Q for you Texans.....

[Mrs. Diaz 1]

I would like to know what city in Texas we should move to, if we are... My husband is in the military(Marines)and he got a job offer from TSA(Transportation Security Administration)before he left to Iraq in September 2008.... Well.... My husband lives in NYC, which is a very expensive city to live in! ha ha.... There is a chance that he will get transfer to Texas(TSA)so I want to know what city is the "best" one to live in, when it comes to finding a job(for me), renting a apartment or buying a house etc.

Any information about living in Texas is appreciated!

Thank you!/ Janette

[wowswift 3]

Austin area...only cuz its the least "texas like" part of texas.

Edited February 11, 2009 by wowswift

[Mrs. Diaz 1]

Austin area...only cuz its the least "texas like" part of texas.

OK. I see... That's the largest city in Texas, right? And I guess the most expensive one?(that's usually how it works...) I don't care if the rent is more etc , I just want to live in a city that has a lot to offer... (I'm not a small town girl really) Thank you for your comment!

[childress_london 3]

Largest city in Texas is Houston. That's where I live and I love it. If you are a big city girl, you will like it. If you are not a big city person, stay away! LOL. Most people live just outside of Houston and commute in. Traffic is hell, but you can always catch the park and ride bus and have someone else do the driving for you. :-) We also have one of the largest airports in the country. Great opportunity for him if he works for TSA.

http://www.visithoustontexas.com/

http://www.fly2houston.com/

http://www.houstontx.gov/

[Mrs. Diaz 1]

Largest city in Texas is Houston. That's where I live and I love it. If you are a big city girl, you will like it. If you are not a big city person, stay away! LOL. Most people live just outside of Houston and commute in. Traffic is hell, but you can always catch the park and ride bus and have someone else do the driving for you. :-) We also have one of the largest airports in the country. Great opportunity for him if he works for TSA.

http://www.visithoustontexas.com/

http://www.fly2houston.com/

http://www.houstontx.gov/

Houston! I knew it. Wow... I feel so dumb right now... I love NYC, I'm def a big city girl.... Sounds like Houston is the way to go! ha ha... So I guess there is no need to buy a car? We were thinking about moving to California, San Diego or LA area, but there is no way you can make it there without a car! So if the bus service is good, it is def a big plus! Is there any particular area of Houston that we should go for? I don't want to end up in some place, where you have to worry about getting robbed every time you leave the house.... ha ha.... I really appreciate your comment!(I will tell my husband that Houston is where I want to go! )

[wowswift 3]

Austin area...only cuz its the least "texas like" part of texas.

OK. I see... That's the largest city in Texas, right? And I guess the most expensive one?(that's usually how it works...) I don't care if the rent is more etc , I just want to live in a city that has a lot to offer... (I'm not a small town girl really) Thank you for your comment!

not the largest and i don't think its too expensive to live there, which is why i will be moving there since california is too expensive (i want to buy my own house, way more for you money in austin and surrounding areas). austin's moto is "keep austin weird". i guess its considered weird since there is a good mix of people from all over. There are decent places to live in austin and i found that they pay people good there (i made more when i worked in texas than i ever did in california). of course that also depends on what you do for a living, and obv now the economy issue. and austin doesn't get hurricanes

Edited February 11, 2009 by wowswift

[Mrs. Diaz 1]

Austin area...only cuz its the least "texas like" part of texas.

OK. I see... That's the largest city in Texas, right? And I guess the most expensive one?(that's usually how it works...) I don't care if the rent is more etc , I just want to live in a city that has a lot to offer... (I'm not a small town girl really) Thank you for your comment!

not the largest and i don't think its too expensive to live there, which is why i will be moving there since california is too expensive (i want to buy my own house, way more for you money in austin and surrounding areas). austin's moto is "keep austin weird". i guess its considered weird since there is a good mix of people from all over. There are decent places to live in austin and i found that they pay people good there (i made more when i worked in texas than i ever did in california). of course that also depends on what you do for a living, and obv now the economy issue. and austin doesn't get hurricanes

We were thinking about moving to California, but it is just too expensive and you have to drive everywhere.... Finding a job seems harder too. And to be honest, Cali is not my thing...

I work at the airport, here in Stockholm(Sweden)and my husband will be working for TSA.... So I guess I will end up at the airport again.(or possible in the hotel/tourism industry)I like the idea of Texas, cuz I grew up in a Spanish community and my husband is Spanish.... We want to live someplace where the both of us will feel like we belong there.

I like the moto "keep Austin weird" ha ha... I will def consider Austin! We want to buy a house, something that we would never be able to do in the NY area.... No hurricanes, that's great! The airport in Austin, is it "big"? I know it is an international airport... The one in Houston probable have more job opportunities though... But in times like these, who knows...

Thank you so much for your comment!

[wowswift 3]

ya for airports, austin is smaller than houston or dallas. houston probably is cheaper to live in than dallas though, im not sure since i never wanted to live in either. i guess shop around your options. there's san antionio too, not sure how big their airport is but its a nice city.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Everybody in Texas needs a car. It's wide open and spread out. You will find city buses in the larger cities. People are friendly.

Houston has two major airports. IAH- Bush International is a Continental hub. It's large and has most major airlines.

HOU- Hobby Airport is smaller and Southwest Airlines is the major tenant I think. Houston is friendly and has lot's of hispanics. Many things are written in English and Spanish. Houses are much cheaper than California. Suburb communities like Spring to the north, Pearland to the south, Katy on the west are good starting places if you like a smaller town near the big city. You can easily find a large 4 bedroom house for under 150,000. Example http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-...s=pup%25252cpun

It's hot and humid, but we all have air conditioning. In winter like now it's often mild... today, no jacket, worked in the yard in bare feet. Been here forever and haven't gotten shot or robbed yet. Actually I live in a nearby smallish town and I don't even lock my car all the time.

Dallas is Houston's snobby sister about 5 hours north. (It's an in-state rivalry thing) Big airport DFW- Dallas-Ft. Worth. American Airlines is big there. Also Love Field a second airport in downtown Dallas

Austin airport is smallish. The weather is lovely. Austin revolves around a huge university, state government, and Dell computers. It has gotten quite expensive to buy a house compared to other areas of the state. (It's the Dellionaires fault. The traffic is very congested. Great town.

San Antonio is home of the Alamo. It's lovely and very Hispanic. You know the Texans lost to the Mexicans in San Antonio. (That was meant to be funny.) The airport is smallish. There's alot of military in SA.

[childress_london 3]

Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. and the largest city in Texas. It's crime rate is lower than Dallas and it's cheaper to live in Houston than in Dallas. Though, yes occasionally you might have to put up with a hurricane. You will need a car in Houston. Nothing is close enough to walk, and except for the park and ride to get you to work (depending on where you work), the transportation system is not that great. People like to drive SUVs and pickup trucks, but I have a little Nissan myself. ;-) Other outlying suburbs that are nice, besides those mentioned above are Sugar Land to the Southwest and Kingwood to the Northeast. It would all depend on where you end up working. If you end up working at Bush Intercontinental Airport (where I worked for a couple of years), I would recommend Kingwood (http://www.kingwood.com). If you want to live in the city itself, then I would definitely check out crime reports and ask the realtors or apartment locaters as to the best places. The lower the crime rate the more expensive it will be to live there. Southwest area and west area has the most concentrated crime (in Houston, not talking about the suburbs of Sugarland and Katy).

[Mrs. Diaz 1]

Everybody in Texas needs a car. It's wide open and spread out. You will find city buses in the larger cities. People are friendly.

Houston has two major airports. IAH- Bush International is a Continental hub. It's large and has most major airlines.

HOU- Hobby Airport is smaller and Southwest Airlines is the major tenant I think. Houston is friendly and has lot's of hispanics. Many things are written in English and Spanish. Houses are much cheaper than California. Suburb communities like Spring to the north, Pearland to the south, Katy on the west are good starting places if you like a smaller town near the big city. You can easily find a large 4 bedroom house for under 150,000. Example http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-...s=pup%25252cpun

It's hot and humid, but we all have air conditioning. In winter like now it's often mild... today, no jacket, worked in the yard in bare feet. Been here forever and haven't gotten shot or robbed yet. Actually I live in a nearby smallish town and I don't even lock my car all the time.

Dallas is Houston's snobby sister about 5 hours north. (It's an in-state rivalry thing) Big airport DFW- Dallas-Ft. Worth. American Airlines is big there. Also Love Field a second airport in downtown Dallas

Austin airport is smallish. The weather is lovely. Austin revolves around a huge university, state government, and Dell computers. It has gotten quite expensive to buy a house compared to other areas of the state. (It's the Dellionaires fault. The traffic is very congested. Great town.

San Antonio is home of the Alamo. It's lovely and very Hispanic. You know the Texans lost to the Mexicans in San Antonio. (That was meant to be funny.) The airport is smallish. There's alot of military in SA.

I've never been to Texas, but I do really think that I will like it a lot. I hope! ha ha... Well I've been to Tennessee and Georgia, don't know if it is a bit like Texas??(HUGE cars, cowboy outfits, large steaks, friendly people and of course country music!...) So.... I guess we do need to get a car! ha ha... Well I was thinking, that maybe we could buy a house first, then get a car... But I guess not!

150 000 for a LARGE 4 bedroom house? Not bad....

I don't think Dallas or San Antonio is the place for us... Dallas makes me think of JR Ewing, Pam and Bobby... If you know what I mean! ha ha... San Antonio, maybe a little "too Spanish"... My Spanish is not that good, I would feel even more like the immigrant I am! "No comprende"... You get the deal.... My husband wants to get out of the military too, so I think we will go with either Houston or Austin! I love the weather already..... I WISH I could go outside with no shoes in February!

I def have a lot to think about now.... Thank you so much for taking your time to write a reply to my q! It is always better to ask real people. Ever heard about a small town in California called 29 Palms??? Well... that's a place you DON'T want to end up in!(it doesn't look too bad on the websites....)I don't want Texas to be a bad experience for us, cuz I really want to like it there! ha ha...

Again, thank you so much for your comment!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Dallas isn't JR, Bobby and Pam. You won't meet many millionaire rancher/oilmen in your day to day life or see alot of cowboy outfits. It's quite smart and chic with many, many suburbs but I just don't know that much about it to comment. In Houston area, we tend to think of Dallas as trying to be too sophisticated. But on the other hand, Dallas probably says Houston is raw and raunchy. Neither is really true...just stereotypes.

The state and cities are so big that you will find everything. If you're looking for airport work, then Houston or Dallas would have the most just because of the size. In the middle of the state, Austin, San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos...those are lovely because they are in the Texas "hill country" which has lovely rolling hills and nice rivers and lakes. Oh yeah, and less humidity. We love to go to San Antonio for a weekend trip. It's geared for tourism so you find fun things to see and do concentrated in the Riverwalk area. You don't have to know Spanish, by the way. Houston and surrounding areas are totally flat and not particularly scenic. Perhaps it's cheaper to live in Houston because it's not as scenic and it has alot of jobs and industry support. Houston's economy has a lot to draw on...oil/petroleum companies, chemical companies, NASA, huge medical center, and a busy major seaport.

[Big Papa Zone 93]

'Er indoors has relatives in Port Lavaca, Nich. We drove down there from Southern Illinois once. Couldn't get over how skanky the Gulf of Mexico is!! Or how huge the state of Texas is. It took us 7 or 8 hours just to get back to the border with Arkansas on the way back!!!!!!!

[Mrs. Diaz 1]

Dallas isn't JR, Bobby and Pam. You won't meet many millionaire rancher/oilmen in your day to day life or see alot of cowboy outfits. It's quite smart and chic with many, many suburbs but I just don't know that much about it to comment. In Houston area, we tend to think of Dallas as trying to be too sophisticated. But on the other hand, Dallas probably says Houston is raw and raunchy. Neither is really true...just stereotypes.

The state and cities are so big that you will find everything. If you're looking for airport work, then Houston or Dallas would have the most just because of the size. In the middle of the state, Austin, San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos...those are lovely because they are in the Texas "hill country" which has lovely rolling hills and nice rivers and lakes. Oh yeah, and less humidity. We love to go to San Antonio for a weekend trip. It's geared for tourism so you find fun things to see and do concentrated in the Riverwalk area. You don't have to know Spanish, by the way. Houston and surrounding areas are totally flat and not particularly scenic. Perhaps it's cheaper to live in Houston because it's not as scenic and it has alot of jobs and industry support. Houston's economy has a lot to draw on...oil/petroleum companies, chemical companies, NASA, huge medical center, and a busy major seaport.

No Bobby?! Well, didn't think so either.... Just makes me think of them whenever I hear someone say "Dallas".(just cuz I have no clue how it's like)I guess that we will just pick a city and see if we like it there or not... I'm sure I will! Suddenly all those places sounds great! But I guess we will end up in Houston or Austin, possible Dallas(cuz of the airport work....)

I love to make weekend trips. Very relaxing, almost like a mini-vacation.... If we decide to move down to Texas, there will def be a lot of sightseeing for me and hubby! We like to get around, exploring things... There is no risk that we will stay back in our apartment/house every weekend! Thank you so much for the info!

[Mrs. Diaz 1]

'Er indoors has relatives in Port Lavaca, Nich. We drove down there from Southern Illinois once. Couldn't get over how skanky the Gulf of Mexico is!! Or how huge the state of Texas is. It took us 7 or 8 hours just to get back to the border with Arkansas on the way back!!!!!!!

Well, everything is bigger in Texas you know!(incl. the state itself) lol

The gulf is skanky?! Sounds... very... nice. I guess I have to go down there to check out the "skankyness" myself! ha ha....