Thinking of moving from California to Texas (Austin, Lakeway: fit in, how much)

[bullitt149]

Hello,
I am seriously considering moving my family from California to Texas. I have been wanting to leave California and all of its problems for some time now. I am in the Automobile industry and my income is tied directly to the economy and consumer spending expecially. The area of Northern California that we currently live in is everything you would want. Safe, conservitive, good schools, etc. But, I am seriously concerned with the state of the economy here in California, and do not see it getting much better any time soon, and probably alot worse before that happens. I have a potential job offer in Austin, and everything I read I like alot. I would really appreciate any and all input I can get from folks who live in Texas, and Austin especially.

[jcpt1984]

Go for it. Austin proper is pretty liberal, but the suburbs are more conservative, if that's what you're looking for. I'd actually love to move OUT of Texas, but we're staying put for a while as it looks like we're doing the best economically at this point. The outlying areas are really growing, as evidenced by the toll roads being put up to accommodate the volume of commuters.

[G Grasshopper]

We are brand new relocatees from San Rafael, living (x2 weeks) in Lakeway, which is to the west of Austin. I don't have a lot of experience here yet, but might be able to help some. We moved not because of the economy but because our family is all here and needed us to be close for long term health reasons. We moved from Texas to CA 35 years ago. Whether Texas would be a good fit for you really depends on what you are looking for. Texas is culturally different from CA, although I suppose that depends on what part of CA you are from (we spent a night in Bakersfield on the way here - it is worlds apart from the Bay Area, and probably culturally closer to Texas than San Francisco.) If you give us a few more details about what you are looking for, other than a state in better fiscal order, that might help. You can PM me also, if you wish.

[bullitt149]

We currently live in Rocklin which is a suburb east of Sacramento. We are originally from San Jose so we know San Rafeal very well. What we are looking for is a great place to raise our girls. They are 11 and 8. The community we live in now is a great place to raise kids, but this California economy is starting to really give us a scare.

[Houston3]

I hope you like real hot weather....

[XLadylawX]

DH and I came out from California last summer from Citrus Heights, Ca, right outside of Sacramento. Other than the miserable summer (which has not been bad this year) Austin is a pretty great place to live and raise your family.

I am horribly homesick but I'm working on that part. I would look into it if I were you. First though, I would secure a job. Then the move will be tax deductible.

We came to Texas because early last spring, we came to the devastating conclusion that California has become ungovernable and thus is not fixable unless there are serious governmental changes. By that, I mean not changing from Dem or Republican or electing A over B. I think real change and recovery will only come after the State Constitution has been scrapped and re-written. We left the state with extremely heavy hearts. My husband had a good job and I was muddling along just enough.

Anyway, don't let the other posters on this thread alarm you by saying Austin is liberal. In Austin, liberal is much akin to California conservative.

Oh, and FYI, I just renewed the registration on our little truck and it was $56. Also, there is no state income tax so count on getting a 5-10% net payraise if you find a job paying you the same salary you earn in California.

[bullitt149]

As far as hot weather goes. It was 108 here last Wed, so Im not too worried about that. When people say Austin is Liberal, I kind of giggle under my breath. I can handle a little liberalism as long as its not forced onto me, but California is so far to the left that Carl Marx turns over a little. Very well put about the state of California politically though!

[inthecut]

I think the entire national economy is in trouble, not just Cal..look at Nevada, with Vegas the highest UR in the US now...Phoenix is dying now as well....the midwest, including Chicago and all of Ohio and Mich, is struggling just like Cal....FLorida has had a net loss of residents for the last two years, and most of them are younger families that cannot survive when tourism and out-of-state bucks dry up...even Atlanta is having great problems, along with the carolinas.....

At what point would all the relocatees just be bringing their own problems along with them? The pay levels are far less than California in most industries, there is essentially no union representation, and the tax base skews libertarian, so not even sure folks could fit in that environment without drastically redefining themselves....at a certain point californians are no longer californians, and are texans....no skipping back and forth....you really have to adapt 100% to the mindset here, and it is FAR FAR more different than you would imagine, anywhere in the state....

...like all people, folks who move out here that STAY here long enough will become assimilated to Texas values, and will never go back to that same mindset they had in the states they fled from. In a nutshell, they are individualist values...you must provide for yourself, and take charge of your life.....be free of gov't restrictions on just about everything....be free to carry and own guns.......wear your religious stripes proudly....get out of your head and ego, and open up and say hi to your neighbor(completely antithetical to the california experience, of which, ironically, there is little sense of community anywhere).....not hide behind an economic wall of money and pretention(walled off communities).....and on and on...

What will be interesting is how much of this rubs off on out-of-staters, particularly Californians, as they set up long term roots here, stop skipping around, and take on the lifestyle and mindset of Texas, in some cases probably for the rest of their lives..

You really have to have an open mindset to become a true Texan..much much more than getting a license plate with a Star on it......thats just the beginning.....things are different here, and that is why it is the last solvent place in the USA.....it's essentially its own country, with the only state constitution that has a succession clause, and the only state that ran itself 100% free of fed intervention(Texas Republic)....I do hope the Cal folks assimilate 100%, but sometimes I wonder if they are inclined to do so....and just coming here like gypsies looking in desperation for a job like those that flocked to Vegas before IT busted a few years ago...

Only time will tell.

[bullitt149]

I have lived in California my entire life. I am not taking this decision lightly, and skipping around is the last thing on my mind. As a responsible consverative christian husband and father who has one of the very few ccw permits in this state, every one of the points you make solidifies my decision even more.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by bullitt149

I have lived in California my entire life. I am not taking this decision lightly, and skipping around is the last thing on my mind. As a responsible consverative christian husband and father who has one of the very few ccw permits in this state, every one of the points you make solidifies my decision even more.

That's fine that you carry a piece(concealed weapon)....the points are not meant to discourage you at all, or encourage, just to make you aware that things are far different here, and they transcend job opportunities..I myself had no idea how different it was, coming from the midwest, and a very liberal, high-tax city(which, by the way, has seemed to have privatized everything they can, from highways to parking meters)....Austin is not any more pro-tax than the rest of the state...we do not have glistening structures ala those paid for with lage tax bases here...we have a main public library that has outgrown its needs, and are still waiting two more years for the new one...our roads are far behind growth trends, but we are not indebted to the eyeballs for new roads that would just encourage more growth either....

....also, being a Christian, whatever that term means nowadays, should not be a factor either way here...if you are proud of your faith, great. If you don't believe in the same, and have your own personal beliefs, its live and let live here in central Texas...if you feel this is the right move for you and your family, then come down and try it....just expect it to be far different than California, and on every level...almost the antithesis of Cal.....Cal residents strap their state with referendums and such, while here they try to work with as little gov't interference as possible....and on and on....

Just don't let anyone or anything sway you on here either way...if you feel this is the right move for you do it..all this website can do is confirm what you already believe, positive or negative, about the state....its up to you to pull the trigger, come out here, and adopt 100% to the lifestyle here, perhaps for a lifetime....