Houston vs Dallas vs Austin vs San Antonio (West: oil, gas)

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

If you are going by actual numbers Houston and Dallas have more of every kind of ethnic group than Austin.

Yeah, my thought was "what ethnicity is more represented in both Dallas and Austin than Houston?". There are some ethnicities that are more represented in Dallas than Houston (Indians, Koreans, non-Nigerian Africans), but Houston has more of about 80% of ethnicities than Dallas and more of every ethnicity compared to Austin.

[kitty_nina1]

I just checked zipatlas and although I think their numbers are somewhat inflated it looks like the OP is going to find his former compatriots in Dallas, Houston (neck in neck) and then Austin. But again I could have guessed the OPs origin incorrectly.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the hot weather unless you are into camping and too much of the outdoorsy stuff. Just drink lots of water.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by kitty_nina1

I just checked zipatlas and although I think their numbers are somewhat inflated it looks like the OP is going to find his former compatriots in Dallas, Houston (neck in neck) and then Austin. But again I could have guessed the OPs origin incorrectly.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the hot weather unless you are into camping and too much of the outdoorsy stuff. Just drink lots of water.

Did the OP mention their ethnicity?

[kitty_nina1]

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

Did the OP mention their ethnicity?

No. They mentioned they are not native Canadians and that they have no family close by. I think they are Eastern European. Again, I may be wrong...just judging by how the posts are written.
All I was trying to say is that certain Eastern Europeans are present in larger numbers in Dallas, Houston and Austin.
It always helps to be near familiar language and culture when moving. OP is not looking for that so I guess they'll be fine anywhere in TX.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

While they are still important pieces of the local economy they are not the largest anymore. They are now the 4th and 5th largest sectors respectively.

I'm curious, what three economic sectors/industries in San Antonio now surpass tourism and military? I can think of maybe - energy exploration in the Eagle Ford, though I have not investigated how long that activity is expected to last. The Barnett Shale was huge from like 2000 - 2012 (coincidently, when earthquake activity was at its highest) but that play has become a trickle and no one in D/FW really has heard anything in 4 or 5 years. So if its tops now it may not be in 5 years.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by MarshaBrady1968

I have lived in Texas most of my life, except 2 years in California and 2 years in Portland OR (more on that later). Even still, YES the heat is that bad...to ME....my husband is fine with it, so I guess it depends. People die from heat here. Yes, shade is still unbearable. The same way you do nothing you don't have to in the winter there, would be the summer (and spring and fall) here.

On TX vs OR: For beauty and outdoors and even weather, there is no compare. Portland is Brad Pitt, and Dallas is my dog's a$$. Being much smaller than Dallas, it has its ups and downs- not as many "hot new items" such as restaurants, movies, art shows, come to Portland like Dallas, harder to travel from Portland than from Dallas- ya know, that kind of thing.

Cost: TX has no state income tax (for now anyway- current bill in the state government I believe), whereas OR does. TX has enormous property taxes though, and enormous electric bills (reference my rant on the heat-LOL). We paid about the same amount in total bills in Portland that we did in Dallas, TX honestly- they were just shifted to different entities.

People: There are a LOT of white people in Portland, which was weird to me as a native Texan (though I am white). People in Dallas (Texas in general) are hyper, HYPER (!!!!)- competitive. Like nothing I have experienced anywhere. Portland people are so laid back that you kinda wonder how they even put their shoes on the morning (and some don't)

HYPER competitive ...no..Portlanders are just slow...see the HUGE homeless population there and the wafting of weed through the air. PDX is what Austin used to be 30 years ago...Texans are competitive for sure but go to the eastern seaboard...D.C. to Boston. Hit Chicago or Silicon Valley for some cutthroat fun!

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by walker1962

I'm curious, what three economic sectors/industries in San Antonio now surpass tourism and military? I can think of maybe - energy exploration in the Eagle Ford, though I have not investigated how long that activity is expected to last. The Barnett Shale was huge from like 2000 - 2012 (coincidently, when earthquake activity was at its highest) but that play has become a trickle and no one in D/FW really has heard anything in 4 or 5 years. So if its tops now it may not be in 5 years.

1. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
2. Government (including military and non military)
3. Education and Health Services
4. Professional and Business Services
5. Leisure and Hospitality

https://texaslmi.com/EconomicProfiles/MSAProfiles

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by RobertoSaldana4

Depends on your preference, because I'm from near Dallas but have lived in San Antonio for the last 8 years of my life. All 4 cities have what you are looking for in terms of looking for jobs in the construction industry. All 4 cities are warm during the summer but Dallas is colder then the rest of them. Mosquitoes are everywhere so I don't think any city has an advantage. All 4 cities have areas with nice lawns and neighborhoods with big backyards. You guys say you guys want water activities, I believe San Antonio and Austin are your best bet. San Antonio and Austin have beautiful lakes and rivers and are very known for being very recreational. Dallas rivers and lakes look brown and other then fishing, I wouldn't wanna swim in those. The hill county is very beautiful and you can see a lot of green trees on top of the hills. San Antonio and Austin are only a bit over one hour between each other. Both cities have a lot of trails and hiking to do . To me, anyone that loves outdoors should be in this area, because there's just a lot to do. I recommend looking at New Braunfels, growing city but still has that small town charm, plus the rivers are just beautiful.



Dallas and Houston to me are very similar in terms of population, size, things to do, but they are both still very nice.



Austin is known for its parks, rivers, but its growing out of control. Depends if you like fast paced vs slow paced. Very bad traffic due to not much infrastructure being built compared to the growth.



San Antonio is known for being more neutral out of all of them. Known for being poor in some areas but is starting to become a better city.


That's why I say in between both SA and Austin because of the outdoor things to do as well being close to two major cities with each their own culture and activities to do.


All 4 cities also have their sides of good educational public schools. Any city suggested like Frisco, The Woodlands, New Braunfels have very good public schools. Austin is very well known for their public schools as well.

This is a great post. I am both a mechanical and software engineer. I also worked in healthcare. All four cities have great job opportunities for civil engineers, good public schools, and reasonable housing prices. If I had to choose a place, I would live somewhat south of Austin or far North San Antonio to leverage the job options in both cities during high and low years. The engineering economy tends to go in cycles, but Texas has been great of late - even during the recession of the late 2000s. It's like its own country and economy - lol.

[HoodyWoody]

Hi guys, I am glad to see this thread still going! There were lots of questions about my ethnicity and somebody have guessed it right! I'm Eastern European and I would appreciate if you let me know what are some of things that led you to think that way?! Haha, just pure curiosity....

If you ask me, I personally, one of those that don't stick together and am not searching for my people. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't find it interesting to have all conversations in the same direction. I like North American people, the most like those that are like me don't stick together and don't choose friends just because they came from the same country but at the same time progressive thinking, open minded and very realistic, calling spade a spade if you will.... And at the same time I don't like when certain nations are overly represented in some areas, like certain groups with their characteristics.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by HoodyWoody

Hi guys, I am glad to see this thread still going! There were lots of questions about my ethnicity and somebody have guessed it right! I'm Eastern European and I would appreciate if you let me know what are some of things that led you to think that way?! Haha, just pure curiosity....

If you ask me, I personally, one of those that don't stick together and am not searching for my people. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't find it interesting to have all conversations in the same direction. I like North American people, the most like those that are like me don't stick together and don't choose friends just because they came from the same country but at the same time progressive thinking, open minded and very realistic, calling spade a spade if you will.... And at the same time I don't like when certain nations are overly represented in some areas, like certain groups with their characteristics.

I feel ya. I dont stick to my own either.

Just because it was brought up earlier, here are the number of foreign born Eastern Europeans by Metro Area:

Dallas/Fort Worth: 22,525
Houston: 21,239
Austin: 7,760