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Being a big land state is a factor in the low cost of housing in Texas. It is the same reason why the cost of housing is low in places like Oklahoma. You can say it is because of high property taxes but it is hard to overlook the amount of available land.
With no access to water or electricity that land is not a factor in low cost housing.
Housing (and property) is less expensive in Texas because supply and demand allow it to be so. Texas has lots of land, and it is relatively easy to build on it.
Higher property tax rates act as a damper to reduce speculation. A speculator is less likely to take a risk on a property if they know they will have a big tax bill if they don't sell it. Property taxes are also less volatile than income taxes, which helps Texas avoid the tax revenue swings that California experiences.
Actual cash paid by Texans for property tax is not much higher than what Californians pay. Our 2.5% taxes against $300K is not much different than 1.4% against $550K in California. New Jersey, Illinois, and CT (among others) homeowners pay more in property tax than Texans do.
It's higher in the urban areas. I lived in Travis county (outside of Austin) and paid close to $8K on my 6 acres.
I moved and now pay less than $2K on my 45 acres.
It's all about the services, not the amount of land.
Texas has land but not all of that land is easy to build on.
Clay, limestone, etc. can run your costs up pretty high just to get the foundation done.
Then comes water and electric and if you can't get that to your property that land is worthless.
I've seen some beautiful property that I would love to own but there were no utilities and none along the road.
New Orleans was the last big city I went to and the parking was free for guests.
I wouldn't fork over money for my car..that should be an amenity of being a paying guest of the hotel.
I'd just go to the outskirts of the city then.
Nickel and diming people to death is killing this country and yet people put up with it.
When you stayed in New Orleans, was it with a group rate or a package, and did you stay in the downtown area or a suburban area? Hotels have been charging for little things for a long time now and often times will offer hotel rooms for less simply because they are not adding in the costs like parking into everyone's room rate.
When you stayed in New Orleans, was it with a group rate or a package, and did you stay in the downtown area or a suburban area? Hotels have been charging for little things for a long time now and often times will offer hotel rooms for less simply because they are not adding in the costs like parking into everyone's room rate.
Walking distance to Bourbon Street. We didn't drive around at all. Parked the car and it stayed there the entire week.
Also did the same in Charleston and Savannah for other vacations.
The only thing I have going for me with regards to hotels is AAA discount
Hotels in all major cities have been charging for parking, for years.
Yeah, i'm aware of that.
But for the longest time, i never paid except in a few places. I can't remember when i didn't have to pay in NYC, but most everywhere else, i don't remember paying a dime except for valet parking (where i do expect to pay).
My wife books our trips, so it's possible that she paid the parking fees up front and i just didn't notice it. But paying for the hotel and then being told about your parking AFTER you arrive there feels like a shakedown.
I'm surprised it did not shut down before now. There was a 'lusty lady' in Seattle that shut down 3 years ago. The SF & Seattle locations were at one time connected, but later became separately-owned.
Some of it is just demographics, I think. Baby boomers are getting too old and decrepit for strip joints. The heyday for strip clubs seems to have been the 70's & 80's when baby boomers were still young. A lot of it is obviously competition from internet porn and internet escort sites.
Strip clubs, both topless and especially totally nude, make a killing here. They are not loosing money.
None are directly in the downtown district, but 3 are within the city limits, and 3 are in the next county one direction, and 4 are just out side town.
The gay strip clubs are in the downtown district, or they use to be.
Walking distance to Bourbon Street. We didn't drive around at all. Parked the car and it stayed there the entire week.
Also did the same in Charleston and Savannah for other vacations.
The only thing I have going for me with regards to hotels is AAA discount
Then I can't tell you why you weren't charged parking without specifics. Heck we would give away free parking to guests that tipped well too sometimes.
Rent has gotten so ridiculous there. This year, rent reached an average of almost $2800 a month. Heck, Oakland averages almost $2500 a month.
That is to be expected, SF is a tiny amount of land, much like Manhattan and the rents are about the same.
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