

I moved to San Antonio in 1992 from Honolulu. I grew up in Northern Virginia, 7 miles from Washington DC, plus I lived in the San Francisco Bay area for 5 years in the 70's. I'm finally living in a Republican state, which is really wonderful if you've ever had to endure the culture of Hawaii and San Francisco. I have no problem with the Mexican culture, but then I was a minority in Hawaii. The Hispanics I work with are wonderful people (very educated) and generally are either Republican or at least not raving liberals. Most of the uneducated Hispanics are Democratic and union but that's true in many blue collar neighborhoods throughout the U.S.

[maxwell]

Well I reckon it depends on what you mean by genuine deep relationships, dude. I mean, what is "deep", and how deep do ya really wanna go with most folks?

I find my best buds in the workplace. We work together, drink together, argue together and eventually get used to each other. To me a friend is somebody who'll come get yer sorry a$$ off the interstate when yer car breaks down at two in the a.m. Or somebody who'll spot you for a beer or three, and not mention it. Or somebody who'll pick you up when yer down by telling you about how much harder their life sucks. Or somebody who'll up and tell you when yer just plain being a dumbass. That's a true bud.

[maxwell]

Albuquerque, huh... Well I've heard good things about the motorcycling down there...

[Concentrate]

Re #69. That is what I've found to be true of the entire West. Folks have no roots, so real freindship is impossible.

[Ditter]

You didn't comment on the weather the other part of the year when you can be out & doing things in perfect comfort most days. I've killed my share of copperheads on Oyster Creek in Brazoria county but I've never been bitten. Most of the state (its huge BTW) is not swarming in snakes.Where did your cousin stick his head for Gods sake? Copperheads are not terriby agressive, they try to hide, notice their camo markings. If you said water moccasins I would have understood. They are very agressive. Where in Texas are you talking about?

[mylife]

Australia sounds good right now. The US is rapidly turning into a immigration cesspool.

Good Luck, I love America but tried to emmigrate to australia in 86 for similar reasons, I couldnt get in even tho I had a job lined up in thier defence industry working on submarines.

[Texas_Jarhead]

"I ain't no ferner... Virginia's southern enough... 'Sides I got Texicans that'll vouch fer me, don't I bro. ;)"

There'a old joke 'round these parts. If you come from North of Dallas (some say Huntsville) then you're a yankee. ;-)

[Pukka Puck]

"Except for Mollie Ivins and Ann Richards"

Good point, but I always make it a point never to read anything by Ivins and I haven't seen hide nor hair of Richards for a coon's age.

[Ditter]

You lived in Dallas didn't you? LOL!

[Lanza]

I would highly recommend Houston, Texas. We are die hard republicans for the most part, and naturally huge supporters of the President.

I think you will find there are a lot of Catholics, and not just the hispanic population. There's St. Thomas Moore, which is a huge Catholic Church with a private school in Houston proper. My friend from Lousiana has her child there. In the Clear Lake area, there are several Catholic churches as well (one that is new and really lovely).

You will find Houston is a melting pot. Where I live, I am the only Houstonian/Texan on my street. My neighbors are from Canada, New York, California, Taiwan, and Ohio just to name a few places (many are Catholic too). At the kids school I run into a fellow Texan once in a while, but it's rare.

Homeschooling is big in Houston. My friend is getting ready to homeschool her daughter and found out there are over 100,000 homeschoolers in the Houston area. They are a very organized network with lots of additional activities for your children if interested.

Those from Dallas are going to flame me big time, but Houston is just friendlier from what I hear. My friend from Kansas moved here in the 80's, then moved to Dallas. She HATED it. She told a rude clerk in Neimans, "Look your working here, I'm shopping here so knock off the attitude." You will find at OUR Neiman's or Walmart, people are just flat out nice. BTW, my friend changed jobs and moved back 5 years ago.

As for weather, it's hot and humid. Bad hair/good skin. You get used to it. My friend from New York (been here 5 years), went home to visit family in January and thought she would die from the cold.

[cabbieguy]

I have made 2 trips in the past year to the El Paso area and found it to be friendly, economical, and safe. El Paso is ranked 3rd safest city in USA with population over 500,000 people. I also just returned from Tucson and was very impressed with that area, many more opportunities than El Paso I thought, so depending on your circumstances those are my thoughts on 2 cities in the southwest.
One thing maybe you should consider, moving from NY, anyplace you go will probably be a culture shock for you, maybe you should wean yourself slowly, like maybe a move to Minnesota for a year, then Kansas for another year, then on to Texas or Arizona.