Anyone moved to Texas and moved back to LA? (Los Angeles: new house, employment)

[saibot]

Originally Posted by OneDawg

The rusty cars - from the salty air

The what? Don't you know that if you want a nice, clean, classic car, you want one which has spent its life in California where cars don't get rusty?

https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_r...hread=10987984

[Señor Ríos]

Now that you clarified your original question a bit, here we go…I lived in Humble, TX for awhile, but was born and raised in SoCal…I returned to California and do not intend to leave anytime soon, if at all…

Originally Posted by FueledByBlueBell

When you talk about freedom, what specifically are you referring to? What is different?

Great example is something as simple as a lawn-mower. Soon all gas powered lawn equipment will have to be Electric. By law. This is clownshoes.

A lot of people have left California due to State firearm restrictions. That seems to be a big one.

Even running a small business is harder. I remember driving up and down FM 1960 for years, and some eateries would start out as “shacks” or “sheds” and eventually grow into a brick and mortar business. That kind of stuff would not legally fly here. Code Enforcement from LA County would come along and give you a hard time about permits, health codes, etc. Ask a small business who has been fined by Weights & Measures for petty things. Or when the county tax assessor comes to hustle your business.

Originally Posted by FueledByBlueBell

I'm aware of real estate costs in California. I just don't care about guns. I've never owned a gun, I've never had a reason to want to own a gun. I'm not opposed to them per se. I'd go to a gun range, or shoot clays. My kids learned to shoot at summer camp, but I think the entire gun culture is out of control. It is silly at this point.

How does illegal immigration affect daily live in California? Will I notice as I go about my day to day (taking kids to school, going to work, going to the beach/parks/woods/mountains/vineyards, etc.)? Is it worse than traffic? Is traffic as bad as driving around Austin?

California persecutes gun owners, plain and simple. Gun ranges have been forced out of business. Gun Culture in California is a tight-knit minority, whereas Texas has a VERY strong gun culture thats part of its cultural fabric. If you are a hunter, you are also viewed with disdain by many.

Illegal immigration is a silly topic. Here in LA County there are hispanic people EVERYWHERE. 90% of hispanics are normal, hard working people just like everyone else. Legal or illegal. Texas also has a rich hispanic culture. The big difference I sensed in Texas, was there are still many closet racists and a few hardcore racists I personally met. I have met racists & bigots in California…but its certainly a different dynamic in Texas.

You may notice a lot of homelessness in LA nowadays, but I remember Houston and Austin had similar problems when I lived there. I avoid LA and stay in the rural high desert, so I cant comment too much on the condition of beaches and parks down there.

Traffic in Austin was bad. Reminded me a lot of LA. Same with Houston traffic. I think they are about equal. Even FM 1960 was annoying at times. One bad accident and you were stuck because of lack of side streets.

Originally Posted by FueledByBlueBell

Ok, so now that we've had time to debate immigration- is there anyone that was disappointed in their move to Texas and found that LA/SoCal wasn't so bad? Ideally, someone that can buy a house in LA/SoCal for $1-1.6m (I realize what this gets you).

SoCal is better than all of Texas, IMHO. Yeah, the politics in California are a circus. Yeah, some of the laws are dumb. Its VERY expensive here. But there is a lot of other things I absolutely love and dearly missed while I lived in Texas. California has a lot of public land & stunning geography. Lots of great food and cultural opportunities. Our big cities have real “Downtowns”. The weather is awesome and varying. California huge and there is a lot to see and do.

I am sure you will find a home for a million. It may not be a mansion, but it will be a house.

Originally Posted by FueledByBlueBell

Ok, so I am hearing that the place is littered with homeless, you can't shoot your gun just anywhere, the air quality is bad, and there are "illegals" everywhere.

Did anyone miss the salty air, the beach, the schools better, the weather, the access to the outdoors? Anything I'm missing?

Again, the homeless and crime problems in Houston/Austin were pretty bad. I would say the crime in Houston was worse than Los Angeles. And I personally know quite a bit about crime in Los Angeles. I would not worry too much about homeless or illegals…I think a lot of that is the media spinning things and some of it is just good ole political rivalry.

Honestly, I believe Texas is only about a decade away from being another version of California. Thats gonna hurt some butts, but its the truth.

I would visit during the summer, rent a car, and visit as much of SoCal as you can. Park the car and walk. Talk to the people. Decide for yourself.

Best of luck!

[Californiaguy2007]

I've never lived in Texas,but visited friends in Houston for a month and i've also been to El Paso and Dallas...Texas is nice and green and has a lot of rainfall than in California,and of course the cost of living is lower in Texas,but everything is much further away when you live in Texas than if you lived in L.A,San Diego or The Bay Area.

In California your in closer proximity to the Beaches,Mountains,Deserts,National Parks,Amusement Parks,Las Vegas and Hawaii. And California's Weather is mild throughout most of the State unless your up in the Mountains and we don't have the Summer Humidity you'll experience in Texas.

And despite the issues we face here in California,most of our Cities and Towns are much more Picturesque than in Texas,especially because of the Mountains and Beaches we have here.

Basically just much more things to see and do in California or nearby along with the Better Weather if you can afford living in places like L.A,San Diego or The Bay Area.

[Californiaguy2007]

Yup i'm seeing the path Texas is following,and they are gonna eventually become similar to California in the future whether the Texans like it or not.

Originally Posted by Señor Ríos

Honestly, I believe Texas is only about a decade away from being another version of California. Thats gonna hurt some butts, but its the truth.

[FueledByBlueBell]

Originally Posted by Californiaguy2007

Yup i'm seeing the path Texas is following,and they are gonna eventually become similar to California in the future whether the Texans like it or not.

In what way- traffic, water/fire issues, cost?

[VikingsToValhalla]

I was thinking of moving to Austin Texas until I realized how insane their property taxes are there.
I would be paying 2 to 3 times more in property taxes if I lived in Texas versus where I'm currently at, but the houses there are less expensive so I guess it would still be worth it.

Wyoming or Nevada would be a better deal than Texas from a purely financial standpoint.

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by FueledByBlueBell

Ok, so I am hearing that the place is littered with homeless, you can't shoot your gun just anywhere, the air quality is bad, and there are "illegals" everywhere.

Did anyone miss the salty air, the beach, the schools better, the weather, the access to the outdoors? Anything I'm missing?

I would break it down into two levels.

1) Dealing with homelessness and crime is just a way of life. It's going to be there, you're going to see it every day, and you're going to be affected by it on occasion. If that bothers you California is probably not a good choice, if it doesn't bother you...

2) The state government is going to be intimately involved in your life. E.g., if you build a new house, you are going to have solar panels. You're free to think that's a good idea or a bad idea, but what you think doesn't really matter. The state has made this decision for you, so you're going to have them. And you're going to pay to have them. Apply that to every aspect of your life. If that bothers you California is probably not a good choice, if you're thinking "Great! Experts are ensuring that I and everyone else do the one thing that is right and righteous to do!!!" you'll probably love it in California. Just remember to leave your individuality at the state border, if you discuss your disagreements with the California mentality (should you have any) with neighbors and co-workers some will give you the cold shoulder henceforth (no, I'm not kidding).

But I'll touch on your other questions:

- salty air: This only matters if you live near the beach (very expensive). If you don't, you won't have salty air.

- the beach: If you live close to the beach (very expensive), going there is a lot of fun (other than all of the homeless people, who generally won't bother you but sometimes they're having a bad trip and anything is possible). If you don't live close to the beach, you won't go there much. Between traffic and parking, it seems it's just too big of a hassle and most people don't bother.

- schools: The social justice warrior aspect of the schools is wonderful, your kids will get an excellent education in that. The academic aspect of the schools is questionable at best. When my kids were in high school (one of the highest rated in the state) they had private tutoring for 4 subjects (didn't bother with tutoring for PE). Private tutors are expensive in the short run, not having private tutors can be very expensive in the long run. I wanted to put them in private schools (which wouldn't have cost any more than the tutors), but by then they had friends, etc.

- access to the outdoors: Away from cities, California is great. However, unless you go to less known / popular places, you'll be sharing wild nature with several thousand of your closest friends. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of less known / popular places to enjoy, so if you really want nature you can have it. But if you go to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, or anyplace you've probably heard of so far, there will be crowds, traffic jams, etc. Yes, there are really are traffic jams in nature in California.

Good luck!

[Señor Ríos]

Originally Posted by FueledByBlueBell

In what way- traffic, water/fire issues, cost?

As I stated before, traffic is comparable to LA in places like Austin, Houston, Dallas.

I don't see water and fire being huge issues in Texas.

Cost of living is going to go up in Texas locales that were traditionally affordable. Gentrification is going to push more native Texans into rural areas due to transplants.

The “Nanny State” will come when Texas switches from Red to Blue.

Transplants from liberal states in New England, the Midwest and the West Coast are going to ruin Texas.

I remember people telling me how nice everyone in Texas is. Native Texans I met were overwhelmingly nice people. I got along with those people great. Also met a lot of people from Louisiana and they were great people. The New Englanders I met in Texas were some of the rudest people I have ever encountered. Took me awhile to realize the transplants were ruining Texas.

A lot of people running from California for political reasons are soon gonna find themselves dealing with the same problems in the states they settled.

But at least Texas will have an In-N-Out in every major city

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by jdhpa

The state government is going to be intimately involved in your life. E.g., if you build a new house, you are going to have solar panels. You're free to think that's a good idea or a bad idea, but what you think doesn't really matter. The state has made this decision for you, so you're going to have them. And you're going to pay to have them.

For the .001% of people who move from Texas to California and decide to build a house here.

[FueledByBlueBell]

Originally Posted by Señor Ríos

As I stated before, traffic is comparable to LA in places like Austin, Houston, Dallas.

I don't see water and fire being huge issues in Texas.

Cost of living is going to go up in Texas locales that were traditionally affordable. Gentrification is going to push more native Texans into rural areas due to transplants.

The “Nanny State” will come when Texas switches from Red to Blue.

Transplants from liberal states in New England, the Midwest and the West Coast are going to ruin Texas.

I remember people telling me how nice everyone in Texas is. Native Texans I met were overwhelmingly nice people. I got along with those people great. Also met a lot of people from Louisiana and they were great people. The New Englanders I met in Texas were some of the rudest people I have ever encountered. Took me awhile to realize the transplants were ruining Texas.

A lot of people running from California for political reasons are soon gonna find themselves dealing with the same problems in the states they settled.

But at least Texas will have an In-N-Out in every major city

Very interesting things to consider.

Water is a huge issue, however. Lakes are drying up, and aquifers are low.

Drought result in fires.

We don't need In-N-Out... we have P Terry's which might even be better!