What is attracting California and west coast folks to DFW? (Dallas: loans, quality of life)

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by Soccersupporter

I guess if you want to limit your experiences and live in a bubble then......

That is so ridiculous. I believe I've seen "the bubble bit" posted by two on this forum now. We all don't need to have far away from home vacations so we can come back and bore anyone who will listen about how fabulous they were.

Monterrey and bike riding sounds quite delightful to me. I'd take that any day to the beer drinking and noise at the Texas Motor Speedway but really, there is no comparison between the two. They do still allow drinking there, don't they?

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by Soccersupporter

I guess if you want to limit your experiences and live in a bubble then......

If you and Momof2DFW are representative of Texas then, most Texans must be really rude and mean. You guys are really something else.

As I mentioned earlier (which you apparently didn't bother to read) I've travelled quite a bit.

I just moved to the Central Coast. There's so much to do here ... I've been busy doing all of the things I didn't have time to do when I vacationed here over the years. Hence, this is my (permanent) vacation.

So why don't you quit prejudging and sniping and get back to a reasonable discussion?

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by socketz

I couldn't of said this better myself.

I go away for a week and come back and there continues to be bickering about the obvious. 35 page thread....incredible.

I think it comes down to "if you like TX and it offers what you need from your life, then by all means live there" Who cares what other people think.

Once you try to justify the decision, it only becomes more obvious why places like CA carry a premium.

It's a free market and things will cost what people are willing to pay for them. People are willing to pay x for something as opposed to y because x offers them more of a certain characteristic[s] that they find desirable and more appropriate based on their wants/needs from life. This is not to say that y is not also a good choice. Just a different one.

You are absolutely right. If you want to pay the price for living in CA nobody is stopping you. It is the fact that so many have choose other states such as TX that keeps this thread alive. Obviously TX and other states have proven to many to be more attractive a life style than CA and that is why the exodus of people. Many people can't make the adjustment of life outside CA and can't afford to live there. For those people life is one miserable day after another and there is no hope. For people like my family that lived a nice enough life in CA but found life in TX much more pleasant were are in nirvana. To each his/her own, let's just be real about it. For a middle class family to live in CA they have to give something up. TX is not for everyone but for most to live in CA there is a most definite compromise situation.

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by sheri257

I never know how to respond to posts like this that are judgemental and just plain nasty. I guess I could get really PO'd but I just took a gorgeous bike ride along the coast and had lunch in Carmel so ... I'm in too good of a mood to get upset about stuff like this.

I've actually travelled quite a bit but I've always been drawn to this area ... which is why it's now my home. As for the rest of it ... whatever.

Maybe you need to understand that a vacation is to get out of your own little world and see the rest of what the world has to offer. I don't go on vacation for the weather, people don't visit Death Valley for the weather, people don't go to Europe for the weather. There are few travel destinations i.e. Hawaii where people go on vacation for the weather. I/we go on vacation to expand our view of the world. I don't care where I live, I need to get out and see the world, the good parts and the not so good parts, the great weather states and the not so great weather states.

My home is where my heart is, my heart is where my loved ones are. I can be happy anywhere as long as I am surrounded by friends and family whom I love a respect. It just so happens to be TX right now as it was CA for 52 years. All this bickering about which state is best is just about people that love where they are or people that hate where they are. It really has nothing to do with where they live, it is their individual attitude about life. Those who hate where they live will probably find fault wherever they live. Life is what you make of it, nothing more, nothing less.

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

So I have to ask... if you live in California, what are you doing on a board about Dallas, TX?

Maybe CA does not have enough stimulation and auguring on a TX board about how much better CA is satisfies some latent regret?

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by Soccersupporter

Maybe CA does not have enough stimulation and auguring on a TX board about how much better CA is satisfies some latent regret?

You could just as easily be talking about yourself. Afterall, you post quite a bit on the California board with, of course, different arguments.

So I came over here instead of arguing with you on the California board ... what's the difference, really?

Getting back to the topic at hand ... you pretty much say you moved to Texas to save money. That pretty much is the bottom line for most Californians. If the cost savings wasn't there most people wouldn't have moved there.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by Soccersupporter

Maybe you need to understand that a vacation is to get out of your own little world and see the rest of what the world has to offer.

So now you're lecturing me on what a vacation is? It's been a few years but now you're reminding me why I left Texas to begin with. I see that you've picked up the Texas thing quite well.

For all of the Californians who left and want to come back, I really can't blame you. If this is what you have to deal with then ... no wonder you want to come home.

I do hope that you can come home sometime soon ...

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

Yes, had I stayed in CA for many more years, I also would have an excess of money. Trust me, I regret the move to TX many years ago, but there isn't a thing I can do about it now. I understand why you left CA and maybe I would have to had I stayed, but I think my reason would have been the increase in population and illegals. I loved my house out there and truly have no desire for a McMansion anywhere. It just isn't practical for me and never will be although I would love to have about 10 acres or more. In 2008 if contemplating a move, I would not have chosen Texas though and would loved to have really checked out other areas of the country before making such a drastic move.

I love nature and beautiful weather. I do not care for the Speedway or any other sports for that matter, but I will agree that sometimes, and only sometimes, it does feel nice outside late at night in the summer if one can stand being eaten alive by mosquitoes. For some reason, they flock to me and right now, I have more bites than I can count.

All in all though, the perfect weather for me is low humidity with a high in the 70s or less and a low in the 50s. The 40s aren't bad either and for that, I love Texas winters and gorgeous days in the Autumn.

I know CA isn't like it used to be and I trust had I stayed, I would eventually have left it too but I will never forget the wonderful times I had growing up there and staying until I was 29 in such a delightful place. I will always miss it as I remember it.

Weather is important to many and the sole deciding factor. We were fortunate in that our daughter went to college (TCU) in Texas so we were quite familiar many years before we decided to make the move. Weather was no surprise for us, and in fact we were quite familiar with TX having a daughter here and very close friends in Austin.

We also are not the typical CA transplant in that we probably brought more money than most since we sold out home of 29 years for $800,000. I am sure that makes us look at our move in a different light.

I still think a couple looking to start a family should consider other states than CA unless they are interested in being a 2 income family for the duration and both have jobs paying in the six figures. I can give advice from our experience, raising a family in CA on one income is nearly impossible and makes life so much less enjoyable. I took 6 months off when we moved to TX, my wife worked outside the home for the first time in 29 years. In CA she had a home based business to be with the children growing up. Our lives have changed drastically for the better, we are much more relaxed, less stress. I can only speak for us and our situation but we are very happy and although we loved CA are looking back at all.

BTW, you will find this hard to believe but I have not had one mosquito bite since we have moved here, now fire ants....

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

Like that's really a big deal. C'mon now. For 10 gallons, that's only $5.00 but people don't mind spending that on their beloved Dr. Pepper or Coke. If $.50 more is a problem, people can make it up elsewhere like staying home and cooking one's own meals. Just go with the flow of inflation. It's really not that big of a deal if one plays the cards right.

With my car that is 2 sixpacks of Dr Pepper.

For us it is, we are out almost every weekend exploring TX in our Ford Expedition. I am indeed glad for the $.50 a gallon less. I am hoping that things will settle down and get back to some normalcy. When we moved here in Nov 2007 regular was $2.68 per gallon. Since the spike in gas prices the gap between TX and CA gas has closed. Hopefully as it settles back down it will come down further that the high price areas like CA.

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by sheri257

You know ... I've read some of CalGal's posts and, she's obviously going through a really hard time. If this is the way she's been treated in Texas then, no wonder she wants to leave.

There's a lot of people, particularly Cali ex-pats who sell Texas pretty hard on this board ... particularly in the California forum. As I recall, you've been one of them so ...

It's really hard to judge what any place is like and whether it works for you until you actually live there so ... why don't you give CalGal a break instead of being so mean?

Not sure what you mean about the way she is treated in TX. I can say that if you move to TX and trash it to Texans you will get what you deserve, a thrashing. That is no surprise as you would get the same treatment in CA. You don't move to a state and proceed to tell the natives that you hate their state. That is just common sense. I have met many Texans and when we talk about how much our family loves our new life they greet us as their own. We then talk about the problems Texas has and what we wish would/could change. They have the same concerns about congestion, taxes, quality of education as most do. The difference is that you don't attack people who were born in their state like an outsider who regrets moving there. You act like a citizen and share their concerns and work with them. Whiners and complainers from out of state have no place in TX.

You are absolutely right, TX has been such a great move for us why would I not let people know. Everyone that has come to visit us are amazed at what you get, the people, the open area all around us. We have very close friends that are considering the move also. I also have seen you on both boards, need I say more? I don't think so.

I was not directing my words just to CalGal but ex-Californians in general that come to TX and trash it. That is why their is a resentment towards the types of Californians. How do you feel about people trashing CA? I know people have moved to CA and were not able to make it but they can always leave and not be the worse for it. I also feel that those people should keep their mouths shut and move on, it is just the polite thing to do. As an individual I can feel for CalGal. My wife was miserable in CA and desperately wanted to move for years. She wanted a better lifestyle, to be close to our daughter and granddaughter. We waited for the right timing and made the move. She could have easily come to the CA board and said how miserable she was, how outrageous CA hosing was, how over crowded, dilapidating schools, etc., she did not out of courtesy.