Dallas, Fort Worth or Austin?

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by joycey1000

DFW and the Houston metro are good options too, if you prefer a more standard suburban big city experience with things like pro sports, big roads, amenities everywhere (mostly chains), and large international airports within the metro. In Houston you can get some scenery, too -- either tall pine trees or easy access to huge lakes or the beach (Galveston). I suppose Houston would be my preference of the two.

Ok wait, I didn't help you at all I guess what I'm saying is - Austin is out because of the $$$, San Antonio might be the next closest thing, and Houston would be a great option for a different feel.

OK, I am totally not into sports. Sorry, no offense. I have no children, so don't care about how good the schools are. What is important to me is that I don't get bored. Entertainment, restaurants, good weather and things to do are high on my list, also access to an international airport, since I visit my sister in Holland once a year.

I defenitely will miss the beach, that is why I thought Austin would be nice, seems like it at least has lakes and trees and little hills. I was told Houston was very hot and humid, but I do like the houses there of what I can see on the web. I am having a heck of a time finding a place to live, I understand my budget is very limited, I did not want to take out a mortgage and thought that for 125k I could get at least a basic house somewhere. I have to go back to the drawing board, but I do thank all of you for the valuable information.

All of them are pretty big in sports. In Austin, it's Texas Longhorn country, go Horns!
Why would people worry about the heat in Houston but not the others? I'll never get this. Austin and Dallas are even hotter than Houston, though not as humid.

[debzkidz]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

All of them are pretty big in sports. In Austin, it's Texas Longhorn country, go Horns!
Why would people worry about the heat in Houston but not the others? I'll never get this. Austin and Dallas are even hotter than Houston, though not as humid.

Very true. I was born and raised in Dallas, and lived in Houston until just a few years ago. There is virtually no difference. Only slightly more humid in Houston, but the temps are a tiny bit lower. It all equals out to hotter than the devil. You just adapt and carry on. And Austin is just as bad too. I spend a week nearby there most summers and it's still just as hot. Heat is just a part of Texas summers.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by joycey1000

Hi I am thinking of moving to Texas. I have a couple of questions. How much would my electric bill run approximately, I am home all day long ( work from home ) and during hot months I will run the central air all day long, probably also all night. I am looking for a house that is approximately 1600 square ft.

Nobody can answer that question accurately. It depends on so many things. My electric bill is around $120/month in the summer, but I have a cheap rate and keep the thermostat high. Plan on it being anywhere between $100 and $800.

Also is there a certain amount of water I can use only, while I like to conserve up to a certain point, I am a pretty heavy water user (but not wasteful), I don't like taking less showers, like to use my dishwasher and water the garden twice a week or so, but I turn the water off in between, and don't mind not watering the garden if necessary.

Your water usage might be restricted depending on where you live, but that will be mainly for landscape watering and car washing. Water isn't cheap. I shower once a day, 7x a week; I water 2x a week, 3 stations at 15 minutes each, I do 3-4 loads of laundry a week, and I run the dishwasher once every 4-5 days or so. My water bill has been as high as $175 and as low as $48, depending on the time of year.

Also I am looking for an area where there are lots of restaurants and things to do. We have no children and the cities I am interested in is Dallas, Fort Worth or Austin.

All of those cities have restaurants and things to do. Can you narrow it down a bit?

Also are their crocodiles or lizards running loose, perhaps a strange question, but I found out in Venice Florida there are monitor lizards and boa constrictors roaming loose. Would my 3 little chihuahuas be safe in a fenced garden, I am thinking that I will not live in the center of town, but I don't want to live on the outskirts. Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Your dogs will be fine. Yes, we see exotics loose from time to time here, but they're not a big problem. They're so minor that they're not on most peoples' radar. With chihauhuas your main concern should be fence integrity. They're tiny and can squeeze through itty bitty holes and gaps. Some chihuahuas can also climb chain link. And if you're going to rent an apartment, you will be lucky to find a complex that allows 3 dogs. Most only allow 2. Private landlords are much more flexible.

After reading the other posts in this thread I suggest that you check out Houston. Lower cost of living, better environment for jobs, probably better access to overseas flights too, etc. Basically it has Dallas beat in a LOT of categories.

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by joycey1000

Would my 3 little chihuahuas be safe in a fenced garden, I am thinking that I will not live in the center of town, but I don't want to live on the outskirts.

In Austin I wouldn't recommend leaving them out there alone. We currently have lots of packs of coyotes (there were gone for like 2 years, but seem to all over the place again this summer). And the last couple weeks I have been hearing great horned owls (seen two! ) around my house. They will take a small dog or cat in a heart beat. I also haven't seen a single rabbit in my yard in the past two weeks since the great horned owls moved in. That is unheard of for my yard. They are usually always in my yard. I'd see them several times a day everyday, but haven't seen one in weeks now.

I also used to have a hawk problem at my feeders, but I haven't seen them since last winter that I can remember. Or maybe last spring? But last year was really bad. I have lots of bird feeders in the trees around my back deck and they would fly down and catch the birds feeding. I don't know if they would take a small dog or not, but they don't seem to be afraid of much.

I live in the hills in central Austin. I imagine the outskirts are much the same.

Edit: I just saw your budget, and that you aren't planning on a mortgage. That would be super hard to do in Austin. But with rates what they are any investment in the central parts of town would be a good investment. Other wise probably your best option for Austin would be to rent. Austin has become quite expensive. Unfortunately significantly more than the rest of the cities in Texas.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by justme02

Thats available in Dallas as well. I only mention that because Dallas (and DFW) were in the OP's original question.

There's a reason GCB and the Dallas remake is set in Dallas. DFW does the Texas stereotype very well with the cowboy accent. Can't do that in Houston!

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

There's a reason GCB and the Dallas remake is set in Dallas. DFW does the Texas stereotype very well with the cowboy accent. Can't do that in Houston!

You have no clue what you talking about bro when it comes to Dallas (you never do). Youre easily one of the worst on CD when it comes to giving cluless opions about Dallas.

The city of Dallas is nothing like that show and the Cowboy accent is very uncommon in Dallas. If you get your information on places from Hollywood, I really feel bad for you.

[joycey1000]

OK, you guys are making me laugh and this early in the morning. That should be illegal. haha. I can see there is some animosity, heck did I spell that right, between the cities. Yesterday I got the property tax rates wrong for the DFW area and people jumped all over me, you would think I was part of the Taliban.

Seriously, you guys have brought up some new things for me to think about. Like the extreme heat. Now I have never been to Texas, so this may sound stupid. But I can only go by the city data weather charts. When you say its very hot, is there still some kind of breeze there, or do you mean super hot like in Phoenix, Arizona, where you fry to a crisp, you put an egg on your car hood and it fries faster than on my stove. Do you mean it is like 105 Fahrenheit+ every day during the summer ??