Pros and cons to living in Texas (Houston, Dallas: house, to buy)

[radiolibre99]

Pros - great job market, decent pay, low cost of living, great people, sunny.

Cons - the state is rather flat and ugly. Unless you live in the hill country or near the major state parks, the major cities are horribly ugly. The lack of real life outside of material things, meaning if you lived in California or Colorado, you'd be trading in the beautiful scenery and lifestyle for one where you compensate by affording more stuff. This makes for a very annoying "keeping up with the joneses" in some circles. Sometimes it sucks when there is no natural landscape to admire so people tend to focus on their cars, homes and latest procession. Ever hear of the 40k millionaire? Only in Texas!

[Two4damoney]

Originally Posted by Dopo

90% of the state is completely flat
Not many trees, unless you go to East Texas
Traffic sucks in all the major cities, even more on I-35 (Laredo to Dallas)

All cons and no pros?

[radiolibre99]

The cons are just dealing with the terrible horrible and I mean downright unbearable weather and humidity. I mean its the worst I've felt anywhere in the country. Also the allergies. You'll be sniffling and stuffy for months.

The other thing is that outside of the hill country and way way out west, the terrain is a"$$ ugly. Its flat as the eye can see. Without the appealing natural landscape, lack of real beaches and mountains, hills etc. things to do beyond drinking, eating out and shopping might take its toll on ya. That's why many Houstonians and Dallasites travel.

If I had to move back I would move to the hill country where you can do all sorts of stuff.

But all the cons are largely superficial if what you're looking for is one of the last states where the American dream of owning a home with some land and a healthy job market are still alive. Many ppl would gladly trade the hills of CA for that.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

If I had to move back I would move to the hill country where you can do all sorts of stuff.

But all the cons are largely superficial if what you're looking for is one of the last states where the American dream of owning a home with some land and a healthy job market are still alive. Many ppl would gladly trade the hills of CA for that.

The cons are just dealing with the terrible horrible and I mean downright unbearable weather and humidity. I mean its the worst I've felt anywhere in the country. Also the allergies. You'll be sniffling and stuffy for months.

This really does depend on where you move from. I am from the deep south - and I do mean DEEP south - LA, GA, AL, SC - I spent nearly half my life in those four states. So the heat and humidity of East Texas doesn't really strike me as being unusual or particularly hard to bear. Yes, it's hot and yes, it's humid but it's what I'm used to. Also, the pollen around here doesn't get to me - though it does get to me in Central Texas - because I'm allergic to mesquite. So - I don't live in Central Texas.

The other thing is that outside of the hill country and way way out west, the terrain is a"$$ ugly. Its flat as the eye can see.

I'm guessing you're not particularly familiar with east Texas (which is a huge swath of Texas by the way). East Texas is full of rolling hills, fertile pastures, forests of pine and hardwoods, lakes, rivers, etc. In fact, some people from West Texas feel claustrophobic here in east Texas because the terrain is so hilly and densely vegetative. It feels like the rural south of north Georgia or Alabama around here - weather and terrain wise.

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https://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-p...ke_0049_04.jpg

Without the appealing natural landscape, lack of real beaches and mountains, hills etc. things to do beyond drinking, eating out and shopping might take its toll on ya. That's why many Houstonians and Dallasites travel.

LOL Houston is less than two hours from the coast! Texas has 367 miles of coastline. This includes "real beaches," by the way.

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Texas is a huge state with a wide range of appealing natural landscapes - including hills and yes, even mountains and beaches. Yes, large parts of Texas are plains or deserts, but many people find those physical characteristics appealing as well.

I've lived in Texas for over twenty years and I've yet to run out of outdoor fun. Too many lakes, rivers, country roads, charming towns, huge metro areas with great parks and shopping districts, winding paths through the Hill Country, and beaches to explore! And I haven't even been to Big Bend or Toledo Bend yet!

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[shyguylh]

I am assuming east TX and living in the boonies.

Pros--in the right places, friendly people.
Lots of woods you can lose yourself in.
Cheap housing in the rural areas at times.
Compared to the desert, you can be in rural places but your cell phones still work.
You can "shoot, shovel, shut up" pesky stray animals that come onto your yard and cause you grief without the animal rights wackos throwing a fit.

Cons--people can be narrow-minded and a bit ethnocentric thinking their way is the only way (although other regions can be that way too).
If you're a male and like photography as I am, everyone thinks you're a fairy or a pervert (or both) because most shutter-bugs are women and most guys are into 4 wheel drive, guns and fishing.
The barbecue sucks, unless you like brisket (I'm referring to chopped BBQ at places like Bodacious) or know how to make your own vinegar sauce as I do. Everyone has their preferences, but to me there's nothing like eastern NC pulled pork barbecue with vinegar sauce and with Brunswick Stew and hush puppies as a side-dish. For it to instead be plain with no real sides to speak of and with KC Masterpiece sauce on there, it's not even close.
No good breakfast places where you can get a good breakfast burrito or cinnamon biscuits (like Hardee's or Bojangle's), everyone is mad crazy about kolaches which frankly gross me out, as do the convenience store biscuits (at least the ones I've had).
To me, the hills are a disadvantage, it makes things like cycling more strenuous and creates headaches for getting a level spot in your yard for putting up your pool or such and for the kids being able to ride their tricycles without having to huff & puff uphill so much. Give me flat and "boring" anytime. Flat means easy, and to me easy is EVERYTHING.

[nagrommm]

It depends on where you are coming from, I suppose. I lived in SF for a few years and moved here from the west coast and I agree with the posters who have said the state (in general) is pretty ugly. You will not find the sort of cultural activities, variety of hobbies available etc as where you live now. Really, the only thing that got us here was a job and, yes, there's more money coming in than where we came from but our apt rent is NOT cheaper (buying a house is much cheaper). Basically, I'm bored to tears living here and we have been applying for jobs outside the state for months now trying to escape.
Personally, I feel that if you don't have to move here then don't. I know lots of Texans will disagree vehemently with me, but I can't yet figure out why texans like it here so much.

[lonestar2007]

Originally Posted by shyguylh

Cons--people can be narrow-minded and a bit ethnocentric thinking their way is the only way (although other regions can be that way too).
If you're a male and like photography as I am, everyone thinks you're a fairy or a pervert (or both) because most shutter-bugs are women and most guys are into 4 wheel drive, guns and fishing.
The barbecue sucks, unless you like brisket (I'm referring to chopped BBQ at places like Bodacious) or know how to make your own vinegar sauce as I do. Everyone has their preferences, but to me there's nothing like eastern NC pulled pork barbecue with vinegar sauce and with Brunswick Stew and hush puppies as a side-dish. For it to instead be plain with no real sides to speak of and with KC Masterpiece sauce on there, it's not even close.
No good breakfast places where you can get a good breakfast burrito or cinnamon biscuits (like Hardee's or Bojangle's), everyone is mad crazy about kolaches which frankly gross me out, as do the convenience store biscuits (at least the ones I've had).
To me, the hills are a disadvantage, it makes things like cycling more strenuous and creates headaches for getting a level spot in your yard for putting up your pool or such and for the kids being able to ride their tricycles without having to huff & puff uphill so much. Give me flat and "boring" anytime. Flat means easy, and to me easy is EVERYTHING.

Don't tell me you've already forgotten all about Mother Nature's running joke on Texas, what with all of it's erratic weather changes. I figured that would be the first con on your list.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by nagrommm

It depends on where you are coming from, I suppose. I lived in SF for a few years and moved here from the west coast and I agree with the posters who have said the state (in general) is pretty ugly. You will not find the sort of cultural activities, variety of hobbies available etc as where you live now. Really, the only thing that got us here was a job and, yes, there's more money coming in than where we came from but our apt rent is NOT cheaper (buying a house is much cheaper). Basically, I'm bored to tears living here and we have been applying for jobs outside the state for months now trying to escape.
Personally, I feel that if you don't have to move here then don't. I know lots of Texans will disagree vehemently with me, but I can't yet figure out why texans like it here so much.

I encourage you to move back to SF as quickly as possible! No point in being miserable!

I have lived and traveled all over the world (including SF by the way) and I love living in Texas. So...I guess the state holds different positives and negatives for different people.

[Two4damoney]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I encourage you to move back to SF as quickly as possible! No point in being miserable!

I have lived and traveled all over the world (including SF by the way) and I love living in Texas. So...I guess the state holds different positives and negatives for different people.

[shyguylh]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

Don't tell me you've already forgotten all about Mother Nature's running joke on Texas, what with all of it's erratic weather changes. I figured that would be the first con on your list.

Yes, compared to where the original poster is apparently from (San Francisco), that would be true. However, compared to almost anywhere else, it's no different than Texas. A LOT of places in the USA have that whole "if you don't like the weather in [fill in the blank] wait 5 minutes and it'll change" thing going on. It's hardly unique to Texas in my observation.