Would I enjoy living in Texas?

This time of year, I hate living in the Pacific Northwest. Nearly half the year, the weather is too nasty for a low time VFR pilot like myself. When the time comes for me to fufull my dream and build an RV, I need to move anyway in order to be closer to an airport than I currently am.

My employer is willing to let me live anywhere in the US that I want. I already work from my home office. Several of my co-workers live elsewhere now. One in AZ, two in CA.

I am considering Texas as a possibility, and want some input from locals. I grew up in a small town in MN, hated the cold. I lived in Tucson, AZ for a while, was able to deal with the heat, would consider going back. Most recently, in Seattle, WA, I can't wait to move away, I hate the constant rain.

What is the weather like around Dallas/Ft Worth?

I am looking at a house and/or land at the Hidden Valley Airpart outside of Denton. What is that area like? How about schools? I have elementary age children.

Any comments about road traffic, politics, taxes?

I was considering a nice airpark in Raleigh, NC until someone clued me in to how bad the bugs and humidity are there. Not no mention sky high taxes.

So basically, if you were in my shoes, and could live anywhere in the US you wanted, would you consider moving to a suburb of Dallas, TX?

It seems from what I've seen, I can afford nearly twice the house compared to where I live now.

Peachtree City, Georgia is the place!

Peachtree City, Georgia is the place! We repeatedly rank among the top cities of most desirable places to live in national surveys. Miles of cart paths link all the various villages together, world class tennis,running, golf courses, water skiing, fishing,hunting, 30 mins from the busiest commercial airport in the world, a great airport (KFFC), and next door to Aircraft Spruce-East and just a few miles from the Alexander RV Builder center.

By the way, I've lived half my life in Texas-Spring,Laredo,Austin,Harlingen,San Antone, etc. I flew USAF, Airliners, and CFI work in Texas. It's a fine state, but my preference is still Georgia!

John,

Whereabouts in MN are you from? I currently live in the Twin Cities, but have a bit of a dilemma: I hate the flying weather here. I love our house, the cabin up north, and the summer weather- not to mention both my and my wife's family all lives here. But, I don't care for the frigid and dreary winters. The sun hasn't been out in weeks! I haven't flown in months...

I'd be tempted to leave here in search of better weather. In addition, I'd love to be in a place that's bustling with aircraft activity. I'll be interested to see other peoples' responses to this thread...

Later,
-Pat-

"Whereabouts in MN are you from?"

Andover, Anoka County, a northern suburb of the Twin Cities.

I do NOT miss the winters there. Burrrrrrr!!!!!

"Peachtree City, Georgia"

How humid are the summers there? I have an issue with humidity and bugs.

Hi John,

I was talking about this very thing with Ross and Danny a few days ago (both airline captains) over breakfast. They've been around the world and agree that Texas is their favorite spot.

You can fly 9 times out of 10 tries year-round and there is an abundance of airports. The cost of living isn't insane and if you can stand the 30-60 days a year that it's over 100F you are set.

You're three hours from snow (Angel Fire, NM) and 1.5 hrs from beach (Galveston) via RV - not to mention the several hundred RVs around the N.Texas area flying or under construction. A very nice bunch of folks...

I live just west of Hidden Valley (Lewisville) and commute to Irving (22 miles) each day for the day job. Traffic is conjested but not too crazy.

Best,
Doug

I second everything...

.. that Doug is saying. I've lived in Austin for 6 yrs now and cannot imagine living anywhere else. The location is central which makes it perfect to fly just about anywhere in the US in less than an 8hr day. There are airparks galore down here too - I live at Breakaway Airpark (40XS, 3 RVs on field, 3 under construction) just north of Austin (30min) and know of at least 5 other airparks that I would consider local. There is nothing like living in the same place as your airplane and hangar.

Taxes....

And unlike most states, Texas has NO personal income tax! This in itself will save you some huge cash.

I have lived in Arlington (in-between) Dallas and Fort Worth for 40-years. Although I want to move (I have lived in the same ZIP code for 39-years), I'll still stay here in North Texas.

Like Doug says, this place is great....and TONS of RV's buzzing around our sky!

Footnote: I am currently sitting in Riverside, California on business. The weather is really nice here too, but I can't imagine paying $500-700,000 for a 1200-square foot home. Unreal!

Flying in Texas

The only thing you might miss flying in Texas is some terrain. Obviously that can be a big safety advantage, but after flying here in Switzerland for a few years, when I go back it seems really flat!

Just move 80 miles East!

John--

Just move 80 miles east to the VFR side of the mountains! We're right in the rain shadow and with the exception of maybe one month in the winter, I think 8-9 days out of 10 are VFR, with less than 10 inches of rain per year... plus you'd get all of the great geography that most other places in the U.S. lack. If you want to see tangible evidence of that, see the link to John Scurlock's website that Doug had on his main VAF page yesterday. http://www.pbase.com/nolock/root.

I once "got" to live in Ohio for four years. They were the most boring flying years of my life! I'm a happy camper now! Flying without mountains just wasn't the same. Also, like Gary said re: Texas, taxes matter. WA is one of only 10-11 states without an income tax. When I moved from Ohio I saved over $2500-3000 in yearly taxes (all types included).

On the other hand... the 70+ degrees during the winter months that the South/SW can offer sure looks nice! I'd like some of that too!

papa_whiskey said:

John,

Whereabouts in MN are you from? I currently live in the Twin Cities, but have a bit of a dilemma: I hate the flying weather here.

Click to expand...

I love the fact that at this time of year, Minnesota is the land of 10,000 emergency runways.

txaviator said:

And unlike most states, Texas has NO personal income tax! This in itself will save you some huge cash.

Click to expand...

He also asked about the schools. Taxes are a bad thing, but it's what educates kids.... sometimes.

JohnRLewis said:

I grew up in a small town in MN, hated the cold.

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Short story: I also grew up in Minnesota (St. Paul). When I was 18 (1968), I flew down to visit my sister who had moved to Houston with her husband who had just gotten out of the Coast Guard. It's the first time I had been to Texas.
I boarded the plane during the second week of January, and got off 4 hours later to winter weather I could only dream about having never experienced any other winter weather other than cold and ice and cold and snow and cold.. and cold.

Oh yea, I said the story was going to be short, so...
within 4 years (1972), I ended up in Houston, started a business, and here I am in Houston enjoying 60 degree weather and sunny skies in the first week of January.

Like the bumper sticker says: "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could"

Highflight said:

I could only dream about having never experienced any other winter weather other than cold and ice and cold and snow and cold.. and cold.

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Keeps the riffraff out. Of course, the dirty little secret now is that it's not that cold anymore. Global warming works wonders. If you've ever wanted oceanfront property, buy up some Minnesota prairie now. Cheap.

Vern W., I noticed you only talked about the winter wx. You skipped the part about HOU being the most humid city in the US.
Vern D. is right, Peachtree City, GA beats all.
Mark

another option

Still have a couple airstrip-side lots available at a new airpark in central Georgia. Weather, prices, people, location, can't be beat. It's in the heart of peach country. (small trees)

Bruce
RV9

Texas

I am born and raised and currently live in the Chicago area but was stationed in the Kingsville (Corpus Christi) area and my oldest was born in Arlington Texas 21 years ago and she met Doug and the guys at Hicks airfield last New Years and she just emailed me a reply to this question.....

"HELL YES! And the airports cool too!"

Spoken like a true native born Texan!

I have to add I agree and would live there or maybe SC if not Dougs backyard.

Great place to live and be, plus great guys like Doug and Jaybird and Scorch and Pat and the Avery boys and lots more.

Corpus Christi

I vote for Corpus Christi, very hot in summer , some wind, but slower pace than houston or dallas, although Austin is very nice this time of year



Danny..

You might consider pulling up Bourland estates. It is a fairly new airport community with a nice runway and beatuiful houses.

Also near Grandbury TX there is a airport community....I think it is Pecan Plantation?

Flying here is great. Central to several nice fly in destinations. Mustang Island has a runway about 3/8 of a mile from the beach.

Tons of airports and plaes to buy $100 hamburgers, fish, and the hard 8....best bar-B-Q i know of. They leave golf carts at the airport to make the short trip.

Just my two cents but considering the number of airports and aviation guys in the area mine is not a sole opinion.

You will want to make sure you properly install the vents in your RV.....it does get hot in the summer but humidity is really low.

"On earth, as it is in TEXAS!"

Austin tx

I live in Austin, TX area at Breakaway Airpark and LOVE it! Check Austin out before you make your decision. It is always rated as a top place to live in US. Central in the state and Central in the US with all types of recreation.
Good luck with your decision. Oh yea, only a few lots on the newly paved runway left. Email me if you need more info.
jeff H
RV6a

Bottom Line?

Texas? YES. Just get here...anywhere. You will love it!

Bob Collins said:

Keeps the riffraff out. Of course, the dirty little secret now is that it's not that cold anymore. Global warming works wonders. If you've ever wanted oceanfront property, buy up some Minnesota prairie now. Cheap.

Click to expand...

Let me tell 'ya how that works, Bob.
When people ask me about the "hot" summers, I simply explain to them that it's just like living in Minnesota.. only better.

In Minnesota, you enjoy a brief moment in time during April to May, and most of June, and then (by the way) some pretty unbearable hot days come in July and August and the first part of September.
Then, all hell freezes over and takes Minnesota with it until April again.

The reason it's like living in Texas is that during the winter, people in MN huddle inside and spend their days scurrying from one warm place to another unless they are delayed by having to shovel their cars out of snow banks in order to get to work.
In Texas, we enjoy beautiful weather from September to May. The Minnesota part is that from June to August, we also scurry, but we scurry from one COOL place to another. But we don't have to contend with snow banks.

And I'm not even going to mention the really short and dark winter days in MN when you just want to go home and put a bullet in your head

What I do find interesting is that some people really love it up there, and God love 'em for it. My problem was that EVERYTHING I liked to do were things done best in warm weather (the Harley, water skiing, flying, fishing, picnics, swimming, ... you name it). Lot's of people really enjoy carving ice sculptures and creative shoveling and car ballet on ice so those kind of people, like my sister-in-law and her husband, enjoy it in St. Paul still.
The great side benefit for me is that my sister-in-law is 1000 miles away from me, but that's another story...

My biggest problem right now is finding a close by airpark with available property near Houston. I'm going to operating my business here for another 10 years or so, so moving to another part of Texas isn't an option.

My, I do ramble...

Some other options

JohnRLewis said:

My employer is willing to let me live anywhere in the US that I want. I already work from my home office. Several of my co-workers live elsewhere now. One in AZ, two in CA.

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How did you swing a sweet gig like that? Any openings for an old Unix hacker?

I just moved to Houston a couple of years ago. I was dreading it, but I have to admit -- it ain't bad. Like the song says: "friendliest people you ever seen". The heat is only unbearable for a couple of months, then it's back to spring (it's been in the 70's lately). The traffic is god-awful, but compared to SoCal or Atlanta (where my daughter lives), it's a drive in the park. Hangar space is $250-$350/mo. New housing is about $90/sqft for the standard 3,000 ft Texas tract house on a postage stamp. But there's a new airpark going in next year on the west side: http://www.meigsfieldairport.com/

Coming from big tree country, you might find Dallas and points West a little bleak. But the south-eastern half of the state is tall-pine country, known as the "big thicket", extending down to the north side of Houston. Conroe is really pretty and commutable to Houston (barely). It even has a few hills and an EAA chapter. If I didn't have to commute, I'd check into lake property at Livingston (which has an airport) or Lufkin (great airport and an EAA chapter).

If you really want to live in Texas the way it looks in the movies and you like big cities, San Antonio is fabulous. It feels like a small town. The traffic is no problem and there are lots of airparks around.

Austin is beautiful, but you just about have to live in an airpark if you want to fly. They've closed most of the public GA airports. But I think there are a couple of airparks that still have lots available.

And don't get me wrong -- I'm not knocking Dallas. Great town, although the traffic is a bear, especially on the North side. And it snows there, which for me somewhat defeats the point of living in Texas!

Highflight said:

The reason it's like living in Texas is that during the winter, people in MN huddle inside and spend their days scurrying from one warm place to another unless they are delayed by having to shovel their cars out of snow banks in order to get to work.

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Nah,that's people who moved to Minnesota (confession). Take ice fishing. Can anyone explain ice fishing in its purest form which is sitting outside on a turned over Hmer's Bucket with a string in the water and watching.....watching.....watching.,...for hours on end?

Me neither.

Of course in the cities you've got the skyway system. So I can leave my house, get in the car, park, and walk into work, or the Target Center or just about anywhere else and never set foot outside.

And as you probably know, the Minnesotans who say "we're tough, we don't mind the weather," are flat-out liars.

One good thing though. Great airports. That's what happens when a congressman in your state is the most powerful democrat on aviation issues in Washington. Nice airports in the middle of flippin' nowhere.

Is the grass greener in the Pacific Northwest?

[

JohnRLewis said:

This time of year, I hate living in the Pacific Northwest. Nearly half the year, the weather is too nasty for a low time VFR pilot like myself. ..... Most recently, in Seattle, WA, I can't wait to move away, I hate the constant rain.

What is the weather like around Dallas/Ft Worth?

I am looking at a house and/or land at the Hidden Valley Airpart outside of Denton. What is that area like? How about schools? I have elementary age children.

Any comments about road traffic, politics, taxes?

....

Click to expand...

John -

Having grown up in Houston, lived in Portland and Seattle for over 10 years and now living in Dallas, I hope I can give you some perspective.

Winter in the DFW area is mostly better than western OR/WA. VFR conditions prevail, although we have plenty of overcast days. If conditions are IFR, they usually do not persist for long. This is unlike Portland, where the storms will roll in, one after another, for a week or more until the jet stream decides to move somewhere else. We get the occasional "norther" system of cold air from Canada, producing a lot of ice at the surface and some excitement in school kids and TV people. Winter temps are very nice along / near the Gulf. Beaches are better in the PNW, warmer in TX.

That said, remember that in the PNW, you have the best summers going. Warm but mild temperatures, cool nights, very little precip, long days. In Texas, we have heat, humidity, heat, thunderstorms, heat, tornadoes, and did I mention the heat?

Humidity and convective activity are higher along and within about 150NM of the coast. Outside of the coastal influence, the convective is frequently dryline type. Remember that "rain" here is not the gentle kind of stuff people in Seattle are used to seeing. Convective can brew up quickly if conditions are favorable, but you might get nothing more than a few scattered puffies.

I think there is a larger critical mass of aviation here in the TX - and in particular the DFW area - both in terms of builders (e.g., DFW area RV folks, Jay Pratt's RV Central), aerospace companies (e.g., Superior Air Parts, Mooney) and airports. Or course, the PNW does have Van himself, Lancair/Columbia and, uh, what's that company that builds airliners in the Seattle area?

I think that you'll find the culture a lot different too. The PNW is a bit more socially and economically liberal, while TX tends to be socially and economically conservative. That said, there exceptions in both areas (e.g., Austin, Klamath Falls). It's hard to compare the flavor and nature of cities in both places, but here's my feeble attempt (my apologies to anyone that is offended).

SEA-TAC = DFW (large cities)
PDX = AUS (both "crunchy", but very little land use planning in AUS - it's a sprawl)
YKM = HRL
LMT = CRP
Houston has no equivalent, anywhere.
RDM = Colorado (Most of it is owned by Texans anyway )
PUW = CLL

I'm not sure I'm going to touch politics, other than to point out two the respective state's ex-Governors: G. Bush and J. Kitzhaber. Couldn't be more different.

Expect friendly people, wide open spaces, SUVs and pickups, big hair and lower taxes. And heat.

The Other Doug Reeves

We've only had 19 days in a row of rain. And counting.
You just need to get that -10 built and get an IFR rating.

Dave

I moved to San Antonio from the midwest about 8 years ago and I have both likes and dislikes regarding the state of Texas.
Weather has been adequately discussed in the previous posts, so nothing to add there except that I miss the seasons. The holidays seem to come and go with out much notice since there isn't any real fall or winter to emphasize them. (I don't miss winter, though!)
Cost of living...housing is cheaper, but rising. (They don't build houses with basements here and that makes a big difference if you are used to having one for storage and work shop space. Since it is a non labor state, in my opinion, building quality is not as good as it could be, unless you pay a lot more to get it.) No state income taxes (yet) but the other taxes will nail you. Personal property tax is three times higher than I paid in the midwest. Utilities are a lot higher. Insurance is astronomical!! All in all, it about balances out. Since most taxation is based on things other than income, in Texas, that would be something to consider for retirement purposes.
Personal observation....if you don't like the influence from the Spanish/Mexican culture, do not move to Texas!
Infrastructure...In San Antonio, the population is booming and the infrastructure can not support it. At rush hour periods, the main and secondary arteries are just jammed, although it doesn't compare to the traffic I have seen in Dallas, Houston and other large cities.
Aviation...you probably will have a hard time finding a place more receptive to aviation than SAT. (And Texas in general.) There are lots of Air Force folks here, not to mention the air bases. San Antonio has several air park subdivisions, all of which are nice. Fuel costs are more reasonable here than anywhere I have been. There are more RVs in Texas than you can shake a stick at!!!
Culture...not much in SAT. We have Spurs basketball and......????? (Did I mention that it's a great place for aviation?)
Food...if you like Mexican food, BBQ and steaks you'll love it. Everything else is passable, at best.
Texans are passionate about their state, more so than any state I have lived in and football, especially high school football, is king! Overall, I enjoy living in Texas and don't have any plans to move in the near future.
Good luck.

Don't forget to mention the "texas" size mosquitoes in Houston!!

My god, I thought they were small RC airplanes until they bit me.

Highflight said:

.....Oh yea, I said the story was going to be short, so...
within 4 years (1972), I ended up in Houston, started a business, and here I am in Houston enjoying 60 degree weather and sunny skies in the first week of January.

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Living in Texas

In 24 years of Marriage my Wife and I have moved from Wisconsin to Indianapolis to Delrio Tx. (Picked up a Daughter here) to Wichita Falls Tx to Clearfield Utah and back to Wisconsin. Every place has had it's ups and downs but we loved a little about all of them. Texas has great weather and my wife loved it there. Utah is a Beautiful place to live with its Mountains and clean Cities. Nice People, Best Snow on Earth, Second to none in the Skiing department. The Schools in Utah where also great. Indiana, Well not much to say about Indiana, oh ya My Wife is from there. No really, Indiana is the place we will retire since we own three acres on a paved strip 35 miles south of Indianapolis. Not much happens in Indiana other than the Indy 500. Now Wisconsin, this is where I started my life and this is where I am now. As I get older (45 now) the less I want to be here. High property Tax, Very Cold and the only major City in this State is a crap hole (Milwaukee) with no bottom in site. Now remember, we are in the middle of Winter and the first sign of the Sun in over two weeks was today around noon but it quickly went back behind the clouds. That's really unusual but it does happen. Can you say seasonal depression? The Headquarters for the Company I work for is based in San Antonio and we do have offices in every State so Texas will be high on the list of places to park our RV if Indiana doesn't work out. If you ask a Texan, they will tell you that there is no other place on Earth. "Don't mess with Texas". Everything depends on where you are in your life and if you know for sure that Texas will fit your life then I say Good for You! Go for it. But make sure you talk to someone that has seen it from the outside with no biases. We spent many Years there and like it but I've also seen many familys hate it. Good Luck.

Richard Glick
Heated Garage in Slinger, Wisconsin
RV7A Panel Wiring.

"What's that buzzing sound?"

jimrobinette said:

Don't forget to mention the "texas" size mosquitoes in Houston!!

My god, I thought they were small RC airplanes until they bit me.

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Yes, you need bug spray year-round in Houston. Unless you like giving blood to insects, that is.

Texas

SW of Fort Worth, I have family at Pecan Plantation, near Granbury. Nice airpark. They're going to be adding a grass field (if they can get approval). Gobs of RV's there.

But I second Austin/Central Texas. If you can work anywhere, you're probably a geek. I'm sure I'll offend everyone, but these are my biases:

1) Houston - older town, lot's of natives. Sports. Diverse culture. Summer is hell. It gets old after awhile. If you go there, live north.
2) Dallas - younger town, lot's of non-natives. Sports. Sprawl. Temperate weather, but if you park your plane outside, expect a hailstorm.
3) Ft. Worth - old town, genuine older culture. Ft. Worth has better arts than Dallas.
4) Uvalde - out west of San Antonio, neat country, remote, lot's of soaring.
5) San Antonio - old town, old culture, very diverse. Would focus on West/NW side, up to Boerne.
6) Central - Austin/San Marcos/Hill Country. Younger, moderate diversity, music scene, much more liberal. More expensive. Farther west you go there, more conservative (Dripping Springs, Kerville, Liberty Hill etc).
7) Lubbock/Amarillo - eh, west TX. El Paso/Guadalupe mountains would be better.
8) Tyler/Nagodoches/Texarkana - some pretty and cheap country out there.
9) Coast - Port Lavaca/Arthur/Padre. Worth looking at if you like the beach.

Schools in TX are generally underfunded, and it's going to get worse. School district quality varies wildly. The Dallas ISD would be better managed by the mafia (they'd only take 15%). The bigger the city, the worse it will be. No state income tax means a high sales tax, and regardless of the politics, property taxes will be going up in the long-term.

In general, they're building roads like crazy, but the cities are still parking lots at rush hour. Highways that are already paid for are being turned into tollways.

My suggestion: Fly down to Austin, rent a car, and just drive west through the hill country. If that doesn't do it for you, you should stay in the NW.

FYI - Austin Gov't itself is very anti-GA (they and the State Legislature don't play very well together), so you want to look farther out. Breakaway Park itself will likely be under increasing pressure as Austin moves north and Round Rock moves west. Maybe not a big deal now, but in 10 years, who knows...

Good Luck.

Now Hold on there Texans...

Sure, I've been living in Houston for 25 years, but I was born and raised a Minnesotan - and while all native Texans think that everything is bigger in their home state, you've got another thing coming if you ever visit the mosquitoes of northern Minnesota!

They ain't bugs...they're the State Bird! Heck, I've seen 'em so bad that I spent the night submerged in the lake when the netting ripped out of my tent - it was the only way to keep the suckers from eating me alive!

(And you thought only residents of the Lone Star State could tell tall tales...)

Truly, I miss my home state, but the flying weather is good here most of the year - at least I haven't had to fly a Cub on skis for many, many years!

The General Area around Austin (Killeen, Georgetown, etc.)

The area around Austin/Killeen/Georgetown, etc. seemed best to me (San Antonio is OK too I guess but I still have memories of Basic Training at Lackland AFB) the rest of it is fine but require more personal tolerance. A big deal for me in selecting a retirment site was hangar availability and cost. The differences can be very large.

Bob Axsom

So we're moving to Houston...

Looks like we've stirred up a fair bit of passion about Texas - and right on time for me!!

Relocating in June (approx) to Houston for work at Methodist Hospital. My wife likes horseback riding, I want to earn a PPL and build an RV-8. We have 2 girls (3 and 5).

We'll probably rent for a little while to get a feel for the place. Anyone care to weigh in with some general geographical advice about how to minimize a commute, maximize our recreational opportunities and provide good public education for our children?

Carter in Winston Salem, for now.

Ironflight said:

you've got another thing coming if you ever visit the mosquitoes of northern Minnesota!

Click to expand...

the thing I noticed when I moved from New England is the mosquitoes here ARE bigger...true. But they're much, much slower (required content: kinda like a J-3 compared to a....oh, I don't know....an RV7!) and, thus, easier to swat.

The notations above about the heat are interesting and it also gets to why I love flying at this time of the year here. It's cold. The air is dense. I rented a Warrior a few weeks ago just to do some pattern work and knock the rust off (I find you REALLY have to work at staying current while you're building).

I swear....it felt like I was in a Saturn V rocket. It seems that just about anything with an engine and a fan in the front can behave like a high-speed airplane in that weather.

the downside, though, is the spring. For me, it's the least favorite time to fly as things are melting and the farmers start plowing. You'll go over a field with some snow (or even just unplowed green) and the plane will want to behave one way and then the next mile you're over black dirt and the air will be totally different.

Same thing with the 10,000 frickin' lakes (about 5,000 of which are actually "ponds"). At my home airport the approach to one of the runways goes over a mall, then a lake, then some woods, then pavement.

Thinner air....dense air....thin air......all in the space of a mile. Thermals everywhere.

Lakes.... you guys in Texas wouldn't know anything about that. Comes from rain. Oh, wait, you wouldn't know anything about that either.

//As I get older (45 now) the less I want to be here.

Reminds me of my favorite nickname for Florida: "God's waiting room."

Anyway, you gotta admit there are certain advantages to being a short drive from OSH>

And maybe you'll like Wisc. better if they ever get a professional football team in that state. (ducking)

Texas

Texas is such a BIG and varied state. It is a great place to live. There is just something about living in Texas that makes it special. It is hard to discribe but I guess it is similar to living in New York or LA. Not that everyone likes living in NY or LA or Texas but the areas have a unique and special character to them.

With that said, my job used to take me all over Texas. There are not too many places in Texas that I haven't been. Did I say that Texas is BIG! It is further across Texas East/West than it is from New York to Chicago! Texas is very varied in cultures and weather depending on where you go. So Texas is not a one size fits all. As has been said we have the Piney forest in East Texas that is very green and takes on a very laid back and almost Cajun culture due to the close by Louisiana influence. There is a very difinitive "Bubba" feel to the East Texas Piney woods area.

On the opposite side of the state you will find a very dry desert type climate with flat prairie and sagebrush. This is probably the stereotypical Texas you see in all of the cowboy movies.

In Central Texas you have the Hill Country that is kind of in the middle. Not too humid but more so than far West Texas. Green but not as green as East Texas. Generally rugged but beautiful terrain. I will say that many of the pilots in the Central Texas area complain that there aren't enough GA airports available to meet their needs. They are working with surrounding communities and the FAA to try to get a new one built. To my knowledge, this has not been resolved yet so it will be a few years before this becomes a reality if it ever does.

Along the southern border in the Rio Grande Valley you have a very Mexican type culture that is booming. We think of the towns in these areas as small border towns but their is about a 100 mile stretch of border from Brownsville west that is growing like mad and is becoming a big metro area in itself. If I recall properly there are nearly 2 million people in this area.

Then you come up the coast and find the coastal areas from South Padre Island (a big spring break hot spot), Corpus Christi (a windy but wonderful middle size city), on up to Gavlveston island and over to the Louisiana border with Beaumont and Port Arthur which again take on the "Bubba" feel and a touch of the Cajun culture.

The big cities have been mentioned - Dallas/FW, Houston, San Antonio, Austin. They all have a very different feel to them. As has been said, Austin is very liberal and I call it Yuppiville. It is growing rapidly and has more of that liberal California feel to it. Austin and Central Texas are a beautiful place to live but somewhat pricey. San Antonio is very nice. It has an old Mexico type charm to it. San Antonio is hot and dry during the summer but very nice the rest of the year. Houston has become a very cosmopolitan city with lots of culture and lots to do. DFW is considered a business metroplex but much drier than Houston most of the time.

For the ultimate flying location check out El Paso or even the Albequrque New Mexico areas. I seem to recall that when I was out there for LOE it was said that Albequrque has 350 days of flying weather a year.

I have lived in Houston for 25 years and will tell you that when I first moved here I hated it. The heat and humidity just about killed me. But we adapted to it and I now like Houston very much. We don't do a lot of outside activities during the hot months and as has been said, the bugs are no worse here than other areas. You get used to the roaches and fire ants but I have experienced much worse mosquitos in Minnesota and even my home state of South Dakota. The bugs are a year round phenomenon in Texas. If you can stand the humidity, The Houston area is a great place to live.

To the gentleman coming to Methodist Hospital I assume you are talking about Methodist Hospital in the medical center. There is also a Methodist Hospital in NW Houston. The medical center Methodist hospital is a wonderful hospital and is considered one of the best in the nation. It is a very busy hospital and always appears to the casual observer to be in a state of Chaos. But they do wonderful things there. If you are really rich and want the inner city upscale atmosphere, there are very nice houses in River Oaks, University Place, Bellaire, and Rice areas. Be prepared to pay through the nose. But if you are rich doctor it might not make a difference. If you are looking for more of a suburbia type climate, probably Pearland or Friendswood would be a good place to look. Both have good school systems and are probably as close as you will get for commuting purposes without living inside the loop. Unfortunately, if you don't want to live inside the loop, there really isn't anything close that will prevent a significant commute. But, in my opinion, for two young girls, living in the burbs is going to offer them a better situation. Far North into The Woodlands or Conroe areas are upper middle to upper class areas as are far Northwest up 290 in the Tomball or Cypress areas. These are all booming areas but will stick you with a 1-2.5 hour commute depending on time of day. Get on the night shift at the hospital and you can probably make the commute in 45 minutes each way.

Just my two cents. Texas is big and varied. We don't all own oil wells and wear cowboy hats and ride horses but we do have that wild west free spirit. Texas is a big economic force in the scheme of things and in my opinion, the cost of living is very reasonable compared to other states. Yes we do have high property taxes to offset the lack of a state income tax. But overall I think the cost of living is less here than in other states. For the most part Texas is a very friendly state and newbies are very much welcomed and coming in droves. Yes Texas has its problem areas and its faults, but if you choose carefully and pick an area that fits your personality and desires, Texas is a great place to live.

Come on down! Yeeeee Hawwwwww!

Rainfall

Bob Collins said:

... Comes from rain. Oh, wait, you wouldn't know anything about that either.

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Common Bob Not everyone lives on the lone prairie. Texas is big and has a variety of climates. I did a quick search and came up with these numbers:

Average Annual Rainfall:


Minneapolis/St Paul Minnesota = 28.32 inches


El Paso Texas = 8.81 inches (Far West Texas)

Port Arthur Texas = 57.18 inches (Far East Texas)

Other Benchmarks

Houston Texas = 46.07 inches

Austin Texas = 31.88 inches

Dallas/Ft Worth Texas = 33.70 inches

San Antonio Texas = 30.98 inches

Corpus Christi Texas = 30.13 inches



And then we occassionally get a hurricane or two down here and then we measure our rainfall in feet.

Living in Texas

Bob,

Do you stay up nights thinking of ways to start non related fueds? Oh ya I see where you are a Senior editor of Minnesota Public Radio so that explains things. I've known lots of Vikings fans and of course they always lose site of who has had the richest football History and have at least won one Superbowl. One thing though, It's nice to have a place to dump our old used up players. Lets not get into that (Hershel Walker). Took awhile to recover from that one didn't it. I'm not going to get into this but I felt that a shot across your bow was need since you where ducking anyway. And if you remeber from my original post, my wife is from Indina and ahhh can you say COLT"S fan? I's always been nice to have a friendly rivalry with cross border fans. Oh, that would be Illinois. Nuff said! Back on track, Being one hour from OSH is not any thing special except one week a year but I work the show most of that week since our Chapter (1158) runs the Aeromart during that time. Lots of work but well worth it. Don't get me wrong this is one of the best places to live but just not for us anymore.

See ya at the show...

Call me if your ever down here I will take you to the GreenBay Packer Hall of Fame since your probably don't have one. No seriously, anyone can call us for a place to hang their hat during the SHOW even Vicking fans. We have plenty of Room with private bath.

Richard Glick
Slinger, WI.

//Do you stay up nights thinking of ways to start non related fueds? Oh ya I see where you are a Senior editor of Minnesota Public Radio so that explains things.

Hehehe. No, but I do occasionally stay up late wondering where the nation's collective sense of humor disappeared to.

Chill out, man. It was just a good natured rib to the cheeseheads. I'd expect nothing less in return. It's what friends do to have fun... or at least it used to be before the era of PC came along and people decided there's nothing quite as important as being offended. (I call Minnesota "the land of 10,000 victims precisely for this reason).

Just for the record, next to Vermont and West Virginia, Wisconsin is the most lovely state I've ever visited.

And I'm Patriots fan, by the way.

As for Texas, watching how Houston and San Antonio opened its doors to Katrina victims so quickly, told me everything I ever need to know about Texas.

I was born and raised in the Northern Calif. town of Eureka. My airline job took me to Houston at age 31.

It was a tough choice to move but I bit the bullet and drove a U-Haul loaded with all I owned, 2 dogs, 5 cats, 1 trailer, and a pregnant wife via I-10 to Houston.

I filled the truck in Houston upon arrival and paid $1.28 per gallon (Dec. 03). I had died and gone to heaven, I even pulled out the cell phone while I was fueling to brag to my dad.

Anyway, 6 days after closing on my new house in the Woodlands, I landed my E-120 in Waco for the overnight stay. My phone rang. It was my wife. Apparently while she was meeting the neighbors next door at a Xmas party a storm rolled through. The house took a direct lightning strike and part of the garage burned, all windows were gone, concrete sidewalk was in the street, my appliances all flatlined, and there was dead crawfish in my yard??!!??. Welcome to Texas.

My wife was homesick and mad at me, my dog needed therapy, my truck had hail damage, and the neighbor wanted my sidewalk out of his yard. Needless to say I didn't care about the $1.28 gas anymore, I was bummed. The next morning I did 250 to the marker and jumped out before the chocks were in.

$14000 and 2yrs later I can honestly say I like living in Texas. I often miss the PNW and its beauty, but I visit a few times a year. The weather is a plus. I fly out of O'hare now and commute "home" to Houston. It's a crazy lifestyle and I considered moving to the greater Chicago area - then winter hit.

Heres my take on it: I can run a few fans in the Houston summer, but there is no substitute for warmth up here when it's sub-freezing.

Texas is a good state. The politics are different than what you are used to, and Ford Motor Co. is king down here, don't equate the accent with the bubbas you've met in the past. Even the edumacated folk talk like that.

Come on down, we'll have a cold one.

rd

Highflight said:

And I'm not even going to mention the really short and dark winter days in MN when you just want to go home and put a bullet in your head

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I notice this too. It seems to be most severe around 3 O'clock on Sunday afternoons.

We have some friends who live in Keller who moved down there when Burlington Northern got bought out by Santa Fe. Many is the day I've looked out the picture window on a winter's say and said to my wife, "if I had the RV done, we'd be gassing up for Keller right about now."

One of the procedures for building an RV in the garage here --at least in the winter is -- (a) turn out lights (b) fire up compressor (c) turn on the Buddy Heater (d) move wife's car out of the garage for more elbow room (e) sweep out all the slush and crap that fell off said car.

Unfettered 12-month-out-of-the-year building time is attractive, I gotta admit. And aren't those Texas summers perfect for working on the canopy?

Texas Living

All in good fun Bob... I don't get offended by much. I just thought I needed to fire one back at a fellow norherner. By the way, I am "Chilled Out" I live in Wisconsin

Amen, brother Rick. By the way...I don't know if you've had the weather we've had lately (no sun -- seriously -- since a week before Christmas ), but it broke through briefly today.

I head the first GA plane go over the house (I have airports on 3 sides of me) in 3 weeks.

You just can't have fun with a VFR day every 3 weeks.

Sunshine

Bob, I saw the Sun while I was at Harbor Freight yesterday but only for about 15 minutes. Other than that it has been a record setting three weeks since the sun shined. On the brighter side, the temps have been up above freezing so NO SNOW. Funny you should mention the planes flying, I was out burning a couple T-Bones on the grill when a 172 scraffed the top of my tree line trying to make its way back to ETB under the clouds.

Bob Collins said:

Amen, brother Rick. By the way...I don't know if you've had the weather we've had lately (no sun -- seriously -- since a week before Christmas ), but it broke through briefly today.

I head the first GA plane go over the house (I have airports on 3 sides of me) in 3 weeks.

You just can't have fun with a VFR day every 3 weeks.

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Sucks to be you guys!!! 80 degrees today. A bunch (probably 12) went from our airpark to a pancake breakfast which included lots of RVs. Probably 200 planes of every variety. Down to a T shirt after the first hour, 9:30 am. Clear, visibility of 50+ miles. Had the windows open, screen doors etc at the house.

We have several from Minnesota that live here and are very glad. Really tough to deal with 360 VFR days a year. In fact, I think I'll go put hour 15 on the new 7 before dark, IN SHORTS!!!!

Darwin N. Barrie
Chandler AZ
RV-7 N7171EE

State Bird

Ironflight said:

...and while all native Texans think that everything is bigger in their home state, you've got another thing coming if you ever visit the mosquitoes of northern Minnesota!

I've seen 'em so bad that I spent the night submerged in the lake when the netting ripped out of my tent - it was the only way to keep the suckers from eating me alive!

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The Mosquitoe is Louisiana's State bird (bayous and swamps and all), nuff said I win! They are big and can carry a small dog away. Oh yea humidity, whooo. Now for great people and culture (New Orleans) is hard to beat, I hope she comes back to her full glory. If you live in mid TX, New Orleans is a days drive or a short x-c RV flight. George

RV7Guy said:

Sucks to be you guys!!! 80 degrees today. A bunch (probably 12) went from our airpark to a pancake breakfast

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Shoot, forget the 80 degree days....I'd swap it all for that airpark!

Texas

Having lived in the Dallas area for 5 years I can say the upside is shopping, the down side is the weather - humid and hot in the summer (not cooling off even in the evenings), politically conservative (a definite minus for me) and lots of traffic when driving anywhere.

I loved San Antonio when I lived there (still humid) but a much different cultural feel. Austin would also be a great pick (though traffic there can be a problem as well).

However, after living in New Mexico I can honestly say that every place else I live is only temporary. I'm now in Santa Fe (a very special place) with moderate seasons, although I lived down south in Las Cruces for about 20 years and love that as well. Santa Fe is about as diverse as you can get and very accepting of well just about everything, there's always Taos just up the road and of course lot's of skiing available in northern New Mexico. Cruces is about 10 degrees cooler in the summer than Tucson, great food, 360 days of VFR a year (ok maybe some years it's closer to 350) and a fun and inviting culture. It's great to go out on the golf course on New Years day in short sleeves.

Good luck and please let me know where you find a job like that!

Bob

How about San Antonio?

John,

I live in a residential airpark north of San Antonio called Kestrel Airpark. SA is a great place to live. Low cost of living, great flying weather, and on the edge of the Texas hill country for some of the prettiest flying scenery in Texas.

I just happen to have my home for sale due to my recent re-marriage and 'forced' move 30 miles away :~)...

Let me know if you'd like any more info.

Tom Chapman
Flying RV-4 (1100 hours)
Fuselage, RV-8