Considering relocating to Texas
- Thread starter MopaR&D
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Steve welder
Well-Known Member
I thank God Almighty I grew up and worked around immigrants all my life.
Their values, work ethics became part of my life and formed who I am.
Happiness is coming home to a warm house on a cold winter day and smelling food being cooked, sitting down to eat with the family
Finding a place to live were working class people are, plus having the people around you of the same faith certainly helps
To many younger people in particular are hung up on what they perceive happiness is. They want it all with no exceptions, go through life like that lends itself to disappointment
Their values, work ethics became part of my life and formed who I am.
Happiness is coming home to a warm house on a cold winter day and smelling food being cooked, sitting down to eat with the family
Finding a place to live were working class people are, plus having the people around you of the same faith certainly helps
To many younger people in particular are hung up on what they perceive happiness is. They want it all with no exceptions, go through life like that lends itself to disappointment
^^^^Legal immigration is a wonderful thing, the US needs labor, and it also needs more doctors, rocket scientists, etc. just as we need legal immigration. Just my opinion.
But that is not what the Op is asking.
Yes, every individual has to determine what is important to him and where and how to go about life.
But that is not what the Op is asking.
Yes, every individual has to determine what is important to him and where and how to go about life.
Steve welder
Well-Known Member
^^^^^^ I understand what the OP is asking. When you are raised around humble people, people that came here dirt poor in search of a better life, their priorities can rub off
Or I can put it this way
My uncle spent over two years as a POW, he survived a plane crash avoided capture for months until his luck ran out
As the allies pushed forward, prisoners were moved and at this point with the war soon ending he and a bunch of others made their escape. He spent two weeks wondering the woods in the dead of winter, freezing and nearly starving to death
Thats the story I learned after his death
You never saw a happier guy, the life of the party, always playing with us kids, just a person everyone enjoyed being around
He was a garment cutter in NYC at a time when the city was still big in to textiles. He bounced from job to job. He lived in New Jersey and took the train everyday, a lousy commute
Had a little house and never a newer car.
My point is so many today want and want. They want it all and while I'm not insinuating thats the case here, im just pointing out what attitudes I see today with younger generations
I went were the work was as far as were I was to live
What anybody else does is their business
Or I can put it this way
My uncle spent over two years as a POW, he survived a plane crash avoided capture for months until his luck ran out
As the allies pushed forward, prisoners were moved and at this point with the war soon ending he and a bunch of others made their escape. He spent two weeks wondering the woods in the dead of winter, freezing and nearly starving to death
Thats the story I learned after his death
You never saw a happier guy, the life of the party, always playing with us kids, just a person everyone enjoyed being around
He was a garment cutter in NYC at a time when the city was still big in to textiles. He bounced from job to job. He lived in New Jersey and took the train everyday, a lousy commute
Had a little house and never a newer car.
My point is so many today want and want. They want it all and while I'm not insinuating thats the case here, im just pointing out what attitudes I see today with younger generations
I went were the work was as far as were I was to live
What anybody else does is their business
I didn't read the while thread.
Come to Oklahoma. Plenty of cultural diversity. Summers are a few degrees cooler than Texas. Winters are a bit colder. Housing is a little bit cheaper. People are just as nice here as in Texas. Still plenty of open space if wanted. Plenty of backroads. Population isn't as crazy and therefore the traffic is much better.
I love Oklahoma. Texas has Buc-ee's which IS hard to beat.
Edit. Boeing seems to always be hiring if aircraft is your career.
I'm a construction superintendent. We can't seem to get anyone to work. Most construction companies are hiring right now.
Come to Oklahoma. Plenty of cultural diversity. Summers are a few degrees cooler than Texas. Winters are a bit colder. Housing is a little bit cheaper. People are just as nice here as in Texas. Still plenty of open space if wanted. Plenty of backroads. Population isn't as crazy and therefore the traffic is much better.
I love Oklahoma. Texas has Buc-ee's which IS hard to beat.
Edit. Boeing seems to always be hiring if aircraft is your career.
I'm a construction superintendent. We can't seem to get anyone to work. Most construction companies are hiring right now.
bobscuda67
Well-Known Member
There are positive and negatives everywhere and the OP has to figure it out for himself.
Stop! We're full! Let's keep steering refugees to Texas.
Just kidding. I'm from Oklahoma and own a house there, soon to be two when I get the Duster finished. My Dad has 180 acres there that I want to build a couple houses on when I get the two rental houses paid off so I say bring 'em.
If the OP wants to move to the OKC area I have a 3 bd, 2 ba, 2 car garage, gas and wood stove, a/c, storage sheds, 5 acres, and a big Mopar guy neighbor (Dad), and a Street Outlaws neighbor (Monza). All for what @MopaR&D 's current rent is. My Dad is building a 60X80 building with two lifts and gobs of tools. His friend owns a Mopar restoration business. There is also a large and growing network of Mopar fans in the area.
Hopefully I will be moving back to Oklahoma in the future. Have to get my structural firefighting quals as there are no Federal wildland jobs in central Oklahoma.
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^^^^^ Yea, but Ok. has NO Buc-ees!!!!!! NONE! Nadda. Zero!!!
But we got a crap load of Braum's! And we have that one MacDonald's that goes over I-44.
Treblig
Well-Known Member
The Buc-eees chopped BBQ is the best!!!
MopaR&D
Nerd Member
Ok what is this "Buc-ees"? I'm guessing from @Treblig 's post it's a BBQ joint?
About a year ago my dad bought a Traeger wood-pellet grill/smoker when we were at Home Depot. I'm addicted to home-smoked brisket now lol I absolutely LOVE smoking meats. Somewhat limited on variety because I don't eat pork but the brisket and chuck roasts I've done were to die for.
I'll consider Oklahoma, and Missouri is also a potential destination but again I'm looking for a place with lots of diversity and a happening night-life scene. Really miss that aspect of living in Denver, always a cool cheap concert to see somewhere on any given night and tons of cool spots to check out and meet new people. I'm more of a country guy but can also enjoy the urban night life.
About a year ago my dad bought a Traeger wood-pellet grill/smoker when we were at Home Depot. I'm addicted to home-smoked brisket now lol I absolutely LOVE smoking meats. Somewhat limited on variety because I don't eat pork but the brisket and chuck roasts I've done were to die for.
I'll consider Oklahoma, and Missouri is also a potential destination but again I'm looking for a place with lots of diversity and a happening night-life scene. Really miss that aspect of living in Denver, always a cool cheap concert to see somewhere on any given night and tons of cool spots to check out and meet new people. I'm more of a country guy but can also enjoy the urban night life.
Treblig
Well-Known Member
Buc-eees is a super giant gas station with 60 gas pumps, 1,000 parking spots, a 67,000 square-foot convenience store with 80 soda fountain dispensers. They sell clothing, snacks, meals and tons of other stuff. There is always a ton of folks at Buc-eees. They prepared the Brisket there on site and chop it in front of your eyes...a little Buc-ees BBQ sauce and you're food to go.
MopaR&D
Nerd Member
Ohh gotcha, I'm not sure if I've been to an actual Buc-ees but I did find it cool when I was working in north Texas how big the gas stations are and how much more stuff they have to buy compared to ones around here that just have gas pumps and a small convenience store like 7-Eleven.
And the cleanest restrooms you will ever find.
Treblig
Well-Known Member
Very true!!! Amazingly clean 24/7!!!
Blainethemono
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, you need a stable Electric Grid for A/C to actually work effectively.....
MopaR&D
Nerd Member
Or get a backup diesel generator lol... might look into that hearing about all these electric grid issues out there. Too bad it's not dry like Colorado, swamp coolers work wonders here in the summertime and use a lot less energy to run, just a fan to blow air through the membrane and a small pump to keep the water circulating. The complex I work in currently actually uses central evaporative cooling as opposed to A/C.
S.E> Texas We do live in the SWAMP. Some call it the Piney Woods, just because the humidity is usually 136%, I should not call it the swamp??????
MOPAROFFICIAL
Oogliboogli
In case I didn't mention 42% property tax...
...42% property tax...
...42% property tax...
jos51700
Green Bearing thread connoisseur
I'm not sure I'm reading that correctly. If I am, it might be time for you to consider another A body website....
I'd stop funding a state government like that by moving, right stat now.
Steve welder
Well-Known Member
MopaR&D
Nerd Member
383Duster
Well-Known Member
property taxes here are outrageous…and everyone here that has been here a few years would agree with me
so you missed this in the article you linked ?
Texas has one of the highest average property tax rates in the country, with only thirteen states levying higher property taxes.
I just moved to East Texas 2 years ago, small town close to the Longview area, from South Florida, because of the state of the politics in Florida at the time, because Texas is much cheaper to live in, and because this is where I am going to retire. I will not go into the political stuff, but you cannot buy land is South Florida anymore, at least not for a reasonable price, and I like land. I had a one acre property in the Homestead area, and that is a huge piece of land by South Florida standards. Anyways, I sold my 3,000 square foot house with a 2 car garage in Florida, and bought a 4,000 square foot house on 27 acres with a 3 car garage, and another 4 garage spaces in a steel building for less than what I sold my Florida house. The house was a fixer upper, so eventually I ended up spending more on it than what my house in Florida was worth, but not by much.
Property taxes here are a LOT less than what they are in South Florida, I least I pay less for this much bigger house with a TON more land that what I used to pay for my house in Florida. The one thing people that look at the "property taxes by county" do not realize is that housing is Texas is usually cheaper than in a lot of the USA. So, if you have 2 identical houses on an identical piece of land, one in South Florida and one in Texas, even if the percentage you are paying on the value of your property is slightly higher, you will be paying a lot less in Texas as the value of your home will be a lot less in Texas. The house I sold in Florida, if I could move it here would be worth half of what it was in South Florida, so even if your tax rate is a little higher, you will probably still be paying half of what you pay in Florida for the same property. Another fallacy of these "property tax by county" percentage rate is that it really depend on your local property tax appraiser, and what exemptions you can get. Here in this county, when you sell or buy a property the local tax appraiser does not have any clue what you sold or bought your property for, and you as a seller or a buyer are under no obligation to tell them. So, they just assume that the property is what it was when it was built or when it was last sold. You could have done a myriad of improvements and additions to raise the value of your property, and they have no clue. In Florida when you sell your home, the state immediately gets informed of what the selling price was and they immediately raise the property taxes on the new owner (as the property has surely gone up in value since you bought it 10-20-30 years ago), sometimes to 3-4-5 or even to 10 times what it used to be. You as a buyer have no clue, when you buy a house in South Florida, what your new taxes will be. They will just assess a value on it, from the amount you paid, and you are screwed. I pay a little over $3000 a year for my house in property taxes, my business partner who lives in South Florida (Davie area) with a similar sized house on 1 acre pays over $13,000 a year in property taxes. When he went to the tax appraiser to complain they told him that he was paying too little! Under the law, as the house is his residence, they cannot raise his property taxes more than 2% a year, which they dutifully do, but they told him that as soon as that house gets sold again, the new owner will likely be paying over $20,000 a year.
Getting off the taxes thing, I have found that people here are extremely friendly, welcoming and cordial, compared to South Florida. No one bothers me here, electricity is cheaper than in South Florida, insurance for your home is waaaay cheaper, auto insurance is waaay cheaper. Violent crime is almost none existent. The only thing I think is a bit more expensive is food. What is a LOT more expensive is getting people to work on your property, if you can find them. The heat-A/C guy was super cheap in Florida compared to here, anyone that you need to come and do some work on your property is super expensive, again if you can even find someone willing to work. It seems that if you do not have at least a $10,000 job, no one is willing to even consider working on your home.
Negatives are that there is very little in the way of "night life here", you like to party, this area is not for you. Restaurants and places to go are a LOT less than is South Florida, entertainment here is minimal compared to South Florida, but those things at my age are no longer important...
All in all it was a positive move for me, and my wife loves it. So, happy wife, happy life...
Property taxes here are a LOT less than what they are in South Florida, I least I pay less for this much bigger house with a TON more land that what I used to pay for my house in Florida. The one thing people that look at the "property taxes by county" do not realize is that housing is Texas is usually cheaper than in a lot of the USA. So, if you have 2 identical houses on an identical piece of land, one in South Florida and one in Texas, even if the percentage you are paying on the value of your property is slightly higher, you will be paying a lot less in Texas as the value of your home will be a lot less in Texas. The house I sold in Florida, if I could move it here would be worth half of what it was in South Florida, so even if your tax rate is a little higher, you will probably still be paying half of what you pay in Florida for the same property. Another fallacy of these "property tax by county" percentage rate is that it really depend on your local property tax appraiser, and what exemptions you can get. Here in this county, when you sell or buy a property the local tax appraiser does not have any clue what you sold or bought your property for, and you as a seller or a buyer are under no obligation to tell them. So, they just assume that the property is what it was when it was built or when it was last sold. You could have done a myriad of improvements and additions to raise the value of your property, and they have no clue. In Florida when you sell your home, the state immediately gets informed of what the selling price was and they immediately raise the property taxes on the new owner (as the property has surely gone up in value since you bought it 10-20-30 years ago), sometimes to 3-4-5 or even to 10 times what it used to be. You as a buyer have no clue, when you buy a house in South Florida, what your new taxes will be. They will just assess a value on it, from the amount you paid, and you are screwed. I pay a little over $3000 a year for my house in property taxes, my business partner who lives in South Florida (Davie area) with a similar sized house on 1 acre pays over $13,000 a year in property taxes. When he went to the tax appraiser to complain they told him that he was paying too little! Under the law, as the house is his residence, they cannot raise his property taxes more than 2% a year, which they dutifully do, but they told him that as soon as that house gets sold again, the new owner will likely be paying over $20,000 a year.
Getting off the taxes thing, I have found that people here are extremely friendly, welcoming and cordial, compared to South Florida. No one bothers me here, electricity is cheaper than in South Florida, insurance for your home is waaaay cheaper, auto insurance is waaay cheaper. Violent crime is almost none existent. The only thing I think is a bit more expensive is food. What is a LOT more expensive is getting people to work on your property, if you can find them. The heat-A/C guy was super cheap in Florida compared to here, anyone that you need to come and do some work on your property is super expensive, again if you can even find someone willing to work. It seems that if you do not have at least a $10,000 job, no one is willing to even consider working on your home.
Negatives are that there is very little in the way of "night life here", you like to party, this area is not for you. Restaurants and places to go are a LOT less than is South Florida, entertainment here is minimal compared to South Florida, but those things at my age are no longer important...
All in all it was a positive move for me, and my wife loves it. So, happy wife, happy life...
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