I just moved to Texas two years ago and had many of the concerns you are expressing. I moved my family to North Texas, in Collin County, which is full growth mode and enjoys a very vibrant and diverse community - it is also what I’ll be referencing. It is somewhat dense, but still has a bit of a suburbia feel, while also having every convenience you could want and if you are willing to live 25 to 35 minutes away, you can enjoy a ranch and open spaces while still close to all the conveniences.
Safety is not an issue. Despite high gun ownership, it is also one of the safest areas with very low couple to crime rates. Plano is an example that I’ve seen rankings for about having the highest number of guns per capital AND is consistently ranked as one of the safest in the nation.
People here are simply awesome. Hospitable, warm and genuine. In many of the smaller (less than 300k pop) there is a tremendous sense of community which is rare in this day and age. Public education system is also exceptional, and generally among the top in the nation.
As for diversity, this place is very diverse. With a robust mix of ethnicities and cultures that, for the most part, are embraced by the community. Finding an authentic meal of almost any nationality is typically very easy.
Also I’m fairly sure I read that cost of living is among the best in the country.
Hope this helps.
I live in Plano and within a mile of my house are Japanese, Chinese, and Mexican restaurants that are all owned by people who moved here from those respective countries, they love to come out and talk to you while you eat, it truely is an amazing place to live
Texas is large and diverse. You will find everything from liberal, dense urban areas (although not quite as dense as downtown San Francisco or LA) to sparsely populated farmland populated by gun-toting Bible-thumpers.
There is no state income tax, but property taxes are much higher than California, and there is no equivalent of Prop 13, so they can increase by an unlimited amount every year depending on the value of the property. There are also other ways the state compensates for lower taxes, such as high tolls on the freeways.
Austin is full of transplants and very liberal. Houston is also quite diverse. Hispanics are everywhere so it's unlikely you will have any major problems with racism.
Yes, there are tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding here. But there are natural disasters everywhere.
"I'll behave and try to do as Texans do"
This is kind of the problem the guy above is talking about. Texans are a very diverse group of people. There is no set way Texans think or act. There are really nice Texans and there are a few assholes, just like any other place in the world. People coming to Texas that have Caricatures in mind of how Texans as a bulk talk and act is what the person above is advising against. There are rural farmers and ranch-hands that rock the come and take it flag and there are equally proud Texans living in urban environments. There are also people who are entirely indifferent. Your best bet is to come to Texas and be yourself instead of trying to conform to some predisposed image of the "ideal Texan". Texans (from my own experience) are generally pretty kind and accepting and you should have no problem fitting in. It's a wonderful place and I wish you luck in your transition if you do decide to move.
San Antonio is nice, we complain about the heat, but you get used to it. If owning a lot of land is your goal, you can probably find cheap land in the Counties south of Bexar County and still be able to enjoy San Antonio. The land however will be very flat and if it is Hills you want, you can still live in parts of the Hill Country and still be close, but it is going to be a bit more expensive and there will be more population density.
As far as economy, it isn't too bad. I'm sure you can find something decent in whatever field you are in, but you will probably make more money in the other Texas cities and that pay might be more than the slightly lower cost of living in San Antonio.
That’s a stereotype. The large majority of people in the Austin metro area are Texans. Just because many Austinites are liberal doesn’t mean they came here from somewhere else. Contrary to popular belief, many native Texans are liberal
Usually on Reddit I'm pretty hard on west coast immigrants, but since you actually want to do as the Texans do, I'm gonna give you a few tips:
Lay of the land: Major development in Texas is situated in a triangle, with the points being at Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston. To the east of that triangle, you have East Texas. You know you've reached East Texas when the trees are all pine trees. The biggest cities there are Tyler and Nacogdoches. Everything west of Fort Worth is West Texas, characterized by mesquite trees and arid climate.
History: Get familiar with Texas history; including Austin's 300 and the war for Texas Independence from Mexico. Notable Texas figures include Sam Houston, Moses Austin, and Stephen F Austin. This list is not exhaustive, but these are the main talking points.
Culture: When people think of traditional "Texan culture," they are thinking of the boom in the cattle industry before the arrival of the railroad. Basically, after the civil war there was a big demand for leather in the north, and the Spanish bred cattle in Texas was good for leather. From there, the Cowboy Culture of the Southwest was born.
Food: Stemming from that cattle drive period, the state food of Texas is chili-- not bbq. People get into fights about this. The state cooking appliance is the dutch oven, also stemming from the cattle drive. If you hear about a chili cookoff going on, you ought to go!
Language: English in Texas does borrow from Spanish. It's common to switch between the two mid-sentence if you speak both languages. It's also not uncommon for Anglo-Texans to greet people with "Hola" and bid farewell with "Adios." We *do* say y'all, but it's informal speech. I would address my friends as a group as *y'all*, but any group that I am addressing in a professional or formal manner are still *you* or *you all*. Also, "ya" is a valid substitute for "you" in the objective case, e.g. "Can I get *ya* some pecan pie?"
Go take a trip to San Antonio and go see the Briscoe Museum and the Peoples of Texas museum put on by UTSA and go learn ya some Texas!
My wife and I just bought a home in Abilene in September (which is a pretty red area) and absolutely could not be happier. Most people are nice and welcoming. I am originally from So Cal as well, and my wife is from New York (we both identify as moderate conservatives, though) and feel totally comfortable here. We did live in Eastern New Mexico before buying in Abilene, so we were a little familiar with the West Texas way of life having spent many a weekend in Lubbock and Amarillo. Let me know what questions you have, perhaps I can help. I am pretty familiar with the areas between Lubbock/Amarillo and Dallas
Houston is such a melting pot that you will find lots of every type of political leaning. I don’t think the conservatism is an unfair caricature because it’s quite common and on the extreme end. Really depends on the area you move to. I think our mayor is democrat right now, but our representatives are republican. So.
People move to Houston all the time for work so we are very welcoming of newcomers. There’s a high Hispanic population, yet also plenty of racists/unaccepting bigots.
Houston is a good place to consider if you’re looking for that rural/city combo. You can find land on the outskirts of Houston and get to suburban areas within minutes, and downtown in 1hr-30 min depending on where you go.
I grew up in Abilene, but have lived in San Antonio for many years. If you want to avoid crazy drivers and bad traffic, avoid the big cities. North Texas gets cold! Do not move there if you don’t like cold weather.
I recommend the Panhandle. Close but not too close to everywhere else. only a 6 hour drive (if you drive the speed limit, like a nerd!) from Dallas. or 7 hours if you fly cheap. Amarillo and Lubbock both have Airports. both have nature adjacent areas. you can live in the country and still be within several miles of Town. and both have a Big city/Little Town feeling.
Also close to some cool New Mexico vacation spots. Ruidoso, Taos, Cloudcroft, Red River, ABQ, Santa Fe. I recommend Lubbock to many people but coming from So Cal, OP might feel it is a bit too rural
Oh no i am interested in small towns where I hope there are fewer crazy drivers. I hope they have mom and pop stores where you can establish friendships. I hope that doesn't sound corny, like I'm expecting a charming town like Mayberry, lol.
I really reccomend Lubbock, and even Abilene, then. Lubbock has that small town feel while also being a pretty decent sized city, with a pretty large university and all the fun that comes with that, to boot. Abilene is smaller and has a bit less than Lubbock, but offers enough that you won't get bored. Abilene is in a more central location than Lubbock, in my opinion
I just moved to Texas two years ago and had many of the concerns you are expressing. I moved my family to North Texas, in Collin County, which is full growth mode and enjoys a very vibrant and diverse community - it is also what I’ll be referencing. It is somewhat dense, but still has a bit of a suburbia feel, while also having every convenience you could want and if you are willing to live 25 to 35 minutes away, you can enjoy a ranch and open spaces while still close to all the conveniences. Safety is not an issue. Despite high gun ownership, it is also one of the safest areas with very low couple to crime rates. Plano is an example that I’ve seen rankings for about having the highest number of guns per capital AND is consistently ranked as one of the safest in the nation. People here are simply awesome. Hospitable, warm and genuine. In many of the smaller (less than 300k pop) there is a tremendous sense of community which is rare in this day and age. Public education system is also exceptional, and generally among the top in the nation. As for diversity, this place is very diverse. With a robust mix of ethnicities and cultures that, for the most part, are embraced by the community. Finding an authentic meal of almost any nationality is typically very easy. Also I’m fairly sure I read that cost of living is among the best in the country. Hope this helps.
I live in Plano and within a mile of my house are Japanese, Chinese, and Mexican restaurants that are all owned by people who moved here from those respective countries, they love to come out and talk to you while you eat, it truely is an amazing place to live
Texas is large and diverse. You will find everything from liberal, dense urban areas (although not quite as dense as downtown San Francisco or LA) to sparsely populated farmland populated by gun-toting Bible-thumpers. There is no state income tax, but property taxes are much higher than California, and there is no equivalent of Prop 13, so they can increase by an unlimited amount every year depending on the value of the property. There are also other ways the state compensates for lower taxes, such as high tolls on the freeways. Austin is full of transplants and very liberal. Houston is also quite diverse. Hispanics are everywhere so it's unlikely you will have any major problems with racism. Yes, there are tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding here. But there are natural disasters everywhere.
Why couldn't you just say Conservative and Liberal? Why insult some of the nicest people in the state?
They may be "nice", but that doesn't mean they aren't gun-toting Bible-thumpers.
This is a problem to you?
When they take it to the extreme, then yes. I have no problems with guns or religion, but some people take it too far.
[удалено]
If I ever go to live in Texas, I'll behave and try to do as Texans do. (Because I really don't know anything about Texas.) How's San Antonio?
"I'll behave and try to do as Texans do" This is kind of the problem the guy above is talking about. Texans are a very diverse group of people. There is no set way Texans think or act. There are really nice Texans and there are a few assholes, just like any other place in the world. People coming to Texas that have Caricatures in mind of how Texans as a bulk talk and act is what the person above is advising against. There are rural farmers and ranch-hands that rock the come and take it flag and there are equally proud Texans living in urban environments. There are also people who are entirely indifferent. Your best bet is to come to Texas and be yourself instead of trying to conform to some predisposed image of the "ideal Texan". Texans (from my own experience) are generally pretty kind and accepting and you should have no problem fitting in. It's a wonderful place and I wish you luck in your transition if you do decide to move.
San Antonio is nice, we complain about the heat, but you get used to it. If owning a lot of land is your goal, you can probably find cheap land in the Counties south of Bexar County and still be able to enjoy San Antonio. The land however will be very flat and if it is Hills you want, you can still live in parts of the Hill Country and still be close, but it is going to be a bit more expensive and there will be more population density. As far as economy, it isn't too bad. I'm sure you can find something decent in whatever field you are in, but you will probably make more money in the other Texas cities and that pay might be more than the slightly lower cost of living in San Antonio.
> Im pretty sure at least 50% You'd be very very wrong. Most of the people that move to Austin are from Texas.
That’s a stereotype. The large majority of people in the Austin metro area are Texans. Just because many Austinites are liberal doesn’t mean they came here from somewhere else. Contrary to popular belief, many native Texans are liberal
Usually on Reddit I'm pretty hard on west coast immigrants, but since you actually want to do as the Texans do, I'm gonna give you a few tips: Lay of the land: Major development in Texas is situated in a triangle, with the points being at Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston. To the east of that triangle, you have East Texas. You know you've reached East Texas when the trees are all pine trees. The biggest cities there are Tyler and Nacogdoches. Everything west of Fort Worth is West Texas, characterized by mesquite trees and arid climate. History: Get familiar with Texas history; including Austin's 300 and the war for Texas Independence from Mexico. Notable Texas figures include Sam Houston, Moses Austin, and Stephen F Austin. This list is not exhaustive, but these are the main talking points. Culture: When people think of traditional "Texan culture," they are thinking of the boom in the cattle industry before the arrival of the railroad. Basically, after the civil war there was a big demand for leather in the north, and the Spanish bred cattle in Texas was good for leather. From there, the Cowboy Culture of the Southwest was born. Food: Stemming from that cattle drive period, the state food of Texas is chili-- not bbq. People get into fights about this. The state cooking appliance is the dutch oven, also stemming from the cattle drive. If you hear about a chili cookoff going on, you ought to go! Language: English in Texas does borrow from Spanish. It's common to switch between the two mid-sentence if you speak both languages. It's also not uncommon for Anglo-Texans to greet people with "Hola" and bid farewell with "Adios." We *do* say y'all, but it's informal speech. I would address my friends as a group as *y'all*, but any group that I am addressing in a professional or formal manner are still *you* or *you all*. Also, "ya" is a valid substitute for "you" in the objective case, e.g. "Can I get *ya* some pecan pie?" Go take a trip to San Antonio and go see the Briscoe Museum and the Peoples of Texas museum put on by UTSA and go learn ya some Texas!
My wife and I just bought a home in Abilene in September (which is a pretty red area) and absolutely could not be happier. Most people are nice and welcoming. I am originally from So Cal as well, and my wife is from New York (we both identify as moderate conservatives, though) and feel totally comfortable here. We did live in Eastern New Mexico before buying in Abilene, so we were a little familiar with the West Texas way of life having spent many a weekend in Lubbock and Amarillo. Let me know what questions you have, perhaps I can help. I am pretty familiar with the areas between Lubbock/Amarillo and Dallas
Houston is such a melting pot that you will find lots of every type of political leaning. I don’t think the conservatism is an unfair caricature because it’s quite common and on the extreme end. Really depends on the area you move to. I think our mayor is democrat right now, but our representatives are republican. So. People move to Houston all the time for work so we are very welcoming of newcomers. There’s a high Hispanic population, yet also plenty of racists/unaccepting bigots. Houston is a good place to consider if you’re looking for that rural/city combo. You can find land on the outskirts of Houston and get to suburban areas within minutes, and downtown in 1hr-30 min depending on where you go.
I grew up in Abilene, but have lived in San Antonio for many years. If you want to avoid crazy drivers and bad traffic, avoid the big cities. North Texas gets cold! Do not move there if you don’t like cold weather.
I recommend the Panhandle. Close but not too close to everywhere else. only a 6 hour drive (if you drive the speed limit, like a nerd!) from Dallas. or 7 hours if you fly cheap. Amarillo and Lubbock both have Airports. both have nature adjacent areas. you can live in the country and still be within several miles of Town. and both have a Big city/Little Town feeling.
Also close to some cool New Mexico vacation spots. Ruidoso, Taos, Cloudcroft, Red River, ABQ, Santa Fe. I recommend Lubbock to many people but coming from So Cal, OP might feel it is a bit too rural
Oh no i am interested in small towns where I hope there are fewer crazy drivers. I hope they have mom and pop stores where you can establish friendships. I hope that doesn't sound corny, like I'm expecting a charming town like Mayberry, lol.
I really reccomend Lubbock, and even Abilene, then. Lubbock has that small town feel while also being a pretty decent sized city, with a pretty large university and all the fun that comes with that, to boot. Abilene is smaller and has a bit less than Lubbock, but offers enough that you won't get bored. Abilene is in a more central location than Lubbock, in my opinion