great places to live in Texas- conservative (Houston, Dallas: apartment, landscaping)

[thenewtexan]

Keep in mind that the term "conservative" means something completely different in some parts of Texas than it does in others. In Chicago, and northern cities it pertains more to fiscal responsibility, less government, and a "live and let live attitude". That definition would be best described in the area inside the Texaplex, the triangular area inside metro Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and DFW. Coming from Chicago, you will probably find even Austin to be just politically moderate, and not this "weird" liberal enclave everyone describes. With that said, you can find newer versions of Chicago suburbs like Lake Forest, Northbrook, and Highland Park, in these areas for a lot less money. In some of these areas the majority of the residents are not native Texans. Keep in mind that because there is no state income tax, the rate for your property taxes will be about 2.5 - 3.5% of your assessed value.

Relative to most "bank for your buck", the best areas wold probably be around San Antonio or Fort Worth, although Greater Houston and Dallas are not outrageously higher. All of Texas is still growing, although right now, Fort Worth is growing at the fastest rate. I am partial to the area between Austin and San Antonio on the I35 corridor. It's still very reasonable, and you're no more than 30 - 45 minutes from two really fun cities, and the Hill Country is right there, too.

Oh...and no snow. When anything remotely wintry comes, it usually doesn't last for more than a day or two. The next day, it's 65 again.

[ChristieP]

The only major city in Texas that is still red is Fort Worth, and hopefully it will stay that way! As for Austin, well, it might as well be California. It is the most liberal city in Texas!

You need to get a job before you decide to move here. Yes, our unemployment rate is lower than most of the USA, but it is not 0%. There are still many people looking for work here.

[afoigrokerkok]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

The only major city in Texas that is still red is Fort Worth, and hopefully it will stay that way! As for Austin, well, it might as well be California. It is the most liberal city in Texas!

You need to get a job before you decide to move here. Yes, our unemployment rate is lower than most of the USA, but it is not 0%. There are still many people looking for work here.

Fort Worth proper is actually blue. Tarrant County is still red, however, and is the only large urban county that's still solid red. Harris and Bexar are still purple and not really blue.

I agree 100% about the need to get a job before moving to TX.

[Flowers63]

thank you for the note! Good information.

MRW

[Flowers63]

Thanks Christie,

I'm a recruiter and most of what I do is virtual so I would be OK career-wise.

Moderator cut: Must have 10 posts before posting links

[doctorjef]

Illinois is not strictly blue by any means. The large rural areas of Illinois certainly aren't hotbeds of liberalism. Chicago may be predominantly blue and it does have a large population and thus a good deal of voting power in the state legislature. However if you are moving to Texas to escape an imagined liberal dominance, I think you may be disillusioned in the long run. You can move to West Texas or maybe just down to Cairo, Ill.

[ChristieP]

I'm in HR, too.

[Flowers63]

Oh...:-)

We will have to chat live sometime Christie...send me a linked In note...

Moderator cut: see edit note

[wallawallahoohoo]

Most of the larger cities in the US trend liberal, and rural places are conservative. The same goes for Texas. I wouldn't want to base a decision to move to get away from political views or trends, especially if you want to live someplace more conservative. You will probably want to look at places like Lubbock, etc. but the downside is that you won't get the conveniences of large cities (jobs, infrastructure, schools, restaurants, things to do, etc.)

[Westerntraveler]

Lubbock might be a good fit for you.Its real conservative and it is probably the best city for big city amenities out of the mid-sized West Texas cities such as Midland,Odessa,Abilene, and San Angelo.It even has a major university, Texas Tech.Winters can be rough there but nowhere near as bad as IL.Idk how the cost of living is though.