Hi everyone,
I was born in Memphis and spent almost 40 years there (and in TN in general). I moved to NW Arkansas to get away from some of the crime and humidity but it was still too humid there for me. My parents relocated to outside the St. Louis area and I am here now visiting and absolutely hate the weather here - WAY too cold for no reason, too humid and miserable, etc. I even lived by Kansas City for awhile and the winters there were way too humid and got very cold. I have been searching the U.S. for an affordable place for us with not-to-humid weather and even looked at Boise, ID but the cost of living is still higher than the South/Midwest and in the winters we would essentially be 'trapped' because all of the areas around it are snow areas.
Soooo...we need to relocate out of where we are immediately...
I need advice from you Texans - every time I have visited Texas I have been treated so well and love the people there. I have such respect for the state and it seems as if it would be a great fit.
This is what we are looking for:
We homeschool and are looking for an area with a good homeschool group to join, we want to have a little farm one day with a garden and a few livestock animals as well as dogs. We work from home and need an area with a good internet access probability, and we would like to live in an area that still has Target, Walmart, basic shopping, a health food store, bookstore, etc. within about 20 minutes or so if possible. We are looking for a lower crime area (although coming from Memphis, most places are
) that is good for families. We are both musicians/songwriters/singers so we would love to have a music store nearby and maybe some coffee shops or family-friendly places to play an acoustic set or sing karaoke. I know Austin is the 'live music capital of the world' but I am not sure I can deal with more expensive rentals or crime that might come with it and it would probably still be WAY too humid for us. I have lived in mold-infested houses/apartments and get really sick with high humidity and want to make sure I can find an affordable apartment/house that is less likely to have mold. Our last 2 bedroom duplex was $625 a month that included a washer/dryer and utilities paid. Is there an area in Texas that we can find a place to rent that will be very affordable where we will also be safe and in a good family area?
We love steaks, barbeque, the western lifestyle, salsa, gardening, farmers markets, etc. We are very 'Southern' in hospitality and are accustomed to that, we live in jeans and T-shirts, and we are conservative so probably need to be in a more 'red' state and area.
Is Texas our home? Wherever we move we really want to put down permanent roots, and Texas is calling me...are you guys playing our song?
