Considering relocating to Texas

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MopaR&D

MopaR&D

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So I've been living in Colorado the past 17 years or so and for several reasons am seriously considering relocating. I'm tired of the insane housing prices, lack of engineering industry in fields I'm interested in (power generation/energy conversion) and most of all serious lack of ethnic and cultural diversity. I spent a decent amount of time in the DFW and Wichita Falls areas for a previous job and enjoyed it, I also have a cousin living in Houston who I visited last August and I really enjoyed that city.

I'm going to start applying for jobs in TX here soon, top of my list is Bell-Textron they're hiring engineers of all levels to work on development of new jet engines for the VTOL military aircraft and they're located in Fort Worth.

I could go pretty much anywhere in the country with my professional background and education but it has to be somewhere diverse with a large Muslim community. The northern Midwest and Northeast are out because of the gloomy cold depressing weather (grew up in PA, don't plan on ever going back). California is gorgeous and tons of fun but it's out because of insane taxes/cost of living, obnoxiously liberal culture and super restrictive laws and regulations especially related to my two main hobbies (firearms and old vehicles).

I guess the reason I'm posting is what do y'all (tee hee) living in Texas think of it? Any advice for someone thinking of moving there? How is it in terms of outdoor activities, I'd like to still be able to go on an occasional hike and explore some nice natural areas. And I understand it's a gigantic state I realized that after having to travel between cities, 6 hours of driving and still not even 1/4 way across the state lmao. Or anything else just related to life in general, things you like, things you don't like, potential issues to watch out for?
 
Austin is the place for "many" good high paying jobs!!! Make sure to bring many guns.....it's a Texas thing!! Austin is centrally located and there are tons of things to do within a few (300 miles or less). Colorado is beautiful buy very cold, Austin is hot most of the year.
 
MopaR&D said:
So I've been living in Colorado the past 17 years or so and for several reasons am seriously considering relocating. I'm tired of the insane housing prices, lack of engineering industry in fields I'm interested in (power generation/energy conversion) and most of all serious lack of ethnic and cultural diversity. I spent a decent amount of time in the DFW and Wichita Falls areas for a previous job and enjoyed it, I also have a cousin living in Houston who I visited last August and I really enjoyed that city.

I'm going to start applying for jobs in TX here soon, top of my list is Bell-Textron they're hiring engineers of all levels to work on development of new jet engines for the VTOL military aircraft and they're located in Fort Worth.

I could go pretty much anywhere in the country with my professional background and education but it has to be somewhere diverse with a large Muslim community. The northern Midwest and Northeast are out because of the gloomy cold depressing weather (grew up in PA, don't plan on ever going back). California is gorgeous and tons of fun but it's out because of insane taxes/cost of living, obnoxiously liberal culture and super restrictive laws and regulations especially related to my two main hobbies (firearms and old vehicles).

I guess the reason I'm posting is what do y'all (tee hee) living in Texas think of it? Any advice for someone thinking of moving there? How is it in terms of outdoor activities, I'd like to still be able to go on an occasional hike and explore some nice natural areas. And I understand it's a gigantic state I realized that after having to travel between cities, 6 hours of driving and still not even 1/4 way across the state lmao. Or anything else just related to life in general, things you like, things you don't like, potential issues to watch out for?
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Don't you have a parent in Colorado??
 
I spent a year in Houston one week .
Lol Too bad Colorado is getting so populated... Idaho is heading down the same path . I never thought of Texas as culturely diverse and accepting. But I dont live there ...
 
Princess Valiant said:
Don't you have a parent in Colorado??
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My mom is currently still here with my youngest brother for the next year or so until he finishes grad school then she's going to move to where my dad is to live with him, either Tennessee or the UAE lol. Middle brother moved to Japan a couple months ago. It's pretty normal for our family to spread out, I have extended family all over the world.

Treblig said:
Austin is the place for "many" good high paying jobs!!! Make sure to bring many guns.....it's a Texas thing!! Austin is centrally located and there are tons of things to do within a few (300 miles or less). Colorado is beautiful buy very cold, Austin is hot most of the year.
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Oh I have a few guns to bring... .44 Mag Ruger Super Blackhawk and 9mm Browning Hi-Power I inherited from my grandpa, recently acquired Century .308 CETME clone, Mossberg 500 20-gauge, maybe one or two others. I do love shooting sports, want to get into that more. One reason I knew Texas would be a good place to go for that lol. And for the cold-ness I find Colorado to be not that bad but I definitely wouldn't want to live anywhere colder!

mbaird said:
I spent a year in Houston one week .
Lol Too bad Colorado is getting so populated... Idaho is heading down the same path . I never thought of Texas as culturely diverse and accepting. But I dont live there ...
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I didn't either until I visited Dallas and Houston. It's sadly a stigma associated with the state due to its past and there are certainly people who can be racist etc. but they're easy to avoid. For me it has more to do with the fact that even though Coloradans are generally open and accepting of other cultures those other cultures just don't really exist here, everywhere you go besides Denver is just white people and it gets boring for me. I like to experience new and interesting cultural stuff, not to mention I just generally very rarely come across the type of women I would want to date and be in a relationship with here in CO. And trust me I've been trying for years lol.
 
MopaR&D said:
My mom is currently still here with my youngest brother for the next year or so until he finishes grad school then she's going to move to where my dad is to live with him, either Tennessee or the UAE lol. Middle brother moved to Japan a couple months ago. It's pretty normal for our family to spread out, I have extended family all over the world.
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The only reason I asked is because I would stay with my parents. I don't really like Colorado and I could have a way higher paying job and have a better selection of suiters somewhere else , but my adoptive parents are native here so I'm staying with them.

Its not worth material stuff to be away from those who matter the most IMO
 
As for acceptance and tolerance, I believe that for the most part you can find that (and the opposite ilk) just about anywhere you go. There are a fair amount of a#*holes in any demographic large enough to be discernable. Find an area that accommodates the lifestyle you live, a climate you can tolerate most times of the year, and settle in to make some new friends. I've lived in Texas all my life, and I don't want to go anywhere else.
 
I have been in Dallas Fort Worth my whole life… House prices in Texas used to be reasonable, they no longer are. The heat absolutely sucks, high water, natural gas and electric bills in Dallas. I owned a house in Mobile Alabama for four years for work, everything cost much less. If I was a little younger and did not have Parkinson’s I would bail and probably go to Arkansas…..
If I had to pick two cities in Texas it would be Fort Worth and San Antonio, stay away from Austin, Dallas and Houston
 
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383Duster said:
I have been in Dallas Fort Worth my whole life… House prices in Texas used to be reasonable, they no longer are. The heat absolutely sucks, high water, natural gas and electric bills in Dallas. I owned a house in Mobile Alabama for four years for work, everything cost much less. If I was a little younger and did not have Parkinson’s I would bail and probably go to Arkansas…..
If I had to pick two cities in Texas it would be Fort Worth and San Antonio, stay away from Austin, Dallas and Houston
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What he said! Lived in Dallas most of my working career and life. The recent changes have been incredible. They cannot keep up with the influx of people. Expect utilities to flounder if this keeps up. Where are all these people coming from? I'm am retired trying to find my way out.
 
Treblig said:
Gun shops here in Texas stay very busy all the time, they can't keep enough guns in stock!! Not sure if you can handle the heat though??
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I love the heat besides they have this new fangled machine called air conditioning, I hear it works pretty good
 
Princess Valiant said:
The only reason I asked is because I would stay with my parents. I don't really like Colorado and I could have a way higher paying job and have a better selection of suiters somewhere else , but my adoptive parents are native here so I'm staying with them.

Its not worth material stuff to be away from those who matter the most IMO
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Princess Valiant said:
The only reason I asked is because I would stay with my parents. I don't really like Colorado and I could have a way higher paying job and have a better selection of suiters somewhere else , but my adoptive parents are native here so I'm staying with them.

Its not worth material stuff to be away from those who matter the most IMO
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I understand what you're saying but it's not about material stuff per se, it's about getting my career going so I can be in a position to own a home and support a family of my own. My parents would much rather see me make a successful career moving away than staying with them and having my life go basically nowhere. In CO in this day and age it's impossible to own a home and support a wife and kids making $60k/year gross income. Besides like I said, in a year or so my parents won't be in Colorado anyway and if I'm making decent money like I should be I'll be able to visit them at least a couple times a year. In a perfect world I'd stay here but I've been trying to make ends meet for the past 5+ years in this place and it hasn't been working.
 
Ron816 said:
I love the heat besides they have this new fangled machine called air conditioning, I hear it works pretty good
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Yes, the AC works great as long as the power grid can keep up...............they won't update it so there's always a chance of rolling back outs.
 
Small town living isn't too bad in Texas, personally I'd stay away from the major cities (i.e. Dallas, Houston, Austin). But that is my opinion because I've lived in those areas. I now live in Cleveland, TX & enjoy a peaceful laid back lifestyle. I'm retired but work when I want to & if I want to on my schedule. "Most" Texans welcome the outsiders with open arms, but others have the "Welcome to Texas, now go back home". LOL
 
My wife and I are both Forestry Research so we make a living outside the more urban areas here in the “piney woods”. Our $$$ go a lot further in rural Texas and feel the quality of life is better. I say all that to remind you that the oil fields require engineering out here in the sticks too.
The humidity, slow infrastructure growth (compared to population), brown rivers, lakes, Gulf, and the wild hogs only things that bug me.
buy a bass boat, don’t be afraid to hunt the yaupon, and do try the mud bugs!
 
Do what your heart says to do! Some may remember that just a few months ago I accepted a job offer within my agency, US Forest Service, to be the Fire Engine Operator on the LBJ National Grassland in Decatur, TX. I am currently on a National Forest as an Assistant Fire Engine Operator in SoCal. I grew up in Oklahoma so I was excited to be just 2 hours away from home.
I ended up telling HR that I wanted to rescind the acceptance. That was due to several reasons. I accepted the offer in October and did the background check and other paperwork. I got all excited and was looking at homes between Ft Worth and Decatur. I was just waiting for a Start Date so I could start making offers. Weeks turned into months and we still hadn't heard anything. Finally, I called HR to ask " What's Up?". They said it wouldn't be till middle of summer before I heard anything because thy were backed up. The homes I was looking at in Oct. were about $250k for a 3 bd 2 ba with acreage. By the time I called HR (~6 mo) they were over $500k! The real estate agent also said there was slim pickens on the rental market.
Promotion opportunities are happening withing my engine crew because the Fire Engine Operator got cancer and is done so everyone will probably move up one. Middle of Summer is a shitty time to leave your fire crew because each person is irreplaceable in the summer and it would leave a huge hole.
Now my plan is to get my structural firefighting quals and try to get a job with the DoD and be even closer to home.
My advice is to live in a small town at least an hour away from a major city like DFW, Houston, Austin,.... When you get within that commuter distance for a major city the home prices are way overpriced. If you must be that close to a metropolis and have capital, wait a little longer for this recession to REALLY drive the home prices back to reality.
I was really excited to move there but the stars fell out of alignment. Maybe it was that God wants me to be in the right place.

Evaluate these three factors. Financial, Logistical, and Spiritual.
Spiritually, is your head telling you to move or is your heart telling you? Where is it telling you to move (finance & logistics)?
Logistics, how far do you want to be from an international airport, hospital, grocer, lake, ...? This can all be dependent on finances.
Financially, where you gonna move? Lotsa land and a modular home or in the big town on a small lot? Big house, little house? Logistics plays a big part in this factor.

Consider these three things and you will end up exactly where you need to be.
 
Austin area is still a hot spot and prices of homes is high here for sure. I'm sure diversity if big in urban Austin. As you get out of the city there the old natives are not always into diversity as much.
We all know the further you drive to a city, the cost is less for r/e.
Sounds like you spent enough time in Dallas, etc. to know what Tx is like and understand the state.
My opinion of cites in general is that they are not for me, never have been.
Houston and Austin and probably most cites in general, people want the $$$ from the income there but don't want to live there, UNLESS they can live in a burb away from the crime and chit associated with that city. Where is that usually not true??
If you really want diversity, you have to decide what area presents that to you.
 
I'm OK if this thread gets locked because I don't really want any replies. I just saw my thread about moving to Texas was locked. Really, what the hell guys? Is it so difficult to not make EVERYTHING a stupid argument about politics? I'm extremely disappointed in some of you, I came here looking for honest advice and it just turned into a shitstorm. Along with some over-the-top assumptions about myself based on what I mentioned *briefly* about my religious beliefs which was only put up in the context of finding others with the same faith. Nothing more, nothing less.

If any of you living in Texas want to continue the discussion feel free to send me a PM, I guess we can't have a civil conversation about this in the open since a lot of you still think and act like you're children. Seriously, grow up and learn some manners related to when and where it's OK to run your mouth about politics. This crap is beyond old, the dead horse has been beaten into a pile of ground meat at this point.
 
I'm currently working with a guy who has Texas as his goal. He gave our employer like 5 months notice that he is going. He has been training a new body tech here... that drives him nuts... last Friday he went in their office and said August 12th is my last day. Sorry to see him go but he is really sold on Texas. I personally couldn't stand the heat. I live in Wisconsin and it's too hot here for me!

As far as the politics go it's non stop. I had one in the body and paint forum yesterday. Just leave it out... most of us are here for cars and Mopars specifically! Some just can't resist..
 
Kudos for "voting with your feet". I did likewise. Putting it out there to the court of public opinion is dangerous as we all know


Good luck to you in whatever direction your personal reasons take you.
 
If you talked to me and got to know me, you MIGHT get an idea eventually of my political beliefs or faith. You might also be very surprised by some of them. I don't actively hide them, but I also don't see how they affect which carb is best for a slant six.

Sorry you had to deal with the assumptions, I think it is very hard to get away from that on any public forum (especially these days when politics and faith are so polarized and polarizing)
 
First off, I don't think the thread should've been locked.

Having said that, I come here to learn about/discuss Mopar A-bodies. Heck, we're not even technically here to discuss Plymouth Fury's, much less other makes/models, so why do you think this is a good place to chat about big life choices?

It never even occurs to me to bring up my marital problems, worries about my job, or my concerns about the future of our country around here, because that has nothing to do with Mopar A-bodies. Guess I'm weird that way.

Hope you figure out what's best for you, but I don't come here to discuss your personal life. Nice car in your sig, though.

vm
 
vynn23 said:
First off, I don't think the thread should've been locked.

Having said that, I come here to learn about/discuss Mopar A-bodies. Heck, we're not even technically here to discuss Plymouth Fury's, much less other makes/models, so why do you think this is a good place to chat about big life choices?

It never even occurs to me to bring up my marital problems, worries about my job, or my concerns about the future of our country around here, because that has nothing to do with Mopar A-bodies. Guess I'm weird that way.

Hope you figure out what's best for you, but I don't come here to discuss your personal life. Nice car in your sig, though.

vm
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While I don't disagree with you, doesn't seem to be out of place to me to ask people opinions on where they live (or have lived) in a general forum post before making a jump. It's one of the nice things about being part of a larger community, plenty of insight you should be able to gather in a short time.

Personally, I think the bigger issue is not being able to discuss much of anything cordially. We should have been able to express our thoughts and ideas and let the OP make his decision on his own rather than turn it into trying to beat each other into submission.
 
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