Is Texas a good place to live?

[Outflowboundary]

Originally Posted by CarlB328

It is a good place for someone to get established and get work experience though, except that most jobs are in retail or construction.

Perhaps this is one of Texas' strongest suits. But I would say that there are also opportunities outside of retail and construction.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by CarlB328

I lived in San Antonio for 8 years, so I have an idea what I'm talking about. Yes there are big businesses in Texas, but there is also a large segment of the population that is poor, poorly educated, and never done anything in their life other than barbeque and watch movies or sports. Texas ranks near the bottom in several categories, like income and education.

Interesting that you lived in San Antonio for 8 years and seem to want to characterize the state based on your time there. I like San Antonio, but it has the lowest per capita income, highest obesity, etc. of the large metros in Texas. And the most distinctly different demographics.

Texas per capita income is a bit below national averages. But that makes sense since the cost of living is below national averages. As for education, unfornately most statistics cite the entire state and completely ignore demographics.

Massachusetts often scores at the top of the list for education. Yet their K-12 schools are about 7% Hispanic. Texas is over 35% Hispanic. When data for comparable ethnic groups is used, their schools are about the same, and spend 40% more.

I could go on and on.