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Old 01-10-2008, 11:02 PM
 
Location: South Jersey
16 posts, read 90,907 times
Reputation: 19

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Hi Everyone I'm a 25 year old NJ native, lived here all my life and looking to escape. My boyfriend and I have been struggling to make ends meet here and are finally giving up and moving on. I've been researching like a maniac to see where is the best place to live for young people starting out and it seems that TX is a fit, I'm just not sure where in TX we would be better off. Initially I liked the Houston area because its closer to the coast but then I heard great things about Dallas and Austin and San Antonio. Unfortunately I dont have the time or money to visit each place long enough to really know what its like to live there so i was hoping you guys would be kind enough to give me your opinion on what city would be the best for us.

To give you a little more info; my boyfriend and I are both in the mortgage industry (although we would be more then happy to change fields), we arent used to much of a commute so I would like to be able to avoid a long one if possible, we are eventually going to be looking for a house in the low $100Ks, we are looking for a town that has things to do but we dont require a hopping nightlife~ as long as there is a movie theater and some restaurants we'll be happy No kids for us so schools or daycare are irrelevent. We are pet people (3 dogs and a cat) and if any city is particularly pet friendly that would def be a plus for us.

Any advice you can give will be welcome~Thanks!!!
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Old 01-11-2008, 01:10 PM
 
Location: Chambers County
1,132 posts, read 2,124,882 times
Reputation: 1178
I don't believe there is any one exact answer for you, as all the cities you mentioned could serve you well. Austin has a bit of a rep as a "young" type city, with many clubs and such, SA is a lot of fun with the Riverwalk, and D-FW and Houston are both so large you can find just about anything you want. Don't rule out the mid sized cities around Texas. They offer some great things, too. You will find Texas overall a great real estate bargain.
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Old 01-11-2008, 03:13 PM
 
Location: Michigan
389 posts, read 1,656,905 times
Reputation: 111
May I suggest San Angelo,I used to work nearby,I think it has a lot to offer.
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Old 01-11-2008, 06:10 PM
 
Location: South Jersey
16 posts, read 90,907 times
Reputation: 19
Thanks for your help!

southeasttexas: as you stated there seem to be so many great places I'm having such a hard time nailing down the "best" place. I'm from the 'burbs so I'd be more comfortable in a smaller town but I worried about the availability of jobs. Not knowing anything much about the area I thought it might be safer to initially move to city such as San Antonio for the employment and then later on purchase a home within a reasonable commute.
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Old 01-11-2008, 06:41 PM
 
Location: Western Bexar County
3,823 posts, read 14,670,925 times
Reputation: 1943
San Antonio's job growth continues to rise and rents are pretty good.

Table: Best Cities For Jobs In 2008 - Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/careers/2008/01/11/jobs-economy-growth-lead-careers-cx_mk_0110cities_table.html - broken link)

In Pictures: Least Expensive Cities For Renters - Forbes.com
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Old 01-11-2008, 06:55 PM
 
Location: Hutto, Tx
9,249 posts, read 26,697,972 times
Reputation: 2851
Some of the smaller cities are going through a growth spurt as well, so don't discount them totally. Towns like Tyler and Longview, Fort Worth among others. I live in a small town outside of Austin, and this area is growing leaps and bounds, so mortgage work would probably be really easy to find. Austin tends to be a very outdoorsy, very laid back and slower paced sort of place. But there are clubs, movies and restaraunts almost everwhere.
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Old 01-11-2008, 07:31 PM
 
6,578 posts, read 25,468,083 times
Reputation: 3249
You might come to Dallas where Bank of America/Countrywide has a large presence - about 18,000 employees between the two. Countrywide is even in suburbs (Plano, Richardson).
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Old 01-11-2008, 08:28 PM
 
Location: Chambers County
1,132 posts, read 2,124,882 times
Reputation: 1178
You might want to take a look at the areas where the climate would most closely match your preferences, then go from there...
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Old 01-11-2008, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Texas
3,494 posts, read 14,382,695 times
Reputation: 1413
Austin is the most pet friendly of all Texas cities. NO DOUBT
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Old 01-11-2008, 09:58 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
Reputation: 8617
Really, you can't pick a place from us . We all love were we are, or hate it, and are from everywhere. A few points:
  • The economy in Texas is as good or better than anywhere in the US right now. Houston has a HUGE economy (something like the 32nd in the world if it was a nation). But all the big cities are doing fine at the moment.
  • Almost every big city has a rural environment with commuting distance, depending on where you work in the city. Houston and, to a lesser extend, Dallas, are a looong drive from one side to the other. Austin and San Antonio have closer rural areas, but are probably a little pricier for an equivalent rural set-up, at least in the hill country.
  • If weather is a factor, Houston is more humid but almost never freezes. Dallas/Austin/SA run down the center of the state and are dryer (but still may be considered humid, depending on where you are from), but get hotter and colder than the coast.
  • West Texas is dry and may get cold, esp. up in the panhandle, and jobs are probably a little harder to come by...less turnover, anyway. Lots of people are born and die in West Texas, at least that is my observation.
  • If you want piney woods, look to East Texas or upper coast. Oaks run down the middle of the state.
  • The northern part of the state is more of the bible belt, so there are some dry counties.
  • The panhandle is very agricultural. So is the valley.
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