TEXAS OR FLORIDA??? That is the question.... (Houston, Dallas: real estate, rentals)

[jbowen3]

I am looking to move to Florida (Tampa area to Orlando) or Texas (Dallas or Houston). I am more curious about the enjoyment of day to day life; opinions as to which place was most enjoyable to live. I would like to see posts from people who have lived in, at least, two of the locations listed. Just seeking opinions in regard to which place they liked the best (and maybe a short blurb why). Thanks.

[DaveG99]

FLORIDA! I like Dallas but I miss Florida and I plan on moving back there at some point. I love the ocean and I miss being able to go diving, fishing, and to the beach. Texas beaches are nasty in comparison. Tampa and Orlando wouldnt be my first choice though. Id go to lower east coast somewhere.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Out of the choices listed, Tampa can probably be the most enjoyable at times IF you live close to the water. However, for daily living and taking into account EVERYTHING like weather, housing, temperature, traffic, cost of living, etc... Dallas wins.

Orlando is simply a mess. Traffic is absolutely horrible, the only draw there is Disney and Universal, and once you've been there... No reason to return. You're about 2 hrs from the beach there, so you get none of the benefits of living on the coast, but get all of the downsides (horrible humidity, rain almost every day, hurricanes, high insurance prices.)

Best places to be in FL is either Naples or Miami, and it's extremely pricey to find a nice home near or on the water.

Dallas, while not having a beach close by, gives you great weather with very little humidity, it's a central hub for traveling all over (much easier to get to Cali or Vegas from Dallas than FL,) no threat of hurricanes so cheaper insurance premiums, better bang for your buck with housing (though admittedly, FL values have dropped a TON so it's more comparable now), more retail, better infrastructure and planning for roads and city centers, and plenty of things to do in the area.

Houston is more humid, the traffic situation is much worse, and there just isn't much of anything that makes it stand out over Dallas. Obviously, you're closer to the beach in Houston, but that's about it.

[NEMMTM]

I currently live in the Tampa area and am looking to relocate to the Dallas area. Just curious if you have kids? I have lived in Tampa almost 16 years now. (Originally from Pennsylvania) I loved Tampa until I had kids (2). In my opinion Tampa is a different life when either young and no kids or I imagine older and kids are gone. If you do have kids...I'll explain more. If no kids then Tampa just may be the place you want to be. Can't speak to the Dallas area ....yet.

[BigDGeek]

Florida.

[jbowen3]

I have 1 kid (2 years old), planning on a second.

[DaveG99]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

Out of the choices listed, Tampa can probably be the most enjoyable at times IF you live close to the water. However, for daily living and taking into account EVERYTHING like weather, housing, temperature, traffic, cost of living, etc... Dallas wins.

Orlando is simply a mess. Traffic is absolutely horrible, the only draw there is Disney and Universal, and once you've been there... No reason to return. You're about 2 hrs from the beach there, so you get none of the benefits of living on the coast, but get all of the downsides (horrible humidity, rain almost every day, hurricanes, high insurance prices.)

Best places to be in FL is either Naples or Miami, and it's extremely pricey to find a nice home near or on the water.

Dallas, while not having a beach close by, gives you great weather with very little humidity, it's a central hub for traveling all over (much easier to get to Cali or Vegas from Dallas than FL,) no threat of hurricanes so cheaper insurance premiums, better bang for your buck with housing (though admittedly, FL values have dropped a TON so it's more comparable now), more retail, better infrastructure and planning for roads and city centers, and plenty of things to do in the area.

Houston is more humid, the traffic situation is much worse, and there just isn't much of anything that makes it stand out over Dallas. Obviously, you're closer to the beach in Houston, but that's about it.

I lived in Orlando for 12 years and Boca Raton Florida for 2 years. Most of my family lives in Miami or Orlando.

Used to take me about 45 minutes to get to Cocoa Beach.

The weather in Orlando is nicer than Dallas. It doesnt go into the 100's like it does here. There is plenty of rain there so your lawn doesnt dry up and turn yellow. And you hardly ever need a jacket.

Housing is actually getting really cheap in Orlando. Actually cheaper than Dallas now in lots of places.

The roads are 100 times better in Florida. They are smooth as silk.

Plenty of retail in Florida too.

Hurricanes are few and far between. And not tornado prone like in Dallas.

Insurance is higher there but taxes on your homes are WAY lower.

Sales tax is a couple percent lower in Orlando too. I think it was 6.5% when I moved to Dallas in 2006.

Traffic is bad in both Dallas and Orlando.

I used to avoid Disney and all the tourist crap like the plague. Thank goodness its over in Kissimmee and not Orlando.

The economy isnt so good in Florida but if you can get a good job there then go!

[NEMMTM]

Also I guess a good question would be where are you coming from? And what type job are you looking for?

Kids

I have two kids ages 7 and 3. Our community which is small and has about 75 houses and is considered nice (built in the last 15 years in north Pinellas County) has about 5 houses in the development of kids her age. Maybe1/3 of the houses with any kids at all. My kids don’t just have neighborhood kids they can run out the door and play with. Most of our immediate neighbors, all nice by the way, are retirees. This of course will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood but in general there just seems to be hardly any kids around.

The school my daughter is in is less than a half mile awayand she can walk to school without crossing any streets. But….there is no way that would ever happen(even when she does get older). I just wouldn’t trust it. People just don’t watch out for one another like other places. Plus neighbors areever changing. People move in and out of neighborhoods like crazy. And the school quality can vary greatly by area. Where we are in North Pinellas County is supposed to be the best (for the county). We just had a meet the teacher (2 grade) and the teacher (16 yrs experience) complained multiple times about how the county doesn’t have their act together for various reasons. It is frustrating to hear this on the 1st meeting with a teacher. Most people are fighting to get their kids incharter schools at this point.

Again depending where you are coming from this may be ok. But for us we just want more of afamily/stable/nice people/good school atmosphere.

When we had no kids the area was great. We didn’t care about school (k-12) because we were concerned with colleges, the beach, the gym, entertainment and work. Kids came and after daycare (my oldest) and at the start of elementary we really started to be more aware of what was/wasn’t around us for kids on a day to day basis.

Depending on your financial situation…… you could move in a gated community and send your kids to private schools you might experience something completely different.

[jbowen3]

I am in Western PA (North West of Pittsburgh (New Castle)). I have 1 kid (2 years old), planning on a second. I am a Real Estate Appraiser (self employed).

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Florida.

I'm going with Florida on this one too.

I've been actively seeking jobs in Fort Lauderdale. I was shocked that nice rentals were around the same price as what I pay here in Dallas. Unfortunately pay seems to be lower. I wouldn't mind the humidity, and I've never lived anywhere really close to the beach.