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[quote=aen935;60026068]Hi! My family and I are considering a move. We are debating between Texas and Arizona. My husband has never been to Texas so we're taking a week trip down in January for him to get a taste (and for me to get a better feel, as I've only been to the Dallas area and San Antonio a couple of times).
Hi...I wished to respond to your post as we just came across the country and we live in Arizona, so I will get right with it.
I love the eastern part of Texas, we were driving on Hwy 20 for the most part, north east of Dallas. The western parts reminded me of Arizona, desert, flat, hardly any green, smelled in some areas as there was alot of oil wells, gas being burned off. Because of the oil industry down there, you will see many trailer communities for the workers. Worst area was Odessa.
Drivers were very aggressive at times exceeding speeds of 85, lots of pickups with brush guards riding your tail as well as semi's. It is a state law to not ride in the left lane but it was challenging since road construction was everywhere. Especially in the western part...oil country. Saw many empty hotels along the route.
In all fairness we were riding alone the interstate so by no means had a full realistic view of towns. I will tell you the folks in the smaller communities were very friendly. We had an issue with our SUV and pulled off the road in Eastern Texas. A man came over to our aid immediately after limping into a station. He fixed our problem as he had tools. He would not take any money for his services...Gotta love Texas.
You did not mention your political views, we saw many American flags along with Trump ones. Kinda wondering now with a new administration how Texas will fare with New Green Deal warriors on the horizon.
In closing, like many baby boomers we are looking to live out the rest of our lives in peace, with our freedoms. We will be leaving Arizona as those things are under attack here.
Have you spent any time in the big Texas metros in July or August? That'd when I'd plan your trip IMNSHO. Get a feel for just how miserable summers in DFW, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston are.
I seriously wouldn't pull the trigger on the move unless you're comfortable with the summertime climate.
Hi! My family and I are considering a move. We are debating between Texas and Arizona. My husband has never been to Texas so we're taking a week trip down in January for him to get a taste (and for me to get a better feel, as I've only been to the Dallas area and San Antonio a couple of times).
Hi...I wished to respond to your post as we just came across the country and we live in Arizona, so I will get right with it.
I love the eastern part of Texas, we were driving on Hwy 20 for the most part, north east of Dallas. The western parts reminded me of Arizona, desert, flat, hardly any green, smelled in some areas as there was alot of oil wells, gas being burned off. Because of the oil industry down there, you will see many trailer communities for the workers. Worst area was Odessa.
Drivers were very aggressive at times exceeding speeds of 85, lots of pickups with brush guards riding your tail as well as semi's. It is a state law to not ride in the left lane but it was challenging since road construction was everywhere. Especially in the western part...oil country. Saw many empty hotels along the route.
In all fairness we were riding alone the interstate so by no means had a full realistic view of towns. I will tell you the folks in the smaller communities were very friendly. We had an issue with our SUV and pulled off the road in Eastern Texas. A man came over to our aid immediately after limping into a station. He fixed our problem as he had tools. He would not take any money for his services...Gotta love Texas.
You did not mention your political views, we saw many American flags along with Trump ones. Kinda wondering now with a new administration how Texas will fare with New Green Deal warriors on the horizon.
In closing, like many baby boomers we are looking to live out the rest of our lives in peace, with our freedoms. We will be leaving Arizona as those things are under attack here.
Thank you for sharing your experience! Where did you move to in Texas? You'll have to keep me updated on what you think of it, especially compared to Arizona. That is the other state we're considering moving.
Have you spent any time in the big Texas metros in July or August? That'd when I'd plan your trip IMNSHO. Get a feel for just how miserable summers in DFW, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston are.
I seriously wouldn't pull the trigger on the move unless you're comfortable with the summertime climate.
No! I haven't. That's the part that scares me and makes me apprehensive to move, for sure. Haha. My husband has been in Arizona in the summer and says it's pretty awful, but manageable (I also have family who are there that say it was hard at first but they adjusted). I've spent a lot of time in Florida in the summer and know that type of humidity and heat! I'm not sure how it compares to Texas though. Do you have experience with both states?
Ideally I would love to spend time in Texas and Arizona in the summer to get a taste, and we could definitely make another trip. However, we do have a blended family and so we are working with the other household to make the move possible (the parent in the other household is from Arizona). We are trying to keep the kids on a week on/week off schedule, as we started that when the pandemic hit and everyone was doing online learning. It seems to work well for our families and it seems healthier (for the most part) for the kids to see both sets of parents on a more even schedule. Because of this, we are attempting to be able to move before the next school year begins (and unfortunately that means before the fall).
No! I haven't. That's the part that scares me and makes me apprehensive to move, for sure. Haha. My husband has been in Arizona in the summer and says it's pretty awful, but manageable (I also have family who are there that say it was hard at first but they adjusted). I've spent a lot of time in Florida in the summer and know that type of humidity and heat! I'm not sure how it compares to Texas though. Do you have experience with both states?
Ideally I would love to spend time in Texas and Arizona in the summer to get a taste, and we could definitely make another trip. However, we do have a blended family and so we are working with the other household to make the move possible (the parent in the other household is from Arizona). We are trying to keep the kids on a week on/week off schedule, as we started that when the pandemic hit and everyone was doing online learning. It seems to work well for our families and it seems healthier (for the most part) for the kids to see both sets of parents on a more even schedule. Because of this, we are attempting to be able to move before the next school year begins (and unfortunately that means before the fall).
I don't have experience with Texas vs Florida weather. Generally speaking, DFW, San Antonio, and Austin will be less humid than Florida, but considerably hotter. Temps in the 90s are common in June, July, August, and September, and you can expect 1-2 dozen days above 100 in a typical summer (fewer in DFW, more in Austin and San Antonio).
Houston's weather will be the closest to Florida's. A little more humid than the other cities, and the slightest bit cooler.
The eastern half of Texas won't be as hot as the Arizona desert, but it's not exactly cool, either. The added humidity means overnight lows in the upper 60s to mid 70s during the dog days of summer. You won't be leaving windows open at night during the summer.
Thank you for sharing your experience! Where did you move to in Texas? You'll have to keep me updated on what you think of it, especially compared to Arizona. That is the other state we're considering moving.
Best to you in your new endeavours!
Well we have not hooked up the wagons just yet, would need to sell our place in Arizona plus my hubby is undergoing some medical procedures thru spring.
One thing to add to your list of items to check on is the Texas tornados. There are many references about this...unfortunately looks like the majority of Texas is ground zero for these serious weather issues.
Well we have not hooked up the wagons just yet, would need to sell our place in Arizona plus my hubby is undergoing some medical procedures thru spring.
One thing to add to your list of items to check on is the Texas tornados. There are many references about this...unfortunately looks like the majority of Texas is ground zero for these serious weather issues.
There are no free rides...
While tornadoes are frequent in the north texas area, Austin and San Antonio are in the very very bottom tip of tornado alley. While they do happen, and we get our fair share of tornado watches and every once in a while f1 and maybe f2 tornadoes, it’s not so frequent that it needs to be a worry. We’re more likely to get a tornado from a tropical storm then from a wild cold front that’s coming through. Most central and south Texans worry more about flash flooding then tornadoes. We are known as the flash flood capital of the world, not just the country. Checking the fema flood plain map is a frequent process in the home buying process since we’ve had a handful of 100 year floods in the last thirty years. Houston has to worry about hurricanes and the occasional tornado from those storms more then the wild fronts. I’m not as familiar with their weather as I am with SA and Austin.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aen935
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Primary purpose of trip? For my husband to visit Texas (as he's never been and it's hard to consider a move if you've never been somewhere) and to check out different areas in Texas. Not tourist stuff. Definitely community survey and to get a feel for culture, amenities, etc.
Requirements:
commute? Definitely want to be near an airport, as we travel a lot for work and pleasure. We both work from home so commute to a job isn't particularly important. We have two middle schoolers so good schools are preferable and buses that will take them there (if I have to drive, it's not the end of the world though). We are big outdoorsy people and hiking is absolutely necessary to my life! So I'd prefer to be near a lot of parks or public outdoor spaces, ...
For your Texas trip...
NW SAT...
visiting, Fredericksburg (including WWII museum) is very nice, as is Comfort (antiques / quaint town)
Boerne has really good schools (as do a few other places)
Wimberley / Fischer's Corner gets you close to Canyon Lake and AUS and SAT airports
for a non-Texas location (just in case...) one of many...
Really tough to beat our other location (SW WA) Vancouver / Camas, WA
Opposite climate of Central TX, so we live in both (+ overseas)
No income tax State
Excellent schools and recreation / entertainment / food options
10 min to a GREAT international airport
10 min to wonderful hiking (Lots and lots of public land (of which Texas has minimal))
BIG River (Mighty Columbia)
1 hr to Oregon coast
1 hr to great snow skiing (year round)
4-6 hrs to Canada (Vancouver / Victoria)
2 hr Flight to So CA (was escaping to San Diego for $19.90 direct flights a couple yrs ago)
cool summers (no bugs)
wet winters (slugs) Good time to go to Texas or NZ or Chile!
Tornadoes are not “frequent” in the DFW area. In fact, they are fairly rare. In a normal year, we may have less than 5 storms that produce a tornado. It is highly unlikely that your home would ever be damaged by a tornado, and most Texans have never even seen a tornado. So, don’t make a decision based on whether an area could possibly have a tornado.
One thing to note: school buses in Texas are not required if the student lives a mile or less from the school without crossing a major road. Most suburban school districts avoid busing wherever possible, especially at the elementary level. For junior high and high school, your kids may be able to ride a bus.
Tornadoes are not “frequent” in the DFW area. In fact, they are fairly rare. In a normal year, we may have less than 5 storms that produce a tornado. It is highly unlikely that your home would ever be damaged by a tornado, and most Texans have never even seen a tornado. So, don’t make a decision based on whether an area could possibly have a tornado.
One thing to note: school buses in Texas are not required if the student lives a mile or less from the school without crossing a major road. Most suburban school districts avoid busing wherever possible, especially at the elementary level. For junior high and high school, your kids may be able to ride a bus.
Every school district I’ve come in contact with uses the 2 mile rule. I’m sure every district is different, but if OP moves here, it’d be best they find out directly from the district and not a random Internet forum.
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Good time to go to Texas or NZ or Chile!
