Thinking of moving to Texas

Chris

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My wife and I have been talking for years about moving out of Oregon. We both can't stand the absurd amount of rain that we get here in the Willamette Valley, and the fact that you literally don't see the sun for probably 7-8 months straight is very depressing (especially for her, since she suffers from seasonal depression). Ultimately we've decided we would both much rather deal with the hot than the cold and rainy. Another thing is that Oregon has virtually nothing to do for kids. I look at some of these other states (like Texas) with Six Flags, water parks, theme parks, etc., and as a parent, I'm very, very envious.

Initially we wanted to move to Arizona, since I lived there for 5 years and really grew to love the heat and the desert. However, looking at current home prices there, to get the kind of house we want, it's simply no longer possible unfortunately.

That led us to Dallas / Fort Worth. We can get a house in the area that would cost $1,000,000 up here in Oregon. 5 bedrooms, 3000+ sq/ft, a pool, gorgeous kitchen, etc. I've visited Texas many times before and even briefly lived in Austin, Texas for a year when I was 18. However, I haven't been back since then, so I'm not entirely sure what to expect.

What is the weather like? I expect hot summers for sure, but when do they start and how long do they last? What is the fall, winter, and spring like? Does it rain a lot, or is it like Arizona where you'd get these almost tropical like rain storms where it would pour insanely hard, but then be gone 20 minutes later with nothing but clear skies (lots of flash floods in Arizona).

This would be a very big move as it's long distance. I have to factor in the cost of expenses such as what it would cost to have all our stuff moved across country, what I would have to pay to have our vehicles registered there, etc.

Any information from members who live in-or-around DFW would be much appreciated!
 
I travel to FtW for work a lot @Chris, and personally it has yet to grow on me. Most are for reasons related to personal preference like weather (not a fan of hail/tornadoes, I like 4 seasons, the mountains, etc...) so that advice probably isn't applicable. If you've visited and you like it, I say go for it.

You are correct in that there is just a TON to do there. Sports, entertainment, restaurants, the list goes on and on. Plus cheap flights to anywhere in the world! One thing that I would advise that you look into though is the property tax in that area. All of my colleagues that live in the greater FtW area complain about their property tax which is something that surprised me when I first heard them talk about it. I have never lived in TX, but I would have thought the 'personal liberty' ethos that seems to permeate Texan culture would come with reasonably low taxes across the board, but apparently that is not the case. It might be something you want to check into and factor into your personal math.
 
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What is the weather like? I expect hot summers for sure, but when do they start and how long do they last? What is the fall, winter, and spring like? Does it rain a lot, or is it like Arizona where you'd get these almost tropical like rain storms where it would pour insanely hard, but then be gone 20 minutes later with nothing but clear skies (lots of flash floods in Arizona).
You could be wearing shorts on Christmas Day or there could be snow on the ground (rare). We almost always wish we had a colder winter.

Things can start greening up in March, but you might get a late freeze. Spring is nice but short. Weather is unpredictable. About 35” of rain per year, most in Spring.

Warm enough by late May to swim. Summer hot, especially in concrete jungle like DFW. Stay indoors or in water or vacation somewhere. Last swim early to mid September.

Fall is ok, non eventful, holiday season shopping. People wheel in Spring and Fall.

Two seasons. But really the weather is erratic. There can be tornadoes, but most don’t worry about them.

Rains can be a few hours long and gentle with occasional downpours mixed in.

DFW a large area. Pick a location close to things you want to do. Arlington might be good from your description
 
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I say az....snow up north hot south...great wheeling if you look there's good prices around.

We looked in the greater Phoenix area and it's just so much more expensive now than it used to be unfortunately.

I travel to FtW for work a lot @Chris, and personally it has yet to grow on me. Most are for reasons related to personal preference like weather (not a fan of hail/tornadoes, I like 4 seasons, the mountains, etc...) so that advice probably isn't applicable. If you've visited and you like it, I say go for it.

You are correct in that there is just a TON to do there. Sports, entertainment, restaurants, the list goes on and on. Plus cheap flights to anywhere in the world! One thing that I would advise that you look into though is the property tax in that area. All of my colleagues that live in the greater FtW area complain about their property tax which is something that surprised me when I first heard them talk about it. I have never lived in TX, but I would have thought the 'personal liberty' ethos that seems to permeate Texan culture would come with reasonably low taxes across the board, but apparently that is not the case. It might be something you want to check into and factor into your personal math.

I'll have to check into property tax for sure. I was looking on many of the homes I found on Zillow, and the property tax estimates were pretty much the same as we are paying here, which seems about average.

If we didn't have kids, I'd probably move somewhere much more remote. However, with the kids, it's imperative we live somewhere where there is a lot to do with them. Here in Oregon it's like a state for old people and single people in the sense that there really isn't that much here for kids to do. To get to an actual amusement part the nearest one would be over 3 hours away near Tacoma, Washington.

You could be wearing shorts on Christmas Day or there could be snow on the ground (rare). We almost always wish we had a colder winter.

Things can start greening up in March, but you might get a late freeze. Spring is nice but short. Weather is unpredictable. About 35” of rain per year, most in Spring.

Warm enough by late May to swim. Summer hot, especially in concrete jungle like DFW. Stay indoors or in water or vacation somewhere. Last swim early to mid September.

Fall is ok, non eventful, holiday season shopping. People wheel in Spring and Fall.

Two seasons. But really the weather is erratic. There can be tornadoes, but most don’t worry about them.

Rains can be a few hours long and gentle with occasional downpours mixed in.

DFW a large area. Pick a location close to things you want to do. Arlington might be good from your description

Interesting. So unlike Arizona which has nice, beautiful winters of 70 degrees and sun, Texas is definitely not the same then, huh?
 
The three biggest criteria for the move are as follows:
  1. Sunny weather most of the year (it rains way too much here)
  2. Good house value for the money (up here in Oregon 350k will get you an average little house)
  3. Places for the kids to go and things to do
We don't mind heat, that's not an issue. The issue is the constant rain that never lets up 8 months out of the year.
 
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Damn, that looks good!
BYOB and a baked potato to die for. Awesome steaks and pies. My vote is still for the Boise area. Great schools, vibrant young communities, outdoorsman's paradise. Does have a mild winter, but you can easily drive to snow if you want. Good jobs, Boise State is a great college with a good football team. When going off-road, you may want to bring an aux tank. You can go for miles and miles and miles. Ghost towns, old prospector mines, hot springs, panning for gold is a big hobby there. Hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking, camping and high desert has rust free rigs.
 
BYOB and a baked potato to die for. Awesome steaks and pies. My vote is still for the Boise area. Great schools, vibrant young communities, outdoorsman's paradise. Does have a mild winter, but you can easily drive to snow if you want. Good jobs, Boise State is a great college with a good football team. When going off-road, you may want to bring an aux tank. You can go for miles and miles and miles. Ghost towns, old prospector mines, hot springs, panning for gold is a big hobby there. Hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking, camping and high desert has rust free rigs.

I didn't even think of Idaho, but I'll have to check it out. In my mind I assume Idaho is very cold... maybe I'm wrong though.

Oh how I miss Arizona!
 
Idaho has areas that do get cold and snowy, but the Boise area is very nice and in the "banana belt". If you get a dusting of snow at night it is gone by lunch. Very warm dry spring, summer and fall. Huge lakes and rivers. My grown kids and I would go camping at volcanic hot springs, awesome restaurants. Great area for motorcycles and boats as well. Winters in that area are sweater and jacket.
 
My wife and I have been talking for years about moving out of Oregon. We both can't stand the absurd amount of rain that we get here in the Willamette Valley, and the fact that you literally don't see the sun for probably 7-8 months straight is very depressing (especially for her, since she suffers from seasonal depression). Ultimately we've decided we would both much rather deal with the hot than the cold and rainy. Another thing is that Oregon has virtually nothing to do for kids. I look at some of these other states (like Texas) with Six Flags, water parks, theme parks, etc., and as a parent, I'm very, very envious.

Initially we wanted to move to Arizona, since I lived there for 5 years and really grew to love the heat and the desert. However, looking at current home prices there, to get the kind of house we want, it's simply no longer possible unfortunately.

That led us to Dallas / Fort Worth. We can get a house in the area that would cost $1,000,000 up here in Oregon. 5 bedrooms, 3000+ sq/ft, a pool, gorgeous kitchen, etc. I've visited Texas many times before and even briefly lived in Austin, Texas for a year when I was 18. However, I haven't been back since then, so I'm not entirely sure what to expect.

What is the weather like? I expect hot summers for sure, but when do they start and how long do they last? What is the fall, winter, and spring like? Does it rain a lot, or is it like Arizona where you'd get these almost tropical like rain storms where it would pour insanely hard, but then be gone 20 minutes later with nothing but clear skies (lots of flash floods in Arizona).

This would be a very big move as it's long distance. I have to factor in the cost of expenses such as what it would cost to have all our stuff moved across country, what I would have to pay to have our vehicles registered there, etc.

Any information from members who live in-or-around DFW would be much appreciated!
If you're sick of rain, then Texas will definitely fit the bill there, haha. Just be prepared for droughts and restrictions on when you can water your lawn and such from time to time.

I can't speak much to the DFW area since most of my time in Tx didn't visit that area too much. However, I would say that if you're looking to moving to Texas, it's hard to beat San Antonio. I mean, I'm a bit biased since I grew up there, but it's a great city with much less traffic than most of the other big cities in the state. If you're looking for a family fun place, that's probably one of your best bets since it's right where Six Flags and Sea World are. It's also where Fiesta stuff is held and that's a great annual event for families.

I'd mention Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, but I think I heard they're getting rid of that location (Edit: Apparently it just got bought out, but is still open.) Still, there are some good smaller water parks in the area. Also, there's some great rivers in the general area that are good for going tubing.

Either way, if you move to Texas, there's some amazing Tex Mex food and one of the best grocery store chains in the country there. As long as you're ok with the heat and other stuff that comes with Texas, it can be a great place.
 
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Most of the lower Rio Grande Valley is a pretty good place to live, summers are warm, that’s what air conditioner is for. Winters are usually mild, rain comes and goes. Houses are reasonable priced, taxes aren’t real bad, no state income tax