Could texas be the place for a scottish family? (Houston: rent, how much)

[Tootsfromscotland]

Hi all,
we are in the process of relocating to the states from Scotland but having a real problem deciding where to go! I have been reading lots about Texas and it would seem like a really great place. The one thing that concerns me a bit (and I dont wish to be rude!) but in my info gathering, there appears to be a lot of folk saying Texas doesnt have much scenery and is very flat.

We lived in Florida for a year a few years ago, and admittedly, we did miss the hills, heather, mountains and lochs and Florida is also very flat.

In scotland we have some absolutely stunning scenery...really quite breathtaking, and whilst we dont appreciate it whilst living here, you can be guaranteed we'll miss it when we dont have it! (typical eh?) So the main thing concering me about Texas is that because it sounds SO different from what we're used to in terms of natural beauty etc etc, we may find it all the more difficult to settle and homesickness will prevail (thats what happened when in Florida!)
Do I have this wrong? Can those who know the state hold me corrected? Would really appreciate thoughts

[TexasHorseLady]

Texas has its own kinds of natural beauty. The only other place (besides New Orleans) where I have arrived and immediately had that feeling of "Home!" was Scotland (and as it happens, I turn out to love not only Single Malt Scotch, but haggis, as well). Of course, that might just be the good Scots blood from five or six or seven generations ago calling out to its homeland, but it sure felt right to me!

It won't be identical to where you come from. You'll have some lightly rolling hills and trees and more green in East Texas where I grew up amongst the piney woods (the north part - it's flatter to the south down towards the coast), you could have the Hill Country in Central Texas, but nowhere near as green in the same way as Scotland. There's Big Bend, of course, but it's not terribly populated. You might find something like what you'd like in North Texas up north of Denton (there's an area that is called "little Colorado" by the folks that live there). For lochs you'd have to make do with the Highland Lakes, say, or Caddo Lake (the only non-manmade lake in Texas).

If it helps, those ancestors from generations back that ended up in Texas? Were by no means alone in being Scots that got here and decided to stay.

[stillkit]

Texas is roughly 800 miles X 900 miles and it's terrain varies greatly. I'm sure you'll find whatever you want here, from the deep Piney Woods of East Texas to the desolate high plains of the Panhandle to the monotony of the Coastal Plain to the green hills of the Hill Country to the desert and rock moutains of far West Texas. We have whatever you're looking for.

Just let us know what you want, and we'll steer you that way.

ps: Remember that most people's perception of Texas is gleaned from old movies, a good many of which were actually filmed in Arizona.

[WillysB]

Take a visit to the Texas Travel Guide. You'll see we have some hills and you might see some mountains in the distance. As the Texas Horse Lady says, Texas has its natural beauty.

There is a Scottish Clan Gathering (http://www.ctam-salado.org/Gathering/Gathering.htm - broken link) in an old Texas town, Salado, a couple of hours south of Dallas, about an hour north of Austin.

[TexasHorseLady]

Yep, Salado is about five minutes from my house! There's a clan museum there, too.

[Rakin]

Scotland is where we tall good looking guys here in Tx ancestors migrated from. You will like the people, very friendly and IMO just like the good people from Scotland.

You might rent for awhile and explore where you'd like to settle or if TX is right for you.

[Tootsfromscotland]

Thanks for your replies guys...I'll check out the areas you've suggested I dont want to be one of those who move into a different country then do nothing but moan about how different everything is and how much lovelier it is back home !...there is nothing that annoys me more when we have immigrants over HERE who say "oh this is nothing like back home"....my response? "well sod off back there then!!!" lol If you move to a different country, you can't expect that country to be the same and its not fair to compare! You accept the new country as it is, or else move back to the one you came from *affirmative nod* But it certainly helps if we can chose the right place and at least minimise the culture shock where possible

[Tootsfromscotland]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Scotland is where we tall good looking guys here in Tx ancestors migrated from. You will like the people, very friendly and IMO just like the good people from Scotland.

You might rent for awhile and explore where you'd like to settle or if TX is right for you.

Yeah we're all gorgeous

I have an old school chum who lives in San Antonio Tx now and she promises to give me a call this weekend to fill me in on all that Texas has to offer a scots lass

[love roses]

My paternal Grandpa was of Scottish descent. His Grandparents came from Scotland to Alberta, Canada. My Grandpa's mother moved from Alberta, Canada to Tyler, Tx. My Grandpa also lived in South Texas (Pleasanton), where my dad and his sisters and brothers were born and grew up. Houston, Austin, Tyler area and a few other places near or along the Gulf Coast seem to have a pretty large number of people with Scottish ancestry.

[jaxart]

I think the biggest adjustment someone coming from Scotland would experience is the difference in summer weather conditions, regardless of where in Texas one travels that time of year. Winter weather would be less of a difference.