True Californian considering TX (Houston, Dallas: layoffs, luxury, living)

[C24L]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

Hello,

Unlike most Californians that move to TX - I have a deep relationship with CA. And never thought I would leave. However, there are a few great things that TX has which California (The Golden State) does not have:
1. No state income tax
2. Easier to start a business.

With this said, I am considering H-Town and Austin. My field is Accounting. I am American born Muslim. Love Basketball. What city would one recommend? Also, TX has the potential to become better than California.

Well it is true that we dont have state income tax here but we have high property taxes so please take those into consideration.I think Dallas would be best for accounting.Houston has a lot of oil companies that need accountants but its economy is not the best rite now because West Texas Intermediate is still cheap.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

Being Muslim is important but all 4 big cities (Austin/Houston/San Antonio/Dallas-Fort Worth) have numerous mosques so there should be no problem. Austin does not have professional teams BUT it does have college teams, so I don't know if that's a valid statement.

I once read a quote from a Muslim who said that Texas is a very religious state but had to pray the 7 daily prayers in in the closet. It's said that Houston is now the most diverse city in America; the new Peoria. The Energy Industry has brought deep connections with the Middle East, so Islamophobia is minimal compared to the other Texas cities without that connection. It's hard to give in to the demagoguery of radio commentators when friends, neighbors, and co-workers don't fit the profile that they are pushing.

Dallas being financial capital of Texas is not something one would expect - for whatever reason it seemed like Houston is the financial capital.

Houston's finance sector is centered on the oil industry. You will find a lot of Finance people who specialize in Energy. Dallas is where the region's Federal Reserve Bank is headquartered, but the Texas banking industry collapsed during the S&L crisis in the 1980s. The major Texas banks were bought out by out-of-state holding companies, Frost Bank of San Antonio being the only native survivor. Dallas is now relegated to a regional office for the regional and national banks.

Houston definitely reminds me of LA. I have nothing against Dallas, but I don't feel like it's somewhere I would want to live. Although I've only been to Dallas just once. The vibe of Houston cannot be matched to Dallas. Don't get me wrong on Dallas being the financial capital.

Dallas is the center of the Evangelical Christian Bible Belt. TBN's DFW studio is their second-most important facility and Daystar is based there. Most of those churches that produce TV shows aired on those networks are in Dallas/Fort Worth, though they are not as famous as Lakewood Church or Ed Young's Second Baptist, both in Houston. (Just quantity over quality. The Bible Belt's southern fringe just touches the northern suburbs of Houston, in Montgomery County, around The Woodlands/Conroe.)

Politically, it is also the hotbed of GOP conservatism--the Conservative San Francisco. Economically, it also is very national-centric with it's companies/industries compared to Houston's global outlook catalyzed by the Energy Industry.

[LakersWon310]

Originally Posted by C24L

Well it is true that we dont have state income tax here but we have high property taxes so please take those into consideration.I think Dallas would be best for accounting.Houston has a lot of oil companies that need accountants but its economy is not the best rite now because West Texas Intermediate is still cheap.

That makes sense. It's still cheaper by miles. Why is Houston's economy struggling compared to Dallas?

[LakersWon310]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

I once read a quote from a Muslim who said that Texas is a very religious state but had to pray the 7 daily prayers in in the closet. It's said that Houston is now the most diverse city in America; the new Peoria. The Energy Industry has brought deep connections with the Middle East, so Islamophobia is minimal compared to the other Texas cities without that connection. It's hard to give in to the demagoguery of radio commentators when friends, neighbors, and co-workers don't fit the profile that they are pushing.


Houston's finance sector is centered on the oil industry. You will find a lot of Finance people who specialize in Energy. Dallas is where the region's Federal Reserve Bank is headquartered, but the Texas banking industry collapsed during the S&L crisis in the 1980s. The major Texas banks were bought out by out-of-state holding companies, Frost Bank of San Antonio being the only native survivor. Dallas is now relegated to a regional office for the regional and national banks.


Dallas is the center of the Evangelical Christian Bible Belt. TBN's DFW studio is their second-most important facility and Daystar is based there. Most of those churches that produce TV shows aired on those networks are in Dallas/Fort Worth, though they are not as famous as Lakewood Church or Ed Young's Second Baptist, both in Houston. (Just quantity over quality. The Bible Belt's southern fringe just touches the northern suburbs of Houston, in Montgomery County, around The Woodlands/Conroe.)

Politically, it is also the hotbed of GOP conservatism--the Conservative San Francisco. Economically, it also is very national-centric with it's companies/industries compared to Houston's global outlook catalyzed by the Energy Industry.

I see that Houston's market is centered on oil. However, why is it not diversified (as compared to Dallas).

I don't think I can see myself living in Dallas - its too different to what I'm used too, I guess. However, Houston is very promising, the only issue is the job market for Accounting, which seems to be based around Oil.

Dallas, to me, it seems like is a perfect place for someone relocating from the Mid-West. However, I think someone relocating from California would more than likely live in Austin or Houston. I also, think, that Houston should diversify it's economy.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

That makes sense. It's still cheaper by miles. Why is Houston's economy struggling compared to Dallas?

West Texas Intermediate Crude = market price for oil drilled from Texas. It's low right now and led to massive layoffs for the past couple of years. That cheap oil means lots of unemployed Houstonians. Luckily it happened at the right time to keep the Houston housing market and cost-of-living from overheating, like a circuit breaker.

Dallas and Austin are starting to overheat and it's a recession away from being California in 2008. It's not an if, but when, the next recession will happen. Historically Texas has been anti-cyclical from America economically but with the recent surge in transplants, the economic cycle is starting to sync beginning in those two cities.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

That makes sense. It's still cheaper by miles. Why is Houston's economy struggling compared to Dallas?

Gasoline is cheap.Houston is very oil-based.Dallas is more diversified than Houston.I think Houston would be better than Dallas for a muslim because of its status as the capitol of the energy industry.Also, Houston is more diverse than Dallas but Dallas is pretty diverse as well.Houston is one of the most diverse places in the country.

[jencam]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

How is that even true? How would one describe cities like Waco?

Austin is stuck-up about not being stuck up. I don't know how to better explain it! Partly they are stuck up about different things. Dallas being all about the money and other superficial things.

How would I describe Waco? Ew.

You might not love being a Muslim in rural areas. My Muslim friend has been pulled over in a rural town near here for driving while Arab. I'm not smearing Waco with that particular thing, because I don't know for sure, just food for thought.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

Hello,

Unlike most Californians that move to TX - I have a deep relationship with CA. And never thought I would leave. However, there are a few great things that TX has which California (The Golden State) does not have:
1. No state income tax
2. Easier to start a business.

With this said, I am considering H-Town and Austin. My field is Accounting. I am American born Muslim. Love Basketball. What city would one recommend? Also, TX has the potential to become better than California.

OP, like Cowboys fan in Houston, I'm a California native who lives in the Houston metro. I'm an SF Bay Area native, but I did live in Orange County (the one in California, not NY, NC, VA, nor FL) for 7 years, have now lived in the Houston metro for 9 years. I've also spent time in all of the major metros in Texas. I think Cowboys fan in Houston pretty much nailed it......except, as a lifelong 49ers fan, it's hard to get my head around the 'Cowboys fan from birth' part .

FWIW, although I like spending time in parts of the DFW Metroplex, but I wouldn't want to live there. To me the colder/less ideal winter weather (compared to the Houston metro) would only be worth it if it put me appreciably closer (as in within reasonable driving distance) to downhill skiing....and it wouldn't.

[jencam]

Y'all are killing me! DFW is the BEST place to be in Texas. I hate Houston! But, to each their own.......how do housing prices compare? DFW is on fire. If anyone wants in, they should get in quickly! Or perhaps wait a bit for new developments, depending on what one is seeking.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by jencam

Austin is stuck-up about not being stuck up. I don't know how to better explain it! Partly they are stuck up about different things. Dallas being all about the money and other superficial things.

How would I describe Waco? Ew.

You might not love being a Muslim in rural areas. My Muslim friend has been pulled over in a rural town near here for driving while Arab. I'm not smearing Waco with that particular thing, because I don't know for sure, just food for thought.

Customer service in Austin sucks. The slacker culture pervades. I had to call TxTag 8 years ago while in California for a quick question. The two hour time difference didn't help! It seems that the rep just woke up out of bed because he kept yawning and sounded drowsy. He kept on taking his sweet time (perhaps twittling his thumbs?) checking on his computer when looking up my account and for answers to my questions.

Another incident happened about 6 weeks ago at Cane's in Cedar Park. It's bad enough that prices are slightly higher than in Houston (it's a $1 more for the Box combo), but they didn't call my name or look for me while bringing the basket to my table. They stayed silent and waited for me to pick it up at the counter.

Waco - the Vatican of the Baptists. Enough said! I would advise limiting road trips between other Texas cities and staying on the interstate as much as possible if you have/choose to visit other Texas towns or leave the state. Many rural towns depend on speeding tickets on big-city slickers for their revenue, but the speed limit on the interstates have been raised to 70 MPH, diverting resources to U.S./state highway traffic.