From Italy to Texas! (Houston, Austin: real estate, lawyer, house)

[FrankBS]

Hi!

My name is Francesco, I'm 23 and I live in Brescia, in the Northern Italy.

Our project (mine an my parents') is relocating in USA in the next years. We have contacts in Texas and California who could help us with the immigration lawyer and we hope to leave Italy in some years.

I posted in the general forum about where could be a good place for us and and many suggested me New Jersey; but I'm also interested in Texas, and I'm posting here to know more about relocation in Texas from Italy!

We live in Brescia, a small city between hills and the Garda lake.
About the job... I'm going to take a Master of Science in electronics engineer and my dad has a degree in computer science.

In your opinion, where's the best place for us in TX? I was thinking about Austin... what do you think? Another suggestion? How's the life in Texas? Let me know!

[Mr. Solis]

Do you really live in Italy?

If so, what is the temperature over there right now?
Are you close to the Tour De France?
Yea I know its in France, but thats pretty close right? You could drive there in a few hours or so?

New Jersey & Texas are 2 different worlds, like Italy and Texas.
Austin is very nice yes. Good choice, go to Barton Springs for good time, and 6th street for beer and music.
Austin is good for IT related fields as well.

Do you guys really eat a lot of Spagetti over there, or is this a stereo type?

I love spagetti, and pizza too!!!

[mimimomx3]

Austin is a great city, it is the capital of Texas. The big employers here are the University of Texas, various health industries (hospitals, etc.), the state government, high technology. Real estate is more expensive than the rest of Texas. There are not many Italians in Austin, very few. Places to buy Italian food are limited to Whole Foods and other types of large grocery stores. As compared to New Jersey, you'll find many more Italians and Italian foods/cultural events. The weather in Austin is HOT for most of the year, Jersey is the opposite...very cold, etc. similar to the North of Italy.

Just curious...with the economy the way it is in the US, why would you want to leave Italy???

[FrankBS]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

Just curious...with the economy the way it is in the US, why would you want to leave Italy???

Cause here it's worst! Actually I think that economy is bad all over the world right now! Italy in the last few years is NOT livable... we're a middle class family with some real estate properties, we have some rented homes but money is never enough to pay high taxes and VERY HIGH cost of life!

Actually there are many more things I prefer in USA rather than Italy, but it's a long list...

Originally Posted by Mr. Solis

Do you really live in Italy?

Yes!

Originally Posted by Mr. Solis

If so, what is the temperature over there right now?

Right now in the northern Italy is 30°C (I think it's about 87°F) but we had a lot of storms in the last week, so it's going to be hotter...

Originally Posted by Mr. Solis

Are you close to the Tour De France?
Yea I know its in France, but thats pretty close right? You could drive there in a few hours or so?

Yes, we can reach France border in some hours... but I don't follow Tour de France. (by the way, we had "Giro d'Italia" some weeks ago..!!)

Originally Posted by Mr. Solis

Do you guys really eat a lot of Spagetti over there, or is this a stereo type?
I love spagetti, and pizza too!!!

It depends... personally I LOVE SPAGETTI, I'd eat JUST spaghetti!! Actually we eat a lot of several different types of pasta (maccheroni, rigatoni, tagliatelle, malfatti... I think we have hundreds of types of pasta) with several different sausages. A typical lunch here in Italy is a first course of pasta and a second course of meat for example.

I like also pizza (not so much really) but, trust me, you americans have no idea of what italian pizza is; I ate many times pizza in USA, it's very different. There is also a big difference between pizza from the Northern Italy an pizza from, for examples, Naples (probably the best pizza in the world!)

Originally Posted by Mr. Solis

New Jersey & Texas are 2 different worlds, like Italy and Texas.
Austin is very nice yes. Good choice, go to Barton Springs for good time, and 6th street for beer and music.
Austin is good for IT related fields as well.

I'm charmed by Austin... I've never been in Texas, but Austin seems a pretty city and full of IT companies.

However: I don't care about Italian presence on the city where I'm going to live... actually I'd like leave Italy cause I'm trying to escape from the average Italian, so if Austin has no many Italians, it's good for me!

[Mr. Solis]

Don't get upset FrankBS, but what is the Giro d'Italia? Is this some kind of bull running? Yes, I could look it up, but you are the expert here!!! So it is good to get info straight from a real Italian, not a google Italian, ahhaaha.

Too bad you have to wait for a couple of years, for the immigration stuff and all that. But hey, at least you get to come over here to Texas. I love Texas myself, partly because I am half Mexican, dark skinned fellow that I am, and there are millions of mexicans here in Texas.

There are Italian restaurants here, and they have fancy pasta dishes you will probably enjoy if you ever go there. It will probably not be like your mama's but better than nothing right? I only eat spagetti, macaroni & cheese(from the box no less), and Lasagne sometimes, but none of those fancy named ones. My kids like to eat Chef Boy ar Dee canned Italian foods, and I've learned that the real maker, the founder of that company actually came from Italy, its supposed to have an authenic taste. The company says, its like your mama used to make, or something like that.

Well right now I'm going to eat my corndogs, and french fries, so it was nice chatting with you.
Do you know what corndogs are? Just checking.

87 degrees right now over there. Here at my house it has been in the 100's for about a week, and in the mid 90's since March, but I do live in the very southern tip of Texas, which for most of the year is the hottest part of Texas. But we have Air Conditioning so its not that bad, and cold swimming pool.

[CptnRn]

You can learn a lot about Austin reading the discussions here:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/austin/

And the City-Data page has a major collection of demographic data

http://www.city-data.com/city/Austin-Texas.html

as does the Austin Chamber of Commerce, which also has information on major employers.

The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce :: Austin, Texas

There are a lot of electronics and computer companies in the Austin area. Austin is a real melting pot with few identifiable ethnic neighborhoods of that sort, but it is a great place to live and has a lot to offer.

[Canine*Castle]

I have a native Texan friend who travels yearly to Italy and she said she'd move there in a heartbeat if she could. You might want to check out Texas before you even consider moving here. It's a whole different ballgame from what she and her husband have told me.

[cjester]

Originally Posted by FrankBS

Hi!
We live in Brescia, a small city between hills and the Garda lake.
About the job... I'm going to take a Master of Science in electronics engineer and my dad has a degree in computer science.

In your opinion, where's the best place for us in TX? I was thinking about Austin... what do you think? Another suggestion? How's the life in Texas? Let me know!

I have been to Italy a few times l'Italiano posso parlare piu o meno. Io credo che in Austin ci sono molti studenti che vogliono laborare li, quindi salaries go down. E una citta cinque volte piu piccola che Houston. In Houston la gente guadagna di piu incima, ci sono piu posti di laboro. The summer here gets as the hottest days up in Lombardia. Ma nel inverno non cade mai la neve. Electronics and computer science has lots of demand in places such as the tmc giacchè ci sono tante medical equipment and computers that are used there, anche nel negozio d'olio. La vita se assomiglia un po a Milano; ci sono tante abitante diversi, molti cinese, molitissimi messicani e di altri luoghi.

[FrankBS]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

I have a native Texan friend who travels yearly to Italy and she said she'd move there in a heartbeat if she could. You might want to check out Texas before you even consider moving here. It's a whole different ballgame from what she and her husband have told me.

Italy is really beautiful.. for vacation! But living in Italy sucks! Trust me!

Originally Posted by Mr. Solis

Don't get upset FrankBS, but what is the Giro d'Italia? Is this some kind of bull running?

No bull running, maybe you're thinking at Pamplona, it's in Spain! We dont have so many bulls here! Giro d'Italia it's like the Tour de France, but in Italy.. it's a biking competition!

Originally Posted by Mr. Solis

Too bad you have to wait for a couple of years, for the immigration stuff and all that. But hey, at least you get to come over here to Texas. I love Texas myself

...

87 degrees right now over there. Here at my house it has been in the 100's for about a week, and in the mid 90's since March, but I do live in the very southern tip of Texas, which for most of the year is the hottest part of Texas. But we have Air Conditioning so its not that bad, and cold swimming pool.

No hurry, I'll be happy to wait some years!

Temperature seems hot but not frightful... how's the humidity?

Originally Posted by cjester

I have been to Italy a few times l'Italiano posso parlare piu o meno. Io credo che in Austin ci sono molti studenti che vogliono laborare li, quindi salaries go down. E una citta cinque volte piu piccola che Houston. In Houston la gente guadagna di piu incima, ci sono piu posti di laboro

So you say that Houston could be a better choice cause of higher salary and better job avalaibility? I understand correctly?

PS: Thanks to for all the infos!!

[cjester]

Originally Posted by FrankBS

So you say that Houston could be a better choice cause of higher salary and better job avalaibility? I understand correctly?

Mi sembra che to non mi hai capito. Austin e una citta con molti studenti, quando loro si sono laureati molti di loro vogliono remaniere li ma, perche ci sono tantisimi studenti rispetto ai posti di laboro, i salari vano in giù. Houston e una citta con piu posti di laboro perché la sua industria è più diversa è ci sono meno gente cercando certi posti di laboro. Spero che questo ti sia di aiuto.