Any Texas Residents Here?

[Diogenes]

Talk about irony. I'm from Ohio and am getting tired of winters, so I was looking at warmer states with no income tax. Texas is one....

Thanks for spurring more details CJSHAKER, I'm on the exact same page as you, with the same mindset. I'm looking for open spaces, and a state that seems to be more oriented to following the Constitution (though lets be honest, it has NEVER been fully followed). I must stress the word "seems", because that has a way of changing. I'm just damn tired of having my money STOLEN in order to fund that which works contrary to my values and interests. Ohio has many problems, not the least of which is its weather and rinos, but cost of living is relatively cheap compared to many areas of the country. Hell, my collector car plates cost me around $50 back in 2004-2005, and the plates are good until 2050, I've transferred them to other cars multiple times.

I'm not a fan of high heat and all the critters and bugs that Texas probably has to offer, but there are always trade offs.

Defund the government.

[Joe-JDC]

There is a mileage sign on I-10 at Orange TX stating that El Paso is 879 miles on I-10.  It takes a very long day to drive across TX.  Joe-JDC

[cjshaker]

> It's the huge rural areas of Texas that keep it mainly blue.
LOL, think you meant to say mainly red.

Oops, went colorblind for a second..lol

Joe, Randolph was the reason for my visits. Had a brother-in-law in the Air Force at the time. I did like the River Walk, and I'm a big American history buff, so the Alamo held some interest for me (although it's hardly what it originally was, and being in the middle of the 7th largest U.S. city at the time made it seem a tad 'touristy'). And the absolutely HUGE country bars there were hard to believe (a "single" bar that had 5 fully stocked bars in it, and what I swear was a 1/4 mile oval for a dance floor!). But for being a big city, I found the people very friendly there, with typical southern hospitality. But that was over 35 years ago, and bars ain't in my future..lol.

One thing is for sure, you need air conditioning in the summer time. Fire ants and scorpions aren't too friendly there either, but being able to go for a walk at night in a t-shirt and shorts, in January or February, was something that I could definitely live with.

There is a mileage sign on I-10 at Orange TX stating that El Paso is 879 miles on I-10.  It takes a very long day to drive across TX.  Joe-JDC

I got a dose of how big, the first time I drove there. It took 12 hours to get from my house to Texarkana (the Texas border). It took another 12 hours to get from there to San Antonio. Yeah, it's a big state!

[Joe-JDC]

75* here today.  Short sleeve weather for sure.  Supposed to get cold later in the week.  Joe-JDC

[Bolted to Floor]

Be sure to watch out on the property taxes even in the same county, school and MUD9 (water, sewer, & trash) taxes can be a real deal killer. The last time I checked areas around Katy, the tax rate was approaching $5 per $1000. I don't know if all counties do, but you can freeze the tax rate on your homestead at a certain age, 65, I think. The school district website will have a host of information about the area it encompasses.

Talk to you car insurance person too. Harris county is high. I understand two counties away in any direction gets a lot better.

Check the elevations of where you want to be since flooding can be a big issue in some areas. Home owners insurance will be high on the coast..... have you been through a hurricane?

No Scorpions to deal with in Houston, but plenty of other flying critters.

You didn't mention what type of terrain you're looking for either. The east side of the state will get you plenty of trees and flat areas. The farther west you go the tougher the trees get to survive and hills. The north end of the state does have some hills and nice trees. Padre and Mustang Island have nice beaches, Galveston does does not.

You want seasons? Houston has pre-summer, summer, post summer, and winter. Winter starts later this week and runs through March!! I see on the news that our neighbors to the north get all 4 season.

When all else fails street view on google earth can provide a lot of details. Along the bottom of the screen will have the date of the imagery. From aerial view, there is a way to see different points in time for the same location. 

I remember riding in the truck to San Antonio as a kid and there not being a lot of traffic at the time. Those days are gone now and that stretch of I-10 is always busy. Find a Buc-ee's, there's all kinds of stuff.... don't let your wife go in!!

[BruceS]

I was transferred to the Houston area in '89 as my company moved here from Cal. We've been here ever since except for a 3-year stint on an overseas assignment.  With no state income tax, property taxes are a big deal.  However John is right, the biggest element is frozen at age 65. Most housing subdivisions have deed restrictions which dictate the type of buildings, property size, etc.  Otherwise I don't believe there are any other zoning laws in the state.  That can be good or bad but the idea is that an individual's property rights are respected.

It goes without saying Tx is a big state with a wide variation in lifestyle, terrain, and weather.  You've got lots of choice at reasonable prices especially outside the urban areas. We have a sensible state Govt. which can be our last line of defense if you know what I mean.  I paid $1.95/gal. last week for unleaded regular although I see its gone up about 15 cents this week. 

[Falcon67]

There is a mileage sign on I-10 at Orange TX stating that El Paso is 879 miles on I-10.  It takes a very long day to drive across TX.  Joe-JDC

LOL, the exit sign at 610 Loop and I-45 N in Houston just says "Dallas" and and arrow.  250 more miles, there you are. 

Otherwise I don't believe there are any other zoning laws in the state.  That can be good or bad but the idea is that an individual's property rights are respected.

Yes, there are - but you being in Houston where they didn't - or don't - means you don't see it.  Houston is famous for a grocery store, mechanics shop, horse stall, biker bar and a house in the same block.  Which is why nearly EVERY subdivision there has an HOA, to prevent that from happening, because the county never bothered.  They all have water districts because the county doesn't do that either. Or didn't when we were there. And street light funds, maybe street repair assessments, etc. Elsewhere, there are plenty of zoning restrictions and such.  I had to get a variance here to build our shop because of the size I wanted.  Same in NM, if you want to have a pretty decent sized accessory building you better look for R-1 zoning.  Cities are typically heavily restricted in accessory building sizes in both appearance, sq/ft, height and percent of lot size, and some counties do the same.  Code enforcement and permits are required.  If you intend to do the car guy thing of a 1200 sq/ft house and a 1400 sq/ft garage, better check your intended landing zone first.  Or don't land in larger cities, land on a 1/2 acre or better outside of town.

Hot dry west of Fort Worth and trees get scrubbier as you go west, hot muggy east of Fort Worth also greener and bigger trees towards the Piney Woods area, not as hot and super gummy Houston south.  Winter in Houston means you only need to mow every other week.  Here in the middle west it's normal to have 30 or so days above 100 in summer.  It was 70 on Sunday here, freezing rain today and it'll be 9 this coming Saturday night.  In spring, 40+ MPH winds here in the west does not mean there's a storm, it just happens.  You can lose a windshield in a day out in Midland.  The big wind turbines have software controls that will feather out the blades when the wind speed gets too high.  In Amarillo you should probably invest in a wind turbine as the wind blows constantly and there is only a barb wire fence between there and the Rocky Mountains, and the fence is down. 

And yes, most things bite, scratch and generally annoy you.  Cut a Mesquite and the next branch that grows will have 1~2" long thorns that go through leather (and tires, boots, shoes, etc) like a surgical needle.  Somebody killed a rattle snake about two blocks over last week.  We live in town, not in the country BTW.  We've had a big one on the back porch, so you don't just glide out the door without looking first.  Wasps are an annoyance to me, but send others into anaphylactic shock.  Brown reclusive widow makers and copper mouth water rattlers are just part of the landscape.

No place is perfect - it's the people that make life good.  And good people are everywhere IMHO.

[cjshaker]

No place is perfect - it's the people that make life good.  And good people are everywhere IMHO.

That's a true statement, but being a car guy and trying to be self reliant does not sit well with most 'good' neighborhoods. I'd be kicked out of a HOA before I even got a single truck unloaded...lol  Not that my property is trashy, I try to keep things tidy, but self reliance and a sparkling clean property do not typically go together.

The last place I lived at was in the country, FIVE MILES outside of a very small town (about 1000 pop. max). It had one out building that was surrounded by 2 acres of farm land that was purchased with the house. I wanted to let the land settle for a couple of years so that I could plant grass and trees and make a drive to the outbuilding for storage. I also had 2 vehicles HID BEHIND the out building, that you could just barely see from the road, which was about 100 yards from the building. Being a very old farm house, I did quite a bit of landscaping around the house, improving its looks by quite a bit. No matter....after less than 8 months of letting the farm land settle, so the land would be smooth and much easier to mow without beating my tractor to death, I get a letter from the local zoning commission saying that if I didn't mow the land and get rid of the vehicles, that I'd be fined X amount per day, taken to court, and that they would mow it and charge me for it. It was a HUGE mistake on my part by assuming it wasn't zoned since it was so far removed from any local town. There were some real a-holes that sat on the zoning commission, and they didn't give a squat as to what my plans were, even if it would have made the property much more valuable and eye pleasing. I sold the place as soon as I could and got out of there. Live and learn! 
Funny ending though, I sold the place to a family that consisted of 3 generations of welfare recipients under the same roof. Within 2 years, they lost the house and it sat idle for several years while the property went to hell. The commission probably still blames me, which just makes me smile...lol

I understand the desire for HOA and zoning commissions, but I hate 'em.

If I did move, I'd have to sell off most of what I had, otherwise it'd take 10 semis to move everything. A lifetime of about 20 hobbies adds up to a lot of stuff. Narrowing that down to just a few is what I'm currently doing, still got about 6 cars to sell that are very savable, but selling off my Dads and mines collection of car parts is going to take at least a few years. Lots of '40s-'60s NOS and used car parts to deal with that would not be conducive to moving.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the input, and I hope Diogenes isn't upset for me taking over his thread. Hopefully some of that info helped him as well.

[hwoods]

Be sure to watch out on the property taxes even in the same county, school and MUD9 (water, sewer, & trash) taxes can be a real deal killer. The last time I checked areas around Katy, the tax rate was approaching $5 per $1000. I don't know if all counties do, but you can freeze the tax rate on your homestead at a certain age, 65, I think. The school district website will have a host of information about the area it encompasses.

Talk to you car insurance person too. Harris county is high. I understand two counties away in any direction gets a lot better.

Check the elevations of where you want to be since flooding can be a big issue in some areas. Home owners insurance will be high on the coast..... have you been through a hurricane?

No Scorpions to deal with in Houston, but plenty of other flying critters.


You forgot Deer Season, when you were listing seasons in Texas.  I am in Montgomery County North of Houston,  West of Conroe.  if you want to be somewhat close to Houston, check Montgomery County and Grimes County








You didn't mention what type of terrain you're looking for either. The east side of the state will get you plenty of trees and flat areas. The farther west you go the tougher the trees get to survive and hills. The north end of the state does have some hills and nice trees. Padre and Mustang Island have nice beaches, Galveston does does not.

You want seasons? Houston has pre-summer, summer, post summer, and winter. Winter starts later this week and runs through March!! I see on the news that our neighbors to the north get all 4 season.

When all else fails street view on google earth can provide a lot of details. Along the bottom of the screen will have the date of the imagery. From aerial view, there is a way to see different points in time for the same location. 

I remember riding in the truck to San Antonio as a kid and there not being a lot of traffic at the time. Those days are gone now and that stretch of I-10 is always busy. Find a Buc-ee's, there's all kinds of stuff.... don't let your wife go in!!

[hwoods]

maybe another reason to move to Texas

https://kylebiedermann.com/?ref=email-link&link-id=2990143

[BruceS]

Falcon67 / Chris, thanks for clarifying the zoning.  I'm glad to hear other parts of the state have it. I've lived in Harris County and now Montgomery County; neither have zoning outside of the deed-restricted areas.   

[Falcon67]

Yes, the HOA notes are just to make sure you ask.  There are places "in the country" where you can't do everything you like.  Ask for deed restrictions, covenants, check the county web sites for zoning info.  Other country issues are water availability, sewer or septic and power.  A well and septic can easily hit $20K and you can't poop or drink it yet.  Lots of wells here (ours - but we're on city water) are high in nitrates which require reverse osmosis to remove for safe drinking.  That's not a universal problem.  In Wise county, we had good water at about 120'.   

You are correct - most HOAs won't cotton a lot of things.  You can't change the house paint colors, roof color, etc without approval.  Some are more hard-ass than others.  I have no problem with the neighbors or code enforcement here, but I keep things clean and don't "circle track" any engines at 11 PM LOL. There is a Jr Dragster guy about a mile away that will text when he hears the dragster start up.  When getting a permit for a building, use words like "barn" "storage" etc.  Don;t use words like "hot rod" "car repair" "race cars' etc.  Every city prohibits almost all sorts of private business in a residential area, with few exceptions. 

[Cyclone03]

All this talk about moving TOO Texas,how about moving FROM Texas TO Colorado.

Cibolo Tx to Canon City Co.

It’s a little late,,house will be done in May...

[chris401]

maybe another reason to move to Texas

https://kylebiedermann.com/?ref=email-link&link-id=2990143

Yeah every once in a while someone takes it to the extreme. Having guns is something most country folks have and need from time to time. Assault rifles is another thing. A civilian has no need for such a weapon. All they are good for is killing a lot of people quickly. That is it there is no other reason for them to exist. When they get in the wrong hands people die needlessly. Is your personal preference or personal convenience more valuable than someone's life? People have and will continue to own shot guns, pistols and hunting rifles. No one is taking them away and the proposed gun laws I read suported no such thing. Don't let the extremist sway you otherwise without doing your own research.

[Diogenes]

"maybe another reason to move to Texas

https://kylebiedermann.com/?ref=email-link&link-id=2990143

Yeah every once in a while someone takes it to the extreme. Having guns is something most country folks have and need from time to time. Assault rifles is another thing. A civilian has no need for such a weapon. All they are good for is killing a lot of people quickly. That is it there is no other reason for them to exist. When they get in the wrong hands people die needlessly. Is your personal preference or personal convenience more valuable than someone's life? People have and will continue to own shot guns, pistols and hunting rifles. No one is taking them away and the proposed gun laws I read suported no such thing. Don't let the extremist sway you otherwise without doing your own research.
[/quote]"

Personally, I think it is a great reason to move to Texas, though unfortunately the bill won't go anywhere.

1. Define "assault weapon".

I only own "defense weapons", regardless of their configuration. There are many things that need to be defended, and some of those things may need to be defended against those that abuse authority and manipulate language and documents in order to achieve their own self-righteous and nefarious ends. These creatures tend to direct those with "assault weapons", and they are the extremists (those who do the directing). Perhaps you may want to investigate the definition of the word "extremist" as well. I'm certain individuals who once wore red coats thought those wearing blue coats were extremists; similarly, those in brown shirts vilified those who tried to resist them as extremists as well. I guess it all depends on which side of the equation you are on, the offender or the offended.

A flag is not sacred, the ideas purportedly represented by a flag are what is truly sacred.