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Personally, Texas is too conservative and southern for me, as a native of Connecticut. I would not move there even for a major career boost. Not even for just one year. Texas speeding violations are also ridiculous. They pull you over and ticket you for going 10% over the speed limit, which is stupid. I was pulled over and ticketed for going 82.5 mph in a 75 mph zone. Ridiculous.
I could probably handle living in the Austin area a little better, because it's more liberal. But I have visited Austin and it still didn't appeal to me. The scenery was alright, but the traffic congestion was RIDICULOUS! With 158 people moving there per day, I can see why. Besides, I don't really care for hipsters and Mexican culture.
I have also visited Dallas. It was okay, but still not that appealing to me. I didn't think it was aesthetically appealing at all. The scenery wasn't great, and the roads, neighborhoods and buildings looked sort of gritty and worn down in many areas. The suburbs are incredibly dull. It seemed like there was an IHOP everywhere you looked. The drivers were just as bad as NYC, from my experience, and I was shocked at how fast paced the DFW area was. I guess that's a given, however, considering it's the 4th largest metro in the U.S.
I would have liked to visit Houston, but only drove through it on I-10. Based on what I saw from that drive, I wasn't that impressed, although the downtown was quite nice looking. Nice skyline. But the entire rest of the view from I-10 was meh.
Many of my friends from Connecticut made the move to Houston or Austin. I am not jealous at all. I much prefer the nicer scenery and politics of New England than Texas. And even the climate. Today, we had snow flurries here in CT and tonight there is a freeze warning, but I don't care.
There are many people who are happy and love Texas though, so don't take my opinion/experience as factual, but I figured I'd share.
To allude to your original topic, I sort of can relate.
Two years ago, I was long term unemployed and took a job in Stamford, CT (aka Fairfield County). It was the "right" thing to do at the time, because I couldn't afford to remain unemployed much longer.
I absolute hate living here, coming from the greater Hartford, CT area. It's extra snooty, extra congested, ULTRA expensive, and is much more of a rat race culture. Fairfield County has the highest income inequality in the nation, and it's visible when you're out in public. People appear either well off or broke. A modest home goes for over $400K. The only "affordable" city around here is Bridgeport, but it's a ghetto sh'hole. People love honking their car horns all the time and are in a hurry all the time. The single/gay/young population here is weak, and I haven't had a date in 6 months, because it's a family oriented area for the wealthy old money people and 1-percenters. Good shopping centers are few and far between and everything just has a cramped feel to it. Everyone is obsessed with NYC and if you don't love NYC, you won't fit in.
Fortunately, I'm launching my job search next month in dire hopes of getting OUT OF HERE ASAP!
The bottom line lesson I learned: If you move somewhere, move there because you LIKE it; not because of career opportunity. I have come to realize that it's better to have a not-so-good job and enjoy where you live, than to have a great job and hate where you live. Because let's face it, most jobs suck anyway.
If home ownership and saving for retirement are your top priorities, then Texas is a sensible choice due to its strong job market and relatively high salaries given the generally low COL. However, if outdoor recreational opportunities, jaw-dropping scenery, generally comfortable weather, and a progressive populace/culture are your priorities, then Texas would be a very poor fit.
Since my priorities fall into the latter category, Texas just didn't work for me. I lived in DFW for a year in the recent past due to a temporary corporate assignment, and like you, I also detested the place, especially the weather, scenery, culture, and politics.
The drivers, while nowhere near as courtesy and sensible as drivers in Arizona or California, were still "better" than drivers in the Northeast and Florida, where I lived for a total of 30 years, collectively. Plus, my commute to work was relatively short, so I was able to at least compartmentalize that aspect of Texas living.
Prior to living in Texas, I lived in two former Confederate states (Florida and Georgia), so by the time I got to Texas, I was fairly desensitized to the history of the state. In other words, it didn’t really bother me. In fact, I found the history of Texas to be among the most intriguing of any state in the nation, especially the pioneer and sovereignty aspects.
With regard to the people issue, I will only partially agree with you. Generally speaking, the people in DFW really leave a LOT to be desired. Out of the six metro areas in which I've lived, I've never had the displeasure of living among and interacting with a collective group of people as pretentious, materialistic, and judgmental as people in suburban DFW. However, outside of the DFW, people in Texas are generally polite, friendly, laid-back, and welcoming, at least in my experience. This includes Houston.
However, to answer your initial question -- no, I don't think it's practical to sacrifice health and well-being, safety, and happiness to live someplace that leaves a lot to be desired such Dallas or Houston because it's "practical." Moreover, I would never, ever live someplace I "hated" based on previous experience or exposure. I lived in South Florida for 12 years, and I absolutely hated living there, so therefore, I would never, ever move back.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Well said, thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321
Personally, Texas is too conservative and southern for me, as a native of Connecticut. I would not move there even for a major career boost. Not even for just one year. Texas speeding violations are also ridiculous. They pull you over and ticket you for going 10% over the speed limit, which is stupid. I was pulled over and ticketed for going 82.5 mph in a 75 mph zone. Ridiculous.
I could probably handle living in the Austin area a little better, because it's more liberal. But I have visited Austin and it still didn't appeal to me. The scenery was alright, but the traffic congestion was RIDICULOUS! With 158 people moving there per day, I can see why. Besides, I don't really care for hipsters and Mexican culture.
I have also visited Dallas. It was okay, but still not that appealing to me. I didn't think it was aesthetically appealing at all. The scenery wasn't great, and the roads, neighborhoods and buildings looked sort of gritty and worn down in many areas. The suburbs are incredibly dull. It seemed like there was an IHOP everywhere you looked. The drivers were just as bad as NYC, from my experience, and I was shocked at how fast paced the DFW area was. I guess that's a given, however, considering it's the 4th largest metro in the U.S.
I would have liked to visit Houston, but only drove through it on I-10. Based on what I saw from that drive, I wasn't that impressed, although the downtown was quite nice looking. Nice skyline. But the entire rest of the view from I-10 was meh.
Many of my friends from Connecticut made the move to Houston or Austin. I am not jealous at all. I much prefer the nicer scenery and politics of New England than Texas. And even the climate. Today, we had snow flurries here in CT and tonight there is a freeze warning, but I don't care.
There are many people who are happy and love Texas though, so don't take my opinion/experience as factual, but I figured I'd share.
What do your friends who've made the move to Houston have to say about it?
What do your friends who've made the move to Houston have to say about it?
Well, just for reference, my friends who moved to Houston are in their early 30's and gay.
One of them prefers it over Connecticut, because he says there are more fun things to do, and housing is more affordable for him. But I could understand why, because he simply doesn't make much money, so staying in CT wasn't really an option. He did, however, complain about the traffic and humidity.
Another friend of mine seems to like it, and has a thriving social life there, but he complains about the ridiculous anti-gay, conservative politics of Texas. But he's there for college/career reasons. He has also made a few Facebook posts complaining about the traffic lol. One such quote was, "Houston traffic will be the death of me."
I also have another friend who moved to Austin for college. I have no idea if he actually likes it or not.
So, they all seem to be doing fine. From what I could gather, it seems like they mention pros and cons of living there. So it's not like some paradise or amazing place to live. But it works fine. They all moved there for career or college reasons. Not sure if they would have moved there out of pure personal preference, though.
I did, however, find the countryside of Texas to be quite nice and pleasant. I thought it was quite scenic and appealing, especially in western Texas.
Unfortunately, the major metropolitan areas of Texas are overcrowded, with horrible traffic. Combine that with the conservative anti-gay politics, and it's a no-go for me, personally. I also don't like the whole Texas "theme" and pride that's prevalent all over the state. I found it to be kind of annoying. I don't care about job creation or no income tax. I would MUCH rather pay super high taxes and enjoy where I live.
I recently left DFW to move to the East Coast. I too struggled with the "practicality" of staying vs. leaving Dallas, but eventually gave in to my heart that was telling me to leave. I would highly advise not to move to Houston either. The cities are too similar to "hate" one but like the other. Once the novelty of the move wears off, then you're still stuck in TX. I also considered a move to Houston, but after spending time there I found no compelling reason to do so.
Good joke, good joke.
I bet you think San Fransisco and LA are too similar as well.
I use to live in DFW and I hated it with a passion. I moved away and recently visited the state again, but different cities this time (San Antonio, Austin, Houston). Out of those cities I liked Houston the best, and I've been offered a job there that pays well and that's just a few miles away from an apartment that I was looking at and really liked.
The thing is, it's Texas... I really hate Texas, the people, the drivers, the weather, the Texas flags that are obnoxiously plastered all of the damn place, the history, pretty much everything Texas stands for...
But it's practical with it's cost of living and good job market.... Does anyone know what I'm talking about and have you ever been in a similar situation?
I didn't like Texas when I first moved here, twenty five years ago. After a couple of years though, I realized I didn't hate it - I was neutral. After about three years, I realized that I liked it. Now I love it and don't ever want to live anywhere else.
Unlike you, though, I didn't "hate the people" or "the Texas flags that are obnoxiously plastered all of the damn place, the history" or "pretty much everything Texas stands for" - I just didn't particularly care for the weather or the "cowboy" and livestock culture. I was from the east coast and the western influences of Texas (though it's still southern in many respects) were alien to me.
If you truly do "hate" all the things you mentioned, do yourself and Texans a favor and please don't move here.
I didn't like Texas when I first moved here, twenty five years ago. After a couple of years though, I realized I didn't hate it - I was neutral. After about three years, I realized that I liked it. Now I love it and don't ever want to live anywhere else.
Unlike you, though, I didn't "hate the people" or "the Texas flags that are obnoxiously plastered all of the damn place, the history" or "pretty much everything Texas stands for" - I just didn't particularly care for the weather or the "cowboy" and livestock culture. I was from the east coast and the western influences of Texas (though it's still southern in many respects) were alien to me.
If you truly do "hate" all the things you mentioned, do yourself and Texans a favor and please don't move here.
You and I probably belong to completely different demographics, so it doesn't surprise that you love Texas and it's history so much. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'm moving to Houston.
People stop saying Dallas and Houston are alike it makes you ignorant seriously. I don't know why people have agendas on this site but its kinda stupid. BTW I love living in Texas and I am not from the state originally. Texans were good to me when I lived in the Lone Star State. Texas must be doing something right they have the second highest population in the country and are one of the fastest growing states.
People stop saying Dallas and Houston are alike it makes you ignorant seriously. I don't know why people have agendas on this site but its kinda stupid. BTW I love living in Texas and I am not from the state originally. Texans were good to me when I lived in the Lone Star State. Texas must be doing something right they have the second highest population in the country and are one of the fastest growing states.
This argument has been made ad nauseum... Texas is growing because of it's job market and low COL... Not because people have some sort of love affair with Texas in and of itself... Texas generally has a negative reputation amongst most people who weren't born and raised there.
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