Moving to Texas...a rebuttal

A recent opinion piece in Business Insider has kicked up some heated discussions around Texas (and probably in California as well). A gentleman named Brett Alder moved his family from San Diego, CA to Austin, TX and clearly was not happy with his decision.

Now I don't know Brett. Other than his opinions written in the article I know nothing about him. The point of this article isn't to attack Brett in any way. It is, however, for anyone about to move to Texas. I'll use some of Brett's complaints as talking points, but again, his opinions are not on trial here.

Know your locations

The single most important factor when moving to Texas is understanding WHERE you are moving to. Yes, the big cities of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin are key players, but the suburbs of each are vastly different. Not to mention all of the small towns in between.

Austin - Most Texans call Austin a cross between liberal California and Washington DC. Crowded, more liberal leaning, higher cost of living, etc. Texans agree when we say we welcome people from anywhere, but don't "California our Texas". We immediately think of Austin when we say this. As Brett noted, things cost more in Austin, which is why Texans look quizzically at people when they say they want to move from California to Austin to save money. You're picking one of the most expensive spots to move to...

San Antonio - A little known fact about Texas: Dallas is not the largest nor second largest city (by population) in Texas. San Antonio is. Rich in Texas heritage, this is a more conservative, Hispanic and Catholic city. Want lower cost of living? Where Austin is at a 107 COL index, San Antonio is an 86 based on data from moving.com.

Dallas/Ft Worth - The Dallas metroplex can be a bit complicated for those outside of the area. Dallas, Ft. Worth, Plano, Arlington, Coppell, Grapevine...multiple cities make up the metroplex. Locals will tell you each town has it's own unique advantages but again, you have to do some research before you move. Think Austin is expensive? Coppell's COL index is a whopping 118.

Houston - The 4th largest city in the US by population and second largest by square miles is about as diverse of a city as you can possibly find. With over 7 million people in the metroplex (including the suburbs), you can live in wooded areas (Kingwood or The Woodlands), costal areas (League City), industrial (Pasadena), Western areas of Sugarland and Katy or, in the heart of Houston. Though "heart of Houston includes in one of the many hot spots inside one of the three loops circling the city. Your cost of living within the three loops varies dramatically. One critical point to consider, if the area is noticeably cheaper...there might be negative reasons why.

Taxes

Doing research on locations should also include research on local property taxes. Yes, Texas has no state income tax. Yes, some areas have very high property taxes and the dreaded MUD tax. A personal example: About 5 years ago I had a home which was valued $100,000 less than my current home and about 15 minutes away from where I live now. Same size house, slightly smaller amount of land. My annual expenses, including mortgage, home insurance, and all taxes...identical. Why? Because the MUD district in my old house has incredibly high MUD taxes. I'm in a much nicer neighborhood and have more land for the exact same annual expense.

Electricity and other utilities

This is the one spot I'll call Brett out on. If you have a bigger house you'll have higher utility bills. Some houses have both gas and electricity, go with that option where you can as a way to save some money. Many areas of Texas let you choose your electricity provider, shopping around every 6-12 months can save you some money as well. He complained about water costs in Austin. A major challenge they've faced is low water quality/availability during bad droughts. One common way to "encourage" lower water use, raise the rates. It makes you consider your water usage a bit more, reducing waste and helping to avoid emergency scenarios.

Enjoying Texas, the Texas way

So let's take on a few of the complains Brett listed, hopefully giving some tips and insight for those wanting to move to the Lone Star State.

Weather

Seriously. It's hot in the summer time and our winters are a wet-cold that hits your bones. No, most people don't leave "for a month or two during the summer to escape the heat". What do we do? We plan for more indoor activities, utilize pools and water parks more, and avoid the outdoors during the hottest parts of the day. Guess what? Late April it's going to start warming up. By June it'll be hot and August we'll be frying eggs on the sidewalk. This isn't a surprise. We all know it's coming. We also know light jackets will be kept in offices because our ACs are set to 50 when its 100 outside.

Public Land

This is again about planning before you move. I live in The Woodlands, just north of Houston. We have 130 parks (not a typo), 220 miles of multi-use asphalted pathways, a nature preserve and so much more. Drive an hour and a half and I'm at the beach in Galveston. Drive an hour or less north and I'm hiking in the Piney Woods. A very brief search of the Austin area found multiple spots to go climbing and bouldering. So Brett's "Nowhere to go" statement either shows he doesn't know how to use Google, or was looking for excuses to go back to California. Again, don't know him, not sure what his approach was with his time here.

Schools

So again, a little research goes a long way. Brett's claim about limited school availability is puzzling to me. His words: "In California there are charter schools, two day schools, public schools, cash/combo charter school/home schooling, you name it. In west Austin, just public schools"

There is a chance, it's plausible, he found the only spot in the entire state that only has public schools with no other options at all. My kids go to a 3-day private school/home school hybrid so I know they exist in the state.

Culture

We're again going to hit on "why Google can be your friend". Brett complained about a "monoculture". If he would've driven south to San Antonio he could've found a rich Mexican American culture. Or go to Houston which has the third largest concentration of consular offices in the United States, representing 86 nations. Walk through any mall in Houston and you'll hear languages you've never heard before. Name the dish and there's a restaurant you can get it at (made by people from that country).

What's the take away?

When you're talking about a state that's large enough to fit the entire country of France, with room leftover, you have to do some research before making a move. Making such a blind move could also have someone from Chicago claim Houston is unsafe with gangs, or someone from New York say Austin is over crowded.

Texans ask outsiders to just remember something important. There's a reason why you left your state to come to ours. Learn from any mistakes made there and don't repeat them here. Hence the term "Don't California our Texas". We welcome people from anywhere in the world (OK maybe not NYC) but its the ones who complain about high taxes then vote for policies which will raise our taxes that we just can't stand.

As long as that simple lesson is learned there's only one thing left to say.

Welcome ya'll.