WHERE in Texas to move? (Houston, Dallas: best cities, rent, insurance)

[CLand10]

I have been researching this for months now and cannot figure out which area would be best.

I am 23, my husband is 25. No kids but we do want them in the next 5 or so years. We want to relocate to a smaller town within an hour of one of the big cities - Houston, Dallas, or Austin. Currently live in Southwest Louisiana and just want a fresh start in a new city with a better lifestyle. My husband works in retail, so finding him a new job shouldn't be an issue.. I work in an office, so I'm sure I can find something with that as well. I am also a certified sign language interpreter and would love to be able to interpret as a full time job. We do not have a large deaf community where we live, so interpreting jobs are limited.
My parents/siblings will be moving to the chosen location as well. My parents are both Deaf, so we would like to be close to a good Deaf community.
We cannot afford a really fancy home at this time, probably less than 200,000. Preferably in an area that is somewhat pretty with a little space between neighbors, not "cookie cutter" homes all right on top of each other.
We practice a pretty healthy, natural lifestyle. Enjoy farmers markets, parks nearby with walking trails, etc. We prefer to be within an hour of the "big city" for the reasons I think most people do.. close proximity to hospitals, job opportunities, and entertainment.

I've looked into Weatherford and Rockwall outside of DFW, Round Rock/Georgetown outside of Austin, and Friendswood/League City outside of Houston.. but not sure if we can afford the cost of living in any of these towns. Weatherford would be great, but I have heard that Fort Worth is not the best place to be these days, and it is over an hour from Dallas... I know Austin has the Texas School for the Deaf, but it seems to be so expensive...

Any thoughts/ideas?

[RonnieinDallas]

Everyone is going to tell you to find jobs first, and then decide where to move.

Weatherford is probably closer to 2 hrs from Dallas in traffic. No one from Weatherford is commuting to Dallas. The drive from Weatherford to Fort Worth is 30 minutes without traffic. Plus, you'll be looking into the sun going both directions. Not many people your age moving there, and the schools are mediocre.

Rockwall is closer to Dallas, but that commute would be brutal. I 30 heading west is almost bumper to bumper from what I've heard and there's almost always wrecks around the bridge, also I 30 is about to start major construction near the canyon and downtown which will definitely affect traffic for everyone. Schools are probably better than Weatherford, but not the best in DFW.

The rest of the burbs and exurbs in DFW are pretty cookie cutter looking, house after house, mostly chain restaurants, and endless strip malls and big box places.

Aledo, Sunnyvale, Ovilla, and Lucas are probably better options, if your dead set on living way out in DFW.

[CLand10]

Originally Posted by RonnieinDallas

Everyone is going to tell you to find jobs first, and then decide where to move.

Weatherford is probably closer to 2 hrs from Dallas in traffic. No one from Weatherford is commuting to Dallas. The drive from Weatherford to Fort Worth is 30 minutes without traffic. Plus, you'll be looking into the sun going both directions. Not many people your age moving there, and the schools are mediocre.

Rockwall is closer to Dallas, but that commute would be brutal. I 30 heading west is almost bumper to bumper from what I've heard and there's almost always wrecks around the bridge, also I 30 is about to start major construction near the canyon and downtown which will definitely affect traffic for everyone. Schools are probably better than Weatherford, but not the best in DFW.

The rest of the burbs and exurbs in DFW are pretty cookie cutter looking, house after house, mostly chain restaurants, and endless strip malls and big box places.

Sunnyvale, ovilla, and Lucas are probably better options, if your dead set on living way out in DFW.

That's kind of what I was assuming by what I've read so far... thanks for confirming
Not really dead set on DFW, just seems like there's alot to offer out there. Do you have an opinion on Houston/Austin?

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by CLand10

We practice a pretty healthy, natural lifestyle. Enjoy farmers markets, parks nearby with walking trails, etc. We prefer to be within an hour of the "big city" for the reasons I think most people do.. close proximity to hospitals, job opportunities, and entertainment.

Those things are mainly in Dallas, Houston, and Austin proper. Which there may be some neighborhoods worth looking at in each.

Originally Posted by CLand10

That's kind of what I was assuming by what I've read so far... thanks for confirming
Not really dead set on DFW, just seems like there's alot to offer out there. Do you have an opinion on Houston/Austin?

I'm in Houston at least 5-6 times a year, but I only stay in the inner-loop (610) when I visit. There's no way I'd live outside of the loop, if I lived in Houston. Traffic seems to move better in Houston than Austin and some parts of DFW, but it's just more stressful to drive down there. From the south side going north is probably the least congested, but still not that great. Most people who live way out in Houston rarely go into the city. it's just too much hassle.

I'm not as familiar with Austin. When I go to Austin I don't really leave Downtown, and I've only spent a little time around the west and south side. Overall, the traffic seems to be pretty bad going toward downtown from all directions. I don't know much about Round Rock, Georgetown, or Williamson County

[CLand10]

Originally Posted by RonnieinDallas

Those things are mainly in Dallas, Houston, and Austin proper. Which there may be some neighborhoods worth looking at in each.



I'm in Houston at least 5-6 times a year, but I only stay in the inner-loop (610) when I visit. There's no way I'd live outside of the loop, if I lived in Houston. Traffic seems to move better in Houston than Austin and some parts of DFW, but it's just more stressful to drive down there. From the south side going north is probably the least congested, but still not that great. Most people who live way out in Houston rarely go into the city. it's just too much hassle.

I'm not as familiar with Austin. When I go to Austin I don't really leave Downtown, and I've only spent a little time around the west and south side. Overall, the traffic seems to be pretty bad going toward downtown from all directions. I don't know much about Round Rock, Georgetown, or Williamson County

Thanks for your input!!

[die Eichkatze]

Georgetown would be worth looking into...
Close enough to Austin/Round Rock, plus not that far from Killeen/Fort Hood. May have potential for sign language with combat related injuries...

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by CLand10

I have been researching this for months now and cannot figure out which area would be best.

I am 23, my husband is 25. No kids but we do want them in the next 5 or so years. We want to relocate to a smaller town within an hour of one of the big cities - Houston, Dallas, or Austin. Currently live in Southwest Louisiana and just want a fresh start in a new city with a better lifestyle. My husband works in retail, so finding him a new job shouldn't be an issue.. I work in an office, so I'm sure I can find something with that as well. I am also a certified sign language interpreter and would love to be able to interpret as a full time job. We do not have a large deaf community where we live, so interpreting jobs are limited.
My parents/siblings will be moving to the chosen location as well. My parents are both Deaf, so we would like to be close to a good Deaf community.
We cannot afford a really fancy home at this time, probably less than 200,000. Preferably in an area that is somewhat pretty with a little space between neighbors, not "cookie cutter" homes all right on top of each other.
We practice a pretty healthy, natural lifestyle. Enjoy farmers markets, parks nearby with walking trails, etc. We prefer to be within an hour of the "big city" for the reasons I think most people do.. close proximity to hospitals, job opportunities, and entertainment.

I've looked into Weatherford and Rockwall outside of DFW, Round Rock/Georgetown outside of Austin, and Friendswood/League City outside of Houston.. but not sure if we can afford the cost of living in any of these towns. Weatherford would be great, but I have heard that Fort Worth is not the best place to be these days, and it is over an hour from Dallas... I know Austin has the Texas School for the Deaf, but it seems to be so expensive...

Any thoughts/ideas?

Austin has a large deaf community and social activities associated with it. You could live in Kyle or Buda south of town but still have good access to everything in Austin.

[rmissourimule]

Do you have to be within 1 hour driving time of Dallas, Houston or Austin?

My first choice would be Tyler, Texas but it is 1 hour and 40 minutes away from Dallas.

You might also consider Bastrop or even Smithville. Smithville is only 45 miles from Austin and Bastrop is only 32 miles from Austin.

I don't know about the facilities for the deaf but it would be hard to beat Tyler in my opinion. They have a full compliment of all the amenities you would otherwise be looking for.

Tyler, Texas - Best Cities to Live, Texas

Here is some info on Bastrop.

BEST - Bastrop, Elgin, Smithville, Texas - Bastrop County

[Westerntraveler]

La Grange is another nice town and its about an hour away from Austin.

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by CLand10

Thanks for your input!!

Your welcome

Again, I'll stress looking for jobs first, and pick a place based on that location. It may turn out that you have better luck finding jobs on the fringes of the city. Anyway, people are throwing out a bunch of random towns.

Also, I would definitely rent wherever you end up first. Property values grow very slowly, and even slower in suburban and rural areas. If you buy somewhere and decide you hate it after year or two, you will almost certainly take a huge financial loss, after closing costs, property taxes, insurance, and mortgage interest.

One other thing to consider:

I worked in HR for three years, while most private companies don't have a written residency requirement, most employers won't even consider someone living outside of 25-30 mile radius. A lot of government jobs (police, fire fighter, military, teachers) will have written residency requirements. That may limit interpreter positions.

Austin also has a very high percentage of degree holding professionals in the job market. A lot of retail management jobs in all three metros are getting more competitive. Lots of fashion/merchandising majors in DFW, and lots of people with years of management experience.