What do you LIKE about living in Texas (Houston, Dallas: how much, pros and cons)

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Texas, undoubtedly has some of the most gay friendly cities in the nation (Dallas, Austin, & Houston) so whats your beef?

If a gay person is allowed to marry their lover can I also marry my 1st, 2nd, or 3rd cousin or be allowed to have more than one wife?

Equal rights for everyone right?

To the first part, I agree. Those cities are gay friendly. You can even throw San Antonio and Fort Worth into the partially gay friendly category for the most part. My beef is not with any of those cities. Its with the state and the theocracy they are trying to become. Its almost like a contest to see who can be the most conservative and in doing so saying some of the most crazy stuff.

To the second part, thats a stupid comparison. Part of the benefit of being married has to do not only with the cementing of a loving relationship, but also with legal benefits given by the government and employers. Right now, gay people do not have that guarantee like heterosexuals do.

If you want to marry your cousin, why should I care? For multiple spouses, that negates having legal benefits with just one other person. The slippery slope argument is BS and is only made when people have no other argument besides "the bible says…". When women were given the right to vote, did hamsters get to vote too? When integration happened, did God smite America with plagues (yes that was actually an argument by elected officials from across the South)?

You might think I want Texas to be blue, but I don't. I would love it to be purple, even reddish purple like North Carolina.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by speeddev1l

Well, I have been living in Southern California for the past 17 years. Recently I brought up the topic of perhaps moving to Austin. When I posted some queries here most people responded with a host of complaints about the city and in Texas in general namely...

The weather - awful

The job situation - awful (what? I thought Texas economy was booming??? )

The traffic - awful (really? worse than Los Angeles traffic?)

The people - awful (I thought Southerners were famous for their hospitality... I don't know I met some people from Dallas recently, they were on a conference visiting and were super-nice!)

So, let's get it straight... do you like living in Texas? What do you like about it? What do you hate about it? Are you waiting to get out of Texas or would you never leave Texas?

The weather - Personally, I like it for all but about two months out of the year (July and August generally). The winters are terrific here in East Texas. Spring is lovely and fall is nice too. I don't know what people are so up in arms about - but then, I am from the South so I've been raised in hot temps and high humidity.

Job situation - I have no idea where people are getting the idea that it's "awful." Texas in general is booming. Of course, a lot depends on what your skills and education are, and what area you're considering moving to. I wouldn't be looking for work as a lumber jack in El Paso, for instance.

The traffic - I can't imagine it would be worse than LA traffic. In any big city, there are going to be times of the day when traffic is bad - so what? Don't live or work in a big city if that bothers you - in any state.

The people - Texas people, in general, are some of the most genuine and hard working people you will meet. I really like the independent mindset of so many Texans too.

Don't listen to the naysayers - just come check us out yourself and see what you think. I bet you like Texas. It's hard not to. I fought it myself for a couple of years but it eventually got to me and converted me smack into a Texan.

Here's what I love about Texas (just a few things, off the cuff):

Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson - hell, all sorts of Texas music
Tex Mex food
The fine mix of cultures in East Texas (Little bit of southern, little bit of soul, little bit of Mexico, little bit of WASP, little bit of everything but a lot of diversity)
Shiner Bock
Fort Worth
Hell, I even like Houston - especially the restaurant scene there
San Antonio's river walk
Texas missions
The Schlitterbahn
The Alamo
Shopping in Dallas
The Hill Country any time of year but especially in the spring
So many lakes!
Men in cowboy hats and boots
Big pickup trucks
Oil and gas
Air conditioning
Warm and helpful people
Reasonable cost of living
Less than a day's drive from New Orleans!

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Texas, undoubtedly has some of the most gay friendly cities in the nation (Dallas, Austin, & Houston) so whats your beef?

If a gay person is allowed to marry their lover can I also marry my 1st, 2nd, or 3rd cousin or be allowed to have more than one wife?

Equal rights for everyone right?

It's been legal in Texas to marry your second or third cousin for as long as I've been aware of that (which is over half a century). It is illegal to marry your first cousin (and from the perspective of a horse breeder, likely not wise if you intend to have children without extensive genetic testing).

As for more than one wife, that's you and your wife's or wives' business as far as I'm concerned. Even if the Chinese character for trouble is, I'm told, two women under one roof.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

It's been legal in Texas to marry your second or third cousin for as long as I've been aware of that (which is over half a century). It is illegal to marry your first cousin (and from the perspective of a horse breeder, likely not wise if you intend to have children without extensive genetic testing).

As for more than one wife, that's you and your wife's or wives' business as far as I'm concerned. Even if the Chinese character for trouble is, I'm told, two women under one roof.

Wrong

In fact, its a criminal offense!!! Oh dear! God forbid I fall in love with a 2nd, 3rd, half, or even adopted cousin in Texas.

Cousin marriage law in the United States by state - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whats funny is Liberal states like California & New York think we're so backwards here in Texas yet its perfectly legal to screw or marry your 1st cousin in those states. How do you explain that?

[TexasHorseLady]

Well, shame on me, I went to the actual Texas State statutes instead of believing a compilation website (and being a genealogist, I know that a second or third cousin is NOT the second or third child born to the brother or sister of one's parent but the grandchild or great-grandchild of one's grandparent's or great-grandparent's brother or sister):

Sec. 6.201. CONSANGUINITY. A marriage is void if one party to the marriage is related to the other as:
(1) an ancestor or descendant, by blood or adoption;
(2) a brother or sister, of the whole or half blood or by adoption;
(3) a parent's brother or sister, of the whole or half blood or by adoption; or
(4) a son or daughter of a brother or sister, of the whole or half blood or by adoption.

Then there's 2.004(6) which STILL doesn't say what you claim:
(6) printed boxes for each applicant to check "true" or "false" in response to the following statement: "The other applicant is not related to me as:
(A) an ancestor or descendant, by blood or adoption;
(B) a brother or sister, of the whole or half blood or by adoption;
(C) a parent's brother or sister, of the whole or half blood or by adoption;
(D) a son or daughter of a brother or sister, of the whole or half blood or by adoption;
(E) a current or former stepchild or stepparent; or
(F) a son or daughter of a parent's brother or sister, of the whole or half blood or by adoption.";

[Granny Fats]

As for West Texas, I love the open spaces, the dry heat, reasonable food costs, the sunshine, the friendliness of 99% of the people I meet (they say hi, they hold the elevator for you, they help you pick up things dropped, they try to make you go ahead of them in a line if you have less items than they do, they thank you, etc.), the hope for states' rights, the tiny little owls that live in the prairie dog holes, the fat-butt prairie dogs themselves, the roadrunners, the King Birds, the Tex-Mex food, and the easy (though long) drives from place to place.

[Siggy20]

Things I like about Texas after moving here from NJ:

-The people are so much friendlier. Yesterday at the store, I had a woman insist that I go in front of her because I was with my son and she knows how it is shopping with a young one. We had a lovely conversation. People look you in the eye, talk to you and are generally friendly.
-Driving is less of a hassle. Although it is crowded where we live, roads are better laid out.
-Cheaper COL. Although housing prices are a bit higher than I would like, you can get so much more house.
-People here seem to be more on my wave length life style wise.
-The weather is more manageable. Looking at the weather channel and seeing more snow coming to NJ makes me glad to be here. This winter still has been a bit chilly for me however we are in a crappy house that is cold, cold (rental) and hard to heat. I would be happiest in a tropical climate but that isn't going to happen, lol.
-Overall, this seems to be the place for us. I'm proud to be raising my kids here and with time, hope they become true Texans. I'm proud of this state.

A few negatives:
-I am a conservative however don't like some more extreme views held by a few folks that I've come across and especially when they are vocal. I seem to run across this a bit more here. I tend to keep my political beliefs to myself.
-I also don't quite understand the gun culture. Don't get me wrong...I was in the military for 20+ years and well acquainted with weapons. My parents owned guns and I shot them as a kid. My husband shot competitively as a teen and was really, really good (state ranked). I've been around guns and don't have anything against them. However, my hubby works with a bunch of folks that are obsessed with guns. One guy probably owns 10 guns and keep them in lock boxes throughout the house, ready to be opened at a moment's notice. Also a loaded gun in his nightstand. He lives in a nice neighborhood. All they talk about are guns, guns, guns. It is a daily topic at work and he works in a financial firm with highly educated people. He attended a company function that was at a shooting range. There seemed to be all sorts of Rambo want-to-be folks there. There is a real feeling by some of these folks in his company that the government is going to mess with their rights and by God, they are going to go out shooting. Or perhaps they are preparing for a zombie apocalypse. Don't know but I don't quite understand it.

Both of my negatives are small points but thought I would mention it.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Born and raised in Texas and looking forward to leaving. I HATE the weather here and Houston is not scenic (to me). Hoping to move in a few years when my husband retires.

[Granny Fats]

Originally Posted by I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA

Born and raised in Texas and looking forward to leaving. I HATE the weather here and Houston is not scenic (to me). Hoping to move in a few years when my husband retires.

I found the heat-humidity combo in Houston too much to take. I am also moving from Texas, which while I have enjoyed it, it is time for a big change! Good luck finding a good retirement area for you!

[Tiner177]

Originally Posted by rwr

Friendly folks, except for a few jackasses.
Texas women!
Shiner beer.
BBQ
The hill country.
Mostly God-fearin' people.
Solid red state.
Right-to-work state
Hunting and fishing
Great medical care
Mountains, lakes, forests,desert, ocean, plains.
Mostly courteous drivers.
No state income tax.
Cost of living.

Just to name a few.

Why do you cite Texas women, when your profile shows you're a married man?