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Texas if you want to actually have a job. Florida unemployment rates and jobs are horrible.
That's been a huge curiosity for me. I live in KY and visited Florida many times in the early 90s. Traveling with a band we hit all parts of the state. I loved it. And because KY continues to be one of the "suckiest" states in the country, I am looking to move my family to a better place. It needs to be a good place with opportunity and safety.
I've visited both places, both have a heavy Hispanic influence but the multiculturalism in Texas feels a lot more comfortable, including Dallas-Fort Worth and West Texas while Florida is more polarized and segregated. I was impressed at how nobody makes a big deal about the diversity in Texas, unlike the East Coast which feels very polarized and segregated to me, especially the New York area. Hispanics in Texas seem a lot more assimilated into American culture than in Florida though indeed there are places like the border towns that are filled with illegals. But Texas is less liberal and passing laws aginst illegals can go a long way in convincing the illegals to just pass through and go somewhere else.
And the hurricanes are a MAJOR negative for Florida, Texas only has them along the Gulf coast, ALL of Florida is hurricane territory. Texas also has a wider range of climates and geographies as well and much friendlier, since Florida also has a lot of transplants from the New York area. Texan food is also much better whether its barbecue, burgers, Southern cooking, Tex-Mex or authentic Mexican.
Good for Florida, you have great beaches and nice latina girls. Where is this going to take the state??? neither of those two attractions will help the state progress at all. The whole concept of Florida being colonized by tourists
seeking its attractions is its very downfall. Couple that with the Idea of it becoming the melting pot of Latin America and what do you have????
I think you have like a foreign country escape like maybe the caribbean or bahamas you know a great place to vacation but you couldn't live there. Probably the thing that keeps Florida from becoming 100% estranged from the United States is the fact that so many retirees live down there and also there is a lot of Government installations and such. But on its own it is a different story.
Texas is more like a home. Hey, there is tourism and retirees here too but to most people it is home. And the good news is you can drive or fly to Florida when you want fairly easily.
Having lived in Texas and currently living in Florida, I can tell you that Texas is the better of the two. I like both but Texas wins over Florida in almost every category.
1. Go to the Texas forums and the Florida forums, and look at the threads about transplants. You'll notice that mot of the Texas transplants are quite happy, while most of the Florida transplants do nothing but bash Florida.
2. In terms of friendliness, Texas wins hands down. You'll never get the sense of community and friendliness in FL that you will in Texas except in very isolated parts of FL. Certainly not the metros.
3. TX and FL both meet your criteria for only short cold snaps in winter. Texas' snaps will be slightly stronger and more prolonged, but you'll be better prepared for them there than in Florida. FL cannot take cold at all, at least TX is prepared for it.
4. Well economy and COL and gov't services are all better in TX, though FL doesn't do too bad of a job.
5. If you want to "put down roots" GO TO TEXAS! I cannot emphasize that enough, FL is a state of transients where almost everyone is a lot prouder of where they came from than FL. In TX, most transplants become Texans and are proud to say it.
I have lived in Houston, TX. I have lived in Orlando, FL and Fort Myers, FL. The only reason I left TX was my parents got transferred to Detroit..... and I had to get out of that place ASAP and FL was the only option at the time, as my parents retired down there. I will be looking at ways to return to TX in the near future, though I am not a FL basher. I like Florida, but I simply like Texas more.
A word of advice..... unless you have a burning desire to speak Spanish and only Spanish.... don't look at the extreme southern portions of either state without doing extensive research first.
I essentially agree with this post and like the format, so will offer comments related to the items identified here.
I lived in the Orlando area, specifically Oviedo, for 7 years and have lived in the DFW area of Texas for the last 7 years. I must say that I hope never to leave Texas and would heartily say that Texas is far more preferrable than Florida.
1. Regarding the transient nature of the city, I agree. At least Orlando had no particular character of its own. Most of the people were northern transplants who relocated for work. There are a large number of transplants to the DFW area. However, from my perspective far fewer leave the DFW than leave the Orlando area.
2. I am sure that there is a greater level of friendliness in some of the less urban areas of Texas but even the urban centers are great. It sounds stereotypical but Texans are much friendlier than the majority of people you might meet in Florida. It is not that Floridians are not nice people. They just do not go out of their way to interact with others. That might be due to the fact that they are northern transplants but, it seems as though the majority of those who live in central Florida are northern transplants and, therefore, characterizethe area. Most Texans greet you on the street and are genuinely interested in speaking to you.
3. Regarding the weather, there is great diversity in Texas. I think that some have referred to Houston which is much hotter than Dallas. However, the DFW area actually has three to four seasons. The winters are fairly mild. It might snow once or twice a year but, if it does, you will only see a couple of inches (except for this year) and the snow melts within a day or two. The temperatures generally do not creep below freezing for very long. The summers can be hot (in excess of 100 for extended periods). However, the humidity levels are low and there is always a breeze. So, a 100-degree day in Dallas is much more tollerable than a 100-degree day in Orlando where the humidity might be 95%.
4. Texas has one of the best economies in the U.S. On a similar note, the cost of living is extremely reasonable. State taxes are non-existant (like Florida) and property taxes are pretty comparable to central Florida.
5. Regarding roots, I would heartily recommend locating to Texas. In general, you will find many places which are family-friendly. In most places, the schools are great. The social and political climate is fairly conservative. However, there is no descrimination against those whose opinions differ. People enjoy liberty and love independence.
6. A huge area of difference, which was very important to my family, was the healthcare system. My wife and one of my children require a great deal of medical attention. Central Florida's healthcare system was certainly not the greatest and at the time that we left the state it was in decline. We had one child who was born at Florida Hospital in Orlando and were very pleased with our experience. However, the area was extremely lacking in specialists (e.g. rheumatologists, neurologists, etc.). We were in need of a pediatric neurologist and had to travel from Oviedo to Melbourne to find one. Texas has a superb medical system. The University of Texas Southwest Medical center produces some of the best physicians in the country and is located in Dallas. Also, there is no shortage of specialists from any field.
Texas is a great state and I would commend it to you.
Dallas is certainly on my short list for several reasons.
I've been researching both Florida and Texas this past year. One big thing to note is that Florida's Hispanic population is varied (Cuba, Haiti, South America, etc), while Texas' Hispanic population is predominately Mexican. My guess is that would be why it's less fractured than Florida.
For family roots, again - I think Texas wins. From what I read, people get to Florida and announce that they've "arrived". Folks move to Texas and announce that they weren't born there but that "they got there as soon as they could".
Anybody who runs from the Dallas heat in the summer is welcome to run from our Chicago winter cold. It lasts a minimum of 4 months here & sometimes quite a bit longer. It's just as dangerous as Dallas' heat (or Florida), except that one bad fall on the ice and you could need a new hip or elbow joint or some other body part. And I'm not talking about senior citizens - God bless their hearts. I'm talking about people in their 30s.
Texas gets my vote for a diverse economy and offering a sense of belonging to a community. I guess I'll just see the ocean on vacations. :-)
Florida. Hands down, my home state. Texas is okay, but I've been wanting to move back to Florida since we moved to San Antonio 5 years ago and we finally have the chance. We are now relocating to Groveland, about 30 miles outside of Orlando. Not that I haven't enjoyed my time in Texas, I have!
When I first moved here, my peers asked me about Disney World, orange juice, and if Miami was the capital of Florida. These were native Texans saying these things too! So ignorance abounds here.
1) People - Texans, in short, are crazy! I've never seen such vibrant or colorful personalities. Some people are very hospitable, while others, not so much. Don't let y'all or ma'am & sir fool you, Texans can be very conniving, manipulative, jealous, and MATERIALISTIC (not exclusive to Miami or Palm Beach). Texans cannot party without getting drunk and fighting or firing off a gun! Believe me, I've witnessed this many times. I love the women here, and while gorgeous, many are much too tacky! They wear too much make up, too many clothes (chunky necklaces, hoop earrings, 5 rings and 5 bracelets, all at the same time!) and even bigger hair. Texas women think clip on hair extensions are stylish. Also, they're obsessed with tanning. A lot of the girls glow orange in winter. The guys here have huge egos and won't be told otherwise, even if they have nothing to be cocky about. The bigger the truck, the bigger the ego. Humble Texans are not. I've also found Texans as a whole to be much more judgmental and close minded. Also, Texans are very religious and ramble on about God way too much considering how many of them lead their lives, very hypocritical. We have even had scriptures and notes about the evils of skulls left at our door for decorating the yard for Halloween! INSANE! Never had this in Florida..not that it couldn't happen, as the Bible Belt constitutes part of Florida also.
2) Things to do - Florida and Texas can be just as boring or exciting as the other. I find in Florida, there is a larger array of activities (not just involving water). There are many more beaches, lakes, rivers, amusement parks, and green spaces in close proximity to major population. There is not as much green space to enjoy in Texas as most of it is undeveloped land or ranches or barren stretches of desert. Driving across the state is hell, but avoiding west Texas altogether seems to be the norm for many people here. In San Antonio, driving to Austin/San Marcos (for the younger population) on the weekend to find something to do is not uncommon. (I do not like rocky lakes here -- have almost slipped and killed myself on algae covered rocks while testing the water at Canyon Lake! Many others have too. I do however, love the rivers of the hill country) San Antonio night life sucks. There is a lack of good looking people at the downtown clubs. Not so in other places like Austin, Houston, or Dallas. I cannot speak for FL nightlife, but I hear Orlando has a rather vibrant club scene, and then of course, who could forget Miami?
3) Education - I graduated from high school in Texas and attended middle school in both Florida and Texas. Quality of education between middle schools seemed to be the same. My high school, Smithson Valley, was horrendous! I learned mostly nothing, but it seems to be the same way for most high schools in Florida. Colleges in Florida & Texas seem to be about the same also. I might add that Texas party schools such as Texas Tech & Texas State are rather easy to get into, while Florida's party schools UF, FSU, UCF are harder to get into, meaning the students have higher grades etc.
4) Weather - I love Florida's weather. Some people will complain about Florida's humidity, hurricanes, and rain, but those people haven't been to Houston. Some people prefer the dryness of Austin or San Antonio, but I don't. Texas weather is far more inconsistent, making it hard to make plans or choose what to wear. Texas freezes too much in winter, even in the warmer portions of the state, so those who like gardening and landscaping would enjoy Florida much more, as your plants will rarely die during winter time, even in the northern reaches of the state.
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And no, everything is NOT bigger in Texas, I still don't know where that slogan came from!
Those who value health and well being will not make it in Texas. Vegetarians will be made to feel like aliens. Animal cruelty is the norm here. Most have no compassion for any living breathing creature. Texans are proud to kill animals and usually adorn their homes with the heads, skins, and antlers of their prey.
I could go on and on and on, but I think I've made my point.
Florida may have more tourist destinations like Mickey Mouse and Miami, but when it comes to the meat and potatoes of day to day life and people and culture with personality and character, it's Texas.
Well of course it does, have you even been out of Texas?
And no, everything is NOT bigger in Texas, I still don't know where that slogan came from!
I am so sick of TX, Texans think it is the center of the universe.
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OK Texas v Florida
