Relocate to Texas from southern IL (Fairview Heights, IL) (Houston: rent, condo)

[mjsteph01]

Hello ALL!!

My husband and I are a young couple (early to mid 30's) desiring to relocate to Texas. We have never taken a trip to Texas but from much research, personal stories, and testimonials, this is a strong consideration due to affordable living and diversity (so we heard)

We are looking for a safe, clean, affordable, and famiy oriented community that embraces diversity. I'm african american and my husband is jamaican. We are a christian family that wants to grow our family.

My husband is also strongly interested in living in/near a community with a Jamaican presence. Is that possible in Texas and if so...where; keeping in mind the above demands?

We are interesting in:

= purchasing a home near quality schooling
for our young son (2 1/2 yrs old) with a
budget of $75-125K. (Is this a reality?)

= find employment

-I currently work for the for the
federal govenment (US Dept of
VA, GS-9) & continuously applying for
federal jobs in Texas.

- My husband is in hospitality, looking
to find work at a quality hotel and/or
restaurant (coming from Four
Seasons -Five Star rating) and also in
school at a community college.

= a new place of worship that is diverse and
teaches truth according the the Word of
God.

= a community and neighborhood w/ other
young couples for social purposed and
developing new ties b/c we have no
family in Texas.

Are our desires of relocating to Texas realistic based on our budget of (Home purchase: $75-125K) or rent (2bd rm - $500-800/mo.) and other demands.

PLEASE, PLEASE, we really need your input and assistance.

Your honesty is welcomed. No obligation to answer all questions. However, every bit of helpful information is appreciated.

Thank You,

mjsteph

[cmaxmor]

I would STRONGLY recommend visiting first. I moved here 10 years ago from Southern Illinois and it is VERY different. I'm not sure where you would find a Jamaican presence. Your home price is very low for moving into Austin. The surrounding communities (pflugerville, round rock, hutto, buda, kyle, etc.) have homes in that price range, but there are very few in Austin. Except maybe a condo. If you really feel like you need to move here, then please, consider renting for at least a year. Then you can see how you feel with the weather, traffic, lifestyle.

[ImOnFiya]

Hmm, maybe Round Rock or East Austin. East Austin is where the traditional African-American community lives, though with gentrification, the black community has spread out and is diminishing in influence. Many blacks and newcomer AAs have settled in Round Rock (particularly east), also in Kyle.

There is no active Jamaican community I know of in Austin.

You can place this post on the Texas forum to get a broader view of communities throughout Texas (mainly Dallas and Houston) which may match your qualifications:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/texas/

[centralaustinite]

I know that St. Louis has a Jamaican community, Austin -- not so much.

You will not find much (if anything) in your price range that also has high quality schools.

Please do not move here without a job lined up. The Austin job market may be stronger than many places but our job market has never been an easy one.

Life is hard with small children when you are far from family! Do not discount how important family can be.

Pflugerville, Buda, and Kyle would be your best bets but even then, consider strongly how you could improve your life right where you are!

And visit first!

[SummerGirl*]

I understand your desire to get out of Fairview Heights. Our neighbors are awful! However, I agree that you should do a lot of homework before moving to Texas and visit there at least once before you pack up and move.

[minimoleg]

me and my family want to relocate to texas.we are looking for an indian community.i am nurse also need to know about the good hospitals in texas area.

[minimoleg]

Originally Posted by minimoleg

me and my family want to relocate to texas.we are looking for an indian community.i am nurse also need to know about the good hospitals in texas area.