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From my experiences talking to Midwesterners who move south and end up moving back north is that regret moving back north. It usually takes someone to leave a place like Austin to really appreciate what they had. A lot of time after the first move they start dwelling on the small reasons why they hate the place, then after the second move they are like crap should have stayed.
As for the ants, Max force granules work amazing. Sprinkle around the yard and the next day the ants are gone.
I've heard that MUCH more about people who moved South/West only to come back to the Midwest/Northeast because they didn't know what they had until it was gone.
I've heard that MUCH more about people who moved South/West only to come back to the Midwest/Northeast because they didn't know what they had until it was gone.
I'd agree with this. I regretted moving south after the first year. The fire ants aren't just in my yard. I can't go treat all the side walks and parks so we can leave the house. My daughter had a severe reaction after we took a walk. She was on the sidewalk the whole time. And, the other day at the park they were crawling all over the entire playground. I disagree that they are easy to get rid of. Not that tough to push them out of your yard, but the state and I'm sure other states have been doing research for years on getting rid of them and have NOT been successful. They have become resistant to pesticides.
As far as me "not being the breadwinner, so I have no say." That's crap. And, I thank PinetheVine for coming back with snark. I don't have the only say, but I sure as heck do have a say. Thank you very much.
I was the sole breadwinner when we first got married. He didn't even have a job, yet because he just finished college. I am grateful for my husband's job, but I'm finding Texas to be like a prison for my family. We can't leave the house without worrying. The heat is just horrible and my allergies are worse here than they were in Minnesota and Montana by a lot. I have to take 2 allergy medicines here when I only had to take one occasionally in the other places and I developed allergy related asthma here. My kids have allergies here and didn't have them in Montana as well. I would not move unless my husband had a good job lined up.
My favorite place we have lived is Billings, MT as far as weather, but the job market was lacking.
I don't want to go back to Minnesota because the homeschool laws aren't that good, more strict than I prefer.
Thanks for this comment, NoMoreSnowForMe. "I can understand him wanting to keep a job that will guarantee your futures. I can also understand not wanting to live somewhere with bad weather and bugs. Good luck to you."
I told my husband I just want him to put feelers out there and see what other options there may be to see if leaving is possible. I'm going to continue to encourage him to do that for our family's sake.
Thanks everyone for their suggestions on places that might suit us. Much appreciated.
Fire ants are migrating across the US. In Texas we had yard and house treated regularly and carried epi pens in addition to aggressive desensitation. There is little you can do about the climate but compromise and live with it. Spend more outdoors early on in the year and you will over time get somewhat acclimatized. Schedule outdoor activities early or late in the day, spend peak hours indoors from home work to museum to have not.
Reading your other posts it is not Texas or the ants.
From my experiences talking to Midwesterners who move south and end up moving back north is that regret moving back north. It usually takes someone to leave a place like Austin to really appreciate what they had. A lot of time after the first move they start dwelling on the small reasons why they hate the place, then after the second move they are like crap should have stayed.
As for the ants, Max force granules work amazing. Sprinkle around the yard and the next day the ants are gone.
Usually I hear the opposite. Northerners move south, then half back (hence the term "halfback") and have no regrets about doing so.
My biggest issues with Texas are the pests (fire ants, mosquitoes and brown recluse spiders in particular), the militant Evangelicalism and social conservatism in some areas (especially Dallas-Fort Worth) and the fact that winters are long, cold and offer absolutely no respite for the brutally hot and humid summers (in much of the state).
Fire ants can't survive for prolonged periods in conditions that freeze soil as deep as they are nesting. The northern boundaries of fire ant infestation are estimated to be areas with a minimum temperature of 10 degrees F.
Fire ants may find warmer microhabitats such as curbs that act as heat sinks or indoor plant courts, which allow them to survive farther north than predicted.
To see where fire ants may live in the United States, visit Geographic Distribution of Fire Ants.
My biggest issues with Texas are the pests (fire ants, mosquitoes and brown recluse spiders in particular), the militant Evangelicalism and social conservatism in some areas (especially Dallas-Fort Worth) and the fact that winters are long, cold and offer absolutely no respite for the brutally hot and humid summers (in much of the state).
The winters in the southern half of Texas are pleasant relative to the rest of the country; in South Texas along the coast, in areas like South Padre, coconut palms can be cultivated. Crops like sugar cane can be cultivated all along the Texas Gulf Coast.
As far as pests, every place in the world has pests in their own form, and militant Evangelicalism can be avoided if you reside within the big cities.
There are far less bugs in the west. I'm from the SF Bay Area, moved to WA, then to TN, Mexico, Canada and back. Only TN and Mexico had horrible bug problems of anywhere I've lived. It's the humidity, at least as far as cockroaches. I don't know about fire ants.
I'd start looking at any areas in the west that are not desert type areas to avoid the fire ants. It seems like your husband could find work out west. I can understand him wanting to keep a job that will guarantee your futures. I can also understand not wanting to live somewhere with bad weather and bugs. Good luck to you.
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There are ants everywhere out here. Even in the "cold" parts of Arizona like Flagstaff, which is one of the snowiest places in the U.S., has ants. Flagstaff, climate-wise, is like Colorado. Maybe even further north in the West, like the border of Canada, and there won't be ants.
Yes fire ants are common out in the desert. Maybe even more than regular ants. Don't even think about looking here, lol.
OP I suggest you Google "RIFA" (Red Imported Fire Ants) and you can learn how about how they are an invasive species to the humid South. These ones originally came from South America and have somehow gotten everywhere else it seems.
There are ants everywhere out here. Even in the "cold" parts of Arizona like Flagstaff, which is one of the snowiest places in the U.S., has ants. Flagstaff, climate-wise, is like Colorado. Maybe even further north in the West, like the border of Canada, and there won't be ants.
Yes fire ants are common out in the desert. Maybe even more than regular ants. Don't even think about looking here, lol.
OP I suggest you Google "RIFA" (Red Imported Fire Ants) and you can learn how about how they are an invasive species to the humid South. These ones originally came from South America and have somehow gotten everywhere else it seems.
Yeah, I looked at the RIFA map before and knew pretty much all places in the deep south have fire ants. Thanks for the confirmation. The ground has to freeze to kill and deter fire ants.
Honestly if he has a job and doesn't want to leave, then I would stay.
What would the point of moving be? The grass is always greener on the other side. He probably won't make more money by moving and you have to pay for moving costs, so I'd stay in Texas. Also pest control can help with fire ants.
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