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I've been in Texas for a few months and already know that this isn't the permanent place for me. I really want to move back to the East Coast. I've been to Florida several times and really like the weather. It's hot, but it's not 100 degrees weeks at a time Texas hot.
Florida has much better beaches but the economy in the texas triangle blows away Florida.The economy in much of the texas triangle is one of the hottest in the country. Florida is amazing if you have money already or have something lined up, the wages are some of the worst in the country in florida even in the metro areas. Tons of jobs but many are low paying, great place to retire or if you already have money. Both places are very hot, the biggest lie people talk about is the "sea breeze" , there is no sea breeze in a concrete jungle or traffic jam even a short distance from the beach. Florida is very hot but places like Houston and alot of florida are both pretty amazing for growing citrus and all types of cool things.
The only way to live in the hottest parts of florida or texas is with a pool or know someone with one
I'm from Florida, and now having have lived in 4 different Texas towns, 3 in west Texas and now in north Texas... I much MUCH prefer Texas.
Btw Texas may be 100 degrees for "weeks at a time" but Florida is like 80-90 degrees from April to October and there's very little cool down. I love Texas during fall and winter, especially November when its cool all day long and the leaves are changing or in winter when we get that rare snowfall.
Florida is also more humid. If you really are into that kinda weather though, it won't be a big deal. Though living in Houston you have about the same weather as much of Florida.
Texas has nicer people, a stronger local culture, better turf food (though Florida has better surf food) and IMO better scenery. The economy is better too, though minimum wage is lower. Both places suck for wages, though.
I've been in Texas for a few months and already know that this isn't the permanent place for me. I really want to move back to the East Coast. I've been to Florida several times and really like the weather. It's hot, but it's not 100 degrees weeks at a time Texas hot.
How would you compare these two states?
Only far inland TX gets that hot, and even then, such stretches of heat are quite abnormal. In coastal Texas (within 100 miles of the Gulf), up to a decade or more can pass before 100F temps are reached; the frequency of 100F temps in that part of Texas is no different from what is seen in the SE US coast as a whole.
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Originally Posted by floridanative10
Florida has much better beaches but the economy in the texas triangle blows away Florida.The economy in much of the texas triangle is one of the hottest in the country. Florida is amazing if you have money already or have something lined up, the wages are some of the worst in the country in florida even in the metro areas. Tons of jobs but many are low paying, great place to retire or if you already have money. Both places are very hot, the biggest lie people talk about is the "sea breeze" , there is no sea breeze in a concrete jungle or traffic jam even a short distance from the beach. Florida is very hot but places like Houston and alot of florida are both pretty amazing for growing citrus and all types of cool things.
The only way to live in the hottest parts of florida or texas is with a pool or know someone with one
Yes they can, both Florida and Southern Texas are warm enough for many types of plants to grow. South Florida is tropical, and thus can grow coconuts, and other ultra tropicals profusely. Central Florida a borderline tropical climate, not as warm as South Florida, but still warm enough for many tropicals. North Florida is a classic humid subtropical climate.
The climate of far South Texas (Brownsville, Corpus Christi, etc) is, essentially, Central Florida, but with much less rainfall. Tropical plants/crops will grow easily, but with irrigation required. Going up the coast, the climate gets much wetter, but winters get cooler; Houston/Beaumont have a climate similar to North Florida, and have similar success with tropical plants/crops.
There isn't much sunshine to the Florida economy, as others here have posted. I wouldn't say Texas is all that glorious either these days though. Oil bust is hemorrhaging the state bad. Florida clobbered Texas in job growth last year and so far this year is doing the same. Florida will catch up at this rate very soon.
Florida is hot too though man. Really hot. 90+ degree heat indexs for most of the year. Where I am from in southern Florida you can get heat index's in the 90s even in January and winter nights sometimes don't drop below 70 degrees. Texas is hot, yes, but it's heat goes away for the most part in October/November. Most of Florida that doesn't happen and the heat lingers until December. Are you sure you were able to give a good comparison to Florida's weather when you visited?
I do find Florida prettier. Dallas was very bland scenery wise. It's flatter in a lot of Texas (I know there is hill country, and mountains far west) than it is in Central Florida and with less vegetation and water for scenery. Houston was a little bit better if I remember correctly on my travels. Florida does have natural beauty. Nothing really beats being at a high rise bar on the beach and looking out over the blue water, beach, and barrier islands, with all the palm trees swaying beneath you.
Sorry OP, but your post is a little bland in what it is asking. Texas and Florida's weather is more similar than it is different, and that is the only thing you have given us to compare the two. I prefer Florida for the unique culture and the diverse cities and entertainment venues available. Texas is so big and spread out that when you live there you basically live in only your city. People travel throughout Florida all the time and intermingle. I like the population density.
There isn't much sunshine to the Florida economy, as others here have posted. I wouldn't say Texas is all that glorious either these days though. Oil bust is hemorrhaging the state bad. Florida clobbered Texas in job growth last year and so far this year is doing the same. Florida will catch up at this rate very soon.
1.) Oil is cyclical, it will be back.
2.) Did Florida job growth grow with quantity or quality?
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Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close
Florida is hot too though man. Really hot. 90+ degree heat indexs for most of the year. Where I am from in southern Florida you can get heat index's in the 90s even in January and winter nights sometimes don't drop below 70 degrees. Texas is hot, yes, but it's heat goes away for the most part in October/November. Most of Florida that doesn't happen and the heat lingers until December. Are you sure you were able to give a good comparison to Florida's weather when you visited?
I do find Florida prettier. Dallas was very bland scenery wise. It's flatter in a lot of Texas (I know there is hill country, and mountains far west) than it is in Central Florida and with less vegetation and water for scenery. Houston was a little bit better if I remember correctly on my travels. Florida does have natural beauty. Nothing really beats being at a high rise bar on the beach and looking out over the blue water, beach, and barrier islands, with all the palm trees swaying beneath you.
Your memory must not be clear. Florida (all of it) is FAR flatter than much of Texas. High topography/hills are more widespread in Texas than in Florida. Coastal Texas is similar to Florida in regards to scenery, but the beaches aren't as stunning.
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Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close
Sorry OP, but your post is a little bland in what it is asking. Texas and Florida's weather is more similar than it is different, and that is the only thing you have given us to compare the two. I prefer Florida for the unique culture and the diverse cities and entertainment venues available. Texas is so big and spread out that when you live there you basically live in only your city. People travel throughout Florida all the time and intermingle. I like the population density.
The vast majority of Texans live within a corridor of the state known as the Texas Triangle, a relatively compact area. There is great interconnection, and, upon the advent of the Houston-Dallas HSR line, the interconnection will be even greater.
1.) Oil is cyclical, it will be back. That could take a long time. The last time this happened to Texas (around 1986-87) it took until the mid 90s for the Texas economy to recover. Texas has diversified it's economy a lot, but this could be a drag for many years to come. Especially with economists saying we will never see oil above $100 a barrel ever again.
2.) Did Florida job growth grow with quantity or quality? According to this, which is as accurate as it gets, both.
Job growth across all industries (even manufacturing!!) is quite strong in Florida, save mining and logging (oil) which is negligent in our state and information, which most of the country is losing. This still doesn't show the whole picture. Florida has a lot of slack in it's employment picture which is reflected in the states still high U6 unemployment rate.
Your memory must not be clear. Florida (all of it) is FAR flatter than much of Texas. High topography/hills are more widespread in Texas than in Florida. Coastal Texas is similar to Florida in regards to scenery, but the beaches aren't as stunning.
I can't attest to where you have been in Texas, but I drove from I-20 to Dallas, then south to Houston, then I-10 back to Florida, and I can say that I didn't find hills until I reached the Florida panhandle. I think I remember one single noticeable change in elevation on I-20, and that is it. I know Texas has a hill country in the center of the state, but Florida has hill country in the panhandle and in the central part of the state from Ocala south through Polk county as well. Its not all flat here either.
The vast majority of Texans live within a corridor of the state known as the Texas Triangle, a relatively compact area. There is great interconnection, and, upon the advent of the Houston-Dallas HSR line, the interconnection will be even greater. I'm aware of the Texas Triangle. I wasn't under the impression that this was a comparison between Florida and the Texas Triangle. If that is specifically what we are talking about then yes, I eat my words. But a lot of Texas outside the triangle is very isolated
You haven't travelled far enough then, cuz even within Dallas there's noticeable though not huge elevation changes. Denton itself is hilly, I live on top of a hill. If you go west on I-20 you'll eventually reach Ranger Hill. That whole area is full of large hills which you can drive on or see in the background. It's got that wild west type scenery.
The only really "hilly" parts of Florida are the areas west of Orlando or around Tally. Texas ain't got nothing on Florida's flatness!
That could take a long time. The last time this happened to Texas (around 1986-87) it took until the mid 90s for the Texas economy to recover. Texas has diversified it's economy a lot, but this could be a drag for many years to come. Especially with economists saying we will never see oil above $100 a barrel ever again.
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Florida Economy at a Glance
Job growth across all industries (even manufacturing!!) is quite strong in Florida, save mining and logging (oil) which is negligent in our state and information, which most of the country is losing. This still doesn't show the whole picture. Florida has a lot of slack in it's employment picture which is reflected in the states still high U6 unemployment rate.
Interesting, but I don't see how this indicates that Florida will close in on Texas, as you've stated in your previous post.
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Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close
I can't attest to where you have been in Texas, but I drove from I-20 to Dallas, then south to Houston, then I-10 back to Florida, and I can say that I didn't find hills until I reached the Florida panhandle. I think I remember one single noticeable change in elevation on I-20, and that is it. I know Texas has a hill country in the center of the state, but Florida has hill country in the panhandle and in the central part of the state from Ocala south through Polk county as well. Its not all flat here either.
The pockets around the Florida Panhandle, as well as Central Florida, are the only noteworthy hills in Florida, but hills like those are commonplace throughout Texas. Apart from the Hill Country in Central Texas, you will see plenty of hills in East Texas (like around Nacogdoches). Parts of Gulf Coastal Texas do have dramatic elevation rises due to salt domes, but only relative to the surrounding land (a steep climb from sea level to 50ft, for instance). And, of course, Texas has high mountains outback in the far west.
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Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close
I'm aware of the Texas Triangle. I wasn't under the impression that this was a comparison between Florida and the Texas Triangle. If that is specifically what we are talking about then yes, I eat my words. But a lot of Texas outside the triangle is very isolated
It's Florida vs Texas as a whole, but given that most of Texas population is centered in the Texas Triangle, that is the subsection of Texas that naturally gets focused on when talking of metros/population; no different than much of northern/inland Florida being ignored, since the large cities are all on the peninsular coast.
Interesting, but I don't see how this indicates that Florida will close in on Texas, as you've stated in your previous post.
That isn't a hard formula to follow. Texas has had stagnant labor force indicators since the end of 2014, with U3 and U6 unemployment being identical today as 4th quarter 2014.
Florida on the other hand has continued to see greater than average falling in unemployment, both for U3 and U6. At the U3 level Florida already matches Texas. U6 could catch up by next year.
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