Moving to Texas need help (Houston, Dallas: home, safe neighborhood, good schools)

[josies_69]

I am relocating to Texas im not sure where to go. I am thinking of Austin, Dallas or Houston. Someone told me rockdale is nice. Ihave never been there so i havent a clue. My husband will be working away from home most of the time and I have 3 kids ages 12, 5 and 1 safety is important. Also being able to commute(grocery stores, schools etc).. Please help...

[neddy]

Need a little more info. All three of those cities are quite different. What feel are you looking for? Are you looking for a large urban setting or something smaller? Texas is a very large state so it has lots to offer. What kind of weather are you looking for? Any family or friends you need to be around? Any thing that your kids love to do?

[josies_69]

Iam looking for a small town with everything a big city offers but not to far from major city. Weather from what i hear is hot hot hot in texas so thats not really important. As far as family and friends i have none there we are going solo. Thats why safety is a big issue. thanks for any help u can give....

[caendaniels]

If Rockdale is the place for then great. However if it is where the dart landed, so to speak, the I'm going to push you to the hill country. Plenty of friendly, family orientated small towns. www.hill-country-visitor.com and select a city or area.

[Trainwreck20]

Well, you have left yourself lots of choices. There are hundreds of small, safe towns in Texas, many close to a major city. I am not sure on why you have decided to move to Texas since it sounds like you could live anywhere, so that makes it difficult to help narrow it down. Some things to consider -
What region? Yes, the weather is generally hot, but a whole spectrum of humidity and some areas much colder in winter. I will over-simplify the areas of Texas

• Coastal - Not as hot but much more humid. Lots of rain, most often in short storms. Close to the coast/beaches and generally flat terrain. Major cities identified with this area include Beaumont, Houston, Corpus Christi.
• East Texas - Can be very muggy. Lots of softwood (pine trees), some nice rivers, less populated than many areas of the state. Would typical include as part of the 'Bible Belt'. 'Larger' cities Include Tyler, Lufkin, Nacogdoches. These are no where near as big as the major cities in Texas.
• North Texas - Can be very hot and very cold during the year. Somewhat dryer than the coastal/east Texas areas. Fairly flat, but some rolling terrain. Trees are mostly hardwood in this area. Also part of the 'Bible Belt'. Dallas and Fort Worth are the major cities in this area.
• Central Texas - Transition Area between Coastal areas and West Texas. Some areas are flat, significant hills as you head west. Can be very hot, less muggy than East/coastal, not as cold as North Texas in winter. Hardwood trees, less rain than east/coastal Texas. Major cities include San Antonio and Austin.
• West Texas - Large area of the state west of the hill country. Dry air, heat feels less oppressive. Terrain is generally flat with some formations, although mountainous to the extreme west Texas. Low population, trees become scarce. Some of the larger cities include San Angelo, Midland/Odessa, and El Paso.
• Pan Handle - This area is similar to West Texas, but colder and more agriculture (cotton/cattle), slightly more rain. Trees are still scarce, terrain is also flat with some uplifts/canyons. Larger cities include Amarillo and Lubbock.

Note that these are broad generalizations and I am sure I would get some argument as to the geographical representations - Lubbock could easily be west Texas, not the panhandle, etc., and some 'major' cities are left out (Abilene) but you get the idea.

[looking for new home]

To any who are thinking of moving to Tx., go to www.TravelTex.com and order a State Travel guide. Remember that it only shows the nicest, but at least there are some photos and info to help one understand how different/same it is here compared to where you are coming from.

[noplacelikeWA]

Originally Posted by josies_69

Iam looking for a small town with everything a big city offers but not to far from major city.

San Antonio is the biggest small town I've ever been to. If you've never considered SA, take a closer look.

[killer2021]

Just to let you know. You will have to pay a premium to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools (hey, you get what you pay for right?). Just make sure to factor in the property taxes as it can be quite high.

[NOTAM]

are you KIDDING ME? for the first time in all my years of living in Texas, i spent 4 days at Lackland AFB and did a bit of driving on the highways there, and OMG i was skeered to death! i had to drop my dogs over at the doggy dude ranch by the airport and got lost a hundred times, almost ended up in Austin, trying to find 281 North from that 410 loop or whatever that loop is that travels on the northside from Lackland...i was scared to death. the city is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too big. and the traffic jams. way worse than Ft Worth ever was in my years of working there. i loved the Riverwalk though, but other than that, sheesh...it's one big city. (though not as bad as Houston-i drove through Houston moving down here to South Texas in October and that was almost like a death trap. i had never seen so many lanes on highways. freaked me out. thank god i drive a big ole truck with a huge brushguard on it, otherwise i would have died!

Originally Posted by noplacelikeWA

San Antonio is the biggest small town I've ever been to. If you've never considered SA, take a closer look.

[i am just me]

Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas

are you KIDDING ME? for the first time in all my years of living in Texas, i spent 4 days at Lackland AFB and did a bit of driving on the highways there, and OMG i was skeered to death! i had to drop my dogs over at the doggy dude ranch by the airport and got lost a hundred times, almost ended up in Austin, trying to find 281 North from that 410 loop or whatever that loop is that travels on the northside from Lackland...i was scared to death. the city is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too big. and the traffic jams. way worse than Ft Worth ever was in my years of working there. i loved the Riverwalk though, but other than that, sheesh...it's one big city. (though not as bad as Houston-i drove through Houston moving down here to South Texas in October and that was almost like a death trap. i had never seen so many lanes on highways. freaked me out. thank god i drive a big ole truck with a huge brushguard on it, otherwise i would have died!

ROTFL!!!

I think that Houston's highways are really very easy to navigate once you've driven them a time or two...everything's clearly marked and the vast majority of the highways simply loop around the city.

now Dallas? man...

I never want to have to drive around there again. I swear I almost pulled over and cried...