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Austin and Texas in general has pretty fluctuating weather... meaning it definitely gets cloudy, cold, and wet. For example, Houston and Dallas get more rain than Seattle! Texas is also it's own country, and a really cool place to live for a bit because Texas really could be it's own country (truly- and they are always threatening to secede!) But if you want a quintessential American experience, and you only could choose one place in the US, I would x Texas off the list- because you will be getting the "Texas" experience, not an American one (if that makes sense)
I think California epitomizes so much of what the rest of the world thinks about America (after all, the film industry is there), so if you want an experience that truly captures a certain aspect of American culture, California would be great (given your other criteria for sun and warm weather). Arizona would be fantastic too, although I would prefer California simply because it's become so iconic because of the film and television industries. Even being from the East Coast I've found myself saying, "OMG, I saw this in a movie!" to so many things in CA.
Not to mention Santa Barbara is breathtakingly beautiful. I would advise against Newport Beach, simply because I lived there for a bit and I think the traffic and spread out strip malls would drive anyone insane. But I'm think some of the other suggestions for spots in California are great- you may have to pay a bit more, but as you said- it's once in a lifetime. Might as well go all out, and do it right, if you have the funds, rather than saving some money but not getting that perfect experience.
Good luck and hope you will post us an update when you decide and once you have settled in and tell us what you think!
Felt, I should post an update. I'm currently in encinitas where I've been for 10 days. Absolutely love it here. The beaches, the weather, everything really. I'm going to live in phoenix in August/September onwards so that will be a different experience again. So far so good though
Nice update. So many people on the forum post plans that they don't seem to actualize (seen in their posts years later) but you did! Glad you're loving it
Nice update. So many people on the forum post plans that they don't seem to actualize (seen in their posts years later) but you did! Glad you're loving it
Thank you! Hard to believe I wrote this post a year ago. How time flies. Quite strange reading back all the advice etc on this thread.
I know this is an old thread, but do you mind sharing your experience on your adventure? I think so many people would love to do what you did, temporarily uproot the family and set up camp abroad. Any particular highlights or challenges? Thanks for the interesting read.
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