Favorite TX City for a young, conservative family of 6 (Currently in Austin) (Houston: home, employment)

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Actually, the Republicans carried Tarrant County. There are more cities in Tarrant County than just Fort Worth.

And really, don't worry about tornadoes. People here literally waste thousands of dollars building safe rooms and putting tornado shelters in their back yards. Your odds of getting hit by one are very, very low. If you lived in Oklahoma or furthe west in Texas, the odds would increase enough to make those preparations worth the cost.

I would not call something that could save your very life a "waste of money".

[ChristieP]

I still consider it an unnecessary expense. As I said, I have lived here all my life, and I have never been hit by or even personally seen a tornado. Therefore, I don't see a need to spend thousands on a shelter. Now, if I lived in Wichita Falls, or in Oklahoma, you bet I would have a tornado shelter or two!

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

I still consider it an unnecessary expense. As I said, I have lived here all my life, and I have never been hit by or even personally seen a tornado. Therefore, I don't see a need to spend thousands on a shelter. Now, if I lived in Wichita Falls, or in Oklahoma, you bet I would have a tornado shelter or two!

I hope that you remain safe.

[Exult.Q36]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

I still consider it an unnecessary expense. As I said, I have lived here all my life, and I have never been hit by or even personally seen a tornado. Therefore, I don't see a need to spend thousands on a shelter. Now, if I lived in Wichita Falls, or in Oklahoma, you bet I would have a tornado shelter or two!

I'm sure the folks in Jarrell, TX thought the same thing before a F 5 ripped through the town. Or what about the May 11, 1953 Texas tornado outbreak that devastated the towns of Waco and San Angelo. Hmm it's quite interesting all these towns are located south of DFW. The fact of the matter is mother Nature is unpredictable and DFW is not an exception to the rule. Considering how expansive the DFW metro area is a F4/f5 tornado is bound to hit at some point.

[ChristieP]

You know, it's a gamble no matter what. But if you look at history, there have been relatively few tornadoes in DFW, and when there are, they seem to hit in the same places over and over again: Granbury and Lancaster. I don't live in or near either one of those. The town I do live in is full of historic buildings that have never been touched by any tornado! Also, they tend to be pretty small. IIRC, the biggest one was an F2. Jarrell is another story entirely. First, the only thing that will save you in an F5 is something underground. No safe room is strong enough. Second, that's Central Texas, not DFW. Big geography difference. I don't think DFW is "due" for a huge tornado at all.

Again, if I lived in Oklahoma or west Texas, you bet I'd have a shelter. In DFW, I just don't think its a good use of resources. No one in my neighborhood has an underground shelter, or even a safe room. (Yes, we've talked about it at block parties.)

[Bideshi]

If he can find work there, look into Corpus Christi. We loved living there. Austin is California, not Texas.

[Bobloblawslawblog]

Originally Posted by Bideshi

If he can find work there, look into Corpus Christi. We loved living there. Austin is California, not Texas.

Huh? It's the CAPITOL of Texas, and just because it has this overly exaggerated reputation as some kind of liberal wonderland, in all actuality it feels no more "like California" than Houston or Dallas... which feel NOTHING like California at all.

Over the years I've lived in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles... and trust me, Austin is nothing like (anywhere in) California. Once one can look past the embellished liberal facade, Austin, to me at least, feels more genuinely "Texas" than either Houston or DFW.

That said, it's still probably not the greatest choice for the OP if they're looking for a conservative environment. Of all the major cities in TX, my suggestion would be either San Antonio or Ft. Worth.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog

Huh? It's the CAPITOL of Texas, and just because it has this overly exaggerated reputation as some kind of liberal wonderland, in all actuality it feels no more "like California" than Houston or Dallas... which feel NOTHING like California at all.

Over the years I've lived in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles... and trust me, Austin is nothing like (anywhere in) California. Once one can look past the embellished liberal facade, Austin, to me at least, feels more genuinely "Texas" than either Houston or DFW.

That said, it's still probably not the greatest choice for the OP if they're looking for a conservative environment. Of all the major cities in TX, my suggestion would be either San Antonio or Ft. Worth.

Never been to Sacramento, but from what I've seen in pictures Austin resembles it quite a bit. Both are states capitals, both have rivers running next to their downtowns, both have linear skylines though Austin's is larger & taller these days, both are hilly & dry. Sacramento is more diverse.

How is Austin more genuinely Texan than than Houston? Texas is a very large state & Austin doesn't begin to cover all parameters of it. Houston is just a piece of the pie & shares more in common with East Texas than North Texas (Dallas) or Central Texas (Killeen, Austin, San Antonio).

[Bobloblawslawblog]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Never been to Sacramento, but from what I've seen in pictures Austin resembles it quite a bit. Both are states capitals, both have rivers running next to their downtowns, both have linear skylines though Austin's is larger & taller these days, both are hilly & dry. Sacramento is more diverse.

Sacramento is definitely not hilly. It's flat as a pancake, in California's central valley. It's also a different kind of city than Austin. Trust me on that. Visit there some time and you'll see what I mean.

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

How is Austin more genuinely Texan than than Houston? Texas is a very large state & Austin doesn't begin to cover all parameters of it. Houston is just a piece of the pie & shares more in common with East Texas than North Texas (Dallas) or Central Texas (Killeen, Austin, San Antonio).

Well that's subjective obviously, but Austin just feels more like Texas to me than Houston does. Obviously Texas is massive and doesn't have one single culture defining all 26 million of it's residents, but I think Austin is a better microcosm of Texas culture, on the whole, than Houston is. Houston and Dallas are both just too big and diverse, especially Houston with it's huge international population... to have that old school Texas vibe. Not saying that H and D don't fit with Texas, but Austin, to me at least, just seems more in tune with Texas on the whole. It has nothing to do with politics. More to do with culture.

[dalparadise]

To me, Sacto is a cross between Austin and Fort Worth. That's a great compliment to a largely overlooked and quite "un-California" (IMO) city, as Austin and Fort Worth are, to me, the most appealing, richest-in-character, most livable cities of Texas. "Austin is California" to Texans and people who flee California and are hoping for a proxy only. It resembles California mostly to people who experience cities via the Internet.

In making that comparison, I think that Fort Worth would be the ideal city for a young conservative family. It has similar (many would say superior) urban elements to Austin, yet is far more calm and family-oriented. Its position as a hub of a major metropolitan area, while remaining an escape from many of the drawbacks of urban living (from a family's viewpoint) are its unique strength.