Posted on 04/18/2002 10:10:10 AM PDT by CyberCowboy777
Texas Freepers! I am considering re-locating to Texas from Washington. I want a change in weather, people and politics.
I have lived all across the U.S. but never Texas. Can you give me some ideas as to where to live, Pro's and Cons of Texas?
I am really thinking Houston - I want to be near the Coast. (or at least 2 hours away).
I will want to own at least 5 acres. And my brother and Parents are thinking of moving there as well and will need land as well.
I have three boys and a Wife. I am a Computer Consultant by trade (my father is a programmer and we have our own company here).
I do not care about schools as I will be Home Schooling when my boys are older.
Any info will be greatly appreciated!
Too hot? What?!? Most of West Texas in on the Edward's Plateau--3000 miles above sea level. And then there's the Panhandle and the Davis Mountains. It is wayyyy hotter in East/Central Texas.
I had a car like that too. (Of course, I used to drive 200 miles just for dinner and a movie. West Texas is sparsely settled.)
I remember in high school a friend of mine's daddy thought that it was a good idea to give my friend a 280 ZX. I'm not sure that was real smart because my friend was 16 years old. Did you know that you can pull the tires off the rims of one of those if you go too fast around a curb up around lake LBJ? At about 120 mph in the middle of the night my friend found that out and crashed into a ranchers fence. Well, we all end up at the JP's office. Which turns out to be a combination JP Court-Bait & Tackle Shop. His dad had to pay the rancher some crazy amount for $10.00 worth of fence to get the car out of impound.
I don't go so fast anymore, most of the time anyway. I only get pulled over by the local PO-leece because they want to see what's under the hood of whatever I'm driving at the time.
Texas is a fun place to live. Life is good!
Or "trashcan party".
Bummer. I know I have been there but I can't remember why. All I remember was that it was a rather exclusive community. Thanks for the info anyway.
Austin is about 70 miles north of San Antonio. Pinpoint the spot halfway between the two on a Texas map, then draw a 75 or 100 mile circle around that spot. Excluding Austin proper and San Antonio proper, you will want to be within that circle. Heart of the Texas Hill Country. Lots of great towns to look at with affordable land just a few miles out of town. Boerne, Fredricksburg, Wimberley, New Braunfels, Burnett, Marble Falls, Georgetown, Round Rock and dozens of others.
Amen brother! I've lived Ft. Worth, Houston, Dallas, Tyler, El Paso and presently Austin and have just returned after two years on a job in Seattle and it's HOT in Texas. I hope my blood thins soon as I can't afford the AC bills.
A few observations for prospective Texans.
Austin is okay, I've been here off and on since the late 60s and the enviro freaks (and the town is run by them) think that if they don't build roads people won't come. While traffic is light compared to Seattle (world class bad) it's not as good as it was just 10 years ago.
If you're conservative politics in Austin will drive you nuts, I'm living proof. The people's republic of Travis. Sheesh.
Surrounding counties are much more civilized.
Probably harder to find a job than a lot of metro areas and not near the coast but I really like the piney woods of NE Texas. Very different from west Texas, but still affordable and very pretty. Nice people, too. For instance if I had work I wouldn't mind living on Lake Palistine. You won't find the amenities of the metro areas so if Napa cabbage is an issue (hey, it is to my wife!) it's probably not a good match.
Austin - the Berkley of Texas. :)
San Antonio, that's the place to be.
Austin - a great city to visit but would only consider living at least 40+ miles out of town. Traffic is very bad but there are some really beautiful areas there - especially down in the hill country.
It really all depends on what type of terrain you are looking for. North of Dallas is good if you want farmland (not many trees). East and Southeast for woods and sandy soil.
We have 25 acres in Freestone county (Fairfield - 90 miles south from dallas and about 160 north of houston)It is beautiful there if you are a tree fan.
As far as beaches - well, I'd suggest visiting some Texas beach towns and see if you really would like to live near them.
Everyones mentioned the weather..I'll mention the 13 rattle rattlesnake my dh killed at our land and the alligator (I can't believe it!) that we have living in our newly dug pond..
Jasper is a great place to live if you like trees and lakes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.