What makes Texas so appealing?

[iheartthed]

The people seem nice. I've gone to Dallas quite a few times for work, and have also visited Austin. I can see why people with families like it. Especially if you're a Christian family (Texas folks love church). I don't have kids, I don't have a strong urge to have any, and I'm not religiously inclined, so I don't feel that same pull for myself.

[llamaorama]

The single best word would be "Inertia". I don't think Texas is actually that appealing to anyone in the way that coastal Southern California or the big cities of the Northeast are appealing, but it appears better in relative measures(such as, we have cheaper houses and lower taxes than elsewhere). Our state pride is a cultural quirk I think, there are plenty of states which are underrated and have great qualities but aren't as prideful or even the opposite.

I think the inertia comes from the combination of several factors, which by themselves wouldn't have the same effect. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts sort of thing.

1. The state indeed has lower taxes and a more 'business friendly' environment. Of course by itself this doesn't mean much, as you could say the same thing about Arkansas or Mississippi. But with an existing strong and diversified economy, it is a successful strategy. Personally I think this is a bit of zero sum game and bad for the country as a whole, but it works.

2. Oil in the 20th century. It brought a lot of wealth into what would have been an otherwise poor region of the country. And it was more than just extraction activities, but also refineries, chemical and steel related manufacturing, shipbuilding, etc. Companies based here became global giants, etc. That money helped build high quality public universities and helped fund the state government in lieu of conventional taxes. Oil booms blunted the effects of Great Depression in the 1930s, it also boomed when the rest of the country was in a "malaise" in the 1970s and 1980s. Not to mention in 2008 or so. As a result the population and economy has never not grown in the last century or so.

3. Because of #2, Houston and Dallas were pretty big and doing really well in the 1960s. Dallas in particular became a banking and finance center, and also had a lot going on with electronics(Texas Instruments), aerospace and defense(Lockheed, LTV, Bell, etc), airlines(Southwest, American, Braniff).

4. Because of #3, the state was really well positioned to take advantage of the tech economy and corporate relocations from the 1980's to the present day.

5. No major impediments to growth. If you look at #3, you might notice some parallels with California in the 1960s, particularly Los Angeles. But LA is now built out, it is expensive and can't grow. Here, no such barriers exist.

[Doug]

I lived in Plano from age 9 to 12 and occasionally go back to Texas. The appeal is opportunity: tomorrow will likely be better than today. Texas is the new California.

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Wondering, do you consider San Francisco to have a good climate? Because of all the cities I've resided in - and I resided there for 5 years - I found it to have the worst climate of all those cities.

Personally not a fan of year round relatively cool weather and overcast skies/heavy fog dominating most mornings, but to each their own.

I personally love the climate there and would rate it the best. Love sunny 65 degree days in July. But yeah the perfect climate defined by most is pretty much the LA basin from Downtown to Santa Monica

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by Doug

I lived in Plano from age 9 to 12 and occasionally go back to Texas. The appeal is opportunity: tomorrow will likely be better than today. Texas is the new California.

Pretty much polar opposites.

[JMKeynes]

When I went to Dallas in Feb it was 65 degrees.

People are talking about Chicago. I love that city but wouldn’t live there. The winters are long and brutal. NY and Philly are generally twenty degrees warmer on any winter day. Minneapolis is another city that I really like but wouldn’t live in due to the utterly brutal climate.

I like the Texas sunshine and warmth... and no state income tax is good too.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

1. The state indeed has lower taxes and a more 'business friendly' environment. Of course by itself this doesn't mean much, as you could say the same thing about Arkansas or Mississippi.

I think you've just put your finger on it - you can easily find low taxes/pro-business states, and you can also easily find states with world-class cities in them, but these two groups have barely any overlap. Texas is the exception.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by dktshb

I personally love the climate there and would rate it the best. Love sunny 65 degree days in July. But yeah the perfect climate defined by most is pretty much the LA basin from Downtown to Santa Monica

La Jolla.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JMKeynes

I like the Texas sunshine and warmth... and no state income tax is good too.

Florida has both of those, slightly better politics from my perpsective and a MUCH longer coastline (if I'm going to put up with humidity, I want to be near the water).

Originally Posted by lio45

I think you've just put your finger on it - you can easily find low taxes/pro-business states, and you can also easily find states with world-class cities in them, but these two groups have barely any overlap. Texas is the exception.

Miami may be THE world class city in the US, at least in the sense that foreigners know it and find it conducive as much or more than Americans do. To many Americans it IS a foreign city in a way Houston or Dallas are not.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by lio45

I think you've just put your finger on it - you can easily find low taxes/pro-business states, and you can also easily find states with world-class cities in them, but these two groups have barely any overlap. Texas is the exception.

I would put Georgia in there too. Possibly Tennessee, North Carolina and Colorado as well (though CO is becoming less business-friendly and more like California each year).

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by BG918

I would put Georgia in there too. Possibly Tennessee, North Carolina and Colorado as well (though CO is becoming less business-friendly and more like California each year).

I know North Carolina has substantial state taxes (I paid them for 4 years) and I think Tennesee does to. Not sure about Colorado.

But IMHO state income taxes are over-rated. You have to look at the total state tax burden: income, property and sales. And while it's not a tax, you ought to consider insurance costs too. Anywhere on the southeast coastline, from North Carolina to Galveston, homeowners' insurance has gotten expensive and in some places like Florida it's not only very costly but may be unobtainable except from the state. That cost as well as utilities--winter heating, summer A/C--can balance out state income taxes almost completely.

I once ran the numbers to see if I should switch residencies from CA to AZ--how much I would save going from a notorious "high tax" state to a middling one (AZ isn't the lowest because it does have a state income tax). It wasn't enough for me to give up some other advantages I needn't bore you with of being a Californian.

[skyscraperpage17]

Jobs, low COL and warm/sunny/snowless (relatively speaking) winters, like many other southern states.

[Sun Belt]

Texas is a huge place. Second largest state in area and population. Coastal state. Dynamic cities and a very diverse state from East Texas to El Paso. The only thing it's lacking are huge snow capped mountains, but that's why Colorado exists.

Mild winters, low taxes, new housing stock to chose from, lower cost of living, plentiful jobs and just the overall feeling of being apart of a place that has always grown with that 'can do' attitude.

Don't mess with Texas!

[northbay]

I am never leaving Sonoma County, California. It’s the best place on Earth IMO. No offense Texas.

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I would point out that if you OWN in CA (as opposed to renting which 60% of San Franciscans do), thanks to Prop. 13, which limits increases in your property tax to 2% annually, the "constantly rising homes prices" don't really affect you. They do, however, allow you to sell out, move to a place like Texas, buy a house with 3 times the square footage of the one in CA you sold, and still have a very large cash nest egg in the bank. It's not flight so much as greed but it works for a lot of people. As they say in CA where a lot of people can't afford to save for retirement, your home is your retirement savings.

Not related to this thread, but Prop 13 is total shit.

Also unrelated: What is it about California and Texas that makes the people who live there so sure their state is the best thing since sliced bread? As someone who lives in New Jersey it boggles my mind how irrationally pro-Texas and pro-California the residents of those states are. For instance by most indicators New Jersey is better than either state (not including weather).

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by BrownTown

Also unrelated: What is it about California and Texas that makes the people who live there so sure their state is the best thing since sliced bread? As someone who lives in New Jersey it boggles my mind how irrationally pro-Texas and pro-California the residents of those states are. For instance by most indicators New Jersey is better than either state (not including weather).

There are about 70 million people between the two states.
-- That is roughly 1 out of every 5 Americans [21%].

N.J. is N.J .for other reasons than the weather.

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

There are about 70 million people between the two states.
-- That is roughly 1 out of every 5 Americans [21%].

What I mean is people from these states basically say their state is super amazing and they'd never move for any reason. I don't really get it as I've moved several times in life and been to most states and the differences just don't seem that big.

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

N.J. is N.J .for other reasons than the weather.

Like what? I really like it, not sure what's supposedly so bad about it. Pretty sure it's just people who think the entire state is just the 10 mile stretch of the NJ Turnpike around Newark.

[jtown,man]

I worked as a realtor in Austin in 13' and 14'. The people moving there had two main rationales:

1. A job. Or the perspective of a healthy economy.
2. Cheaper place to live.

Look at all the mega projects going around the Dallas Metro alone. There is so much growth.

I personally moved to Austin because my wife loved it there from visiting as a kid, I knew the market was great, and I enjoyed living in a very high growth state/city. As soon as I crossed the border and the speed limit went from 70 in Ark to 75, I knew I was in the right place.

The heat and overall urban environment for most of the state is what killed it for me. Whenever we get really hot days here in Norfolk I always comment to my wife that its an "Austin day." The heat creates mirages and theres humidity to boot.

Would I ever move back? Yes. Only because of the above #1 reason. I would rather live in Chicago but if my wife and I can get good jobs and live a relatively urban lifestyle in a major Texas city, I can see it working.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by BrownTown

What I mean is people from these states basically say their state is super amazing and they'd never move for any reason. I don't really get it as I've moved several times in life and been to most states and the differences just don't seem that big.

That is true, but I'm thinking the large numbers make it possible for a state pride type thing to happen. I've also seen a lot of city of Chicago flags, hats and t-shirts -- from all the ex-chicagoans or those with family still back there for example.

Like what? I really like it, not sure what's supposedly so bad about it. Pretty sure it's just people who think the entire state is just the 10 mile stretch of the NJ Turnpike around Newark.

Nothing bad about N.J., in fact I think there is a lot to like about it being so close to N.Y. and Phila. and the southern half is beautiful. It's just not a very big place like CA or TX in area.

It definitely has it's own unique identity that is well known all over. There's a reason Jersey Shore and Real Housewives were hits on national TV.

[Double L]

Originally Posted by BrownTown

Not related to this thread, but Prop 13 is total shit.

Also unrelated: What is it about California and Texas that makes the people who live there so sure their state is the best thing since sliced bread? As someone who lives in New Jersey it boggles my mind how irrationally pro-Texas and pro-California the residents of those states are. For instance by most indicators New Jersey is better than either state (not including weather).

I would love to answer that question for you.

For Texas, it’s because it was its own country for ten years. Texas has a lot of history for that reason and has its own founding fathers.
The Alamo, is a story of soldiers, who were vastly outnumbered but chose to fight to the death. Sam Houston’s story was very similar George Washington’s, in that he was a successful general who was the Republics first President and the states first Governor. You also have Stephen F Austin, who brought many settlers to Texas. Texas, has its own history, as lasting as its own independent state and that is why Texans have so much pride. I mean the same state flag we have now was once the flag for an independent nation.

I hope that answers your question.