California & Texas (Bakersfield, Joshua Tree, Mojave: lawyer, employment, wages)

[karnival96]

Originally Posted by Au Contraire

I lived in northeast Dallas for 6.5 years, and recently relocated to Santa Barbara. Everything is much more expensive here - and I do mean everything, even things that don't make sense, like cans of soup and gasoline. Housing is stratospheric in comparison. However, it is so amazingly beautiful here that I am grateful on a daily basis that I have moved. The mountains and the ocean, the gorgeous never-to-be-developed coastline and the huge national forest and mountains really are breathtaking. It is impossible to be down here if you just go outside. Creation glows here. Texas does have some good qualities. It's very cheap living. Houses don't always appreciate. You can invest and ten years down the line find you've lost money. I'd never lived anywhere like that before! Be sure you get the history of the area in TX you're moving to before sinking in a wad of cash if you want your investment to grow. Texas never really got over being a separate country. Texans have an ornery sense of independence and most are very polite. Some rednecks are crude, but there are jerks everywhere. Nevertheless it's just not a beautiful place to live, any way you cut it. Wildflowers like bluebonnets in the spring are lovely, but overall you really have to stretch to see beauty in the Texas landscape. It's scrubby and spare overall and a lot of it is flat as a pancake. The weather is hard to take, with absolutely brutal summers and storms that are really dangerous.
California is expensive, yes, but I feel like I am in the Garden of Eden in comparison to flat ol', plain ol' North Texas. I'd never go back.

Obviously, if you move from some Dallas suburb carved out of the flat prairie lands of North Texas to Santa Barbara (one of the most beautiful and expensive places in the country), you will probably feel like you've moved to the Garden of Eden. Overall, this topic is far too general to be useful in any real sense. Texas and California are both huge places and each has many distinctive cities and landscapes. Now if you were moving from Austin to Sacramento, Fresno or Palm Dessert you would probably feel like you moved from the Garden of Eden.

There are many beautiful places in Texas and northeast Dallas is probably not likely to be included in that list. Also, you can't generalize about housing prices either. My house in Austin, which was purchased less than 2 years ago, has a current tax appraised value of $66,000 more than what I paid for it (a nearly 24% increase). That's probably the best investment that I've ever made.

[mikejj2004]

Texas. I grew up in California my whole life, then moved to Texas. California is like the person that talks alot of smack but has nothing to back it up. A few things about CA for the novices:

1. It barely rains ~ 1/2 to 1/3 of Texas rain.
2. Overpriced real estate WITHOUT justification, 3X-4X more exp than TX.
3. High taxes.

Come to TX... its better here.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by mikejj2004

Texas. I grew up in California my whole life, then moved to Texas. California is like the person that talks alot of smack but has nothing to back it up. A few things about CA for the novices:

1. It barely rains ~ 1/2 to 1/3 of Texas rain.
2. Overpriced real estate WITHOUT justification, 3X-4X more exp than TX.
3. High taxes.

Come to TX... its better here.

What, are you the HEB spokesperson???

[Au Contraire]

Originally Posted by karnival96

Obviously, if you move from some Dallas suburb carved out of the flat prairie lands of North Texas to Santa Barbara (one of the most beautiful and expensive places in the country), you will probably feel like you've moved to the Garden of Eden. Overall, this topic is far too general to be useful in any real sense. Texas and California are both huge places and each has many distinctive cities and landscapes. Now if you were moving from Austin to Sacramento, Fresno or Palm Dessert you would probably feel like you moved from the Garden of Eden.

There are many beautiful places in Texas and northeast Dallas is probably not likely to be included in that list. Also, you can't generalize about housing prices either. My house in Austin, which was purchased less than 2 years ago, has a current tax appraised value of $66,000 more than what I paid for it (a nearly 24% increase). That's probably the best investment that I've ever made.

Great that you're happy in Austin. I found Austin to be a fun town, myself. A little on the hot and humid side, but with lots of music, nightlife, and general fun.

I travelled a little through TX while I was there, and I didn't see anywhere that compares to the beauty of the central coast of California, nor to Northern California, nor to some areas I've been to around San Diego, nor to Tahoe, for that matter. In the end this entire thread is based on opinion, and each person's opinion is valid for them. I think this all depends on what you value.

I know many people have posted that they are sold on moving to TX, but I feel you sacrifice things, too, to live there. Natural beauty, culture, etc. It is NOT the same in Texas.

The heat. You'd better like it. That relentless, punishing sun. The poor suffering gardens that just gasp and do their wilted, pitiful best to hold on until September or so, when they can start raising their heads a little again. The block after flat block of gargantuan new brick behemoths with little to no landscaping. The fact that without air conditioning you'd find it almost impossible to function. The fire ants!

I know I'll likely irritate Texans by saying this, but IMO Dallas isn't cultured. Be mad at me if you want to, but that's really my perception. What Dallas has instead is a type of confidant aggression, a swagger, that is kind of sexy. But culture? Not so much. It has retail galore though, more than those who haven't lived there can possibly imagine; shopping seems to be a sport of sorts.

Also, before you decide to move, watch some of the televangelists preaching from the megachurches on TV. There is a strong Southern Baptist, etc., influence in TX., and whether you are Southern Baptist or not it will impact on you there at least to some degree, particularly if you have kids in the schools there. It's just a different world. Be prepared for it. Be prepared for the politics too. Buying a 3000 sq ft home for under 200k is not all there is to life. You then have to live in that world.

Though you had a good experience with your Austin home's value appreciating, I know other people in completely decent suburban areas of the Dallas metro whose houses have not only not appreciated but have actually lost value. I really wasn't generalizing. I was commenting that that was something real to consider. On the one hand, the folks I know whose houses have lost value are living very cheaply, cause they live in Texas. On the other hand, their investments haven't grown at all. I had never seen this phenomena before I moved to Dallas. Of course there are folks like yourself whose Texas investments have grown, but for those considering the merits of a Texas move, caveat emptor. Do your research before forking over a bundle, assuming it will grow in TX as it does elsewhere. I hope it does for you, but be careful.

[Glidescube]

After giving us George Bush who would want to move to Texas?

[stkntx]

we have lived in Austin tx for almost ten years.Im from chcago originally my wife lived in sa jose ca all her life.This place and texas for that matter is horrible.Here is some reasons why.Allergy capitol of the world most people suffer year round.Bush loving bible thumping hillbillies.My daughter is disabled texas ranks 50 th for disability services.Hot and humid most of the year.My wife who has 5 certifications in teaching and has subbed for 4 years cannot get a full time teachers job beacaus ,certification not required they hire thier relatives or people from thier fundamentalist church,she is white over 40 and not bilingual.Moving here was the biggest mistake of my life and we our desperatetly trying to move back to Ca.For all the complaining i read about Ca. i would take almost any city in Ca. over living anywhere in this state.Oh i forgot a couple things taxes are high 3% property tax to pay for poor schools , toll roads I call them tax roads,and over 8% sales tax.Cant wait to leave!If some Texas so called christian person wants to reply first explain to me why in Texas there is a ten year waiting list for disability services, bunch of bible quoting hypocrits

[N-Dawggy]

The thing with Texas is the word is out about cheap housing so now all the ghetto people are flocking over there.

[stkntx]

to Au Contraire;that was an excellent letter about texas you realy summed it up better than i did.About house values in Austin,i own two houses in cedar park i bought one about 8 years ago for $130,000 its a rental now and maybe worth $155,000 now.The one I live in ive had for about 7 years bought for $147,000 worth maybe $160,000 not much of appreciation in value.I think there are two reasons for this super high property tax and unlimited building of new houses.I totally agree there is more to life than cheap houses we found out the hard way.

[jkbatca]

Originally Posted by wilkermoo

I know we are supposed to have wonderful weather in CA and supposedly we have more work, but I am not sure that it is worth paying triple or quadruple for a home. I do not even think people in other states can really understand how different real estate is here. I work in Real Estate (not as a Realtor though) and I see crappy homes selling for half a million dollars. Has anybody moved from the SF Bay Area to Texas? Can you tell me some of the differences that you have learned?

Or if you live in CA, can you tell me why you are willing to pay so much more to stay here? What is it about Ca that you love and could not imagine living without.

I cannot say I would be willing to live in state X if I pay Y dollars for real estate. To me, it's a bit more complex than that. I would start with what I can do and which states have jobs for me. From there I narrow it down to what areas I would like to live in / what to do, and then go from there. So obviously there's different criteria like snowflakes for each person on why they would choose state A over B.

Also, you fail to take into account that some people in CA who lived here for decades "rode the equity wave" of increasing housing value and simply traded up houses over the years (I'm one of them). I know of one family who probably make 2/3 of what I do, and their house value is worth way more than mine and they live in a very nice area because of this. So there's lots of different situations that makes justification of living in CA despite it's high housing cost irrelevant.

OK, having said that, I've been to Texas (brother lives in Houston) and live in CA. Yes there's a lot of crappy areas of CA and it's got it's problems and it's politics sure isn't aligned with mine, but I think CA is one of the most beautiful states in the country.

Within 9 hours or (usually) less of driving or less, I can see Santa Ynez area (beautiful wine area, see movie "Sideways"), Big Sur / Monterrey, Poppy fields in spring (when raining), Los Padres, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe area, Big Bear Lake area, Cambria, Oak Glen apple farming area, various mountain ranges. For a bit further, also Trinity river area, Napa Valley, Lassen Natl Park and Redwoods. You can cram a lifetime worth of scenery in this state alone. Also for a weekend, I can visit San Diego with all their attractions, San Francisco / Santa Cruz and it's attractions, ski in Lake Tahoe. In one day, I can visit Santa Barbara (I agree with others in their glowing opinion of it), visit LA with Disneyland / Universal Studios / Six Flags Magic Mountain, multiple water parks / Hollywood and on and on. Dirt bike in the desert (don't know for how much longer). Mountain bike on trails overlooking the ocean / golf in the dead of winter while others are freezing their xxxxx off and sitting in the house waiting for summer. Drive / ATV on the beach in Pismo (really nice beach area). Ocean is appx 25 min away, and have visited Channel Islands Natl park. Kayaked off the ocean. Fishing. Watch an ocean sunset on a daily basis if I choose to do so. Sail / surf if I wanted to. Epic hiking. Crammed every food known to man down my throat (well not quite!). I can do more in one weekend than others do in other states in a decade (and believe me, I lived in those other states). Done all the above and I think CA was the best decision I've ever made. And there's even more that I haven't done yet in this state. Help me out, have I missed anything?

So is CA worth it? Maybe

[irukandji]

I have lived for extended periods of time in both California and Texas.

There is a reason why property is so much cheaper in Texas. Texas is hot, flat, and treeless (except Austin has a few trees). The only things Texans value is "big" and "bigger than yours" -- big hats, big belt buckles, big trucks, and big haired women. Texas is filled with drugstore cowboys (all hat - no cattle) and girls with big, ratted hair and blue eyeshadow that call you "darlin'." Texas society is totally without subtlety. Captive game ranches are not only legal in Texas but much valued as acceptable sport. If you like to eat meat and bread, go to Texas. In Texas, the Fundamentalist Church is one of the most unchristian and unloving institutions i have ever encountered. Some country / bluegrass music is okay in Texas, but you can find far superior in other parts of the South and in all parts of Canada.

I would rather live in a tent or a trailer in the California desert than anywhere in Texas, even Austin. The only way I will ever reside in Texas is if I am incarcerated there.