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My point to that other poster was that they love to fixate on their perceived problems of California and their pathological fixation on its politics, yet most conservative states don't really have room to talk. Notice that they love to point out the "failures" of California, though they never point out the "successes" of Indiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, etc. I wouldn't consider any of those to be models in how to run a state.
Indiana (specifically Indianapolis), Missouri outside of St. Louis City (ie the most Democrat/liberal area of the state), and Kansas in the KC Metro area are all pretty good areas to live in. The others of course aren't that good, but what makes more liberal areas so good if prices are high, primary schools are poor, and minorities deal with high crime (specifically Black and Brown people). There's pros and cons to both, and states like Texas have the best balance in its largest metro areas.
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Despite its undeserved smugness, Texas isn't exactly doing things right either. I considered looking for work there only twice ever (and both times were desperation): during the recession when I was out of work and starting in November 2016 when I was ready to plan my move out of Arizona; the latter was because I thought maybe I might want to live closer to family in Oklahoma, but realized I didn't really care and then stopped my search, figuring I would likely be looking to move states again within a couple years. What I did discover is that the market rate for me in Dallas, Houston, and Austin would actually be worse than Phoenix, and I wasn't doing well financially there. In some cases I would have made more money, but the cost of living would have eliminated that gain (namely in Austin). So, they may have a concentration of corporate headquarters, but the pay for me definitely wasn't worth it.
I question this because on average, salaries in DFW, Houston, and Austin have higher pay than Phoenix, and they also have lower median housing costs. Curious to know which industry you're in because anything related to energy would net you a job 80k+ in Houston, anything in tech would net you the same in Austin, and you can find plenty of jobs within insurance, finance, or IT in Dallas for similar amounts.
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And for a place that loves to tout its economic success, Texas certainly has a high poverty rate. I know this is a few years old, but the data is probably fairly consistent today. It's a breakdown of where people born in states move to, and where people moving to states come from. In Texas' case, the bulk of transplants are Southerners. Per above, in Arizona's case it's Midwesterners who make up the bulk, not Californians, hence why I believe it's a scapegoat rather than owning up to poor planning and accountability:
The areas of Texas with the highest poverty rate are around the Rio Grande Valley, which is again a liberal/democrat run area. Next highest rates are concentrated in the cities. Why is it that there is so much poverty in liberal run areas?
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To the smells, I've driven more in Texas than I would have liked to, and those odors aren't confined to the areas you listed. And just because some Texas cities are "blue" doesn't mean they're necessarily liberal. In fact, I believe just last year in Austin a man killed a gay man and used the "gay panic" defense (perfectly legal in Texass) and charges were dropped. It seems to me a liberal jury would've convicted that man. There's still a pretty strong church culture in Texas cities too. In many cases, there may be a couple major issues that aligns voters more to Democrats than Republicans, which are enough to get them to go blue, even though these may be socially conservative people. Hell, even parts of Oklahoma City would be considered "blue" though I wouldn't at all consider those areas to be liberal.
Texas Democrats are full of fiscally liberal/social conservatives. That's actually why places like Houston and Dallas vote blue. The people voting blue there aren't the same as the ones in Austin who vote blue, as they are more of the white liberal type. Church culture is definitely strong, but it is not in your face like it used to be.
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Back to the poster to whom I was replying, Texas has some growing problems. Sure, it might be fun for them to focus on California rather than their own issues, but it doesn't change the fact that their state is facing its own challenges, including a worsening housing shortage, water rationing in some parts, flooding in metro Houston, increasing cost of living, mounting infrastructure expenses they'll have to find a way to pay for, etc. But hey, at least they can find time to worry about California.
You've been painting with a broad brush and putting Texas solely in a negative light. The housing shortage in Texas is due to the huge influx of domestic migrants who bought up inventory. Neighborhoods can't be built fast enough and there aren't artificial reasons why neighborhoods aren't being constructed. On top of that, the cores of the large Texas cities are getting much denser. Nowadays, there's not much you can get out in CA inside the city that you wouldn't get in one of the big Texas cities at this point in time. The areas needing water rationing aren't the fast growing areas. Houston's flooding issues are being mitigating by raising homes and building more detention ponds or reservoirs.
Texas is an extremely prosperous state and is entering its golden times. You literally have to be incompetent to not get a job there currently. Need to rent an apartment? There are plenty of brand new units going up that costs the same as a SF studio or LA bachelor unit. Want to buy a house? New neighborhoods in good school districts are being built all over the metro areas. Will taxes have to go up slightly in the future to pay for some things like infrastructure? Definitely. But that's an easier problem to tackle than the ACTUAL housing problem in CA where teachers have to live 2+ hours away from where they teach in order to afford a house, or the charter school overabundance which has depleted the public schools of students, or the high income disparity, etc.
If you can make a livable wage in California or are lucky enough to buy a house in a good school district (increasingly challenging), then CA is a good place for you. If you don't really care about having kids and want to enjoy the sights and scenery with your other friends who feel the same way and also rent like you, then CA is a great place for you. If you strike it big with crypto currency and don't give a damn about costs, then CA is an awesome place for you. Outside of those things, you may be better served finding a lower cost state that can offer the family values at a reasonable costs. Other cities have grown up, so CA does not have as much exclusivity in its offerings outside of weather and scenery (depending on which lower cost area you end up in of course).
I left Southern California last year not seeking cheaper housing or politically "redder" pastures, but to care for a sick relative. My landing place was Austin, Texas.
When I arrived, I found the funky city I had visited since 1981 had become a little Silicon Valley, crushed with traffic, rife with homelessness and plagued by unaffordable housing. All of these problems are laid at the feet of the perceived "Californiafication" of the area. I have been flipped off and told to go home several times.
When changing over my cable service, the Austin-based customer service rep half-jokingly told me, "We are full." When I told him I was raised in Texas, he responded, "You can come if you can get three Californians to leave."
So in order to do my part to relieve the angst of my fellow Texans, this product of the Loan Star State is heading back to San Diego to the beauty of the ocean, the mountains and the desert, and away from the Hades-hot Texas summer.
The reason I would be leaving CA (have to pitch in here, since someone even made a separate threat bashing "CA bashers" )...
I've been traveling around the US taking a look at how people live in other states. I want to leave on a large-ish property, and not in a chicken coop (what they call "large lot" in CA these days) where I can see my neighbors' windows. Larger property is doable in CA, but I don't want to live in constant fear of wildfire...not just fearing loss of property and having to fight insurance, but also fearing not to be able to escape, and most importantly, not to be able to save my animals. So I'll be moving away from the wildfire land (and not in tornado or hurricane zone either....not to the desert either). The fire risk is just too damn high here and looks like it'll be getting only worse with time. Nicer, green, piney locations here are too risky to live in. Insurance will probably be astronomical expense soon.
Also, noticing how there's no longer any sense of community in CA...people aren't nice to each other in most places...what can you expect from people stressed by housing expenses, where majority in the state is renters now, by other expenses (look at the gas prices ), bad air, traffic, homelessness in the streets, etc. (yep, fueling the car in CA is quite a shocker after being out of state ...I mean it's clear there's some kind of cartel setting these prices)
But no one who leaves CA moves to TN. Yes, Texas, Az or Idaho. And half of those move back here in two years. One of our neighbors moved back from Idaho after three months. Another after nine months.. But granted, we don’t live in LA or the Bay Area
Ain't that the truth! I have a friend who moved from California to Idaho a few years ago and twice a week, like clockwork she calls me to complain about Idaho and asks me to help her plan her escape.
The reason I would be leaving CA (have to pitch in here, since someone even made a separate threat bashing "CA bashers" )...
I've been traveling around the US taking a look at how people live in other states. I want to leave on a large-ish property, and not in a chicken coop (what they call "large lot" in CA these days) where I can see my neighbors' windows. Larger property is doable in CA, but I don't want to live in constant fear of wildfire...not just fearing loss of property and having to fight insurance, but also fearing not to be able to escape, and most importantly, not to be able to save my animals. So I'll be moving away from the wildfire land (and not in tornado or hurricane zone either....not to the desert either). The fire risk is just too damn high here and looks like it'll be getting only worse with time. Nicer, green, piney locations here are too risky to live in. Insurance will probably be astronomical expense soon.
Also, noticing how there's no longer any sense of community in CA...people aren't nice to each other in most places...what can you expect from people stressed by housing expenses, where majority in the state is renters now, by other expenses (look at the gas prices ), bad air, homelessness in the streets, etc. (yep, fueling the car in CA is quite a shocker after being out of state ...I mean it's clear there's some kind of cartel setting these prices)
I live on one of those tiny lots in Sacramento, it's only a little over 1/4 acre I don't live in a forest but I have a magnificent 60 year old Redwood tree in my front yard and enough tree cover over my home that I rarely need to turn the AC on.
But you don't need all the drama and dire warnings to justify moving to another state - just do it (or as my mother used to say "here's your hat what's your hurry")
I live on one of those tiny lots in Sacramento, it's only a little over 1/4 acre I don't live in a forest but I have a magnificent 60 year old Redwood tree in my front yard and enough tree cover over my home that I rarely need to turn the AC on.
But you don't need all the drama and dire warnings to justify moving to another state - just do it (or as my mother used to say "here's your hat what's your hurry")
Yeah, 0.25 acre lots is what realtors call "large" these days in CA
There's simply no way to live in Sacto without using A/C a lot in summer, trees or not. Not sure what your redwood tree and A/C have to do with my post, though... you seem to be bitter much feeling you need to defend your 0.25 acre lot with whole ONE redwood tree.
Relax, my post wasn't about you or your Sacramento living situation, I don't care about what your "mother" used to say either. The air is Sacto is so bad, by the way, one has to make sure not to roll windows down when passing through .
Yeah, 0.25 acre lots is what realtors call "large" these days in CA
There's simply no way to live in Sacto without using A/C a lot in summer, trees or not. Not sure what your redwood tree and A/C have to do with my post, though... you seem to be bitter much feeling you need to defend your 0.25 acre lot with whole ONE redwood tree.
Relax, my post wasn't about you or your Sacramento living situation, I don't care about what your "mother" used to say either. The air is Sacto is so bad, by the way, one has to make sure not to roll windows down when passing through .
You seem to think you are an expert because you have now traveled throughout the US and apparently found every other state to be better than California, which tells me you were driving way too fast because if you spent time in some of those states you might realize why the houses are cheap and the taxes are low.
About the forest fires, much of what has happened is attributable to climate change, and no one is going to escape from the changes that will ultimately bring to all states.
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), bad air, traffic, homelessness in the streets, etc. (yep, fueling the car in CA is quite a shocker after being out of state 
...I mean it's clear there's some kind of cartel setting these prices)
I don't live in a forest but I have a magnificent 60 year old Redwood tree in my front yard and enough tree cover over my home that I rarely need to turn the AC on. 
(or as my mother used to say "here's your hat what's your hurry")
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