[RunD1987]

Originally Posted by goldenretriever1234

All this talk about all of Texas being a very hot state. Yeah, the summers are warm, but anyone remember February 25, 2013? Over two feet of snow in Amarillo. I lived there.

They had a record fall in a town with a P up that way year's back 61 inches

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by MommyFromCT

Thank you all of you for your inputs. Our plan is to move to DFW area (may be around Plano, place not decided)

DFW area has many pluses and many minuses.

IMO, here are a few positives:

- It's a world class city. You will have access to top flight restaurants, arts and shopping.
- There are many affordable towns in the Metroplex
- It's Texas so no income tax
- Most neighborhoods are friendly. You will get to know your neighbors
- There is a good amount of diversity in the DFW Metroplex
- DFW Airport gives you non-stop service to just about everywhere.


Minuses
- Schools can be VERY uneven. There are some excellent school systems and some awful. Even with in the same school system, schools can vary in quality.
- Outside the world class facilities things are very average and strip mall oriented.
- Upper Middle Class communities can be very snobby-- Lots of "forty-thousandaires"
- Homes often built on postage stamp side lots and zero lot lines are not uncommon
- Hot as hell for 4 months
- Traffic can be awful-- Often as bad as Hartford or even Fairfield County at times
- No usable public transportation


Just Different
- Much more religiously oriented. Megachurches, religious bill boards, etc are a lot more common.
- Politically, outside of Dallas proper is very conservative

I would also note that Plano has a widely-known history of teen drug use. Not sure what the present state of affairs is, but up to about 2000 this was a pretty consistent theme about the Plano area...

Good luck.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

DFW area has many pluses and many minuses.

IMO, here are a few positives:

- It's a world class city. You will have access to top flight restaurants, arts and shopping.
- There are many affordable towns in the Metroplex
- It's Texas so no income tax
- Most neighborhoods are friendly. You will get to know your neighbors
- There is a good amount of diversity in the DFW Metroplex
- DFW Airport gives you non-stop service to just about everywhere.


Minuses
- Schools can be VERY uneven. There are some excellent school systems and some awful. Even with in the same school system, schools can vary in quality.
- Outside the world class facilities things are very average and strip mall oriented.
- Upper Middle Class communities can be very snobby-- Lots of "forty-thousandaires"
- Homes often built on postage stamp side lots and zero lot lines are not uncommon
- Hot as hell for 4 months
- Traffic can be awful-- Often as bad as Hartford or even Fairfield County at times
- No usable public transportation


Just Different
- Much more religiously oriented. Megachurches, religious bill boards, etc are a lot more common.
- Politically, outside of Dallas proper is very conservative

I would also note that Plano has a widely-known history of teen drug use. Not sure what the present state of affairs is, but up to about 2000 this was a pretty consistent theme about the Plano area...

Good luck.

This mostly captures it.

Plano is typical Texas where there are affluent parts of town with excellent elementary schools and middle schools but you want to avoid the high school at all costs. Property taxes are pretty high as you'd expect in a state with no state income tax. A typical $300-ishK house pays $7K in property taxes.

The problem in that part of Texas is you'll be hard-pressed to find a private high school to replace the disaster public high school that wouldn't be total culture shock for a New Englander. Darwin doesn't exist. The earth is only a few thousand years old. Most of your neighbors will be spouting that stuff, too. You'll be "that Yankee" unless you can afford to buy yourself into a very affluent gated community where the professional people reject the religious fundamentalism.

[RunD1987]

$7K for a $300K isn't that bad paying where I live in CT close to $15K

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Regarding taxes, the actual rate as a percentage is higher in TX, which is shocking to many, but home prices are assessed so low in TX that as a number, taxes are higher in CT on comparable homes.

The rate may be higher, but the actual dollars out of pocket are nearly always lower. That's what really matters.

[KathrynAragon]

[quote=jp03;41656138]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Just have to jump in here.

"Hot" is a subjective phrase. I live in northeast Texas and I don't consider my area to be "hot as hell 6 months a year" at all - but I would bet that someone from a much cooler climate would think that what I consider to be our BEAUTIFUL balmy Mays are absolutely crushingly hot. We recently had some friends visit from Belgium - I thought the weather in May was positively cool and delightful and they were sweating like crazy and saying over and over again, "Oh my - it's so warm here!"

To each his own.[/QUOTE

All in the eye of the beholder. To me Northeast Texas would be hell on earth. Dallas in summer during a heat wave ....is pure torture. But hey, each his own.

I agree - and to me a Connecticut winter would be pretty awful, not to say that I couldn't move there and fall in love with other aspects of the area that would make me willing to put up with the hellish winters (just like I decided to put up with the hellish summers here because I love so much else about the area).

So I say the OP should give Texas a try and if he/she doesn't like it, just move. The Texas economy is good so unless the OP makes an absolutely horrible real estate or job choice, no harm done.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by goldenretriever1234

All this talk about all of Texas being a very hot state. Yeah, the summers are warm, but anyone remember February 25, 2013? Over two feet of snow in Amarillo. I lived there.

We get a few inches of snow every year here in northeast Texas. In fact, a couple of years ago we had snow on Christmas day!

It's rare not to get some snow each winter.

We have warm temps from April through October. WE have shockingly hot temps from about July through the middle of September - so that's three months. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the northeast has about three months of snow and ice and freezing temps. So - pick your poison is what I say.

My daughter lives in Guam. Every day the high is in the mid 80s and every night the low is in the mid 70s. It rains a little nearly every day, and the sun comes out most every day. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Guess what - she's bored out of her mind with that weather!

So - it's a good thing we have lots of different weather patterns to choose from in the US and the territories - we can each find what we prefer and hunker down quite happily. I would have hated living in Texas if it wasn't for air conditioning, but with that amenity basically everywhere for the hottest months, and the beautiful, mostly sunny, cool and crisp winters - I just love it.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by RunD1987

$7K for a $300K isn't that bad paying where I live in CT close to $15K

You live in a community with very high taxes and if I am not correct $300,000 there will buy one of the nicest homes in town. That said even in pricey Glastonbury, where taxes are considered to be high, taxes on a $300,000 would be about $7,000. Jay

[RunD1987]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You live in a community with very high taxes and if I am not correct $300,000 there will buy one of the nicest homes in town. That said even in pricey Glastonbury, where taxes are considered to be high, taxes on a $300,000 would be about $7,000. Jay

From Waterbury you had close to 70% once now mid 50%. Really didn't get you far. Schools are terrible private is the way to go in Waterbury. Poor roads and limited city services, mostly routine maintenence at time's. Only plus side is housing won't go over $200,000 in Waterbury. The crux is in CT area's that are more rural have lower taxes, but higher housing cost. Property tax in CT should either be capped at 30% or a flat 30% across the board.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

The rate may be higher, but the actual dollars out of pocket are nearly always lower. That's what really matters.

Yes, that's exactly what I said.