Anyone move from Texas to Southern CA?? (Riverside: live in, bike)

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by EmilyD1970

Wow, I can't believe I found this forum! Its awesome!


Well, the hubby and I are moving to California in March.
We have lived in Austin all our lives.
Austin is also very expensive to live...if you live near downtown. Its crazy there.
$500,000 for an old house in Tarrytown? Yeah, right. You're paying for the location. Drive 30 miles out in Round Rock? That's different. More affordable. It all depends on where you live.
We decided on California because we want a change.
So my husband started talking to companies out there and they've offered him double what he makes here. He will be working out of San Diego and we have fell in love with Murrieta.
We've owned a home for 12 years and sold it 2 months ago. Honestly, I hate the way owning a home ties you down. So we have no plans on buying a home in Cali.
We were surprised at the price of renting a beautiful home in Murietta! $1600 for a 4 bedroom house? Wow. That's what we pay here! And there the houses are newer and bigger! So we are excited about that!


I am shocked at the attitudes of my friends and family when we tell them that we're moving to California.
"The mudslides! The earthquakes! The fires! The cost of housing!"

It all depends on the person. Their career and what their style of living is.
Obviously, if you're starting out, you will have a hard time surviving anywhere. If you've been working in the same career for 20 years, you will have a better chance of surviving.
If you live beyond your means, also will have a hard time.
Make $30,000 a year? Probably won't be able to live in Beverly Hills, ya know?

There are so many equations to this that no one will have the right answer of where the best place to live, shop, etc. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.


I can't wait to move out there! The hubby and I are going to take pictures of us out there and photoshop fires and mudslides in and send them to the naysayers in the family!

You know, I think I agree with you, I hate the way my house tied me down too. I would be enjoying the nice souther cali weather right now, but I just can not get this house sold here in Colorado. I am not too sure its such a great investment. I bearly got a tax advantage, I have to pay property tax, and it goes up all the time. If I sell it, its not like I made any money, I have to put it into another home. I still have 25 years until I could do a reverse mortgage. I wanna live in the desert of California, but I cant becuas of this huge ball and chain call a home.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

You know, I think I agree with you, I hate the way my house tied me down too. I would be enjoying the nice souther cali weather right now, but I just can not get this house sold here in Colorado. I am not too sure its such a great investment. I bearly got a tax advantage, I have to pay property tax, and it goes up all the time. If I sell it, its not like I made any money, I have to put it into another home. I still have 25 years until I could do a reverse mortgage. I wanna live in the desert of California, but I cant becuas of this huge ball and chain call a home.

Do you mean MY desert??? I LOVE my desert!!!!!

Or do you mean the high desert, or some other desert area of CA? I love desert cities/towns.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by ladysrodgers

I live in the metroplex too......I'm not fond of it either, although I don't think I'll go back to CA. I moved out of So. Cal. in 1986 and relocated to northern CA.

My parents still live in So. Cal., but I can't imagine moving back to the San Bernardino area at this stage of the game.

What don't I like about Texas? The snotty attitudes of the natives here first and foremost, but also, the cost of living is very high - in spite of what the locals claim. It seems like all the laws here are geared towards protecting businesses, and certainly not their citizens.

My lease is up in 5 months....hopefully I'll have figured out where to go by then.

Im moving to the inland empire....also lived in h... h... texas I wanna wake up ever morning to sunshine, palm trees, and a 360 view of mountains. I know you consider yourself a Californian, what keeps you from paradise (SoCal)? My hang up is a stupid home I cannot sell.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

Im moving to the inland empire....also lived in h... h... texas I wanna wake up ever morning to sunshine, palm trees, and a 360 view of mountains. I know you consider yourself a Californian, what keeps you from paradise (SoCal)? My hang up is a stupid home I cannot sell.

I wake up to palm trees, sunshine and mountain views every day. I love it! I took it all for granted when I moved to Texas. Sometimes you just don't appreciate what you have until you don't have it anymore. I am so fortunate to have been able to come back. I will keep my fingers crossed for you to sell your house and get back here!!!

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

Im moving to the inland empire....also lived in h... h... texas I wanna wake up ever morning to sunshine, palm trees, and a 360 view of mountains. I know you consider yourself a Californian, what keeps you from paradise (SoCal)? My hang up is a stupid home I cannot sell.

I moved out of San Bernardino in 1986 because I was fed up with the ghetto people moving in from LA who ruined SB, the smog, the meth problems that nearly everyone I knew was affected by, including myself, and just needed a change.

I moved to a tiny town between Santa Rosa and the coast, in northern CA. It was heaven! lol I LOVE the bay area!

I prefer northern CA by far over southern, but it's still home.

I couldn't believe how much SB had changed when I went back for a visit for the first time in 23 years, in 2006.

My parents live in Highland, which is still nice, but So. Cal just doesn't do it for me anymore.

Uhhhhhh just a short time ago you were on the Oregon board talking about how much you were looking forward to moving back to your beloved PNW.......what happened to that?

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by ladysrodgers

I moved out of San Bernardino in 1986 because I was fed up with the ghetto people moving in from LA who ruined SB, the smog, the meth problems that nearly everyone I knew was affected by, including myself, and just needed a change.

I moved to a tiny town between Santa Rosa and the coast, in northern CA. It was heaven! lol I LOVE the bay area!

I prefer northern CA by far over southern, but it's still home.

I couldn't believe how much SB had changed when I went back for a visit for the first time in 23 years, in 2006.

My parents live in Highland, which is still nice, but So. Cal just doesn't do it for me anymore.

Uhhhhhh just a short time ago you were on the Oregon board talking about how much you were looking forward to moving back to your beloved PNW.......what happened to that?

Colorado sunshine ruined me I guess, I visited Oregon, was almost ready to rent an apartment when I discovered the overcast skys where too depressing

[Topaz]

sberdrow, have you tried professional staging of your home to sell? That's how we managed to sell our Colorado home in a TERRIBLE real estate market last Fall. It cost a couple thousand dollars but that was better than paying for a house we no longer wanted for month after month after month. (We also had to do some cosmetic upgrades and pay the buyer's closing costs, not fun but worth it).

[TXch727]

I registered just to reply. I have no idea how I landed in this forum to begin with, except that I was having a look at the Ft. Worth area in Texas for my son who may consider working for the air force base there.

Regarding the weather here, I'd like to say that Texas is a huge place, with differing climates and terrains. Houston is where I was raised. Now, if you want to talk about humidity, Houston surpasses any environment I have ever encountered. I lived 30 years of my life there, and when I was a child, we didn't have air conditioning in the schools (or our houses, for that matter, if we were not wealthy). To me, it is a pretty miserable climate. We moved to East Texas, which was a huge mistake, because minimum wage is the prevailing wage here. However, the terrain here is rolling hills covered with pine forests. It is hot in the summer, with mild winters. The winter, most of the time, is the perfect humidity level for me. Summer is too humid, but does not compare to Houston. I am very surprised that anyone describes Austin and the Hill Country as humid! This year, they had an inordinate amount of rain, which was sorely needed. My son, who lives north of Austin, experienced humidity for the first time in the 7 years he has lived there. When we visit, my husband's lung problems are aggravated by the extremely low humidity, and one can barely stand to wear contact lenses without using wetting drops every 30 minutes. We lived in the Kerrville area for about a year and a half. All I can say is that it feels as if you can't quench your thirst no matter how much water you drink. Dallas-Ft. Worth is certainly not as humid as the coastal areas, but it does have extremes of weather, from 100's in the summer and ice storms in the winter.

Austin is being artificially inflated by people moving from other parts of the country where they have been able to sell a home and make a small fortune. That is why the average home price in Austin is now $315k. If you bring a million, a house for cash and $700k in the bank is awfully attractive. To be perfectly honest, it is a real attempt to make a giant gated community, to keep riffraff like me out. I have no idea how my son will ever own a house, even 30 miles north of Austin. However, he does enjoy living there, and Austin has always been "cool."

I would like to comment on the "snotty people" in Texas. I am so sorry if you encountered people who do not possess the Southern gentility of most of the natives. In Houston, it seemed that everywhere I worked, I was a rarity because I was a native. The snottiest people I ever worked for were members of a large law firm in Houston. They were all from the northeast. Certain communities attract certain types of people. Anywhere you encounter the upwardly-mobile, living usually beyond their means in a big house full of new, expensive furniture and two expensive vehicles in the driveway, you might well call them snotty. Snotty is their lifestyle, and the first thing they ask you if you arrive at their door is, "Would you like THE TOUR?" I think this is everywhere, and certainly not confined to the Dallas suburbs. It could well exist here because of the great disparity of income. If you make it, you make plenty to live a life full of acquired "stuff," but if you don't, you live like a pauper. We have plenty of college grads here working in the department stores.

If you are not bilingual and love the Hispanic culture (and I don't mean your last vacation to Acapulco), Texas is not your place. More and more, jobs posted require Spanish language. All public contact jobs are going that way. Smaller towns are being completely taken over. This, I believe, is why our groceries have gone up by 100-150% (not the 4% reported nationally) in the past two years. My husband was told by a cashier at 10:30 in the morning at the grocery store that he was the first to pay without using a Lone Star card (our food stamps). There is a growing anger amongst we who work for a living and do not have 10 children, as we pick up our few items of food and have to forego fresh vegetables and meat, watching people who are wearing shoes for the first time in their lives check out 30 avocados at $1 apiece. The cashier told him that many of them have $1500-2000 on their cards at any one time. They are illegal, but working under false social security numbers - one member of the family only, with 8-12 more at home who receive all their medical care, food, education, everything - free. This state will only be habitable for the next 10 years, on the outside, we have decided as a family. It took me 2 years to find a job paying $10 an hour, and I'm making what I made in the 70's in Houston. I have no degree. Do not come to Texas if you have no degree, and if you have one, it had better be RN or social worker (must speak Spanish). As I said, you will fight for a job as a department store clerk with people with degrees. Clerical jobs where I work at a state university are held by people with master's degrees.

I have written this not to defend Texas, as you might tell. However, you can find every lifestyle here. I am amazed that anyone would describe the general population as snotty, though. Our accents, however faint, are met with derisive remarks from anyone from the north. We are considered stupid because we have a different accent and speak more slowly, as is anyone from the South. We in the South are used to being the butt of jokes, considered racist, and every other insulting characterization by people all over the country who have never even visited. We live closely as a population of all colors. A few are racist, but they are pretty rare. My son has occasion to work in Minnesota and Wisconsin from time to time. He was appalled at the racism, and got angry when someone told him no Mexican is going to come on their property. Someone I know from Nebraska who sells insurance will not go to any apartment building, because she might encounter a black person. (!!) Most of what you've heard about us is totally untrue. I grew up with the American people of Hispanic descent of Houston. There is a big difference between them and our "imports" of today, and they are just as mad as the rest of us that a culture is being forced upon us that we do not want to assimilate to. That is not racism. Our way of life, our jobs, even being able to order a hamburger in English, is going away. A friend was forced to spend a week in a hospital in Houston in the medical center (famous for leading-edge care), and her sister had to bring cleaning supplies to clean the filthy room - sticky floor, hair in the bathroom, etc. (No one on the janitorial staff spoke English.) That also describes our hotels now. Everyone has to get in on the cheap labor, but we have to pay. By the way, they are not paid any less than the rest of us. The employers prefer them because they do not want the medical insurance, because they qualify for Medicaid, are unlikely to ever demand anything or file for Worker's Comp if they get hurt, because they are illegally here. The rest of us pay for them to live, and all they have to pay is whatever-an-hour, which is probably 1/10 of their actual living costs, because of their extraordinary number of children.

I would not send my child to most public schools here, as I work in a college of education and see what's being sent out to teach our children. The schools will nearly kill for any Hispanic person, and we are figuring out ways to even import them from Mexico. We have illegal aliens working in the schools now. Most teaching elementary levels are completely untrained and uncertified, because they move from school to school on "emergency" permits which are not filed with the state, so they teach well beyond the 3 years maximum they are allowed without certification. They are teaching mainstream classrooms, mixed American and Hispanic (mostly illegals' children). Most of our children will have their accents at some point, I would think. Since I encounter them often, I will tell you that most are basically illiterate. They can get degrees with honors, because the professors give them their grades, yet be unable to read a simple email. I have actually seen a person with a 3.8 gpa who is basically unable to read. So, your child has to go to private school, unless you are in a very wealthy district, if you care about his or her education.

I have loved this state, regardless of the hot weather, humidity or other factors. It has been my home for 55 years. However, I would not recommend that anyone relocate here, unless you have the ability to live well above most people's means and isolate yourself in your own world. Of course, you can say that about any place, can't you? My children will have to leave the state, I am sure. I wish we all could, right now, and I think the US government should supply relocation grants for us if they are going to refuse to shut down our border with Mexico.

[dbojbo]

I never post, but I felt I had to because I now live in Austin and feel that a lot of people on this board have a very warped vision of So Cal - I have lived in So Cal for many, many years and I wanted to give my opinion on both places (and please keep in mind that I lived in the nicer part of Orange County).

So Calif is not what it used to be...it's getting so crowded (it would take my husband about 1-1/2 hours to travel 9 miles to/from work); the thick smog is extremely bad for your health; if you don't speak Spanish, you will not understand most people around you, nor get a job; the gang-bangers, drug problems (and for all of you that praise Riverside and Menifee...that has got to be the biggest joke of all...traffic is miserable, smog is the worst and Lake Elsinore is considered one of the meth capitols of the United States - yeah, that's where I want my kids to grow up); you have to work your butt off to afford a house...which will leave you so tired that you don't care you live near the ocean; you complain about Texas taxes, well, in Menifee the property taxes are almost 2% and then on top of that you are paying state income tax (please, math was one of my best subjects and I would much rather pay a slightly higher property tax on an inexpensive home than pay ALMOST the same tax on a really expensive piece of old crappy house and then pay state income tax on top of that, in which you cannot write off on your taxes, unlike property taxes)......and then don't even get me started on the earthquakes (which they are due for a massive quake), the fires, riots, etc. Now if you can afford San Diego, I really enjoyed living there, and a lot of places in Northern Cali are nice, but OC, Riverside, LA are all turning into dumps. I love Austin and it has just as much to offer minus the ocean...which we have some amazing lakes here - I get more use out of a lake than an ocean...and you don't have all the crap So Cal offers. And you want to talk about snobby people....try talking to someone walking by you in OC or just getting to know your neighbor...people are in their own worlds there.

Regarding weather....I had tracked the weather patterns between So Cal and Austin for almost a year and the differences are very slight. I would rather deal with a tiny bit more humidity in the summer time here than all of the negatives the So Cal has to offer. I am so pleased that I moved out of the hell hole (also, they predict that the population problem will be so severe in the next decade and beyond, that they don't know what they are going to do about the freeway systems and all the problems it will create).

I will enjoy visiting my friends and family, but as far as subjecting myself to the everyday stress and horrible health conditions that So Cal offers, I am happy to leave it all behind....oh, and my husband grosses about $150,000 a year, so it's not like we were poor there, but let me tell you that 150K doesn't buy you crap there....very sad when a salary over 6 figures doesn't buy you any type of life So Cal......now in Austin, that is a different story.....we bought a 4000 square foot house w/over an acre of land, buying a boat, paid off our cars and still have a decent amount of money left over to save for a very, very nice retirement. Oh, and we didn't sell a house to come out here...it's just that affordable on its own. In So Cal, both parents have to work to get by and pay the bills, and in Austin you can afford to stay at home with your children and raise them properly...the kids in So Cal are SO out-of-control and it will only get worse. Imagine that...kids actually having a parent around to guide them.

When I think of So Cal things like struggle, stress, smog, snobby, labor, expensive, busy, traffic, illegal immigrants, Spanish as the primary language and earthquakes comes to mind....when I think about Austin things like clean air, lake life, decent pace, English as the primary language, relaxation, night life, good place to raise kids, community and affordable come to mind.

I don't think that you can compare the quality of life Austin brings to the table. I've lived in A LOT of places in my life - east coast, west coast, N. Cali, So. Cali, Hawaii, Nevada, etc. and this place by far has the best mix a person wanting a decent life could ask for.

...but then again, this is just my opinion.....

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by dbojbo

I never post, but I felt I had to because I now live in Austin and feel that a lot of people on this board have a very warped vision of So Cal - I have lived in So Cal for many, many years and I wanted to give my opinion on both places (and please keep in mind that I lived in the nicer part of Orange County).

So Calif is not what it used to be...it's getting so crowded (it would take my husband about 1-1/2 hours to travel 9 miles to/from work); the thick smog is extremely bad for your health; if you don't speak Spanish, you will not understand most people around you, nor get a job; the gang-bangers, drug problems (and for all of you that praise Riverside and Menifee...that has got to be the biggest joke of all...traffic is miserable, smog is the worst and Lake Elsinore is considered one of the meth capitols of the United States - yeah, that's where I want my kids to grow up); you have to work your butt off to afford a house...which will leave you so tired that you don't care you live near the ocean; you complain about Texas taxes, well, in Menifee the property taxes are almost 2% and then on top of that you are paying state income tax (please, math was one of my best subjects and I would much rather pay a slightly higher property tax on an inexpensive home than pay ALMOST the same tax on a really expensive piece of old crappy house and then pay state income tax on top of that, in which you cannot write off on your taxes, unlike property taxes)......and then don't even get me started on the earthquakes (which they are due for a massive quake), the fires, riots, etc. Now if you can afford San Diego, I really enjoyed living there, and a lot of places in Northern Cali are nice, but OC, Riverside, LA are all turning into dumps. I love Austin and it has just as much to offer minus the ocean...which we have some amazing lakes here - I get more use out of a lake than an ocean...and you don't have all the crap So Cal offers. And you want to talk about snobby people....try talking to someone walking by you in OC or just getting to know your neighbor...people are in their own worlds there.

Regarding weather....I had tracked the weather patterns between So Cal and Austin for almost a year and the differences are very slight. I would rather deal with a tiny bit more humidity in the summer time here than all of the negatives the So Cal has to offer. I am so pleased that I moved out of the hell hole (also, they predict that the population problem will be so severe in the next decade and beyond, that they don't know what they are going to do about the freeway systems and all the problems it will create).

I will enjoy visiting my friends and family, but as far as subjecting myself to the everyday stress and horrible health conditions that So Cal offers, I am happy to leave it all behind....oh, and my husband grosses about $150,000 a year, so it's not like we were poor there, but let me tell you that 150K doesn't buy you crap there....very sad when a salary over 6 figures doesn't buy you any type of life So Cal......now in Austin, that is a different story.....we bought a 4000 square foot house w/over an acre of land, buying a boat, paid off our cars and still have a decent amount of money left over to save for a very, very nice retirement. Oh, and we didn't sell a house to come out here...it's just that affordable on its own. In So Cal, both parents have to work to get by and pay the bills, and in Austin you can afford to stay at home with your children and raise them properly...the kids in So Cal are SO out-of-control and it will only get worse. Imagine that...kids actually having a parent around to guide them.

When I think of So Cal things like struggle, stress, smog, snobby, labor, expensive, busy, traffic, illegal immigrants, Spanish as the primary language and earthquakes comes to mind....when I think about Austin things like clean air, lake life, decent pace, English as the primary language, relaxation, night life, good place to raise kids, community and affordable come to mind.

I don't think that you can compare the quality of life Austin brings to the table. I've lived in A LOT of places in my life - east coast, west coast, N. Cali, So. Cali, Hawaii, Nevada, etc. and this place by far has the best mix a person wanting a decent life could ask for.

...but then again, this is just my opinion.....

We are pleased too.