What's so great about Texas?

[okxd45]

Seriously, My family and I are moving just outside of Houston next month. I Just want to hear some positive(or negative) feedback on Texas. Things to do, taxes, etc. Why do you love it or hate it? I figure it's gotta be a step up from OK(no offense to you Okies out there, my wife is one BTW).

[TBAG809]

Originally Posted by okxd45

Seriously, My family and I are moving just outside of Houston next month. I Just want to hear some positive(or negative) feedback on Texas. Things to do, taxes, etc. Why do you love it or hate it? I figure it's gotta be a step up from OK(no offense to you Okies out there, my wife is one BTW).

I just moved outside of Houston myself from New York to escape being taxed to death and to enjoy my 2nd amendment freedoms here. I prefer a warmer climate as well. I love NY for alot of things but am enjoying the lower cost of living and the freedom to buy just about any gun I can afford. I like it here.........

For living, definately stay away and outside the loop from downtown Houston. Most areas down that way are IMHO a complete ****hole........

[Brickboy240]

First off...welcome!

I was born in Texas, not Houston, but my family moved here in the 70s because of the oil boom and I have lived here ever since.

Texas (and Houston) is not perfect. Its blazingly hot and Houston is plagued with the same problems every other big US city has (horrible traffic, inner city crime, higher housing costs, crowding...the usual).

Still, Houston is a pretty firendly place to live and theres a little bit of everything here for everyone. Its a mix of cultures and peoples that somehow, seems to work well together.

Pluses to Texas? Well, Texas is VERY gun-friendly and has plenty of hunting and shooting opportunities. People here don't freak out, if they see a gun and guns are a big part of the culture - even in the big cities.

Second, you will never shovel snow in Houston. I rode my motorcyle on New Years Day in a short sleeved shirt. November through May are very nice, weather wise...a payback for the blazingly hot/humid summers that will cook you inside and out. You'll learn ot hate our summers, but while everyone else is shoveling snow and bundling up like the damn Michelin Man...you're hunting deer in short sleeves. If you Golf or play tennis...you can do these things literally year round in Houston.

Third, Texas is different from every other state and people that live here are fanatical about our state, its history and its make-up. Its a mix of cultures, from Spanish to Czech to German that somehow all melds together just fine. Food and other piecs of these cultures, run throughout our state. Our family is half Irish, half Swede...so we're kind of oddballs in this mix of mainly Czech, German and Spanish peoples, but we love it. There is no culture anywhere else like this.

Fourth, the food here is fantastic. You can find everything from Mexican, Cuban, Thai, Chinese, German, Czech and a wide variety of fresh seafood. We can barbecue or grill just about anything. Anything goes, foodwise in Texas and I love it. If you cannot find something good to eat...you're not looking very hard!

Taxes? Well we have no state income tax, but they get this money in other places like your auto registration. The cost of living in the Houston area varies. There is affordable housing in the burbs, but inner city nice neighborhoods are very pricey and you have to use private schools. We live in the suburbs, because the schools are better, theres less crime, its not as crowded and housing is cheaper. Donwside is a long commute, but as with any big city...you're going to have this.

Things to do? Again, Houston has a little of everything. Great restaurants, museums, zoo and any cultural event or festival you could ever imagine. Galveston beaches are about an hour away.

Hunting? Great waterfowl hunting about an hour west and generous bag limits on geese. You can hunt feral pigs year round and theres no bag limit - several outfitters list in the paper and are only an hour or so away. Deer are plentiful in the Hill Country and there are exotics like axis deer, aoudad, blackbuck antelope and nilgai that have no closed season and are hunted year-round. Dove season in South Texas is fantastic and there are several places to hunt doves around Houston.

Places to shoot? We have plenty of ranges and gun clubs, where you can shoot rifles pistols and shotguns. Clays ranges and skeet/trap as well as competitions are on every side of town. Theres also several Cowboy Action Shooting clubs around here that are entertaining and fun to just go and watch the matches.

I think, if you give it a chance, you'll like Houston. There are several XD Talk members from this area...let us know if you have more questions and where in this city you'll be moving.

- Brickboy240

[propellerhead]

No state income tax.
Compared to Oklahoma, vehicle registration is like 1/10th the cost.

[Ishpeck]

What's so great about Texas?

It's one of the least retarded states in the Union.

[lobster_roboto]

I will attempt at being not completely biased...

Houston isn't exactly the safest city to live in.

It does have the second largest theater district in America.

It's polluted. badly

You can find a place to eat no matter what you're in the mood for.

traffic is horrid during rush hour.

One of the most acclaimed medical districts in the world.

its very hot and humid its not that "dry heat" which isn't heat at all.

the musuems are great.

Over the past few years they have been remodeling the downtown areas.
I lived in the lofts at the ballpark for a while a few years ago and I felt safe and liked the idea of being able to walk to work (commerce building)
They have also restructered main street downtown... its alot more like the infamous 6th street in Austin... more and more clubs and bars popping up over there.

living on the outskirts humble/kingwood/conroe/tomball/sugarland/etc etc are also great... quick access to multiple lakes and forests... the beach is 1.5 hours away and downtown is not terribly far away either..if you travel you have IAH on the north side and Hobby in easy reach from the southside.
one thing to get used to in houston... everywhere you go will seem like a road trip. thanks to no zoning laws and our friend urban sprawl.

oh and our freeways have "feeders" <--which rocks!

[Devil Dawg]

Welcome to Texas, soon anyway. You will love most of it down here, however just like anywhere there are some things you are better warned about.

As above statement, stay well out of the inner loop. I would personally not live off of Beltway 8. The outer ring. Depending on what part of town you are going to work in, will largely depend on where you need to live. Expect about a 35 to 45 minute drive to work everyday minimum. If you have kids, there are school districts that are much better than HISD around here. North, Northwest, and West of town all have very high marks for schools.

There are around 4.5 to 5 million people in this area, be ready for crowds. Driving is a new experience everyday. Rain....as much as we get you would think the idiots here would know how to drive in it by now, Not So.....


If you have allergies, get meds before you get here. Both of you. High grass, tree and any other kind of pollen/mold counts daily.

There are tons of things to see and do, and you will love the freeway/feeder road system here once you get used to them. The food selections is HUGE, as are most of our waistbands.LOL

Sports - We have four pro teams, and a really good hockey team.

Ask, we will be happy to answer.

Weather. Hot and muggy until Thanksgiving, then mild and muggy until Easter. We usually get our alloted 3 or 4 days in the cold per year.

PM for any specific details.

Firing ranges everywhere, and gunshops and smiths galore. You will have tons of places to get your gun on.

[GT Dan]

The murder rate in Houston was already pretty bad, when they got all the Katrina evacs, it got worse... The murder rate has gone up since the migration... on the other side, there are arguments they had nothing to do with it...

2004 = 278
2005 = 334
2006 = 379

One bad thing about being on the coast is hurricanes and one of the worst things about Houston is it floods. It floods quickly and bad... If a big hurricane is bearing down, dont wait until the last minute... go visit your inlaws in OK and chill out for a few days...

Texas is a Great State... as for things to do, it depends on what you are looking for... I'm up North in Fort Worth but in my area, I have professional motor sports, football, baseball, basketball and hockey... I have world class museums and five start resturants... I also have places you can kick back and relax like the Fort Worth Stock Yards... If you dont like the pros there are a semi-pro teams here also... they are cheaper and a lot more fun to watch...

There are gun ranges all over the place... There are lots of places to hunt and several lakes to fish in... down there, you will have access to Galveston and off shore fishing...

It really depends on what you are into... but I don't think you'll be bored...


On a side note:
I was in OKC last weekend and my god what is up with all the damn wind... it was blowing 30-40 knots and never let up... even at night, it was terrible...

[okxd45]

Thanks for all the input guys! I was told that we will have to go to Tomball if we want to see a Wal-Mart(only about 15 minutes away). I'm trying to be positive about the move. The work will be tough, but very rewarding at times. I used to live in the Atoscocita (sp?) with my grandma and have great memories from that time(early 80's, 4th and 6th grade)
Hate to look dumb, but what are "feeders"?

And yes the wind sucks........I guess blows here way too much.

[Sk0t24]

I couldn't put into words about how I feel about Texas. I was born here and hope to die here. You can't be told about Texas, you have to experience it.