Help me rate these places to live in Texas

[jsottile]

I am taking a new job that has numerous locations available in Texas. The things that I would like to consider in the location is the following:

1. Good housing prices. I also want to be in an area with no zoning /development restrictions that would prevent me from building a decent size garage (I will be building a garage big enough to store 4 to 5 cars). I would ultimately like to find a small house with some land (around an acre).
2. Low city taxes. No plans for kids so school district doesn't matter.
3. Would tolerate a commute time into the city (with traffic) around 45 minutes (to get a nice house outside the city).
4. Would like to be in area with easy access to good hunting land (I enjoy whitetail and turkey hunting).
5. I enjoy doing High Performance Driving Events (with the Supra, NSX and Z06) and drag racing so I would like to be close to tracks.
6. Would like to stay away from an area that is prone to tornados or hurricanes (i.e. is Dallas prone for tornados and is Houston prone to hurricanes?)
7. Night Life is not a concern.

The locations I have available to choose from:

1. Houston
2. Dallas
3. San Antonio
4. San Jose

How would you guys rate the above cities based on the above criteria? Also, if anyone has any suggestions for nice towns to look for housing (around the area of the above cities) I would appreciate the help.

Thanks

 

[GreyHoundSteve]

I don't think you will find what your looking for in Dallas but Dallas isn't like most other large cities in the US. The Dallas Cowboys aren't even in Dallas and neither are the Texas Rangers or most other people who aren't new to this area and still trying to figure it out. There are very few nice neighborhoods in Dallas and none of them really meet your criteria.

Most people live in "The Metroplex" and just tell everyone outside of TX that they are from Dallas because they don't want to bother trying to explain to them where Grapevine or Garland or Carrollton TX is. We all just say we are from Dallas to save ourselves their blank expression and the pending explanation where that town actually is (they are all near Dallas).

The metroplex is great. It is made of a over 100 towns and small cities you have probably never heard of but together make up the 4th largest metropolitan area (by population) in the US. So that pretty much means that within an hour or two you can find just about anything you would want. It also means that you can choose from any number of country towns but still be very close to certain city activities that you might like. It is a very unique area in that respect. So much variation in one general area.

If i shared more of your interests i would probably be able to help you more but i don't so i'm of little help narrowing down an actual town to point you to but i am certain there is one roughly 45 minutes away from Dallas that will fit your criteria.

I like living in the mix of things and therefore I live right in the heart of the metroplex but we have pretty high taxes here, very strict building restrictions, great public schools, no hunting within probably 2+ hours and the only drag strips i can think of that aren't populated by teenagers racing their Mustangs vs F-bodies all night would be Ennis or Kennedale and they aren't very close either. But i love living 45 minutes from Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Denton, Frisco pretty much anywhere i would want to go or work.

If you don't like a particular place in the metroplex then just drive 15 minutes and it will most likely be totally different. Thats what most of us love about this area.:wink:

 

[David]

I have lived in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Dallas is the only one worth considering.

 

[Miner]

I'm not sure where San Jose is. If it is San Jose Island, from the map that is about 50 miles north of Corpus Christi and that is way out in the sticks.

Of the 3 other cities, San Antonio may meet your criteria best. While Dallas doesn't get tornados very often, it has been known to get some. Houston is as you point out on the coast and Ike did make landfall close. Hurricanes are somewhat predictable, so one spends much of the summer season tracking, and seldom do hurricanes sneak up on an area. Tornados are less predictable, but while not immune, I don't think of the Dallas area as tornado area. San Antonio has neither, and is a touch more mild than Dallas and Houston weather wise. It is the smallest of the 3 cities, but over 1 million people and Austin is only 75 miles away. I think it has the best hunting of the 3 and has the least traffic of the 3. Dallas and Houston have better HP Driving, with Dallas having the Texas Motor Speedway and the Ennis Dragstrip, Houston the dragstrip. San Antonio has the better highway drives, though and about 75 miles west of San Antonio the speed limit goes to 80. Houston appears to have a very active NSX group, Dallas used to, but seems to be dormant, and SA has some in the area.
I don't know much about housing and taxes of the cities though.

The 3 cities have very distinct and different personalities. Dallas (the whole metroplex) is fast paced and spread out, 45 mile commutes are normal. Dallas is a high maintenance area. Houston is also fast paced but a bit more local and more industrial. San Antonio is the biggest small town with much of the history of Texas (The Alamo) and the river walk.

I live outside Corpus Christi, have family and friends in Dallas, have family in San Antonio and have visited Houston on a few occasions. I would suggest visiting each for a bit.

All things being equal, I'd pick Dallas because of the family and friends, but San Antonio would be a very close second. I'm sure others would see it differently.

I grew up in El Paso, have lived in Seattle, the OC and Corpus since college (~19 years). Good luck with your decision, I'm partial but think any place will be great.

Miner

 

[White92]

I know a few people who've lived in Denton. It's 36 miles north of Dallas and I think that the Texas Motor Speedway is there. They all had larger lots of a few acres with horses allowed. I'm sure you could build a garage there just as easily as a barn for horses. It's already on the edge of the Dallas Metro area and close to hunting.

I also lived in Oklahoma for 20 years and never was hit by a tornado. My parents have lived there for 31 years now and same thing, never hit. (knock on wood :smile So the fact that tornadoes are prone to a certain area wouldn't be a deciding factor for me. There's nothing you can do about it anyway. If you move anywhere in that area, it's a risk you take.

 

[Rando]

From you list of criteria, I'd say that either Austin or San Antonio would be the best fit. I'd suggest San Antonio.

I've lived in Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Austin and San Antonio are both close to the Hill Country with the best roads in Texas for motorcycling and car enthusiast (IMO). Texas World Speedway is reasonably close. And there is a private roadcourse just outside of San Antonio which is open for memberships last time I checked.

Deer and turkey hunting....Not easy to find land open to the public for hunting in Texas. Day and season leases are the norm here. South Texas is known for it's trophy whitetails, but leases can be expensive. Hill Country has plenty of deer, but they are on the smaller side, not what you are used to in PA. Turkey population is pretty good in both the Hill Country and South Texas.

If you enjoy fishing also, you'll probably want to give saltwater fishing a try at some point. San Antonio is a few hours from excellent bay fishing in areas such as Rockport, Port Aransas, Port O'Connor, etc.

I live 20 miles outside San Antonio. Lower property taxes than living in Bexar county, less restrictions but yet a very nice neighboorhood of homes all on at least 1 acre lots.

Hope that helps!

 

[Ko-nsx]

I just moved to Austin and i think it's great.

 

[GoSpeedGo]

Having lived my whole life in Texas, born in San Antonio, lived in both Houston and Dallas and currently reside in Dallas, I think both Dallas and Houston are a better fit even considering the tornadoes and hurricanes. One thing you don't mention is quality of life and friendliness of people. If these are important, think north Houston (Spring or Woodlands). Houston people are by far more friendlier than in Dallas. Dallas is a great town but can be a bit pretentious. North Houston, (Spring or Woodlands) is truly far enough inland (about 90-100 miles from the coast) that it would have to be a category 5 hurricane to hit Galveston to really mean anything. The last giant hurricane to hit Galveston was in early 08. I have a great friend that lives in the Woodlands and they only lost power for two or three days. Spring area was 5 or 6 days mainly because of the giant trees falling on power lines. In many communities, you can hunt from your back porch. People are great and the hunting/fishing outdoor life is way better than Dallas. There will be a commute but the Hardy Toll Road will take a good portion of the traffic nightmare away. At least check it out. If you like Dallas, again think north Dallas (Plano or Frisco). Everything is new. Not sure how far you will have to go to hunt. Car guys seem better organized in Dallas but Houston certainly has its share of enthusiast. Pace of life is faster in Dallas. Not necessarily good or bad, just what it is. Depends on where you are in life. Great restaurants in both.

Oh, one more thing. More Democrats in Dallas and more Republicans in Houston.

 

[synergy004]

San Jose, Big swap meet, higher cost of living etc, closer to the beach, More NSXers there than in Texas etc. rate an 8

San Antonio- lived there grad from the HEalth Science center there and it's ok I would rate it a 7.5

Dallas- Don't have much to say everytime i'm there. CLoser to a raceway depending on area, Dallas NSX crew isn't as happening. rate it???

Houston- Good NSX crew, always have something going on. Go fig they get there own sub forum. Closer in TX to the beach, Humid, a fat city with plenty of places to eat, plenty of things to do. Mother nature can be unforgiving. Nice homes in the area depending on area. rate an 8

 

[clarknm]

There is one thing I'll miss a lot when I move this Summer, an awesome track that I've recently gotten addicted to and as far as I can tell there is nothing else in the state that compares. It's about 60 miles north/northeast of San Antonio, www.harrishillroad.com. Dallas has two tracks but they're too expensive for my check book.

 

[jsottile]

Guys, Thanks for all the great information!!!

Rando, I was expecting large plots of state game lands in Texas similar to PA. I was unaware that open hunting land is hard to find.....

Also, I just read an article that Dallas is one of the worst cities for traffic. This is the location address in Dallas, is this a bad place to commute to (I know a lot is dependent on where you are commuting from):

One Justice Way
Dallas, Texas 75220

Here was the article:
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate.html

 

[adrenaline_nsx]

Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S., if you dont want to live in a big city Austin would be a good choice.

 

[hofffam]

Lived in Texas since 1976. Parents live in San Antonio, I lived in Houston, family lived in Fort Worth, in-laws lived in Dallas, son in Fort Worth, and I have lived around Austin since 1984.

Dallas - pretentious (yes!), big, and affordable.

Houston - ugly as all, huge, and very affordable. Lots of people from Lousiana live there.

San Antonio - not cool at all, but prettier and very affordable. Different demographics.

Fort Worth - not on your list but a very nice place. None of the Dallas attitude, smaller, and affordable.

Austin - bit too proud of itself, but very cool, getting too congested, but still affordable

You said you didn't care about schools - but you should even if no kids. School districts greatly impact housing values and resale. Dallas ISD is pathetic. Houston ISD almost as bad. Dallas has lots of surrounding areas that have far better schools. Texas is dominated by independent school districts (ISDs) so San Antonio and Austin for example has several ISDs serving various areas of the cities.

 

[jsottile]

Thanks again to everyone that replied.

Hofffam, I 100% agree that the school district is important and there would be a very likely chance that I would have to move again with the job (thus the resale value would suffer if I was in an area that had a bad school district).

I know a lot of this is personal preference and what you are use to (or can tolerate), but everyone's comments do help.

The one nice thing that I do see is that the majority of the areas are affordable (and I can tell this be looking at various home prices on realtor.com).

Can anyone give me some examples of what the local taxes are like for various areas (local taxes assessed on income)? I know there is no state income tax.

Thanks

 

[Zishan]

I love Houston, home is were the heart is. But if I didn't have family and friends holding me back, I would be in Austin.

If not Austin, somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, Houston is great. But I've always wanted to try living somewhere else. I'd just miss my nieces and nephew too much!

Good luck,
- Zishan

 

[sahtt]

Honestly I can't really take someone seriously who would recommend Dallas over Houston or Austin unless $$ is involved (job requirement etc.). Dallas traffic is atrocious (3rd in nation I think?), the terrain is flat and boring, sizeable amount of crime, etc. Good for business, especially anything that involves a lot of shipping due to its hub character.

Houston has a lot more cultural elements and a greater variety of everything IMO. People who think Houston is ugly must be in the ship channel. The city isn't a looker but rice village, westheimer, mid-town, tons of great areas in Houston IMO. Austin is just Austin. Less crime, better weather, great roads, beautiful scenery, etc. I've been in Austin for almost 5 years and I'm definitely not the average/stereotypical austinite.

If you can't take humidity stay out of Dallas and Houston. You will die 4 months out of the year. Plus no one else wants to hear you complain about it. Some communities north of/around Dallas are pretty nice though if you don't mind the commute. Too boring for me though.

 

[GoSpeedGo]

Guys, Thanks for all the great information!!!

Rando, I was expecting large plots of state game lands in Texas similar to PA. I was unaware that open hunting land is hard to find.....

Also, I just read an article that Dallas is one of the worst cities for traffic. This is the location address in Dallas, is this a bad place to commute to (I know a lot is dependent on where you are commuting from):

One Justice Way
Dallas, Texas 75220

Here was the article:
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate.html

That location can be tuff during rush hour but there are a few ways to beat the traffic to and from there. Based on that being your place of employment, I would still consider Plano/Frisco but would also start to consider Grapevine or Coppell. Both would be closer and offer great schools and communities. Grapevine is much more relaxed and offers great outdoor living.

 

[hofffam]

Thanks again to everyone that replied.

Hofffam, I 100% agree that the school district is important and there would be a very likely chance that I would have to move again with the job (thus the resale value would suffer if I was in an area that had a bad school district).

I know a lot of this is personal preference and what you are use to (or can tolerate), but everyone's comments do help.

The one nice thing that I do see is that the majority of the areas are affordable (and I can tell this be looking at various home prices on realtor.com).

Can anyone give me some examples of what the local taxes are like for various areas (local taxes assessed on income)? I know there is no state income tax.

Thanks

Texas taxation is dominated by property taxes. In the Austin area - property taxes range between 1.8 and 2.5 % of assessed value. That tax is made up of city, county, utilities districts, and most of all - school districts. In the Lake Travis area where I live my taxes are about 1.9%.

Sales taxes are probably in the range of 8%. Many grocery store food purchases are not taxed.

I'm not aware of any income taxes in Texas at the local level.

You do not pay property taxes on cars or boats.

 

[hofffam]

Honestly I can't really take someone seriously who would recommend Dallas over Houston or Austin unless $$ is involved (job requirement etc.). Dallas traffic is atrocious (3rd in nation I think?), the terrain is flat and boring, sizeable amount of crime, etc. Good for business, especially anything that involves a lot of shipping due to its hub character.

Houston has a lot more cultural elements and a greater variety of everything IMO. People who think Houston is ugly must be in the ship channel. The city isn't a looker but rice village, westheimer, mid-town, tons of great areas in Houston IMO. Austin is just Austin. Less crime, better weather, great roads, beautiful scenery, etc. I've been in Austin for almost 5 years and I'm definitely not the average/stereotypical austinite.

If you can't take humidity stay out of Dallas and Houston. You will die 4 months out of the year. Plus no one else wants to hear you complain about it. Some communities north of/around Dallas are pretty nice though if you don't mind the commute. Too boring for me though.

Sahtt - all things considered - I think Houston is ugly. You named some very nice areas - older neighborhoods with great lush vegetation. Add Memorial to your list. But the counterpoint to those areas is the great ugliness of Westeimer, Richmond, and the million or so strip centers all over town. Houston is flat as a pancake. When it rains hard - it can flood in the middle of an intersection.

I agree Houston has some strong cultural elements. Some think pro sports are important but I think it is an advantage NOT to have pro sports so we never get hit to fund a new stadium for a rich owner who wants more skyboxes.

Traffic in all the big Texas cities can be horrific. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio (the drivers are absurd), and Austin all have major traffic headaches so choosing the home location and commute path is important.