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I'm beginning to have a hard time believe the "Pride" thing
I find that easy to believe.
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when people in Texas constantly have to compare Texas to California.
LOL Actually, when it comes to comparative shopping, I would think it is California transplants who make the real comparison...as they sure as hell must seem to find Texas much more attractive!
But anyway, the main point is that -- regardless of where one is from -- yankee and/or West coaster -- if one comes here and makes an attempt to assimilate into our culture, then they will find no more welcoming place in the country. My friend Two4damoney is one of those and he has attested to such himself, many times. People like this will get the full measure of Texas/Southern hospitality.
On the other hand? If one comes to Texas just for our milk and honey, yet disdains our ways and endlessly whine and moan and find eternal fault and attempt to turn us back into what they fled from to begin with? Then they will get the "yankee go home" attitude. And they asked for it themselves.
Last time I renewed my license, I did it by mail. Last time I had to renew in person, I chose my DPS office carefully and it took me 20 minutes. These days you normally only have to renew in person (to get a new photo) every ten years. The five year renewal in between can be done via mail.
Initially I was more looking towards Austin than Houston, but then I kept hearing about this "hipster vibe" and it started to turn me off a little towards the prospect of moving to Austin. Nice to know there are some good suburban areas in the northern counties. And yes, that description of yourself fits me nicely, lol.
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Originally Posted by Gamewiz
So Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Georgetown... got it.
I would venture to say that, if you're anything like me, the hipster vibe in Austin would turn you off as well. That being said, the northern suburbs of Austin in Williamson County listed above are among the most conservative suburbs in the nation.
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Originally Posted by Gamewiz
What about Houston? Do you know any suburbs in that area that fit the same criteria?
Overall, Houston is much more conservative city than Austin. Likewise, Houston's suburbs are probably more conservative than Austin's. It should noted that Houston's southern and southwestern suburbs are some of the most diverse suburbs in the entire country. On the other hand, Houston's northern suburbs tend to be less diverse than their southerly and southwesterly counterparts.
If you and your wife prefer woodsy areas over treeless areas, definitely look into The Woodlands. It's a newish, safe, beautiful master-planned community with great amenities located north of Houston that takes tremendous pride in its appearance and woodsy feel. You won't be disappointed.
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Originally Posted by Gamewiz
One of the initial reasons I was looking to Austin is because my wife and I love the mountains/wooded areas.I know there aren't any actual mountains unless you go much farther west in Texas, but I heard there are some nice hilly/wooded parts around Austin... not so much around Houston.
Yes, you're right: Houston's as flat as a pancake, especially compared to southern California and Arizona (which is where I live now). However, that doesn't bother me because I'm a Flatlander: I grew up in Rhode Island (a relatively flat state) and I used to live in Florida (a very flat state). In fact, parts of Houston probably seem hilly compared to most of Florida! Haha!
Unfortunately, the most mountainous parts of Texas are very remote and/or have poor economies. For example, the most mountainous city in Texas, El Paso, has the worst economy of the six largest cities in the state. However, El Paso is Southwestern city like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Tucson; it's much different from the other major cities in Texas with regard to culture, weather, topography, and so forth.
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Originally Posted by Gamewiz
I live in El Cajon which is about a 30 minute drive inland from downtown, my job is up in Sorrento Valley. Have you lived here before or traveled to San Diego?
I've never been to San Diego. However, my roommate lived in San Diego for three years, and his father and stepmother have lived there for the past eight years or so. He knows me well and tells me all the time that if I were to visit San Diego, I would probably never leave, let alone return to Tucson. That being said, I'm holding off on a visit until after I graduate from college. Haha.
Last time I renewed my license, I did it by mail. Last time I had to renew in person, I chose my DPS office carefully and it took me 20 minutes. These days you normally only have to renew in person (to get a new photo) every ten years. The five year renewal in between can be done via mail.
I renewed online from Europe in the late 2000s, so I had to show my face in 2012.
I did my research and was very surprised by the extremely heavy crowds at the Plano office. Others here and on Facebook said they were "in and out".
Also interesting to note that I was the only person in line at the Plano office whose native language was English. Just putting that out there.
I would venture to say that, if you're anything like me, the hipster vibe in Austin would turn you off as well. That being said, the northern suburbs of Austin in Williamson County listed above are among the most conservative suburbs in the nation.
If it's like downtown San Diego... yeah I rarely go down there. As a family man now it's not really my thing.
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Originally Posted by ZonaZoo
Overall, Houston is much more conservative city than Austin. Likewise, Houston's suburbs are probably more conservative than Austin's. It should noted that Houston's southern and southwestern suburbs are some of the most diverse suburbs in the entire country. On the other hand, Houston's northern suburbs tend to be less diverse than their southerly and southwesterly counterparts.
If you and your wife prefer woodsy areas over treeless areas, definitely look into The Woodlands. It's a newish, safe, beautiful master-planned community with great amenities located north of Houston that takes tremendous pride in its appearance and woodsy feel. You won't be disappointed.
I'll definitely keep it in mind, however from what I'm hearing The Woodlands might be out of my price range. Once I locate a job and if it's in the Houston area, I'll tackle that then.
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Originally Posted by ZonaZoo
Yes, you're right: Houston's as flat as a pancake, especially compared to southern California and Arizona (which is where I live now). However, that doesn't bother me because I'm a Flatlander: I grew up in Rhode Island (a relatively flat state) and I used to live in Florida (a very flat state). In fact, parts of Houston probably seem hilly compared to most of Florida! Haha!
Unfortunately, the most mountainous parts of Texas are very remote and/or have poor economies. For example, the most mountainous city in Texas, El Paso, has the worst economy of the six largest cities in the state. However, El Paso is Southwestern city like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Tucson; it's much different from the other major cities in Texas with regard to culture, weather, topography, and so forth.
That's not a worry to me. Despite having grew up with mountains all around me it's not something I'd go crazy without. Really I believe the only reason I loved the mountains is because that's where the woods are here in southern California... it's the woods I like, not necessarily the mountains themselves.
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Originally Posted by ZonaZoo
I've never been to San Diego. However, my roommate lived in San Diego for three years, and his father and stepmother have lived there for the past eight years or so. He knows me well and tells me all the time that if I were to visit San Diego, I would probably never leave, let alone return to Tucson. That being said, I'm holding off on a visit until after I graduate from college. Haha.
Lol! Well we definitely have two major things going for us in San Diego... weather and attractions. But for me it's not worth having those things with how high cost of living is here, plus the failing economy and policies of the state. Granted, you find a six-figure paying job then San Diego would be a great place to live! I just don't think I could last enough 10+ years here and properly support my family while trying to achieve that sort of income.
Lol! Well we definitely have two major things going for us in San Diego... weather and attractions. But for me it's not worth having those things with how high cost of living is here, plus the failing economy and policies of the state. Granted, you find a six-figure paying job then San Diego would be a great place to live! I just don't think I could last enough 10+ years here and properly support my family while trying to achieve that sort of income.
I have a couple of family members in SD and the only way they afford it is with some boost they get from the military to pay for rental housing. (They have to rent because the husband is in the USMC and is going to get new orders in about 8-9 months.) They don't even live in SD proper...they live waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay north of it. I imagine this is due to A.) housing prices south of where they are and B.) proximity to Camp Pendleton.
They say even with the housing subsidy they get, the COL is insane out there. But they're young and dumb and enjoying the hell out of it, as they should. If there's ever a phase in life where you can justify the insane premium of life in southern California, it's in your 20s when you still have the youthful energy...and swimsuit body...to enjoy what the area has to offer. It'd be a total waste for me to live there; as much as I like visiting the beach when I'm on the coast, I doubt I'd ever go if I lived there.
My brother was staring down the barrel of a transfer to SD a few years ago. He turned it down because he wanted to stay near family but even if he had taken it, it would have been an effective pay cut for him as they were only going to increase his salary by 20%. He ran the numbers and figured out it would be a net loss for him. (He's in finance BTW.)
As for myself, I was accepted to UCSD and UCLA for graduate school but ultimately decided not to pursue it. Part of the problem was the cost of living there. I'd probably still be paying it off.
Area-wise, Texas is massive. Only Alaska is bigger. You could fit France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg into Texas and probably still have space left over. DFW itself is about the size of Connecticut. Bigger if you include outlying rural areas in our TV viewing area. The state itself is in two time zones (El Paso is on Mountain Time). It has desert, mountains, plateaus, hills, prairies, pine forests, and coastal wetlands. "Texas" is different things to different people. El Paso would probably look as weird and exotic to me as it would to someone from San Francisco. I've only been through it once, and that was 30 years ago.
The COL here is much lower than CA, but it is getting higher due to massive demand for housing. The downturn in the housing market put a damper on new home construction here and now they apparently can't build them fast enough in the exurbs...what I jokingly refer to as "Southern Oklahoma". Prices are trending up month to month. Austin has the most expensive housing market in Texas, but Dallas and inner-ring suburbs are catching up fast. Houses in my neighborhood in Richardson used to sell for $90-$110 a square foot 4 years ago. Now they are hitting the market at $130-$140 a square foot. Many sell for asking or over within days of hitting the market. That may not sound like much, but from what you've said about your budget you have already been priced out of most of Richardson and Plano. You'd have to live in a less salubrious area of town or go very far out to find what you want for the price you're willing to pay. A sub-$200k house over 2k sq ft in a nice neighborhood in Richardson is a purple squirrel. Ditto Plano. You don't want to live any further out than that; otherwise your commute would suck and you'd get home in time to tuck your kids in. If you're lucky. Young finance guys work looooooong hours here.
Housing is cheaper on average in Houston but I'd look for that to change in the near future. People are flocking to Houston...more so than to DFW now. Houston's traffic is legendary too so even if you found a place you could afford, you probably wouldn't live anywhere near the office. My company's HQ is in Houston and whenever people from there visit up here, they always tell us how short our commutes are. And how NOT humid it is here. Everything's relative, I suppose.
My point...and I do have one...is that maybe Austin and Dallas should be further down your list. I'd take a good, hard look at San Antonio if I were you. Of the major cities in Texas, it has the cheapest housing market by far. It also has some good family entertainment potential (Fiesta Texas AND Sea World) and some great outdoor rec opportunities in the hill country and Guadalupe River (tubing, anyone???). Some of the areas outside of San Antonio are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The city itself is a turd, but it's really no more ugly than Houston or Dallas. Tourists love it, which means an active family with young children would probably have a lot of fun there too. It also has a strong, healthy job market and an increasingly diversifying economy. It used to be a single industry (military) town. Not anymore!
Poke around the San Antonio forum. They're nice there.
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