Does Central Texas (I-35) remind you of Central Valley area California? (Dallas: live, move)

[Need4Camaro]

When I was a kid (3 decades ago) we used to frequent road trips from Dallas to to San Antonio. Back then, most of it was just empty land and flat and boring all the way to San Antonio with the exception of Waco and Austin having a few exits. We moved out of Texas for a good while and decades later (now) I move back for a job in Austin....

WHOA...

I had absolutely no idea so much development has been happening between Dallas and San Antonio. It's almost completely urban from DFW all the way to San Antonio on I-35 and alot of new highways and interchanges..

It reminds me alot of CA-99 in California where it constantly is passing through cities between Bakersfield and Sacremento.

[Hill Country]

99 and 5 are mostly two lanes, passing through rural areas. And smell badly.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

99 and 5 are mostly two lanes, passing through rural areas. And smell badly.

Hmmm, I dunno about 5 but 99 is 3 to 4 lanes each way in alot of places... Although there are large chunks where its 2 lanes each way, its definitely far from mostly 2 lanes.

5 is alot more boring though.

35 was quite fascinating. I love the new overpasses and architecture along the side of the highway.

Smells aside, what I was mostly comparing it to is how both highways are constantly passing through urban areas fairly frequently in the middle of the plains.

[cBach]

I was on 99 and I-5 in the Central Valley. I-5 is four lanes the whole way, it has to be it's an interstate. Parts of 99 are four lane others are two lanes. The towns there look nothing like here. Also the farms are totally different. Here there are corn fields, in the Central Valley there are peaches, citrus, dairy farms, onions, garlic, celery, tomatoes, grapes, and tons of seeds and nuts of all sorts.

There is nothing like this along I-35. In the Central Valley they are everywhere. We stopped at a gas station and you could pick fruits and nuts. The farmer said that of the crops grown in California, 90% are used for Americans fruits and vegetables. This is contrasting to the Midwest where 90% of the corn grown is used as feed for cattle, chickens, and pigs.

Most of the country is incapable of producing the high quality produce that only the Central Valley in California can grow.

The smell is mainly the garlic. You notice it the minute you drive through Gilroy. The onion fields are strong too. But what do you expect? Basically all of the garlic for America is grown right there.



If you click twice it straightens it out...

Look at those trees too. Nothing with trunks that big can grow in Texas.

[RoamingTX]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

When I was a kid (3 decades ago) we used to frequent road trips from Dallas to to San Antonio. Back then, most of it was just empty land and flat and boring all the way to San Antonio with the exception of Waco and Austin having a few exits. We moved out of Texas for a good while and decades later (now) I move back for a job in Austin....

WHOA...

I had absolutely no idea so much development has been happening between Dallas and San Antonio. It's almost completely urban from DFW all the way to San Antonio on I-35 and alot of new highways and interchanges..

It reminds me alot of CA-99 in California where it constantly is passing through cities between Bakersfield and Sacremento.

No. I’ve never seen Sacremento.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by cBach

I was on 99 and I-5 in the Central Valley. I-5 is four lanes the whole way, it has to be it's an interstate. Parts of 99 are four lane others are two lanes. The towns there look nothing like here. Also the farms are totally different. Here there are corn fields, in the Central Valley there are peaches, citrus, dairy farms, onions, garlic, celery, tomatoes, grapes, and tons of seeds and nuts of all sorts.

There is nothing like this along I-35. In the Central Valley they are everywhere. We stopped at a gas station and you could pick fruits and nuts. The farmer said that of the crops grown in California, 90% are used for Americans fruits and vegetables. This is contrasting to the Midwest where 90% of the corn grown is used as feed for cattle, chickens, and pigs.

The only part of 99 that is two lanes is far north of Sacramento metro, where it stops being a continuous freeway. This is away from the majority of the Central Valley farmland. 99 is mostly six lanes between The Grapevine and Sacramento. It drops down to four lanes for short stretches between the smaller Central Valley city and goes up to 8-10 lanes in some of the larger Central Valley cities (Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton). Seeing all the farms along this route can be interesting but it smells like manure almost the entire way.

The 5 is only four lanes between the Grapevine and Tracy, CA. It's the most boring ride between LA and SF but you can get there quick. It's also pretty hilly in spots too so things can be a little interesting.

When I drive between both cities, I usually opt for 99 because of more rest options and cheaper gas. Downside is the Central Valley traffic as it's the main artery for the region.

[C24L]

Nope.

[Mark Senior]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

When I was a kid (3 decades ago) we used to frequent road trips from Dallas to to San Antonio. Back then, most of it was just empty land and flat and boring all the way to San Antonio with the exception of Waco and Austin having a few exits. We moved out of Texas for a good while and decades later (now) I move back for a job in Austin....

WHOA...

I had absolutely no idea so much development has been happening between Dallas and San Antonio. It's almost completely urban from DFW all the way to San Antonio on I-35 and alot of new highways and interchanges..

It reminds me alot of CA-99 in California where it constantly is passing through cities between Bakersfield and Sacremento.

For certain you have maga congestion along I-35 from DFW to San Antonio, but hopes are high when and IF widening the freeway with more lanes is finally finished, at least if not scenic, lol, bearable, now, it is a challenging, i.e. demanding drive.

[War Beagle]

I've lived in Bakersfield and Texas. The Central valley is EXTREMELY texas-like in everything from culture to economy (oil and ag). When I first moved to Texas, it felt a lot like Bakersfield.

[ragnarkar]

I-20 between Midland and DFW reminds me of I-5 between Sacramento and Los Angeles