great places to live in Texas- conservative (Dallas, Austin: fit in, real estate)

[Flowers63]

Greetings Texans,

I've hear good things about Texas- and want to know about conservative yet fun places to live. I'm in a very blue state now- Illinois- UGH! time for a change.

What is the true cost of living like-- and where do you get the most for real estate buck while having the big city nearby?

Where is a good starting point to figure this out- chamber of commerce perhaps? Would like to visit the great state in the Spring or Summer...


Thanks,
MRW

[rwr]

Just about anywhere in Texas you will fit in. Even our version of San Francisco, Austin, is a nice place to live. Texans are pretty welcoming to all. Good luck in your search and welcome to Texas.

[Flowers63]

thank you RWR...perhaps I should contact a realtor first- a good place to start the process.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Other than a conservative place outside a big city, what do you want in a place to live?

The Texas cities are pretty predictable political. The major cities vote blue, but the small towns and (most) of the burbs tend to vote red.

Also, I will throw in that moving from a place because of politics is often not a very good idea. You don't have to live in a place that matches your politics. Im a liberal that lives in conservative Plano and I love it.

[KathrynAragon]

Welcome to Texas! I moved here twenty five years ago and I love it!

I am politically independent - socially liberal and fiscally conservative. What I like about Texans is that frankly, most of them don't give a rat's arse what your political views are - they're friendly and yet independent minded. I'd say that generally speaking, the larger cities are more liberal and the smaller cities and towns are more conservative, like most of the US. Only in the smallest towns would you be likely to catch any flak about being a liberal, and in the bigger cities you aren't likely to catch any flak about being conservative.

In other words, don't worry about it and just come on down. If I were you, I would visit in the summer, so you get a true taste of a Texas summer, lest you be lulled into a false sense of complacency by our beautiful spring! It's HOT HOT HOT here in the summer - but that's what air conditioning, lakes, rivers and pools are for!

I live in northeast Texas between Dallas and Shreveport. The cost of living is very reasonable here. You can buy a decent house for $200,000 or maybe even a little less. As you probably know, there is no state income tax here. However, we do have some pretty hefty property taxes in some areas, so be sure you check on not just the price of the home, but also the property taxes.

Northeast Texas is full of trees, rolling hills, spacious pastures. It feels more "southern" than "western." It's got some good sized towns and cities in it, most notably Tyler and Longview. Both cities are just off Interstate 20 and are very pleasant places to live.

I've lived in both cities and can recommend several good realtors if you're interested. I've bought and sold real estate in both markets.

Keep us posted!

[Flowers63]

Thank you Kathryn...lots to think about...I was told the larger the city the more blue so I have a lot to think about because I would like to be near a big city...the burbs are OK but not out in the boonies... I noticed the Austin prices-- youch.


I appreciate your reply.

MRW

[Flowers63]

Thank you for the reply and you are right, shouldn't move for the political agenda...its also about the winters and this year Illinois is having a horrible one. The temps in TX are great it seems...

MRW

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Flowers63

Thank you for the reply and you are right, shouldn't move for the political agenda...its also about the winters and this year Illinois is having a horrible one. The temps in TX are great it seems...

MRW

Winter, yes. Summer, spring and early fall--no. Most areas are hot as hell from May-October--if we're lucky. But even at that, I'll take Texas summers over IL-IN winters/climate. I can see why so many Midwesterners move to Texas, New Mexico (where I met MANY Midwesterners) and Arizona.

Texas is also having a much colder than normal winter in some areas. We have already had snow and two ice storms (far West Texas, Nov 2013)...and colder temperatures in the teens. I prefer this sort of winter to balance out the hot, but it seems most don't...LOL!

As far as political views go--I, like most other native Texans, tolerate other (liberal) political views, as long as someone doesn't get in my face about it.

[Flowers63]

Thank you Cathy-- Texans seem to be sooo friendly- I appreciate all of the replies...

I think I can handle the hot weather vs. the kind of snow and bitter temps we are getting...

:=)

MRW

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Flowers63

Thank you Cathy-- Texans seem to be sooo friendly- I appreciate all of the replies...

I think I can handle the hot weather vs. the kind of snow and bitter temps we are getting...

:=)

MRW

You're quite welcome!

Texas is generally a conservative place, but due to the exploding population (25 million and counting), it's shifting left (unfortunately). We even had conservative democrats at one time, but most of those have become Republicans.