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Hello. Thank you for having me. I posted this question at the beginning of this year, and am now in need of new input on this subject. I look forward to any constructive input, whether you've lived in Texas or have just visited Texas.
My mom and I currently live in Las Vegas but are seriously considering a move to Texas within 6 months. We moved to Vegas for the cheap cost of living, but as we're not at all fans of gambling, excessive drinking, shopping, a culture that promotes all of the previously mentioned or the throngs of raunchy/cruel/moronic people getting away with whatever crime they choose to commit, we're heavily focused on taking our resources and moving to a state that provides much more. After living in Vegas for two years, we can safely say that we're tired of the perks that come with the 'cheap cost of living': running into people with the ugliest souls as soon as we walk out the door, constantly being asked 'hey, you twins?' with no follow up conversation, constantly running into drunkards, throngs of people only looking out for themselves and the sore lack of parks. We don't live in the Henderson or Summerlin areas, just in case someone can point out a park or two in either of those areas. We're stationed in North Las Vegas.
Now in moving to Sin City, we should've expected all of this, right? We did, but we were far more focused on the cost of living being so cooperative. But now that we've had our fill of the legendary Sin City, we're looking at moving to a state in which other family members are living: Texas. What would be the best city for us? What are its pros and cons? Here's a quick snapshot of our situation:
Finances: Mom's working a call center job that pays $14.85 an hour. I'm employed at a call center that pays $13.50 an hour. We've got $2,000 in savings. At this point, we're looking to move wherever life is thriving in Texas, not necessarily somewhere that's dirt cheap because that's how we ended up in Vegas: watching a vlogger praise Vegas for being cheap.
Jobs: We've got recent call center experience and have been previously employed in customer service positions outside of call centers. So we've got job histories-but we're also looking to create start-up companies some point in the near future. Could you please tell me which city has a strong job market, and/or a strong market for start-ups? It can be one or the other.
Attitude: Having lived in Las Vegas for two years, we're a little tired of the tourist-y, 'gimme gimme gimme', 'let's go play some slots' culture running rampant through the city. Yes, something we should've considered before the move, but we needed the cheap cost of living to gain savings. What city has great energy to it? Where are people vital, active, creative and invested in their community? What city has a sincerely 'you can count on me, I'll be there for you' attitude?
Culture: Leads me back to what I said about attitude: Mom and I need the polar opposite of what we're getting in Vegas. Sure, it attracts kagrillions of people every hour from all over the globe, but...eh. What city is a great melting pot of cultures? Where's a strong volume of diversity?
Weather: It's hot in Vegas, so unless it hits around 150 degrees Fahrenheit someone in Texas, weather's not really a concern for us.
I think I'll start there. If you can name a city that fits one of the previously mentioned points, or all of the points, either one would be most helpful. Even if its just 'Dallas has lots of culture', would be incredibly helpful input. Just help us get out of Vegas.
What sector of the economy are you gonna have your start-up in....high tech?I think there's lot of high tech in Austin but its a big drinking/partying/narcotics town.Houston is the most diverse metro in the state but the job market is not strong because West Texas intermediate is cheap.Dallas/Fort/Worth/Arlington Metro is diverse too and has a more stable and diversifed economic base.I would worry about finding jobs first and then worry about what city to be in.DFWA also has high-tech.
San Antonio (far west side near Sea World) has many Corporate Call centers (& wouldn't be as expensive as greater Dallas and Austin). It's a tourist town (but nothing like LV), more of a historical & family tourist type of place.
Houston might be a good spot too (but I'm not as familiar with the call center market there).
Not sure what you mean by "Diversity". SA is 60% Hispanic (maybe higher?).
In my opinion, 2K (for a nest egg) isn't enough to make a "move". But if no kids, maybe it makes sense to take a chance....(since your experience and income expectation doesn't seem out of line).
- Do you prefer Suburbia or more in town?
- Do you have kids?
- What do you mean by "diverse"?
- Are you sure that your mom wants to move from a town where everyone thinks she's your twin?
Not to burst your bubble, but DFW is no longer a cheap place to live. It was 10-15 years ago before millions of people moved to the state for jobs and cheap housing. 5.9 million people have moved to Texas between 2005-2013. This has driven up housing costs in most major metro areas.
I rented a 2 bedroom apartment 4 years ago that was 1350.00 that same apartment is going for 1800.00 now, which is shocking. Rents go up yearly due to demand.
You used to be able to buy a new starter home for 120-150k. Those days are long gone. There is a shortage of entry level homes. I bought my first house a 120k DR Horton home in suburban Fort Worth in 2005 that was new construction that is worth 200k. You would have a hard time finding housing without local jobs.
You would need a lot more than 2k in savings to move to DFW now.
Traffic is bad as infrastructure has trouble keeping pace.
Texas has a pro business climate and your call center salary would probably increase somewhat.
San Antonio (far west side near Sea World) has many Corporate Call centers (& wouldn't be as expensive as greater Dallas and Austin). It's a tourist town (but nothing like LV), more of a historical & family tourist type of place.
Houston might be a good spot too (but I'm not as familiar with the call center market there).
Not sure what you mean by "Diversity". SA is 60% Hispanic (maybe higher?).
In my opinion, 2K (for a nest egg) isn't enough to make a "move". But if no kids, maybe it makes sense to take a chance....(since your experience and income expectation doesn't seem out of line).
- Do you prefer Suburbia or more in town?
- Do you have kids?
- What do you mean by "diverse"?
- Are you sure that your mom wants to move from a town where everyone thinks she's your twin?
Good luck!
All of the responses thus far have been incredibly helpful, so thank you everyone. In regards to this particular response, Mom and I are looking for a city that possibly combines 'city life' and 'urban life', but would be perfectly all right with a city that's purely 'city-esque'. As we're so anti-Vegas, we'd be honored to find a great city in Texas that we'd be able to call home. So whether a quiet, low-key city has 50,000 people or a loud, active city with a vibrant nightlife has a population of 550,000, we're definitely not up to ruling out either option.
Neither of us have kids or pets. It's just the two of us and would just be the two of us moving out to Texas.
As for diversity, we're looking for a melting pot of cultures, not a city that's dominated by one culture and barely features a pinch of other cultures. We're looking for a city that welcomes all walks of life and weaves them into a happy, active, thriving community. Not necessarily something out of a Disney movie, just a city in which people of different races/cultures/languages/etc are welcome and are able to create prosperous, happy lives.
And yes, Mom and I are more than ready to never see Vegas again. The 'are you twins?' question was flattering when we first arrived, but now that we know we're being preyed on predators looking to pick up female prey, it's not at all that flattering any more. Especially since we walked out of our apartment last week, had a drunken women leer at us with 'are you guys twins?' and not say anything else after we answered. So it's cute, no one being able to believe our ages, but not out here.
There was a question about start-ups. While we're definitely open to finding employment in call centers or any industry that provides customer service positions, we're looking to create artistic start-ups. I aspire to become a full-time writer sometime in the near future. So we're looking for an environment that's artsy and welcomes artsy businesses, but considering how urgent we are to get out of Vegas, that's not really a heavy focus right now. We'll make do. As for making do-
We're not interested in purchasing a home right now, as we do need to acquire greater savings before doing so. We're looking to rent an apartment in a safe, peaceful, affordable area. We're more than willing to 'wing it' in the city we choose, as our spirits have been sharpened by our exposure to rampant madness in Vegas. We'd rather grind the pavement in Texas than continue to 'enjoy' Vegas' cheap cost of living.
All of the responses thus far have been incredibly helpful, so thank you everyone. In regards to this particular response, Mom and I are looking for a city that possibly combines 'city life' and 'urban life', but would be perfectly all right with a city that's purely 'city-esque'. As we're so anti-Vegas, we'd be honored to find a great city in Texas that we'd be able to call home. So whether a quiet, low-key city has 50,000 people or a loud, active city with a vibrant nightlife has a population of 550,000, we're definitely not up to ruling out either option.
Neither of us have kids or pets. It's just the two of us and would just be the two of us moving out to Texas.
As for diversity, we're looking for a melting pot of cultures, not a city that's dominated by one culture and barely features a pinch of other cultures. We're looking for a city that welcomes all walks of life and weaves them into a happy, active, thriving community. Not necessarily something out of a Disney movie, just a city in which people of different races/cultures/languages/etc are welcome and are able to create prosperous, happy lives.
And yes, Mom and I are more than ready to never see Vegas again. The 'are you twins?' question was flattering when we first arrived, but now that we know we're being preyed on predators looking to pick up female prey, it's not at all that flattering any more. Especially since we walked out of our apartment last week, had a drunken women leer at us with 'are you guys twins?' and not say anything else after we answered. So it's cute, no one being able to believe our ages, but not out here.
There was a question about start-ups. While we're definitely open to finding employment in call centers or any industry that provides customer service positions, we're looking to create artistic start-ups. I aspire to become a full-time writer sometime in the near future. So we're looking for an environment that's artsy and welcomes artsy businesses, but considering how urgent we are to get out of Vegas, that's not really a heavy focus right now. We'll make do. As for making do-
We're not interested in purchasing a home right now, as we do need to acquire greater savings before doing so. We're looking to rent an apartment in a safe, peaceful, affordable area. We're more than willing to 'wing it' in the city we choose, as our spirits have been sharpened by our exposure to rampant madness in Vegas. We'd rather grind the pavement in Texas than continue to 'enjoy' Vegas' cheap cost of living.
San Antone is a family-oriented city that has call centers and customer service jobs as HEB is headquarted there but it aint diverse in my opinion.I guess Austin is artsy but expensive and not as diverse cuz its the whitest major city in the state. and there's lot of drunks there.Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington Metroplex and Houston are both diverse but Dallas is getting real pricey.What is your budget for apartments?Netime and best of luck.I think you should have a lot more 2 grand before you make the leap.
San Antone is a family-oriented city that has call centers and customer service jobs as HEB is headquarted there but it aint diverse in my opinion.I guess Austin is artsy but expensive and not as diverse cuz its the whitest major city in the state. and there's lot of drunks there.Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington Metroplex and Houston are both diverse but Dallas is getting real pricey.What is your budget for apartments?Netime and best of luck.I think you should have a lot more 2 grand before you make the leap.
Which is why we're sadly looking to move within a few more months, if not a year, in order to get a good foot in the door. As much as we'd love to move out of Vegas tomorrow, we know we need to gather more savings from our current employment in order to afford a good apartment in whatever city we end up in. As of right now, we're hoping to spend anywhere between $700-$900 for a good apartment, as we're spending $1,005 right now every month just to live you-know-where.
It sounds like the DFW area is a strong option, even with the cost of living moving up. Mom and I were attracted to Vegas because of the low cost of living and hate it beyond words. We're ready to gather more savings and hit the ground like lionesses to make a great life in Texas, so the cost of living isn't ruling DFW out as an option. If there's a city in that area that's a little less expensive but diverse, active and welcoming, I'd definitely would love to learn about it, but am definitely still opening to hearing about all other possibilities too.
Which is why we're sadly looking to move within a few more months, if not a year, in order to get a good foot in the door. As much as we'd love to move out of Vegas tomorrow, we know we need to gather more savings from our current employment in order to afford a good apartment in whatever city we end up in. As of right now, we're hoping to spend anywhere between $700-$900 for a good apartment, as we're spending $1,005 right now every month just to live you-know-where.
It sounds like the DFW area is a strong option, even with the cost of living moving up. Mom and I were attracted to Vegas because of the low cost of living and hate it beyond words. We're ready to gather more savings and hit the ground like lionesses to make a great life in Texas, so the cost of living isn't ruling DFW out as an option. If there's a city in that area that's a little less expensive but diverse, active and welcoming, I'd definitely would love to learn about it, but am definitely still opening to hearing about all other possibilities too.
Okay thats kool fair enough.I hear Arlington is a cheaper and more diverse than many of the desirable DFWA suburbs.However, there is a good deal of crime but u should be fine.I wish you the best of luck.
Fort Worth is cheaper than Dallas. $700.00 will get you a place in Stop Six which is a very high crime area.
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In regards to this particular response, Mom and I are looking for a city that possibly combines 'city life' and 'urban life', but would be perfectly all right with a city that's purely 'city-esque'. As we're so anti-Vegas, we'd be honored to find a great city in Texas that we'd be able to call home. So whether a quiet, low-key city has 50,000 people or a loud, active city with a vibrant nightlife has a population of 550,000, we're definitely not up to ruling out either option.
