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Old 12-05-2010, 11:23 PM
 
25 posts, read 65,003 times
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Yet another relocatee from California. My husband was transferred to TX for next 2 years. We have never been there and would like some advice..We are used to long commutes and traffic. He will be employed near Victoria. We are thinking of living in Austin/San Antonio because I think my 3 teens will be in culture shock as it is having never been out of CA (San Diego)
1. Enlighten me on the humidity...are my kids gonna hate us hahaha for this move?
2. My family is very "artsy" and music plays a big part...
3. Unfortunately this move comes mid year for one of my children(Junior) in Highschool. Any great HSchool's or even Catholic High school suggestions greatly appreciated.
and last:
We realize Victoria is a good 100plus miles away. Is the drive traffic/desolate
Any cities adjacent that you may suggest that have a bigger town/city feel?
Many thanks in advance-
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Old 12-06-2010, 07:34 AM
 
Location: Cedar Park, Texas
1,601 posts, read 2,983,546 times
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Wow!!! I would NEVER NEVER NEVER make that commute from Austin or San Antonio to Victoria. I lived in Victoria when I was dating my now-husband a few years ago (who was in Austin), and the drive can easily push 3+ hours, depending on what you might encounter on the roads between the two (keep in mind, these are not freeways you'll be driving on!). It may look easy on a map, but it isn't necessarily so. San Antonio is a bit closer, but not by much. The only way it might be doable is if your husband stayed in Victoria during the week, then came home on the weekends.

If it was me in this situation, I would go ahead and move to Victoria (it is a nice town with all the necessities you'll need, and very nice people) and then head to Houston/SA/Austin/Corpus Christi when you need a culture-fix. I commuted 72 miles one way from Victoria to Beeville and it about killed me - and that was driving Highway 59, which is larger than what your husband would be driving between Austin and Victoria. I just can't imagine doing it....

As for humidity - yes, it is HOT and HUMID. In fact, it was pretty humid here this weekend. I was wearing capris and a tank top outside, and sweating. Of course, this morning it was 27 degrees and it is supposed to be back up to 75 by Saturday. We have all extremes.

As you prepare for this move, feel free to ask me any questions you may have about Victoria. I really liked living there, but I like Austin better!
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Old 12-06-2010, 07:39 AM
 
2,238 posts, read 9,017,965 times
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That drive would be horrific. You're looking at 2 hours each way. There won't be any traffic but personally, I wouldn't want to drive on undivided highways every day for that distance.

I wouldn't live down there personally...grew up right next door and would never raise a kid there. Since rent is dirt cheap in Victoria, maybe he should consider getting an apartment there for during the week and coming home to Austin on FRI evenings. He could try to work out a deal with the employer for 4 10-hour days or 9/80s so he has a long weekend ever other week. If he does the 4 10-hour days, he could also flip MON-THU & TUE-FRI so that every other week is a 4 day weekend in Austin.

Growing up down there, I knew of folks that commuted to Houston with one of those scenarios.
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Old 12-06-2010, 09:46 AM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,130,727 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by N8tvCA View Post
Yet another relocatee from California. My husband was transferred to TX for next 2 years. We have never been there and would like some advice..We are used to long commutes and traffic. He will be employed near Victoria. We are thinking of living in Austin/San Antonio because I think my 3 teens will be in culture shock as it is having never been out of CA (San Diego)
1. Enlighten me on the humidity...are my kids gonna hate us hahaha for this move?
2. My family is very "artsy" and music plays a big part...
3. Unfortunately this move comes mid year for one of my children(Junior) in Highschool. Any great HSchool's or even Catholic High school suggestions greatly appreciated.
and last:
We realize Victoria is a good 100plus miles away. Is the drive traffic/desolate
Any cities adjacent that you may suggest that have a bigger town/city feel?
Many thanks in advance-
I think that would be a nightmare. Your better bet may be port aransas which is a quaint beach town along the gulf coast. A beachfront house will run about 600-800K for around 2300 sq ft. You might also look at rockport which doesnt have beaches, but does have really nice waterfront property. It will definitely be humid along the coast though.

Both rockport and port A are about 30 minutes to corpus which has some stuff (but is still a pretty small town).

You might need to be a little more specific about what you are looking for.

the north padre island beaches are actually pretty nice, although the water isnt really blue most of the time.
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Old 12-06-2010, 10:51 AM
 
4,710 posts, read 7,103,522 times
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I can't give you advice about the commute, but as far as moving your kids at this point, here is my input: My parents moved us from Wisconsin to Huntsville, TX during the summer between my Junior and Senior years of HS. It was hugely different culturally and the weather - how could you get more different? I was not happy with the move, but I adapted. At 17 years of age, I knew that I could hold on until I went to college. Even so, I went to college in Texas, so I obviously didn't hate the state. I don't think it damaged me, and I don't really regret it. My sister, however, was in 7th grade and had a much harder adjustment than I did. Still, she ended up staying in Texas, and now has raised kids who are native Texans. Huntsville was a pretty small town, and I wouldn't live there now. But I don't resent my parents' move to Texas. It depends on your kids, but I wouldn't worry about them hating you. Most kids can be flexible and can benefit from new experiences.
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Old 12-06-2010, 11:06 AM
 
25 posts, read 65,003 times
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Thank you so very much for every response... so true "y'all" are so nice out there! I should have stated my husband would stay in Victoria M-Th if thats what we would have to do. Better than flying home to CA on Weekends...He would much prefer us "closer" at least in same state.
Ironically, I do have twins (going into) 7th grade... they are shy but at least they have each other. My highschooler is more outgoing and seems fine - more than I would be at her age/situation but I thank you for the encouraging words.
We may have to rent as we can't sell our home in CA - and are renting that so our range for rent would be less than $2000. Preferrably in the $1500 range. Is this a pipe dream for a home with at least 3 bedroom and if I might even go further a POOL hahaha Us Californians - sheesh hahaa
Thank you again. This is a tremendous help not knowing a soul or ever even being in the great Lone Star State
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Old 12-06-2010, 12:19 PM
 
Location: Cedar Park, Texas
1,601 posts, read 2,983,546 times
Reputation: 1179
If he's planning on staying in Victoria during the week and driving to Austin or SA on the weekends, then that should be doable. (At least he can get some very authentic and delicious Mexican food in Victoria....La Tejanita on Sam Houston is our favorite!)

And I wouldn't think you would have any trouble finding a nice house to rent in that range. I haven't rented here, but I know many people who have and they had no trouble even with less of a budget than that!
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Old 12-06-2010, 12:43 PM
 
4,710 posts, read 7,103,522 times
Reputation: 5613
Quote:
Originally Posted by N8tvCA View Post
Ironically, I do have twins (going into) 7th grade... they are shy but at least they have each other. My highschooler is more outgoing and seems fine - more than I would be at her age/situation but I thank you for the encouraging words.
We may have to rent as we can't sell our home in CA
Interestingly, we are in a similar situation in that our house in CA hasn't sold (its been 10 months now), but we went ahead and moved back to TX 5 months ago. What I didn't mention is that I married a Texan, but we lived in CA for 35 years and recently moved back here. One mistake we made was that we were thinking of our rental in TX as being so temporary that we accepted something that was way too small and didn't have lots of the things we need to stay sane (like a yard). But since our house in CA still hasn't sold, our stay in this rental is going to be extended, and that is really tough on us. So with the real estate in CA selling so poorly, I would recommend finding a rental that you can be happy with for a while. Did you hire an agency to manage your rental? We haven't rented our house yet, but may be forced to do so.

I think your kids have a great chance to be just fine. Moving at that age really did broaden my perspective, and it helped me to figure out what I valued, which I think was helpful when I went to college. My 7th grade sister who had a hard time also skipped a grade at the time of the move. It wasn't just the culture shock, but also going from 5th to 7th grade all at once that was so difficult. So without that added problem, and having each other, it sounds like your twins will be fine.
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Old 12-06-2010, 02:42 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
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There is supposedly some advantage in moving mid-year, or at least some pluses to offset the minuses. Mainly, the kids will immediately be engaged by peers, as opposed to potentially being isolated somewhat during the summer. Also, moving mid-year means the teacher will be 'adapted' to the current students/situation, and can generally spend a little bit of extra time helping a child to fit in.

Just my 2 cents
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Old 12-06-2010, 09:06 PM
 
2,596 posts, read 5,582,871 times
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I would never make the commute from Victoria to Austin. It was sometimes 3 hours when I drove it. As far as living in Austin or San Antonio and splitting your family up during the week, I would wonder if it wouldn't just be better to get a place in Victoria. No, Victoria isn't going to have as much to do as a huge city, but it's a perfectly decent town. Plus if you have to pay for an apartment in Victoria and a house in Austin or SA, that's going to cut into your rent budget significantly.

It might be more advisable to rent a house for the entire family in Victoria and simply travel to Austin or San Antonio on the weekends for variety. Even if Victoria isn't the most hopping place in the universe, it's only for 2 years.
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