What is attracting California and west coast folks to DFW? (Dallas: appointed, living in)

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

It seems like everyone from CA is saying the only reason to live in TX is the cost of living. This cracks me up. You know what I can't stand about California? The over-the-top liberal politics. California should have a motto, "The Robin Hood State: why work when someone else can pay for it?". California is more socialistic than any other state in the union. Period. This is the #1 reason I would never move there, because honestly, my wife and I make plenty of money - we could afford to live there. We chose not to. It's the principal of paying massive taxes to supplement others that have made choices that are financially poor (whether it be having a bunch of kids, lack of education or coming into the country illegally). Heck, even the politicians can't make financially wise decisions. Who's ever heard of resetting your house taxes ONLY when a home sells? I could not imagine trying to create and stick to a budget with hand cuffs like that. Poor decisions made by fools (IMO). Yup, I will NEVER move to California.

But, to get back on subject, the reason people move here is cost of living, jobs and to be near family. I suspect this covers 90% (or more) of the relocations. It's not a stretch to equate cost of living, especially for the non-wealthy, as a quality of life thing. If you are independently wealthy, cost of living can be irrelevant. Unfortunately, only something like 3% of Americans are independently wealthy. I am not one of them.

Brian

Well stated and to the point.

[rotorholic]

Originally Posted by Soccersupporter

The lower cost of living, having a mortgage free home, and no debt was simply a nice by-product of our move. Meeting new friends, having a life time of new experiences, and more financial security was an expectation that was fully met. Any other questions?

I second that, I also moved from southern CA and reached a dream of mine, to have my mortgage paid off before the age of 35......

[CA_Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Soccersupporter

No, we moved to TX to be near our granddaughter. The lower cost of living, having a mortgage free home, and no debt was simply a nice by-product of our move. Meeting new friends, having a life time of new experiences, and more financial security was an expectation that was fully met. Any other questions?

I'm guessing you are religious and are very "giddy" because you get to be near your grandkids on an everyday basis. I can appreciate that. Many Californian's who move here are not religious and have no family within 1500 miles. We end up missing the beach and west coast "vibe" sooner than later.

CA is a much more beautiful/varied state with MUCH more to do and see and experience. In our CA opinion, TX, after the "newness" wears off, is flat, ugly,highly conservative and boring as hell. The "Southern" mentality is alive and well I don't care how many transplants there are.

Our CA friends and family could not believe we were going to move and live in TX. Now we understand why they were so shocked.

My advice to any Californian/West Coaster thinking of moving to TX strictly for the COL? DO NOT buy a house for at least the first year (or two). You don't want to be trapped here!

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by CA_Dreaming

I'm guessing you are religious and are very "giddy" because you get to be near your grandkids on an everyday basis. I can appreciate that. Many Californian's who move here are not religious and have no family within 1500 miles. We end up missing the beach and west coast "vibe" sooner than later.

CA is a much more beautiful/varied state with MUCH more to do and see and experience. In our CA opinion, TX, after the "newness" wears off, is flat, ugly,highly conservative and boring as hell. The "Southern" mentality is alive and well I don't care how many transplants there are.

Our CA friends and family could not believe we were going to move and live in TX. Now we understand why they were so shocked.

My advice to any Californian/West Coaster thinking of moving to TX strictly for the COL? DO NOT buy a house for at least the first year (or two). You don't want to be trapped here!

I've been to California enough to know that it is no more varied by topography than Texas is. Not all of Texas is "flat, ugly, highly conservative and boring as hell". There is TONS to do in this HUGE state. Granted we don't have snow skiing but we do have mountains. They just happen to be located in an area that does not recieve a lot of snow (like many other mountain ranges on the globe). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Texas IS a VERY beautiful state. It just takes opening ones eyes to see it just like ANYWHERE else on this planet. To say that the ENTIRE state of Texas is ugly is a personal opinion and probably coming from someone that has not even bothered to visit 1/8th of the state. Have you been to:

Palo Duro Canyon & The Caprock Canyons - flat is NOT a term that can be used to describe this area.
TPWD: Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway
Lake Buchanon
Possum Kingdom Lake
Caddo Lake
The Big Thicket
Big Thicket National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)
Big Bend - "flat" NOT a word to be used in describing it
Big Bend National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
MacDonald Observatory
Fort Stockton
Fredericksburg
Enchanted Rock State Park
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area near Llano, Texas - Tourism Information - Attractions, Historic Sites, Dining, Lodging and other Things To Do in the Hill Country area.
Words used: "Breath-taking, awesome, intriguing, and beautiful ... words alone cannot adequately describe Enchanted Rock State Natural Area "
Colorado Bend State Park - sure looks "flat and ugly" NOT
TPWD: Colorado Bend State Park
Garner State Park
TPWD: Garner State Park
The Frio River
Galveston Island State Park (wow - ON THE OCEAN or rather Gulf of Mexico but still a beach of UNDEVELOPED LAND)
Cedar Hill State Park
TPWD: Cedar Hill State Park

These are just the tip of the iceberg of what Texas has to offer in terms of natural beauty. To go without ever seeing it and saying that all of Texas is "flat and ugly" does not give one much credibility at all. To those of us that HAVE seen these sights - we know better And this is coming from someone that HAS seen all of the natural beauty of California as well.

You obviously have not gotten out much and tried to enjoy your time here. Life is what you make it. If your miserable here then the only person to blame can be found by looking in the mirror. You are exhibiting the very close minded attitude that you think can only be found by those of us that live here and love it.

My suggestion to ANYONE that has lived here all their lives and never seen these sights and those that are only living here temporarily trying to move back to where they came from. GET OUT AND EXPLORE THIS STATE! You may never get to come back in your life and why on earth would one NOT want to at least say they actually SAW this state and what it REALLY has to offer. Otherwise, your sitting around in your house/apartment in a suburb of a large metropolitain city and complaining about things of which you know nothing about. Not all of Texas is what one sees in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio. If you don't bother to............ it is YOUR lose.

I could easily say that I went to Sacramento and found it horribly hot, flat, boring, trashy, etc. If I never got out of the city itself and went to points beyond the city I'd be missing out. Could visit LA and never get 5 miles from the airport or Disneyland - what would I be missing (and I know as I've been there numerous times). Same goes for EVERY city EVERYWHERE! If you don't get off your behind and go out and EXPLORE it is YOU that is missing the whole picture.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by CA_Dreaming

CA is a much more beautiful/varied state with MUCH more to do and see and experience. In our CA opinion, TX, after the "newness" wears off, is flat, ugly,highly conservative and boring as hell. The "Southern" mentality is alive and well I don't care how many transplants there are.

Our CA friends and family could not believe we were going to move and live in TX. Now we understand why they were so shocked.

I read this to my 13 yo daughter. Of course she did the typical rolling of the eyes of a 13 yo. And said, "whatever".

This child of mine has been to California (LA, San Diego, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe), Mexico, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Georgia (well, you get the point). In Texas alone she has been down to the Frio River and Garner State Park, Uvalde, Corpus Christi, North Padre Island, Port A, San Antonio, Austin (thru it as she does not remember the trip to the capitol when she was a baby), Fredericksburg, Llano, Tyler, Texarkana, Houston, Huntsville, Galveston, Boliver, Amarillo, Canyon, Palo Duro Canyon, etc. She only remembers back for about 9 years and SHE thinks she has not even began to touch the surface of what this state has to offer. She actually turned around and pulled out the atlas and started tracing her journey's across this state. When I asked her how much of the state she has still as uncharted territory to see she said, "MOST OF IT", with that "duh mom" tone in her voice (typical 13 yo ). You can only imagine what one is totally missing out on if they NEVER get out and explore this place.

Oh, and this is my child that wants to move TO California. Well, actually her first pick is Paris, France followed by NYC THEN California. I'm guessing that would be before she has her "private island" she dreams of purchasing some day. GO FOR IT BABY!!! Mama is behind you in all of your dreams

[DWong]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

I've been to California enough to know that it is no more varied by topography than Texas is. Not all of Texas is "flat, ugly, highly conservative and boring as hell". There is TONS to do in this HUGE state. Granted we don't have snow skiing but we do have mountains. They just happen to be located in an area that does not recieve a lot of snow (like many other mountain ranges on the globe). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Texas IS a VERY beautiful state. It just takes opening ones eyes to see it just like ANYWHERE else on this planet. To say that the ENTIRE state of Texas is ugly is a personal opinion and probably coming from someone that has not even bothered to visit 1/8th of the state. Have you been to:

I'm only bolding this so it can be easily read... no more different in topography? Hmm... well a almost true. There is no comparison TX beaches to CA beaches. Our snow capped mountains. Maybe the quickest thing to maybe prove a difference is that our tourism from international visitors to those are in the US - CA is far beyond #1. Not that TX doesn't have places to see, but when people get 2 weeks of vacation a year, they choose to spend 1 of them here (ok I'm generalizing but TX plates are all over CA right now, I just checked 2 families into 2 different hotels this past week from TX) Cliffs overlooking the ocean. Metro such as SF and LA that are the most visited by people in the world and US. I have never said the state of TX is ugly. It is just different. Maybe the thing that is most different is that our topography changes in a matter for a few hours... not a half day's drive (done Houston to SoCAL it's a slow change!). I just got back from Gardner state park and had a blast at a family reunion. To say it's Yosemite or Tahoe- maybe not, but I still found it great. So to those is who TX is ugly, well they just havn't been outside the cities. I guess that is another difference, our metros are naturally beauty. LA/SF/SD have the most varied topography anywhere. Paris and London don't look much different that TX cites (topography wise). DFW and Houston are cities themselves and flat, you just kinda have to go far outside to find something to see - that's all.

I could easily say that I went to Sacramento and found it horribly hot, flat, boring, trashy, etc. If I never got out of the city itself and went to points beyond the city I'd be missing out. Could visit LA and never get 5 miles from the airport or Disneyland - what would I be missing (and I know as I've been there numerous times). Same goes for EVERY city EVERYWHERE! If you don't get off your behind and go out and EXPLORE it is YOU that is missing the whole picture.

Sac however barely is a fair representation of our state, even though somehow it ended up being the capitol. Ask any natives they call it the armpit of the state. So yes, Sac isn't much different than Houston or DFW in terms of topography, but must be why it's also so small too. Outside of San Bernardino, it is probably the least desirable place to live in the state. Ya, LA is well... LA, but within 90 miles I think u have just about everything. Unless you're one of the lucky few that can afford to live in a nice part of LA, you're probably not going to like it.

I took this off another post off a thread that was closed, but I think it is great. I completely agree w/ this person and really sums it all up...

So I've just read this entire thread! Goodness gracious! My SIL was offered a job in Dallas and we read through this to get a perspective. I truly believe in the old adage "to each their own." It doesn't matter to me whether you prefer CA or TX. I do however feel the urge to make a few of my own points-and maybe nobody will even read them since this thread it so old...
I was born and raised in CA. I have lived EVERYWHERE so it makes me giggle to see these over generalized statements, for good or bad, about the state. By everywhere I mean: The Central Valley (Ag land), Eureka/Arcata (Humboldt County), San Francisco, Greater Sacramento-in the 'Burbs and in the foothills, San Diego and Greater L.A.. So I've frozen my tail off, sweltered to death, lived at the beach, lived in the fog, lived at the base of the Sierra Nevadas (with Lake Tahoe less than an hour away...), sat in traffic, experienced an earthquake, lived in the snow...you get the point. There are crappy aspects to any area-but I LOVE CALIFORNIA!

No matter where I have lived I have had fantastic experiences. Maybe I've just "found them" as I thrive outdoors. I hike, bike, backpack, rock climb, rappel, surf, river-raft, kayak (river or ocean), wine-taste, whale-watch, golf (ahhh, Spyglass and Torre Pines), water-ski, etc, et al. Regardless of where I have lived I have been a very short drive to some amazingly beautiful place: Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Napa Valley, Amador County Wineries, Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur, Mono Lake, Joshua Trees, Redwoods and Sequoias, Gold Country, Glorious State Parks, La Jolla/Newport Beach, the rugged North Coast. Both Western and Eastern Sierras are breathtaking, there's the Coastal Range, Mount Tam, Kern Canyon...
There are cultural offerings everywhere as well for those with an inclination for the Arts, or state history.

So when I read something from someone saying "the unfortunate people who move to Cali" I just assume that they spend a lot of time indoors or truly don't know all that the state has to offer. PP's are so right-it is NOT all beaches. I wouldn't love it if it were. It is so much more than that.

So this gets to the expense factor. I have worked very hard my entire life (still in my 30's) to get where I am today. We're not rich, my spouse is a teacher for goodness sake! Contrary to what some have posted, we still travel every year-alternating overseas with Hawaii. We have a nice home-that would be "small" to Texas standards. But for me, I love my cozy home. I grew up in a small home. I would get lost in a massive house! But that's just me. What matters to me is being able to get in my car and just be somewhere fantastic. I fully support people who make the decision to move out of state to afford bigger homes or satisfy their personal idea of what quality of life is. I'm just saying that for me-it's all here. I am very familiar with Texas as I spent 10 years having a long distance relationship with someone there and racked up a lot of miles flying into DFW and IAH. God Bless the great state of Texas! But give me California any day...I'm a born and raised California girl and I don't plan on leaving.

[DWong]

Originally Posted by sheri257

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.

Agreed, a cost savings analysis....

[DWong]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

It seems like everyone from CA is saying the only reason to live in TX is the cost of living. This cracks me up. You know what I can't stand about California? The over-the-top liberal politics. California should have a motto, "The Robin Hood State: why work when someone else can pay for it?". California is more socialistic than any other state in the union. Period. This is the #1 reason I would never move there, because honestly, my wife and I make plenty of money - we could afford to live there. We chose not to. It's the principal of paying massive taxes to supplement others that have made choices that are financially poor (whether it be having a bunch of kids, lack of education or coming into the country illegally). Heck, even the politicians can't make financially wise decisions. Who's ever heard of resetting your house taxes ONLY when a home sells? I could not imagine trying to create and stick to a budget with hand cuffs like that. Poor decisions made by fools (IMO). Yup, I will NEVER move to California.

Well, robin hood thing or the over the top liberal politics I really don't fee or see. I think they're amplified bc of SF area, but I lived everyday and don't really notice what's doin. Socialistic, yes. Affects my everyday lifestyle - no. I have a friend of a friend who lives in a 2 bed 2 bath condo who is 19 w/ baby in a good area and pays $400 a month. The state supplements the remaining $1600 a month. That is something that does pick at me sometimes, but hey - guess she's gotta go somewhere.
This one though I got to pick about. The reason we reset our homes when our home sells is bc many seniors couldn't afford to pay their taxes w/ a social security check! My grandma bought her house in the 50's do u want her to pay taxes on that now w/ a $1400 a month social security check? Or would u rather them sell and just live w/ their kids? There was a real reason behind that. Then for investment u don't want to pay higher taxes on property bc u wouldn't make any money. But again, prop 13 was good, alot of our other laws - yes, we probably have the most inept politicians ever. In my opinion they wanted a plush cushy job rather than have to work. I work everyday w/ elected officials, they don't impress me much, the workforce is far superior than our politicians. I will say though extreme liberalism is bad for anywhere.


But, to get back on subject, the reason people move here is cost of living, jobs and to be near family. I suspect this covers 90% (or more) of the relocations. It's not a stretch to equate cost of living, especially for the non-wealthy, as a quality of life thing. If you are independently wealthy, cost of living can be irrelevant. Unfortunately, only something like 3% of Americans are independently wealthy. I am not one of them.

Brian

Agreed 90% those above. Again, all thing costing the same this thread would not exist. But massive taxes in CA? I really don't notice. Our state income is low, pennies compared to feds. Prop tax is low. And don't have to save 5-10k a year to take the family on great vacation - they're all within a short drive. But that just depends on where u go

[DWong]

Originally Posted by Soccersupporter

There are no big homes in CA compared to TX unless they are in the 2+ million dollar range. It has nothing to do with ruining the landsacpe. Look at Newport Coast. I know you would like to make it look that way to bolster your position but is is just another smokescreen on your part.

2 million eh? Well, I just know out of my range Central coast I was referring too. Go past malibu see anything along there? Not like LA/SD. Maybe my smokescreen was a misunrstanding. Carmel, Monterey... seem pretty quiet to me...

IDX Search

As far as large developments, large subdivisions go, your really need to get out of the house more often, they are all over SoCal.
Uhh... I drive through all of Socal from Dtown SD to LA 1-2x a month. Did I miss something? Riverside and San Bernardino is hardly giving u the Socal Experience. Sure they're close (60miles or so), but do u really ever to go to those areas thinking anything great... no. in DFW great neighborhoods are everywhere and growing and affordable. Our growing areas, aren't anything great, cookie cutter homes and just plain, high crime, etc etc... . I'd be in TX if I wanted to live in those areas of CA.
Here is an interesting take on California housing. This is another good reason people are leaving CA in droves.

www.anthonydowns.com/calslums.PDF

Droves eh? Our population is growing so don't know where that is coming from. Believe me, we can take less people and get people off the roads here. We don't mind. Slums... sure. We have learned to live many to a home nowadays in SoCal. Families here live many to a home particular immigrant ones. That article is more so true for parts of LA w/ the massive Mexican population. Hey NYC has slums too remember? SD looks just fine to me I think that guy who wrote this was a little upset that hey couldn't afford a home in SoCal that wasn't in a slum.

[_Charles_]

It comes down to this. You can't get a nice home in a nice area in SoCal for less than 700k. And $700k is considered a deal.

For less than $700k in SoCal one is looking at a sketchy area, a small townhome/condo or something in the desert that would involve 1 hour + commute.

It is that simple.

$350k gets a beautiful home in a nice area in DFW - boom there it is.