Relocating from UK to Texas; Where is Best for a Family?? (Houston: real estate, how much)

[TurtleCreek80]

I’m with everyone else - why be deadset on Texas, and evenmoreso, how did you zero in on Wichita Falls, a small town that’s not experiencing any growth and from what I read has much higher than average crime compared to other small towns? I would think a carpenter would want to relocate someplace where people are actually building things....

[KathrynAragon]

The OP is apparently a one hit wonder. Moving on.

[supfromthesite]

it's been 2 days... lol

[KathrynAragon]

One post and no answers to questions. Hopefully they will come back but I'm not holding my breath.

[FlowerPot0610]

So.

Wichita Falls was the closest heard-of area to the Oklahoma Border. We have family in Norman, OK.

We wouldn't be fully reliant on a Sponsor, as our home is mortgage free etc So we'd have a decent amount of savings to start fresh.

We have looked at West Virginia and Oklahoma, also; but really liked the idea of Texas.
Previous visits have only been to Houston and Dallas so wouldn't really know what to expect in a rural town in the area... we're hoping to narrow down our search and look at houses etc in July/August this summer.


We currently live in a very green area, lots of hills and vegetation and plenty of rain.
We holiday abroad in places like Spain, Portugal and Cuba seeking heat - so the climate isn't a dealbreaker for us.


I've posted onn some other pages regarding Oklahoma and WV for some genuine advice there too...

-to those moaning i hadn't replied, i.e. the one hit wonder comment -
Responding isn't always an immediate thing with me, sorry. . Work crazy hours around four kids.


Helpful responses only. Thanks.

[FlowerPot0610]

As I said; I'm new to this, I was expecting that the site would inform me that i'd received a reply or something; but I didn't get anything until this morning.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by FlowerPot0610

So.

Wichita Falls was the closest heard-of area to the Oklahoma Border. We have family in Norman, OK.

We wouldn't be fully reliant on a Sponsor, as our home is mortgage free etc So we'd have a decent amount of savings to start fresh.

We have looked at West Virginia and Oklahoma, also; but really liked the idea of Texas.
Previous visits have only been to Houston and Dallas so wouldn't really know what to expect in a rural town in the area... we're hoping to narrow down our search and look at houses etc in July/August this summer.


We currently live in a very green area, lots of hills and vegetation and plenty of rain. Sounds more like West Virgnia
We holiday abroad in places like Spain, Portugal and Cuba seeking heat - so the climate isn't a dealbreaker for us.


I've posted onn some other pages regarding Oklahoma and WV for some genuine advice there too...

-to those moaning i hadn't replied, i.e. the one hit wonder comment -
Responding isn't always an immediate thing with me, sorry. . Work crazy hours around four kids.


Helpful responses only. Thanks.

I think you should just drive around and figure out an area you like, as well as how big of a city you want to be in. There are many options regarding these, and it will mostly be dependent on what you like.

Bigger cities near Oklahoma - Dallas or Fort Worth, Oklahoma City is nice too
Medium - Wichita Falls, Abilene, Tyler? (which is green but not hilly)
Smaller - Stephenville, Granbury, maybe some DFW suburbs

You might also look into Northwest Arkansas, from your point of view it might be the best of both worlds. Very green and hilly but also very close to Oklahoma. Fayetteville is a nice city and they also have small towns. It would probably be my pick if I were you. You might just like Texas though, so maybe Arkansas won't be the best option for you.

[KathrynAragon]

I made the one hit wonder comment. Two weeks between updates from you - OK - now we know what to expect. There are lots of "one hit wonders" on this site so I think my comment was, at the least, understandable. I didn't mean to offend you. Frankly, i didn't expect you to be back but here you are!

Where in Oklahoma is family? That plays a part - Oklahoma isn't a small state. If family lives in the northeast corner of the state, it's very green and pretty hilly (and nice) around Tulsa. OKC is very flat and experiences a lot of severe weather in my opinion, though the people are nice and there are some pleasant areas.

I don't personally care much for Wichita Falls, but that's just me. I think you should definitely come visit Texas - in the summer. July or August would be ideal.

NW Arkansas has some beautiful, beautiful areas, and the cost of living is low, but it really just depends on what appeals to you. NW Arkansas has more of a "four seasons" feel, and the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains are beautiful.

A bit north of Dallas might be an area that also appeals to you. And don't leave out the many charming towns to the west of Fort Worth either!

My daughter used to live in the UK. I also lived in Germany, and another daughter currently lives in Germany. I think sometimes it's hard for people from outside the US to really grasp just how huge the US, and Texas, both are. I will never forget a sign I saw coming into Texas once from the west (I think it was right before we hit the Texas border) - it said "Dallas - 830 miles." That's 1,136 kilometers! That's about the distance from the northernmost corner of Scotland to the southernmost corner of England - and that's just one state. The US is about 40 times larger than Great Britain, and Texas itself is about three times larger than Great Britain. For some perspective, my husband used to work in WV when we lived in NE Texas, and it was a 15 hour drive. My brother lives in Ohio and that's a 17 hour drive from our home in NE Texas (Tyler area).

The OP may already know and understand this, but I wanted to reiterate it. I once sat next to a young woman from the UK visiting the US. She was going to be in the US for ten days and in that ten days she actually really did think that she could visit NYC, Boston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Portland OR and San Francisco. I mean, it's technically possible but sounds like hell to me. She clearly had no concept of the actual size of the country.

For some additional perspective, driving from Charleston WV (which is actually on the west side of the state) to Oklahoma City would take about fifteen hours.

[Arkay66]

Distances from various Texas locations to your relatives in Norman, OK:

Amarillo: 278 miles/447 kilometers, about 4 hours drive
Wichita Falls: 134 miles/216 km, about 2 hours drive
Gainesville: 120 miles/193 km, about 1.75 hours drive
Paris: 183 miles/295 km, about 3 hours drive

You have lots of options within a few hours drive, and our speed limits are far higher than any road in the UK.

Suggest you look beyond only Wichita Falls; there's a place in Texas for you. You just need to find it.

[Thoreau424]

I'd aim for the larger cities like Dallas, and it's multitude of connecting cities (Plano?), if looking for a large city area. There are towns away from the there (like Denton) for somewhat smaller town living.

Wichita Falls is a bit lacking, even for many native Texans.

Visit interested towns first for a close up view and reality check before getting in too deep in the planning. Best of wishes!