Is there any part of Texas where it isn't real humid? (Dallas: college, utilities)

[piyf]

El Paso, property taxes are high too.

[piyf]

Originally Posted by joqua

People tend to forget that property taxes are high because there is NO state income tax. The state has to get its money someplace.

As for retiring from San Diego to Texas, I would think long and hard about that. There are much better options, IMO, than anywhere in Texas. Far west Texas is very dry, but also very hot in the six months of summer there.

Idaho does not get that much snow in some places. I like Lewiston/Clarkston area for the fact that it is known as both the "Banana Belt" for its mild winters and "Idaho's Seaport" for its great waterways. Summer can be hot, but only for brief spells. Southern Idaho (Twin Falls, etc.) is very arid with fairly mild winters.

I would also look closely at places like Las Cruces, NM and Flagstaff/Sedona, AZ. As well as the more expensive Santa Fe/Taos area. Ruidoso, NM is also a retiree haven with very tolerable winters and mild summer temps, but at higher elevations than some older people may be comfortable with.

6 months of summer? The weather is somewhat bad for about 3 months. Followed with good/great weather the other 9 months. I lived in El Paso for 2 years and wish I never left. You can always get in shade when it's 110* and cool off. The only major cons is having to buy lotion and lip balm by the barrel.


I agree with finding elsewhere outside of the state. Ruidoso, Cloudcroft or any place 10 miles North of Ruidoso would be my pick over any place in Texas.

[Cathy4017]

The bad thing about Ruidoso is the tourist crush in the summer--it's just absolutely jam-packed. I'm not sure I could live with that!

Having said that, it's on my list should I decide to move closer to family and friends again, but I'm going to have to think long and hard about that, too.

I live in just about the best climate in the world (and we're talking only about 2 months of hot (hasn't broken 100 yet) weather with short summers and fairly cold winters with snow, but I haven't had to shovel it yet.

Alpine is at the top of the list right now...and yes, there are definite downsides to living in a place that remote, but there are times when I wish I had chosen it to begin with.

Texas property taxes are extremely high, and even more so in Alpine, along with high housing prices.

[hoffdano]

OP - why not retire in San Diego?

[Cowboybootnut]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Keep in mind those cities are extremely remote and do not have decent hospitals. If either of you needs care, you will be going hundreds of miles away to Midland/Odessa or El Paso.

I know, but we're all gonna die sometime. I'd rather die in peace near BFE, than in this rat race of DFW.

[MobileDave]

Houston is no different then Florida when it comes to humidity. The only difference is Houston has higher average temperatures during the summer which will make heat indices higher. If you don't like humidity than don't move anywhere along the Texas coast.

If you would like to check for yourself please disregard the humidity % that has been mentioned in this post because they tell you nothing about how the humidity feels. Please refer to Dew Points when getting an idea of how humid a place is.

This article will explain it in detail.
Wx Savvy | Science

This chart shows you how dew points feel when combined with heat. The further north and especially west in Texas the lower these numbers will get. Houston is usually 70+ in the summer along with most of the Texas Coast.

DEW POINTS Chart

Heat Index Chart - Temperature & Dewpoint

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

What do you think is humid? Where have you been that you thought it was humid?

Texas is less humid than the east coast. It is less humid than the gulf coast, though Houston is not much different from New Orleans.

Austin's summer climate starts in the morning with a fair amount of humidity and finishes the day around 45%. Most of Texas is less humid than Atlanta for example. Dallas is about the same.

Property tax rates in Texas are higher than most parts of the US. But since your property tax bill is dependent on the value of your home the actual money spend on property taxes may not be so high depending on how expensive of a home you have. On a national scale homes in Texas are more affordable. A typical property tax rate in Texas is 2.5% of assessed value. People over 65 in most parts of Texas have an over 65 exemption that freezes the assessed value used to calculate school taxes. That is usually the single largest part of your property tax bill.

It has been extremely humid lately and Austin being at the 45% range isn't happening right now. The dew points aren't getting out of the 70 range. When it is and if the temperature is 95 degrees (definitely happens this time of year) with the humidity at 45%, that translates into a dew point of 70.28 and that is very uncomfortable.

To the OP: I live north of Austin and was walking last night at 8:30 p.m. The temperature was ONLY 78 degrees, the humidity was 78%, and the dew point was 71.6. It was miserable so don't let temperatures in the 70s fool you. I was sweating bullets.

Also, Texas has the highest homeowner's insurance rates in the entire country and the utilities aren't cheap either.

I also have been looking at Idaho for retirement and yes, there are sections that don't get all that much snow.

You might want to visit Texas in the summer before you decide. It can be beastly and miserable and usually is. Now, from November to early April, it's usually really nice.

[hellpaso]

El Paso. Las Cruces has been mentioned, but that's not much more than a 20 minute drive from El Paso. The only time it's really humid in EP is during monsoon (July thru Sept). And that's humidities in the 20-30% range. If you have refrigerated air instead of swamp coolers, it's not so bad. When I moved to the RGV a few years back, I went around sweating like a fool for months, not being used to "normal" humidity levels.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by MobileDave

Houston is no different then Florida when it comes to humidity. The only difference is Houston has higher average temperatures during the summer which will make heat indices higher. If you don't like humidity than don't move anywhere along the Texas coast.

If you would like to check for yourself please disregard the humidity % that has been mentioned in this post because they tell you nothing about how the humidity feels. Please refer to Dew Points when getting an idea of how humid a place is.

This article will explain it in detail.
Wx Savvy | Science

This chart shows you how dew points feel when combined with heat. The further north and especially west in Texas the lower these numbers will get. Houston is usually 70+ in the summer along with most of the Texas Coast.

I read that the dewpoint is actually far more important than humidity when it comes to the actual feel of the temperature.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Spade

I read that the dewpoint is actually far more important than humidity when it comes to the actual feel of the temperature.

Absolutely agreed, Spade.