Going from So Cal to TX..... (Dallas, Fort Worth: movers, how much, home)
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Texas is far different from Ca. Ca is a land of tourism and great weather and nature other than water. We have water issues too but Ok just north of us does not. Many Texans do not want to be a tourst mecca and Tx wont be. We are not afraid to make things which are heavier than software of smart phones. We focus on making life affordable in Tx. Ca seems to focus on the opposite. I am not moving from Tx... its a place the fits my needs and my family is not far away for the most part. You have a huge decision to make, but frankly I wouldnt live in Ca or on the east coast. I cant relate to their values.
Visit and come here if we are what meets your needs. If we dont we are growing too fast already so please stay in Ca.
We have been doing VAST amounts of research about the DFW area, make no mistake about that. It's more than just getting a cheaper house- it would mean financial breathing room which is something that we don't have here. We live paycheck to paycheck and it's very wearing on us. The COL is much lower out in Texas compared to CA so we would be able to do so much more as a family and provide more for our children; there would be stability and less uncertainty.
My husband has already been in contact with companies he's interested in and is sending out his resume' and getting as much information as possible from them, such as salary info, benefit packages, etc. We are also going to make a trip out there within 3-4 weeks because, as several of you already said, we may as well go right into the thick of the worst part of TX weather to see if it's something we can live with. I mean, I live in an irrigated desert now where 90-100+ temps during summer are the norm; we don't get as much humidity but we've been in other locations where the humidity is just as bad as TX's so it isn't a deal breaker for us.
We also have some family out there; my husband has 3 first cousins that are there and their parents- 2 sets of uncles and aunts- are in and out of Dallas A LOT so we wouldn't be totally alone. My MIL is also slightly considering a move out there, as she and my FIL are getting a divorced and she may not be able to afford to live out here, either, even after they sell the 2 houses they own. Anyway, hope this sheds more light!
P.S. Oh, and trust me on this- home prices out there may be rising but it is NOTHING compared to what it's like in CA.
Here is what 200K buys you here(and I've personally seen this home, it's located in the middle of several trailer parks and liquor stores):12959 2Nd St, Yucaipa, CA 92399 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®
We left our family and moved to DFW and while we made some friends we were on an island when it came to familial support. No grandparents to babysit kids for date nights or attend birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. If you're not a close-knit family it won't be as big of a transition, but if family means a lot to you, being 1500 miles away from them is going to be problematic.
DFW may be considerably cheaper than SoCal (hell, what isn't these days?), but it's by no means an oasis.
There's no way to politely say that summertime in North Texas absolutely sucks. The climate is just humid enough that overnight lows near 80 and daytime highs around 100 are commonplace. Unless you're a truly hardy soul you'll spend a vast majority of your time indoors from early June through mid-September. Winters aren't cold by northern standards, but it does get cold enough for ice (and occasionally snow) storms. The slightest bit of frozen precipitation can gridlock the entire metroplex and turn major highways into parking lots.
Traffic will probably be lighter than what you're used to, but it's still a frigging mess. The state is in love with privatizing highway infrastructure to the point where damn near every major road construction project in DFW features tolling of some form or another.
I encourage you to plan a visit during late July/early August when the weather is at its worst. Don't move there sight unseen.
This, all of it, every word. If you haven't experienced Texas at its absolute worst, you can't make an informed decision.
The weather in summer here is absolutely hellish. I've lived in cooler climates before and loved summers in Europe. Even the very warm periods we'd get in eastern Europe were easy to escape and in France, people in the hellish polluted bowl that is Paris are smart enough to get the hell out of it in August when the heat makes you want to bang your head on the wall repeatedly until you pass out...and remember, most of the Metro is NOT air conditioned. Those four-week vacations were nice, especially when you could jet off to northern Scotland and see your breath on the air in summertime.
But I digress.
If you're outdoorsy and enjoy hiking, the beach, water sports, etc. you are going to HATE it here. I miss hiking in the woods or hills and picking my way across rocky beaches on the North Sea so badly I can taste it. I wouldn't want to live in Europe again but god I miss the climate and landscapes. Unlike a lot of Texans I do not have a high percentage of body fat so the heat doesn't affect me as much as it might other people, but it still puts me in a rotten mood and gives me an unhealthy sallow tone. Being olive-skinned, I don't get the red ruddy cheeks and peeling sunburns. I guess that's the only good thing. I'm convinced that the climate here is ruining my health. I felt much more energetic and vital when I lived in a cooler climate.
It breaks down like this. Some people are like lizards sunning themselves on hot rocks....they thrive in the heat, it doesn't bother them at all, they LOVE it. Others, like me, loathe it. Texas in summer is just goddamn miserable. If you're not melting in our suffocating heat, you're freezing your butt off in a restaurant, mall, movie theater, etc. I am convinced that the coldest place on Earth is a movie theater in Texas in summer. I carry a cardigan in my car at all times so I can slip it on if I'm going to dinner/the movies because it is that cold. I can't even wear sandals or open-toe shoes when doing my grocery shopping because the stores are so cold...then you go outside and get hit with that heat and humidity and wonder how you haven't yet developed a scorching case of athlete's foot.
We visited DFW last year in the heat of summer to experience the worst of it. If you can deal with the heat, and you have a stable job, a solid understanding of what your commute will be like, make a list of towns. Then look on facebook for friends who might have moved here from your part of the country. Ask them why they moved here, and if they want to go back. We found a few people in the DFW metro doing just this. If you know anyone who has left DFW, ask them why they left.
We bought a home here only 1 year after our first visit. It's not heaven here. But it's a lot closer to the kind of lifestyle we want than anything that is available in the northeast. We are very happy with our move so far.
We have been doing VAST amounts of research about the DFW area, make no mistake about that. It's more than just getting a cheaper house- it would mean financial breathing room which is something that we don't have here. We live paycheck to paycheck and it's very wearing on us. The COL is much lower out in Texas compared to CA so we would be able to do so much more as a family and provide more for our children; there would be stability and less uncertainty.
My husband has already been in contact with companies he's interested in and is sending out his resume' and getting as much information as possible from them, such as salary info, benefit packages, etc. We are also going to make a trip out there within 3-4 weeks because, as several of you already said, we may as well go right into the thick of the worst part of TX weather to see if it's something we can live with. I mean, I live in an irrigated desert now where 90-100+ temps during summer are the norm; we don't get as much humidity but we've been in other locations where the humidity is just as bad as TX's so it isn't a deal breaker for us.
We also have some family out there; my husband has 3 first cousins that are there and their parents- 2 sets of uncles and aunts- are in and out of Dallas A LOT so we wouldn't be totally alone. My MIL is also slightly considering a move out there, as she and my FIL are getting a divorced and she may not be able to afford to live out here, either, even after they sell the 2 houses they own. Anyway, hope this sheds more light!
Good to know that you're doing research, and also good to know that you're trying to line up a job before you get out here.
As for houses - yes, I'm VERY well aware of the difference in housing costs between CA and TX. Just saying that you need to have your other ducks lined up before you make the move.
And what everyone else has said. TX is not CA. It's not...a lot of other places. There are people here who will sing the praises of the place, and that's all well and good, but it's much different from where you've been living in multiple ways. So yes, DEFINITELY come and visit. In the summer. When it's 107.
Also, read some of the threads regarding "scenic beauty" of TX. As others have stated, it ain't CA.
Of course, as people have also stated "I take one look at my salary and COL, and suddenly TX looks BEAUTIFUL!"
In 1991 my late husband was transferred to San Diego from the DFW area. Moving would have meant me quitting my job so we went house hunting in SD with that in mind. We had an older daughter with a new baby and 2 kids in high school. Any house we felt was affordable would have placed my son in an awful school situation and the houses were pretty bad. So we rented a condo in the gaslight district for my husband and for 3 years we lived apart (before Skype & emails!). The plan was that I would move there when the kids finished school here. Because of family considerations, we never made the move and my husband quit the job and came back home. He was born and raised in Dallas and -- except for college in another state -- lived in the Dallas area his entire life. From his return to Dallas until his death about 7 years later, he mourned having to return to the DFW area. He missed the weather and the beauty of SoCal. Over the years, especially as I approach retirement, I have done the mental balance sheet regarding our decision to stay in the DFW area. Our adult kids each have lovely homes and have been able to afford those homes with Mom staying home with kids. Family is here for the grandkids. However, this is really an awful place to live and I have never fully decided if my adult kids and their families-- even if necessary to have lower standard of living in housing elsewhere -- are better off. One of my kids travels with his family every chance possible to more interesting areas with better climate. Another has built a house very far from the urban areas on an acreage and moved his business to that area. Of course in the summer, everyone is inside or out of town! I am leaving the DFW area first chance I get......
Why are Californians so fixated on moving to Texas? There are 48 other states in the U.S., and the average Californian would fare much better in about half of those other 48 states than in Texas.
I'm a California refugee and we left LA for the same reasons you're thinking. I have a pretty good job but I still felt poor and worried about my daughter's future and my family's financial future if we stayed there. So we left for Dallas and have not looked back.
Do I miss LA? Sure. Mountains, sand, and sunshine are all well and good, but I know that's just a view of LA through rose-colored glasses. When you leave a place, you remember only the good things about a place and never the bad things. And for SoCal, there were many: traffic, smog, failing schools, terrible economy, crime, and sky-high cost of living. And none of those problems were getting better, only worse. And if it had been just one or two of those things, maybe we could've dealt with it, but not all six. You just have to decide what's most important for you and for your children.
Actually we've had a very nice summer so far...it's not hell on earth even when it's bad. I have friends and relatives who live in CA and some of them live in areas where the temps exceed 100 degrees (it does cool off in the evenings). I remember being in Palm Springs once when it was 116 for a few days. I thought, well I'm from Texas this is no big deal - turns out it was, I really couldn't take it...I also have a hard time in the humid areas of Florida and the east coast.
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I'm convinced that the climate here is ruining my health. I felt much more energetic and vital when I lived in a cooler climate.
