Looking for cedar-free places in Texas

[WillysB]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

If you settle on East Texas make sure you're not trading one allergy for another. Pine tree pollen is also an allergen.

I'm glad to hear someone point that out. I lived near Tomball and worked in Sugarland. Each day on route home from work at about 149/1960, at that wall of pine trees my sinuses would react to that pollen.

Living in Abilene (Taylor county), in my youth, I would get cedar fever in spring and again in fall.

[allison99]

Originally Posted by JayKTX

I appreciate all the good information by those of you who have responded and I will consider it all.

I should have said I live in the TX Hill Country since not everyone knows the Edwards Plateau. I actually live between Kerrville and Fredericksburg, a major center of Mountain Cedar / Ash Juniper. "Cedar fever" is rampant here and severe. We live in a high valley surrounded by green hills, the green coming from the juniper. It's a beautiful place full of wonder BUT my last two winters have been so bad my husband is saying "move." We're retired so I suggested first we just try traveling in the winter months.

Thank you to those we shared what they know.

I lived in Austin for many years and had extreme Cedar Fever every year. Avoided going outside at all costs. Even to check my mail, I'd have to hold a towel over my face, reach outside my door, grab the mail from the box and close the door fast. Misery from mid December through February. I now live in Houston and do not suffer from cedar pollen anymore. I noticed on the news a few days ago that the cedar pollen was rated medium. I was suprised to even see cedar on the pollen list. Perhaps it is a different variety or perhaps just not much of it here. Yes, it's a humid area but I'll take humidity over misery any day !! Houston gets a bad rap from those who live in the Hill Country but there are beautiful places even in a large city.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by allison99

I lived in Austin for many years and had extreme Cedar Fever every year. Avoided going outside at all costs. Even to check my mail, I'd have to hold a towel over my face, reach outside my door, grab the mail from the box and close the door fast. Misery from mid December through February. I now live in Houston and do not suffer from cedar pollen anymore. I noticed on the news a few days ago that the cedar pollen was rated medium. I was suprised to even see cedar on the pollen list. Perhaps it is a different variety or perhaps just not much of it here. Yes, it's a humid area but I'll take humidity over misery any day !! Houston gets a bad rap from those who live in the Hill Country but there are beautiful places even in a large city.

Austin and central Texas are about the worst for cedar/juniper allergies as shown on that earlier map.

Houston has more pines, oaks, elms etc. and yes, the cedar may be a different variety than the "scrubby looking" cedar around west Austin.

It gets a bad rap from those in the hill country/central TX mostly because of ignorance/inexperience and/or that they dislike huge cities/urban areas.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Kibby

First - you are in the absolute epicenter of the Mountain Cedar area, and that is exactly what you are allergic to. Despite its common name, the mountain cedar is actually a juniper (Juniperus ashei) and it is unique because it "blooms" from late November to March, during that period - those who are allergic to it (they number in the millions) are totally miserable. They actually call it Cedar Fever.

Imagine Texas with a large stripe right down the middle from the Red River to the Rio Grande - that's Cedar country. You could go west of that line or you could go east. I suggest you look east. The weather is very nice in East Texas - make sure that you get east of College Station. If you want to be in a "city" - think Tyler, if the country is more your thing - there are lots of choices in that area. I like the area around Edom/Ben Wheeler but there are lots of places. Winters are still mild and you won't have the humidity that you would find on the coast. You can get an idea of areas that will work for you by looking at the map. I've lived in your area and I now live in the DFW area. We get the Mountain Cedar (doesn't bother me but my husband always suffers) so I can tell you that it's certainly here AND that the winter here is very similar to the winters in the Austin area.
You can go somewhere just East of Austin - say in the Round Top area and that will bring you further south. You are correct - there are places in Texas to escape this scurge.

Distribution Map of Juniperus ashei USDA Forest Service, Publication No. 1146




Cedar Forcast, this is from Tulsa that occasionally has Texas Mountain Cedar blow up to their area.

Map giving some pollen counts in the Texas/South region.

Good article about Cedar Fever in Texas Monthly

**** Luck
K

I've noticed with some trepidation that Cedar has started showing up on the pollen counts recently. Cedar Fever made me seriously ill here in central Texas last winter. The Cedars pollen season runs from roughly mid Dec. thru Feb. Resource Center It made me so ill that I undertook a new series of allergy shots this year hoping I might not have to go through that again. I'm thinking this year if it starts bothering me again I may winter in Rockport or perhaps Puerto Rico. I'm retired so am free to relocate and I spent one Christmas to New Years week in Puerto Rico in the past, they have wonderful weather down there that time of year.

[JH6]

if you have allergies, then why not invest in a allergist and get allergy shots or drops?

Might be cheaper than MOVING.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by JH6

if you have allergies, then why not invest in a allergist and get allergy shots or drops?

Might be cheaper than MOVING.

I guess you overlooked the part where I wrote: "It made me so ill that I undertook a new series of allergy shots this year hoping I might not have to go through that again."

I have done that for probably 30 years or more, with limited effectiveness. The Cedar still made me seriously ill last winter. I'm hopeful that it will be more effective this year.

But yes, I have been going into the Allergy doctor for shots every few weeks for around 30 years. They help but do not eliminate the affliction.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I guess you overlooked the part where I wrote: "It made me so ill that I undertook a new series of allergy shots this year hoping I might not have to go through that again."

I have done that for probably 30 years or more, with limited effectiveness. The Cedar still made me seriously ill last winter. I'm hopeful that it will be more effective this year.

But yes, I have been going into the Allergy doctor for shots every few weeks for around 30 years. They help but do not eliminate the affliction.

I hear ya CptnRn. My family and I took Allegra for a few years but it stopped working. Now we're on Zyrtec (Cetirizine). Cedar Fever is awful, as is ragweed.

[tcualum]

Why are your shots not every week. I've been getting shots off and off since I was 5 (that's what I get for living all my life in DFW) and all of the allergists have had me taking them once a week. Maybe your shots haven't been often enough.