Going back to the States, bringing an Aussie with me...Austin, or somewhere else in, Texas? (Lubbock: 2009, renting)

[leliathomas]

This message was originally posted here, but I've crossposted it to get some opinions specifically from those of you who are living in Texas.

Hi, all,

Firstly, pardon if this is a long post, but we could use the help, so I'm hoping some of you will put up with me! I'm an American (Mississippi and Tennessee could be considered my old homesteads--southern gal!), but I've been spending the last two years in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne's a wonderful place, and I'd highly recommend it to most, but with just a year left in my degree--one of the main reasons I am here--I am realizing that the reasons I came to Australia are sort of coming to a close, and I will probably return to the U.S. when my visa expires in September of 2009.

It's not just me who's coming, though. I've bagged myself an Australian in the last year, it would seem, and he's coming with me! (Any visa advice for him would be greatly appreciated!) So, we're looking for a new place to live after my visa expires, and we sort of have our hearts set on Texas, but we are open to suggestions. Austin looks pretty good for us at this point, but we have a lot more studying to do in our time. Again, we're open to suggestions.

Here are some basics about us:
- I'm 21, and he's 23.
- We're both geeks and work in web design and development. I also write.
- We're Libertarians, politically, but we're okay wherever, so long as it's not too bleeding heart liberal (read: socialist).
- We aren't religious (he's atheist; I'm agnostic). This isn't a huge deal to us at all, and we're happy to live anywhere, around anyone, so long as people won't treat our lack of religion as a problem.

We have lots of demands, and we figure not all of them can be met, but...

- We hate taxes and want to pay as few as possible.
- Lots of sunshine is good.
- 38+ inches of rain annually is maybe getting to be too much...
- Dry heat is better than humid heat.
- Tucson, AZ, summers are too hot for him, and anything colder in winter than most of the south is too cold for me! Snow is okay, but in moderation. We probably need to find a place that's fairly temperate.
- Population wise, we want to live in a small city (150,000 to 200,000) or at least very near to one or a major city of any size.

Housing costs in the U.S. are much lower than here, for the most part, so I'm guessing we won't have too much sticker shock if/when we plan to purchase a home there, particularly in Texas.

Catering to interests isn't too important to us, as you can find most things in nearly all U.S. cities, but for the heck of it, we like all things geeky (computers, electronics, video gaming), paintball, and I'm into arts and music.

*BIG BREATH* I think that's it. Any and all advice is so greatly appreciated!

[ChristieP]

You need to get your immigration status in line before you consider moving here permanently, and that will probably require an attorney. Authorities have really stepped up enforcement and you want to make sure you're not overstaying a tourist visa and end up deported!

[Margarete schumann]

Hi, I am brazilian, but lived in Austin,Texas with my husband for 8 years. It is a wonderful place, young or old, does not matter. Great music, parks, lakes, weather, jobs are available in your field, people are super nice, good luck..

Originally Posted by leliathomas

This message was originally posted here, but I've crossposted it to get some opinions specifically from those of you who are living in Texas.

Hi, all,

Firstly, pardon if this is a long post, but we could use the help, so I'm hoping some of you will put up with me! I'm an American (Mississippi and Tennessee could be considered my old homesteads--southern gal!), but I've been spending the last two years in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne's a wonderful place, and I'd highly recommend it to most, but with just a year left in my degree--one of the main reasons I am here--I am realizing that the reasons I came to Australia are sort of coming to a close, and I will probably return to the U.S. when my visa expires in September of 2009.

It's not just me who's coming, though. I've bagged myself an Australian in the last year, it would seem, and he's coming with me! (Any visa advice for him would be greatly appreciated!) So, we're looking for a new place to live after my visa expires, and we sort of have our hearts set on Texas, but we are open to suggestions. Austin looks pretty good for us at this point, but we have a lot more studying to do in our time. Again, we're open to suggestions.

Here are some basics about us:
- I'm 21, and he's 23.
- We're both geeks and work in web design and development. I also write.
- We're Libertarians, politically, but we're okay wherever, so long as it's not too bleeding heart liberal (read: socialist).
- We aren't religious (he's atheist; I'm agnostic). This isn't a huge deal to us at all, and we're happy to live anywhere, around anyone, so long as people won't treat our lack of religion as a problem.

We have lots of demands, and we figure not all of them can be met, but...

- We hate taxes and want to pay as few as possible.
- Lots of sunshine is good.
- 38+ inches of rain annually is maybe getting to be too much...
- Dry heat is better than humid heat.
- Tucson, AZ, summers are too hot for him, and anything colder in winter than most of the south is too cold for me! Snow is okay, but in moderation. We probably need to find a place that's fairly temperate.
- Population wise, we want to live in a small city (150,000 to 200,000) or at least very near to one or a major city of any size.

Housing costs in the U.S. are much lower than here, for the most part, so I'm guessing we won't have too much sticker shock if/when we plan to purchase a home there, particularly in Texas.

Catering to interests isn't too important to us, as you can find most things in nearly all U.S. cities, but for the heck of it, we like all things geeky (computers, electronics, video gaming), paintball, and I'm into arts and music.

*BIG BREATH* I think that's it. Any and all advice is so greatly appreciated!

[leliathomas]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

You need to get your immigration status in line before you consider moving here permanently, and that will probably require an attorney. Authorities have really stepped up enforcement and you want to make sure you're not overstaying a tourist visa and end up deported!

Well, that shouldn't be too difficult, really. I'm American, as stated, and there are several visas specifically geared towards relationships and some for Australians specifically, due to our good relations with Australia. This is also September 2009 we're discussing here.

Having looked at both, American immigration doesn't look anymore difficult than Australian, and at the very least it's cheaper (A LOT), so that's good.

Don't think an attorney will be needed. In most cases, I believe attorneys just complicate things!

[John Shaft]

Austin will be the closest place you can get in TX to socialist (relatively speaking compared to the west coast). However, ironically, it also has the most free-spirited attitude as well. Take a look at some of the suburbs around the D/FW area, although they will feel much bigger than 150k-200k since they are part of the metro area.

Aussies are cool folk; as a native Texan I've always enjoyed interacting with them...you shouldn't have any issues in that regard (except for an occasional Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin reference, of course).

[Topaz]

Definitely Austin. We would live there except Austin is too small for the type of work my husband does. So we just visit Austin on weekends.

[Bowie]

High property taxes will be a problem for you in Texas pretty much anywhere that has good schools, and especially in the large cities. You can freelance the type of work you do from anywhere that has broadband, so maybe you should consider living in a small town in West Texas?

[awecelot]

Originally Posted by Bowie

High property taxes will be a problem for you in Texas pretty much anywhere that has good schools, and especially in the large cities. You can freelance the type of work you do from anywhere that has broadband, so maybe you should consider living in a small town in West Texas?

If you do consider West Texas, I would consider Midland (population of about 100,000 with a similarly-sized sister city, Odessa), which is currently going through a huge economic boom due to that area's focus on the oil industry. Business opportunities, perhaps? Also, Lubbock (population approx. 200,000), home to Texas Tech University, may be a good fit (I wouldn't think their web-design sector is oversaturated).

I suggest those because they meet most of your criteria. Summer heat can get over 100 degrees, but I don't think it is as hot as Tucson. Lots of sunshine, little humidity. The tradeoff is that the land is pretty barren. You also have to deal with some pretty mean thunderstorms. Lubbock can get cold in the winter (you wouldn't think Texas could get that cold!).

[leliathomas]

High property taxes will be a problem for you in Texas pretty much anywhere that has good schools, and especially in the large cities. You can freelance the type of work you do from anywhere that has broadband, so maybe you should consider living in a small town in West Texas?

We've seen that mentioned on several sites. Just ballpark figures, but how much might property taxes be for a fairly nice home in an Austin suburb? Anyone have any ideas? It's not that huge a concern at this point, as we'll be renting for some time to come, but it's still something we'd like to know. We also figure that, even though we hate taxes, we'll be paying them everywhere pretty much, so we're just looking for something manageable and not crazy. :B

Any recommendations for places in West Texas? Looked at Midland; it looked pretty good, but some have said it's not as friendly as other places in Texas.

[atxcio]

Tax rates closer to (or inside) Austin are less than the suburbs, unless you are talking rural land. City of Austin is about 2.15% per year on your appraised value. Places like Cedar Park, Round Rock, Pflugerville will be more like 2.5-3% in your typical subdivision. The newer school districts and MUDs (utility districts in suburbs) often have high rates. Plus, you have HOA fees in many newer subdivisions.

However, values in central Austin are higher, so the actual $$$ amount of taxes paid will be similar. So for a $300K house in Cedar Park you'd pay about $9K per year, while a similar house would be more like $450K in central Austin, where you would again be paying about $9K per year in property taxes.

If you are young and working, especially if you are making a good income, property taxes in Texas are a better deal than state income taxes that you have in other states. The property tax and mortgage interest deductions can put you in a lower federal income tax bracket, too.

However, if you are retired or making a smaller salary, the state income tax with a low property tax ends up being cheaper (ie other states might be cheaper).