Considering moving to Texas....from Montana..help! (Houston, Dallas: appointed, homeowners insurance)

[katiev111]

My husband and I are young, in our early 20's. We are considering moving to Texas for a couple reasons. Mostly because family is down there, and we want to be close to family. Secondly, better job opportunities for me..(my husband has a job that is very flexible and he can move anywhere we choose essentially, although pay would be better in Texas). Third, although we LOVE rural life, we don't have kids and so there isn't much here for us at this point in our life. And I'm talking RURAL. I have been to Texas before...my sister lives in Austin. I do love Texas! Good food, friendly people, good culture. I think it would be heart breaking to leave Montana. We live on 5 acres in a small town (we wouldn't buy acreage in Texas) , with beautiful mountain views. We know everyone and life is quiet here. (yes, I know, sounds weird that two twenty-somethings would like that, but we are small town people at heart, despite it being boring at times). Our state has only 1 million people, Texas has nearly 30 million people! I just don't know how much of a shock it would be!

I would love pros and cons of Texas at large, and more specifically, Austin (that is where we would most likely go as family lives there, however, we would consider Houston and Dallas because of husbands job...thank you!

[GBCommenter]

Off the top of my head, and hopefully others will chime in with additional constructive comments:

Pros:

Generally decent economic opportunities
no state income tax (high property tax, but you said you're not buying)
no shortage of things to do in the bigger cities, and enough good food to be tried nearby
Austin would have some scenery within the city and relatively nearby in Hill Country (though nothing comparable to Montana, of course)
Don't forget while there's 30 million people (and more arriving everyday), it's a big state... I think you can get out of the cities relatively easy for open spaces.
Milder winters than you're likely used to in MT
If you're political, I would guess somewhat the same as Montana (given both are generally viewed as conservative strongholds - though Texas is definitely more "purple" than in the past)
Pretty awesome State Fair (that's a super personal observation, but I stand by it...it's almost as good as my home state's fair in Minnesota...LOL - let the attacks begin! )


Cons:
outside of Austin and Hill Country, fairly flat terrain - definitely compared to MT
cities have congestion - in Dallas where I live it is always recommended to live near your job or be ready for long commutes
Toll roads for many highways (though, that said, the tolls aren't terribly expensive and somewhat avoidable depending on choices you make)
For the mild winters, HOT HOT summers. Also remember (which I learned quickly when moving here), in Dallas the technical low in summer may be 75-80F - but that's at 4AM. Even at 10-11PM in peak of summer, it's totally expected to see temps still 90F

One big thought...you're coming with a job and you're young (BTW that's a good thing to come with a job - it's not wise to move here just on the belief a job will fall into your lap - the job market is strong, but not that strong, in Texas). Montana won't go away forever if you leave. If you come down and don't like it, still plenty of time to move back to MT and it seems like the financial means to do it. Some would say better to try it and never second guess yourself.

[Angie682]

Check out the Austin forum. Several posts recently about Austin being overrated, having low wages, high housing costs, too many people have moved there and lots of traffic.

You might not want to sell your acreage in Montana until you are absolutely sure Texas is for you.If you plan on having kids do you want them growing up in a rural environment or in a city?

It is hot here. Summer lasts six months. Your electric bill will be high in the summer. Six million people have moved to Texas since 2008 primarily due to the good economy. As a result housing costs and rents have increased and traffic is bad in all of the metros. You're not going to find a new starter house for 120k anymore. It is not particularly scenic so if you love mountains you will miss them (I'm from Utah and still miss the mountains 20 years later). The "it's cheap to live in Texas" is a myth unless you are coming from a more expensive metro, sold a house and have a lot of cash or have a high paying job. Property taxes and homeowners insurance cost more here.

I love Texas and feel I moved here at the right time. I have found lots of opportunity and am really glad I moved here. I bought a great house. I would not be able to afford a comparable house in Salt Lake or Denver.

[rwr]

Howdy,
Texas has 4 seasons: Very warm, Hot, Very Hot and Hellishly Hot!
Montana is to Austin as oil is to water. Never the twain shall mix!
Good luck with your decision and welcome to the Republic of Texas!

[joqua]

Originally Posted by rwr

Howdy,
Texas has 4 seasons: Very warm, Hot, Very Hot and Hellishly Hot!
Montana is to Austin as oil is to water. Never the twain shall mix!
Good luck with your decision and welcome to the Republic of Texas!

I say AMEN to that! Can't think of a more drastic change than moving from acreage in Montana to any city where the catch word is "urban sprawl." Many of the subdivisions being built in recent years are minimal lot sizes with houses so close together one can hear their neighbors flush their toilets!

[TexasRedneck]

I'd suggest looking into areas outside of Austin, D/FW or Houston. I'd rather live further out and spend commute times on back roads than on congested highways.

Of the three, Houston would be out immediately. I traveled there on business for 20 years - neat city, but traffic is everywhere, and their "sanctuary city" position has created some upticks in crime, not to mention the "bumper car" traffic.

D/FW.....Fort Worth area would be my choice - again, going to one of the surrounding communities for the more laid-back atmosphere and reduced pace.

Austin.....LOTS of regulations on about anything you want to do, even on your own property. And they'd had such an influx of people, the prices have gotten pretty crazy (as noted by others). Watch the water quality (hardness and TDS) of property west/southwest of Austin.

The San Antonio area might also be worth taking a look at.....there's a lot more growth than is readily apparent, yet it still retains much of its' small town feel. I find the pace there more laid back, and IMO the folks are friendlier. While growing, there are still areas that you CAN find decent prices on land, although it's getting harder to come by. Our own home has almost doubled in value in the 11 years we've lived here, and it's climbing. Look out east and west of SA if you do decide to look - property south often has pretty poor water quality in my experience (and my company does water treatment, so I'm pretty involved in it).

[GBCommenter]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

I'd suggest looking into areas outside of Austin, D/FW or Houston. I'd rather live further out and spend commute times on back roads than on congested highways.

Of the three, Houston would be out immediately. I traveled there on business for 20 years - neat city, but traffic is everywhere, and their "sanctuary city" position has created some upticks in crime, not to mention the "bumper car" traffic.

D/FW.....Fort Worth area would be my choice - again, going to one of the surrounding communities for the more laid-back atmosphere and reduced pace.

Austin.....LOTS of regulations on about anything you want to do, even on your own property. And they'd had such an influx of people, the prices have gotten pretty crazy (as noted by others). Watch the water quality (hardness and TDS) of property west/southwest of Austin.

The San Antonio area might also be worth taking a look at.....there's a lot more growth than is readily apparent, yet it still retains much of its' small town feel. I find the pace there more laid back, and IMO the folks are friendlier. While growing, there are still areas that you CAN find decent prices on land, although it's getting harder to come by. Our own home has almost doubled in value in the 11 years we've lived here, and it's climbing. Look out east and west of SA if you do decide to look - property south often has pretty poor water quality in my experience (and my company does water treatment, so I'm pretty involved in it).

Some great thoughts there, based on my admittedly somewhat limited experience of each of these cities.

I absolutely agree Ft. Worth would be my more preferred choice over Dallas for the same reasons as TXRedneck mentions. Much more laid back, more feeling of stereotypical Texas (relative to Dallas). My job is in Addison, so it's unfortunately not realistic to commute to FW. The distance alone is a problem, on top of the traffic.

My visits to San Antonio have been nice, with many more historic buildings downtown (though a bit touristy). I can see what TXRedneck is saying above...

[hitpausebutton2]

Yea expect to have a increase in spending, as the cost of living in Austin SUCKS! Give you a idea, a typical 800-1000 sq apt here runs about 1200+ a month and thats for a one bed room. Your stuck paying city of austin for power and water so no competition, and depending on area, you have 3-4 choices on ISP, so thats a good thing. I been to MT and love the country views and small town feel, just too damn cold for my bones. I got stuck in Billings during the 2009 blizzard for 2 weeks before i could get to the airport.

My point of view.
CON- Market is saturated with over price housing and cost of living period. excuses are supply and demand, but to me its greed and high property taxes. Job market is tight, but you can find work. Just need to pay better so you wont have to work a second job to buy milk. Expect to see alot of beggers and homeless people, due to COL being so high and personal choices they made.

PRO-- So much to do here and Good mix of people from all over the world and states. Good food and great entertainment district. Austin kick out Ride fare companies such as Uber and Lyft but you can find some private firms that pick up some of the slack.

If you want that rural feel, try the out skirts of town, hill country, north round rock, killeen.. Just dont live in town..

[lepoisson]

Why not consider a medium sized town like Tyler, Lubbock, or Amarillo? Or a small town on the outskirts of a metro (like Azle). These towns will have many more opportunities than rural Montana, but will have a lower cost of living than Austin.

If you are outdoorsy folks and love the mountains, I honestly think you'll be disappointed in much of Texas. If you've ever driven through eastern Montana, that is what much of Texas looks like. Please make sure you visit before moving. The right place for one person might be the wrong place for someone else.

Also, I'm sure you are used to having no traffic. Be prepared for 30min drives in traffic just to get somewhere.

[katiev111]

Thank you everyone! SO much to think about.

My sister and parents have both told me that a lot of people in Texas are extremely flashy with their houses, cars, wanting to keep up with the joneses. Which of course, by all means, that's great if you have the money for that type of stuff! But I just can't stand that type of stuff. It will be weird adjusting to that...as no one in Montana acts like that. Sure, there are tons of rich people, but no one is super flashy like people are down in Texas. I just like down-to-earth, small town life.

There's so many places to choose from. Whatever metro area it may be, I definitely would want to live on the outskirts, or a small town outside of the city. I like cities, I just don't want to live in them lol. I naturally gravitate to Austin, for my family, but after much research, the COL is outrageous there, to the point where it wouldn't be worth it at all. I like Forth Worth area too, though. I think I will look into that more!

Again, THANK YOU for all the insightful responses, it's hard to respond to everyone's post.