Best Texas city (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: sales, real estate, 2014)

[Sijo jose]

Hi All

I live in Dubai and I have got an option from my company to work in Texas cities such as Austin ,San Antonio Houston ,Dallas

Any one could advise me to choose which region from above options
Also please advise me with the tax system in Texas,

My job is in connection with construction industry .So a place with large amount of construction and infrastructure development will be an easier option for me to do my job

Apart from that

Which place will be a best option for long term stay
Safe city with minimal crime records
Children’s education
Catholic community & churches
Best Climate conditions
Social life and fun
Savings Vs Expenses
Investment options
Public transportation

Looking for your advises

Sijo Jose

[RoadWarrior12]

San Antonio or Dallas

[Aggiebuttercup]

Climate-wise, Dallas actually gets snow. Houston is incredibly humid in the summers and has more mild winters than any of the others. All of the major cities are hot in the summer.

All of these cities are sprawling. Dallas has better public transportation, but that doesn't make it excellent. I would recommend having a car and being prepared to drive a lot, no matter which city you choose. There are safe and not-so-safe areas in each city.

In each of these cities, you will find Catholic communities, good and not-as-good schools, etc. Many people live in the suburbs - it's generally but not always cheaper.

The bigger differences are generally culture and types of industries available. San Antonio does a great job of exploring their Hispanic heritage and has a strong military presence. Austin has more of a techie vibe, and there's a lot of outdoor activities. Houston is home to tech, oil & gas, financials, and medical industries and is close to the water. I'm not as familiar with Dallas.

[JohnnyDA]

San Antonio is the mecca of Catholic Universities. Probably also cheaper than Houston or Dallas.
Weather? Hot as hell, most of Texas is. I guess South/West Texas is worse.
Public transportation? LOL
There is lots to do in SA but some people consider certain locations tourists traps.

[Transplanted99]

Lots of growth in the cities you mentioned = lots of construction.

We recently moved and had some options on cities in TX. We chose Dallas, mostly because of size, economic diversity. We seriously considered Austin because of its growth (percentage wise) and growth driver (IT industry). And, it is prettier. San Antonio's economy seemed too tied to the Federal government (e.g. military), and Houston, while more diversified, too tied to oil and gas (doing very well right now).

Houston also has very high humidity, being on the coast, though all these cities do have higher humidity. Don't know how that compares to Dubai, or if that is an issue for you. It was for my spouse.

Dallas area has some recent announcements of Fortune 500 companies relocating their HQs or major facilities to it. State Farm Insurance, Raytheon, and now Toyota. Here are a few links to give you a sense of the prospects for Dallas.

Toyota's U.S. headquarters kicks off with big lease at The Campus at Legacy - Dallas Business Journal

D Real Estate Daily » Blog Archive » Chase, Caterpillar, Google, Amazon

Charles Schwab one of many large companies eyeing Dallas after Toyota move - Dallas Business Journal

Remember that for every big company there are numerous small and midsize companies that also are moving but just don't hit the front pages like the big ones do. So there is much anticipation here for huge amount of construction:

Billion-dollar developments multiply | Dallas Morning News

As for taxes, no personal state income tax, 8.25% sales tax, and higher tax rate than elsewhere for property tax. My view on the "higher" property tax is that housing costs are so much lower than other cities of similar size and growth in the US that the local governments still need a threshold level of revenue to provide their services. So, net on cost of living, you are still lower than elsewhere. Net on total taxes is that you will be in one of the lowest taxed jurisdictions in the US with an economy and job prospect unlike most other states in the US, especially if construction is your industry.

As for the rest of your list, frankly, it depends on where in the city you choose to live. Having worked in most of the largest US cities, I can say that you can find what you want in most every city.

Long term prospects is a different story. That depends on the city's long term attractiveness to business. IDK about San Antonio as much, but I feel confident in saying that the other three are strong in this aspect, especially when stacked up against other US cities of comparable size (not to say anything is wrong with other cities).

[sxrckr]

I would say San Antonio for you. Fits aside from the public transit.

Houston as a second choice.
Dallas has bad winters and is in the "Bible Belt."
Austin has gotten so expensive and crowded for what you get.

[Transplanted99]

Originally Posted by JohnnyDA

San Antonio is the mecca of Catholic Universities. Probably also cheaper than Houston or Dallas.
Weather? Hot as hell, most of Texas is. I guess South/West Texas is worse.
Public transportation? LOL
There is lots to do in SA but some people consider certain locations tourists traps.

Right, Texas cities seem to design and plan for cars (maybe not so much Austin?).

We found DFW rather well laid out vs other US cities. Not to say there are not rush hour problems. But, it is generally easier to get around.

Public transportation outside of buses (e.g. trains) exist, but they are a huge expense to build and maintain vs leveraging the expenditure in roads by using buses. These cities are newer and therefore are well spread out (because people actually prefer homes over condos, and can afford homes here), making the per passenger cost of building high compared to, say, the east coast cities where density is much higher. Plus, fixed modes of transportation are less adaptive to changing demographics.

You will never find NYC style subway system in Texas. In the end, people from high density coastal cities make an issue of this as if Texas is lacking some sophistication, but it is a practical decision, and that practicality partially explains why Texas lets you keep more of your income.

[Transplanted99]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

I would say San Antonio for you. Fits aside from the public transit.

Houston as a second choice.
Dallas has bad winters and is in the "Bible Belt."
Austin has gotten so expensive and crowded for what you get.

Sorry, must disagree on "bad winters". Folks here said this past winter was one of the worst...three different days we had ice that lasted one day. Having lived in the northern climate of this country, that is laughable, as it would be highly desirable as a winter climate for folks up there.

I would have a different order, but I posted some facts when we were faced for a similar decision for the OP to decide for himself.

I took it that high on the OP's list is construction industry jobs...probably pretty reasonable in all the cities, but I am aware of much coming Dallas' way and posted links showing that. Might be interesting if folks have links for what is coming down the pike in these other cities.

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by Transplanted99

Right, Texas cities seem to design and plan for cars (maybe not so much Austin?).

We found DFW rather well laid out vs other US cities. Not to say there are not rush hour problems. But, it is generally easier to get around.

Public transportation outside of buses (e.g. trains) exist, but they are a huge expense to build and maintain vs leveraging the expenditure in roads by using buses. These cities are newer and therefore are well spread out (because people actually prefer homes over condos, and can afford homes here), making the per passenger cost of building high compared to, say, the east coast cities where density is much higher. Plus, fixed modes of transportation are less adaptive to changing demographics.

You will never find NYC style subway system in Texas. In the end, people from high density coastal cities make an issue of this as if Texas is lacking some sophistication, but it is a practical decision, and that practicality partially explains why Texas lets you keep more of your income.

While Dallas may have a street grid system traffic is still bad to horrible. San Antonio has the least amount of traffic than any other of the big four Texas metros.

[Cacao]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

While Dallas may have a street grid system traffic is still bad to horrible. San Antonio has the least amount of traffic than any other of the big four Texas metros.

Except most people there drive like they have nowhere important to go so its kind of a even trade off.