Quote:
Originally Posted by Eightball
Well, as a poster on the first page referenced, it actually isn't that appealing. As said posted noted, they have to pay coastal wages to get the best and brightest to move there, despite having a significantly lower cost of living.
Now before everyone jumps me Houston has a had a top 5 rap scene in the game for decades, the state has some of the best food in the country, the state is an economic powerhouse and tons of fun and cool people live there. But still, those the facts
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The only facts came from your second paragraph.
Texas isn't some backwoods state (okay, maybe it is) but it is home to some major cities that align with the other major cities in this country. DFW and Houston are pretty cosmopolitan by American standards. Austin and SA are pretty major cities in their own right too. They're simply paying competitive wages that one would expect from major cities.
What do you think companies should be paying in urban Texas? Should the wages be similar to Mississippi or Arkansas?
Texas is pretty appealing too, which is why all of the major cities gets tens of thousands of people moving there from across the country every year (Houston and Dallas gets tens of thousands of international immigrants annually too). These people aren't all moving with their companies from the coasts. Also, it's pretty appealing to be able to make 70k-100k, buy a home in a nice suburb with good to great schools, and use the extra money to visit family back home. You'd be hard pressed to make that salary on the coasts and be able to find reasonable schools and not have to commute over an hour to work. An article came out recently where a family of 4 in the Bay Area living on 125k annually is considering
low-income. In Texas major cities, that gets you into one of the better suburbs if you have a family. You could probably get into a nice intown neighborhood with that too.
Notice a key theme is having to do with families. The coasts appeal more to singles and DINKs. Texas to those raising families. Now what's happening with urban renewal is that the cores of the major Texas metros are looking more like the developments that have been happening on the coasts. Is it as put together yet? No, but it's getting there. Downtown Austin, Uptown Dallas, and Midtown Houston are becoming good examples. Now those people looking for the urban living or other things that were only found on the coasts 15 years ago can get a good taste of that here for much cheaper. And when they're ready, still find affordable housing in the suburbs for their family.
As far as things like weather, people like different things. The hotter summers in Texas allow for a lot of beach/lake/pool action. You don't get that in the summer in say, SF, cause the water is still too cold. For about four months, the weather can be pretty hot in Texas (though the last several years had mild summers), but the other 8 months of the year are pleasant. State politics may still have some catching up to do but the major cities are pretty moderate and 50/50 which is the best IMO. Having the majority of a region think one way brings problems, no matter which way the pendulum swings (left or right).