Texas Information for relocation (Houston, Dallas: houses, neighborhood, buying)

[AforApple]

Hi Everyone,

My husband currently changed his job and has flexibility to move to Nj or Texas (any city), currently in Connecticut. We both work in IT (I'm with finance company) and have a 2 year old kid.

We both want to move to a location where we can buy a house, schools are great, have Indian families nearby, good job prospects and reasonable savings. I plan to leave my job and take a break for a year or so only one person will be earning initially.

We know that new jersey has good schools, lots of indians and housing/property taxes is very coslty but know nothing about Texas so wondering if anyone can share their experience for above points and give us some comparison and guidance.

Also, from an overall family life and cost of living if someone who has experienced both can give some inputs then it will be really helpful. We are really tired of traveling to New York for work daily but don't know how travel/commute to work is normally for people in Texas.

Will really appreciate all your experience shared and if possible suggest cities we should consider in Texas for our research.

Thanks,
Apple

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by AforApple

Hi Everyone,

My husband currently changed his job and has flexibility to move to Nj or Texas (any city), currently in Connecticut. We both work in IT (I'm with finance company) and have a 2 year old kid.

We both want to move to a location where we can buy a house, schools are great, have Indian families nearby, good job prospects and reasonable savings. I plan to leave my job and take a break for a year or so only one person will be earning initially.

We know that new jersey has good schools, lots of indians and housing/property taxes is very coslty but know nothing about Texas so wondering if anyone can share their experience for above points and give us some comparison and guidance.

Also, from an overall family life and cost of living if someone who has experienced both can give some inputs then it will be really helpful. We are really tired of traveling to New York for work daily but don't know how travel/commute to work is normally for people in Texas.

Will really appreciate all your experience shared and if possible suggest cities we should consider in Texas for our research.

Thanks,
Apple

I am assuming you are speaking of Indians from India. If so, you will probably have to go to a large metropolitan area. That would most likely be Houston, although some one from Dallas might need to chime in. While a really big Indian community has not developed in Texas like the Vietnamese community, there are Indians here.

The cost of living in Houston if low, and in certain outlying metro areas the schools are very good. Almost all commuting is by automobile. However, Texas has a very good highway system. Rush hour in Houston is getting longer, it was very short during the great recession but it is coming back.

Good luck,

Wish I could be more helpful
Qazulight

[Johnhw2]

Ive lived in both Houston and Dallas area. There is a large Indian population in Dallas area. Great schools in Plano a northern suburb which has a large Indian population. Another suburb with a large Indian population is Irving... Plano schools overall are much better than most schools in Irving. Plano is where you want to be.

[debzkidz]

I would suggest Houston. There are large numbers of immigrants from all over the world there. One of the things we enjoyed most when we first moved there was the great diversity of people. We could be in the grocery store and while going up and down the isles we would hear all sorts of different languages being spoken. My kids were little at the time and they just thought that was the coolest thing ever. They would always ask me what language they were speaking. Sometimes I could tell. Sometimes I had no clue.

There are some large numbers of Indians in some parts of Houston. Along 59 @ Hillcroft there are lots of Indian stores, restaurants, etc. Certain parts of Sugar Land have some pretty large numbers of Indian residents. I know when we were looking for a home there, we went into a neighborhood in New Territory, where it was largely Indian. We looked at a home on a cul de sac of about 6 houses, where everyone living there was Indian. It was easy to see this because there were kids out playing in all the driveways and all the moms were out visiting and watching the children. All of the women were wearing saris. It was clear the home we were looking at was also occupied by an Indian family. We ended up buying just down the road in Greatwood, where there were quite a few Indian families as well. Later, we moved to Katy, where there were quite a few Indian families also, including our neighbors 2 doors down and directly behind us. Schools in both towns are extremely good. I'm sure there are other areas in Houston where there are large populations of Indian families, but these are the ones I am familiar with.

Property taxes in Texas are high, but vary wildly by city, and sometimes even within each city, depending on the area. But there are no state income taxes. The cost of living is low compared to many areas of the country. Austin would probably be the most expensive city to live in, but still its not bad compared to many places.

As for the commute times, it really depends on where you are. Dallas and Houston (2 of the cities I'm the most familiar with and have lived in) can have some pretty bad traffic, but it really does depend on where you live in relation to your job. The cities are extremely spread out and it is really advisable to know where you are going to be working and then try to find someplace relatively close by. For example, if you lived in Houston, you wouldn't want to buy a home in Sugar Land if your office was near Intercontinental. It also depends largely on what type of home you are looking for and what your budget would be.

[BigDGeek]

Try Houston.

[rwr]

Boy what a difference in your 2 choices, NJ or Texas! Sort of like night and day. I think Austin would come the closest to the political climate you are used to. IT- wise Austin area and Houston or Dallas would be all be in the running. IMHO I think Austin is the prettiest as far as natural beauty. Houston area is still growing and expanding to the West especially. Cost-wise I think you will find that just about anywhere in Texas will have a lower cost of living and much lower home prices than where you come from. We have 2 sons who live in Katy(west Houston) whom we visit with regularly and we have noticed many people of Indian decent who live and or work in that area.
Katy school district has many fine public and private schools. Welcome to Texas!

[venalla_shine]

Hi, I am in similar boat as you are. I live in Allentown,PA. My husband and I plan to relocate for all the reasons you quoted except we both work from home and we can move with our jobs. I have a 3 yr old son and would love to be in a friendly Indian community having children in his age group. I recently had a friend who moved there few years back and he has only good things to say about the Dallas,TX. He had lived in NY for 12 years and was so glad he made the move. He lives in area Allen,TX and anywhere in and around that area you should find all you are asking for.
All the Best on your move. I hope, I will be able to move there as well and by then, I will be asking you for some advice