McKinney vs Round Rock & Cedar Park (Houston, Dallas: transplants, to rent)

[bears3]

Hello!

Like many people, "we are relocating to Texas from California..." and as a result I have lots of questions. I have only ever been east of Dallas visiting my brother and that was years ago. All I remember is flat country.

My husband, however, has been to Austin and would like to look into moving there. He is a chiropractor and would like to start up out there. My focus, after reading tons of blogs, became Round Rock & Cedar park....they seemed 'family friendly' which is what we want since we have three girls, 4 and under. But then I spoke to a friend from Houston and one from McKinney who both said we should definitely take a look at the McKinney/Fairview area. I wish that there was not a four hour distance between these choices because our intent is to rent for a year and buy when we are sure of the precise area we want. That seemed simple enough when it was just the Austin area.....but now with McKinney thrown in, I don't know what to think. I need any and every bit of wisdom you may have concerning these two areas. Thank you SO much!

[compSciGuy]

Where in California are you relocating from? Also, why are you leaving California. The why is very important in determining what will be a better fit.

[bears3]

We are currently East of Sacramento in El Dorado Hills...next to Folsom. We are leaving CA because my husband would like to open his own practice....he'd start by renting a room....build up a patient base and then open up. Cost of living is the main reason for moving. Owning your own business in CA is brutal as is housing even with the market the way it is. We want an area that is healthy since most peeps interested in chiropractic are also interested in being healthy and preventative. With three children, we'd like an area that is family oriented. My brother doesn't like Dallas....says that traffic is horrible. But from what I have read, people either seem to love Dallas or hate it. I plan to visit both the Dallas and Austin areas in the Fall, but some input from real people would be helpful.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by bears3

My brother doesn't like Dallas....says that traffic is horrible. But from what I have read, people either seem to love Dallas or hate it. I plan to visit both the Dallas and Austin areas in the Fall, but some input from real people would be helpful.

Austin traffic isn't much better!

Have you considered other areas like San Antonio or any of the smaller cities in central TX?

[compSciGuy]

Originally Posted by bears3

We are currently East of Sacramento in El Dorado Hills...next to Folsom. We are leaving CA because my husband would like to open his own practice....he'd start by renting a room....build up a patient base and then open up. Cost of living is the main reason for moving. Owning your own business in CA is brutal as is housing even with the market the way it is. We want an area that is healthy since most peeps interested in chiropractic are also interested in being healthy and preventative. With three children, we'd like an area that is family oriented. My brother doesn't like Dallas....says that traffic is horrible. But from what I have read, people either seem to love Dallas or hate it. I plan to visit both the Dallas and Austin areas in the Fall, but some input from real people would be helpful.

If you're moving for cost of living, you are definitely not going to like Dallas, and the suburbs in Collin County. I don't know how palatable Round Rock & Cedar Park are going to be, (I don't really consider them too family friendly, but known they've changed a lot recently) ... but Austin is much more similar to California (and as a general rule the more family friendly some place is, the less like California it will be). Usually, people that move from California for cost of living, will try to make their new home like California ... making enemies along the way with their new neighbors. The reasons for the excessive cost of living in California is directly tied with the culture there. Texas is much more family friendly than California, with better schools, lower cost of living, etc. However, it is definitely not California, and Texans don't want it that way. The traffic in Dallas is bad, but the drivers are much better than California, ... however, they are more reckless and are driving much faster. For what it's worth, I like Dallas (lived there before), I dislike Austin (lived there for most of my life) and despise California (lived there for quite a while, including in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and most recently 2003-2007).

[bears3]

I don't even know if I know what I mean by 'family friendly'. If we were being transferred by a company, we wouldn't have a choice or the chance to scrutinize. But since we are making the choice and can go anywhere....it is almost a tougher situation because I can look at everything. It's too much. I wouldn't necessarily consider EDH to be "family friendly". Anyhow, no matter the area, I have confidence that I will find the people to be friendlier because everyone says so, the bugs more abundant....and the heat more intense. These are things I expect. It's everything else that I am curious about. As for looking to move into a "CA" home in Texas....we just want a backyard and some space b/t us and the neighbors bathroom window!

[compSciGuy]

Well, you can find friendly and nasty people in most places. I have lots of friends in Cedar Park and Round Rock from my university days, I have friends from work still in California. The bugs may or may not necessarily be more abundant. If you live near the water in Texas they will be, otherwise maybe not. There were certainly not a problem for me, and much less than say San Jose in California. Heat and humidity also vary. It's no problem finding a backyard and some space, ... but of course the newer areas, areas with better schools, and areas closer to the business districts in the metros will be pricier. Most newer houses will be on smaller lots, and many of the areas around Dallas, the usable backyard will be smaller, because the communities may have regulations like garages in the back, etc.

[aceplace]

As far as heat, the Dallas (or Austin) areas are not all that different than Sacramento. Central Texas (Dallas thru Austin to San Antonio) will be more humid, but possibly slightly cooler. I remember temps in Sacrsamento getting up to 113 on occasion. The winters in Sac are similar to the winters in Central Texas, except with the possibility of a few north storms with cold winds, lasting about a day or two.

Austin's politics and culture would be much closer to places like Berkeley than Sacramento. When I lived in the Sac area, I remember its politics being pretty middle of the road in comparison to the Bay Area. Sacramento people considered the Bay Area as another world, with bizzare people.

Places like Round Rock are not in the Hill Country, but it is reachable from there. A comparable location in the DFW area would be Western Tarrant county where you are not that far from the north Texas Hill country.

The advantage of the DFW area over Austin is the fact of living in a metro area the size of San Francisco-San Jose, with all the cultural, recreational, professional and other urban resources that implies. DFW metro is about 6.5 millions at this time, whereas Austin is about 1.5 million. in other words, DFW is more than 4 times the population of Austin.

[rosscountry]

Originally Posted by aceplace

As far as heat, the Dallas (or Austin) areas are not all that different than Sacramento. Central Texas (Dallas thru Austin to San Antonio) will be more humid, but possibly slightly cooler. I remember temps in Sacrsamento getting up to 113 on occasion. The winters in Sac are similar to the winters in Central Texas, except with the possibility of a few north storms with cold winds, lasting about a day or two.

Austin's politics and culture would be much closer to places like Berkeley than Sacramento. When I lived in the Sac area, I remember its politics being pretty middle of the road in comparison to the Bay Area. Sacramento people considered the Bay Area as another world, with bizzare people.

Places like Round Rock are not in the Hill Country, but it is reachable from there. A comparable location in the DFW area would be Western Tarrant county where you are not that far from the north Texas Hill country.

The advantage of the DFW area over Austin is the fact of living in a metro area the size of San Francisco-San Jose, with all the cultural, recreational, professional and other urban resources that implies. DFW metro is about 6.5 millions at this time, whereas Austin is about 1.5 million. in other words, DFW is more than 4 times the population of Austin.

a smaller version of the Dallas county hill country is in the Cedar Hill, grand prairie area. folks there are pretty laid back. you should check it out if you have the time on your way up to visit Mckinney.
It is very family friendly in that area. Parents and the community are very involved and have active lifestyles with their kids.

Mckinney is also family friendly but there are already a lot of chiropractors there so maybe there will be too much competition there for you.

You should probably take a look at how many chiropractic businesses are in each area you are looking into. This may help weed out some areas so you can concentrate on a less saturated area so you will have a comfortable business and neighborhood(town) to live in.

[Saintmarks]

I live in McKinney, have only visited the Austin area. McKinney stands out in this part of the northern Dallas burbs because it was a sizeable county seat town before the area suburbanized, so you have a nice mixture of new and old. The town square and surrounding historic area differs from Allen, Plano and Frisco (McKinney's immediate neighbors) because the rest of the area is the traditional suburban new subdivisions and retail (which are nice, but generic after a while).

There are many California transplants here, my church is full of folks who came here for a lower cost of living and simpler lifestyle. I do see a lot of Chiropractic offices in the area, but this area is still growing rapidly still and I am sure there is need for more.

I am a Georgia native, so came to TX from the opposite side of the country than you. McKinney has been a good experience so far, can't fault it, but then I miss home. The flatness and lack of trees and distance from mountains and oceans are my main gripes. Other than that, Dallas is very similar in many ways to Atlanta.

Round Rock and Cedar Park are both fast growing areas as well, there is a different vibe in Austin, generally considered the liberal hub of TX, but those two cities are probably more conservative. McKinney and Collin Co. would be the conservative bastions of the DFW area.

Someone mentioned western Tarrant as being near north TX hill country. I don't think that compares to the TX Hill Country near Austin and while that offers some geological differnce to the flatness of the rest of the area, it will be nothing like what you have within a decent drive from Sacramento.

All the areas you mention are definite growth centers in TX, so you I think your hubby would prosper in any of these areas. It would boil down to being on the outer reaches of one of the largest metro areas and a little more conservative or outside a smaller more liberal city. At least thats my impression. All the best in your decision.