Questions on family life in Dallas (moving from Norway) (Houston: apartments, rentals)

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TexanByMarriage

That was a quick comment on my end, as she actually is getting the Norwegian citizenship in a month But the laws of Norway is that you cannot get citizenship without giving up your old one, so that is why we did not look into it before. HOWEVER, there's an exemption saying that if you have to pay more than 2% of your annual income to get rid of your previous citizenship you can keep it while still getting the Norwegian citizenship. And US charges $2,350 for it now, which puts my wife in that group.

It was besides the point in my post, but certainly a benefit to keep our Norway connection for the whole family. Immigration process here is slower than in the States, so not something I want to do again.

Yeah, the US practically has a renunciation exit tax. It's getting more and more challenging for US citizens overseas due to FATCA which has led to increased rates of renunciation. It's insane. It's almost like the US government thinks it owns you. Fortunately I came back to the US before FATCA was enacted.

[Paulwbenn]

Many interesting posts.

One thing to remember is that you would be leaving a very small nation and moving to a large and diverse metropolitan city. More people live in greater Dallas than in the entire nation of Norway. You'd have less ready access to activities like snow skiing, hiking, etc. here, but you would gain all that major cities have to offer - great hospitals, universities, restaurants, music venues, etc. There's also an airport with daily departing flights to points across the US, Europe, Asia and the Mideast. As for economics, I think the GDP of Dallas/Fort Worth is likely greater than of Norway, and the economy here is certainly much more diverse and dynamic.

Best wishes with your decision.

[sirlarkspur]

Originally Posted by EDS_

If I were you I'd spend the next weekend comparing likely salaries, taxes and cost of living differences. If the economic part of the move does not make sense you should stay put. That said it's very likely you will decide that living in the US is a better deal. I was in Oslo 2 years ago......for one meal I had 2 beers a small steak and salad it was over $100 for meal that would be $25 here. Many costs though struck me as surprisingly similar.

If you decide DFW is a better deal financially then you have to decide how much you like 5 weeks vacation, subsidized daycare and the like. You won't find those things here.

Some combination of your National Insurance Contribution, Income taxes and heavy taxes on oil and gas covers your healthcare in Norway in no way is it free.


Best of luck.

texas should have free healthcare from all that oil money

[Laminate7]

how can you leave beautiful Norway to come to this sweathole?

[TexanByMarriage]

Originally Posted by Laminate7

how can you leave beautiful Norway to come to this sweathole?

You take a picture that you look at when you want to

And Norway is beatiful - on postcards. And probably if you do a week's vacation targeting the highlights. We live next to a fjord, and yes it's nice to see the water. But we also have 4 seasons, and no postcard pics are from anything else than summer days in July, or perfect-snowy winter in February. Never a picture of grey November, or rainy-slushy roads of a mild December day, or the brown landscape as the snow melts.

For us, raising 3 kids is our out-most priority, and that includes having a happy home closer to family. It simply comes down to your priorities in life. If hiking/outdoorsy stuff is your thing, then it makes sense to prioritize that. We do that so rarely that we can travel for those activities, and rather see family more frequently.

[TexanByMarriage]

Originally Posted by Paulwbenn

Many interesting posts.

One thing to remember is that you would be leaving a very small nation and moving to a large and diverse metropolitan city. More people live in greater Dallas than in the entire nation of Norway. You'd have less ready access to activities like snow skiing, hiking, etc. here, but you would gain all that major cities have to offer - great hospitals, universities, restaurants, music venues, etc. There's also an airport with daily departing flights to points across the US, Europe, Asia and the Mideast. As for economics, I think the GDP of Dallas/Fort Worth is likely greater than of Norway, and the economy here is certainly much more diverse and dynamic.

Best wishes with your decision.

Yes, it is definitely a change to move from a smaller town to a metropolitan city. We are thinking DFW area is good as a starting point, with a rental house for a year, and then buy a house where we see it fits with work, how we like area, etc. I'm not dependent on the outdoor activities to be as available as here, but I also don't care too much about restaurants, music venues, etc. I do like health care to be available (duh), but other then that we'd prioritize a children friendly community/neighborhood, good schools, and not much time lost in commuting. It may be that we settle in a smaller town around the DFW area, but we'd have to spend more time in the area to do that evaluation.

[Nn2036]

Originally Posted by TexanByMarriage

You take a picture that you look at when you want to

And Norway is beatiful - on postcards. And probably if you do a week's vacation targeting the highlights. We live next to a fjord, and yes it's nice to see the water. But we also have 4 seasons, and no postcard pics are from anything else than summer days in July, or perfect-snowy winter in February. Never a picture of grey November, or rainy-slushy roads of a mild December day, or the brown landscape as the snow melts.

For us, raising 3 kids is our out-most priority, and that includes having a happy home closer to family. It simply comes down to your priorities in life. If hiking/outdoorsy stuff is your thing, then it makes sense to prioritize that. We do that so rarely that we can travel for those activities, and rather see family more frequently.

However, don't underestimate the effect of scenery on your well being. I don't go hiking much but when I go to work everyday, I am able to look at beautiful mountain, tree, scenery and it makes me happy. I was very miserable commuting in Dallas.

[TexanByMarriage]

True, that does make for a more peaceful drive. And I personally like being close to the ocean, so I miss that whenever we travel in TX. So, pros and cons!

[Johnhw2]

Regarding mountains I found just the opposite. My mind and eyes get use to seeing them so the enjoyment of their view declines over time in them. Offset that with road issues that can come with mountains as I saw when living in them a few years, and the effect on me is I like them for a change of pace but honestly driving don't find looking at scenery or mountains a safe way to drive so I don't. What impacts me daily is the cost of living, the indoors of my home which I see more than the scenery outside.

I recall trips to New England each fall when living in Northern NJ. The first day or so the bright beautiful colors were just incredible to see but in short time my eyes and mind were use to seeing it and the effect diminished significantly. I find change is what I enjoy seeing things on vacation which as a retired person can be a lot of my time. Anything I live in becomes routine and boring to me.

I'm not a earth worshipper, I focus on people and enjoy those interactions more than viewing scenery. Its good we are all different I suppose to the "perfect" place doesnt get too crowde

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

Regarding mountains I found just the opposite. My mind and eyes get use to seeing them so the enjoyment of their view declines over time in them. Offset that with road issues that can come with mountains as I saw when living in them a few years, and the effect on me is I like them for a change of pace but honestly driving don't find looking at scenery or mountains a safe way to drive so I don't. What impacts me daily is the cost of living, the indoors of my home which I see more than the scenery outside.

I recall trips to New England each fall when living in Northern NJ. The first day or so the bright beautiful colors were just incredible to see but in short time my eyes and mind were use to seeing it and the effect diminished significantly. I find change is what I enjoy seeing things on vacation which as a retired person can be a lot of my time. Anything I live in becomes routine and boring to me.

I'm not a earth worshipper, I focus on people and enjoy those interactions more than viewing scenery. Its good we are all different I suppose to the "perfect" place doesnt get too crowde

I've lived in places in Europe that were achingly beautiful. I never lost the urge to walk slower or even stand still and drink in my surroundings. I miss living somewhere pretty. Dallas is god-awful ugly.