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Should I move?

Should I move?

Should I move?

(OP)
hello
I am looking into the possibility of moving my family to Fort Worth/Dallas area. I am from So Cal. I can sell my home and pay cash for one there. I am looking for a job there in mech engineering. We want out of CA because of expense, crowds, etc. My question is, is FortWorth/Dallas a good area to move to for family/jobs? Or should I stick it out and see what happens with CA? I have a good job, but no room for advancement and no raises for 2 yrs.

RE: Should I move?

I don't know what the job market is like in TX, but I can definitely see why you want out of CA.

I was in San Jose for two years doing contract MCAD design.  I came from Wisconsin, where I lived most of my life.

When I announced that I was leaving CA to go back to WI, something strange happened.  Many of the people I worked with who had migrated from the Midwest 10-20 years before came to congratulate me on getting out of California.  Most said that they wished they hadn't raised their children there.

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted.

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
thanks Tick,
I've heard the same thing from others also.
I love using SolidWorks, but most jobs in FW area use AutoCAD...yuk! I am thinking of starting a side job, if I move, doing SW mech design.

RE: Should I move?

Hmmm. Seems the crowds are just about as bad in Ft Worth. But it has to be better than CA. There are plenty of opportunities there. I live in and around the Rocky Mountain states and we see thousands of Californians selling there and coming here and paying cash for a house based on a little equity in the house they had in CA. You can get a 2000sq foot house (I consider average) for anywhere from $100k-150k. If you really want to live in a remote area, then this could be cut in half.

RE: Should I move?

Being a Houstonian, I have a natural dislike of Dallas(J/K!)
I've read a few things here and there positive about the state as a whole, but go to this site and explore for a while. I use the LMI tracer info as a source to justify raises for my guys. Oh, and there's no state income tax!:)


http://www.twc.state.tx.us/

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
Thanks for the link.
What is the dislike of FW/Dallas?

RE: Should I move?

Oh, it's just a friendly rivalry thing. When friends of mine from there say or do something stupid, I'll say something like; "knock it off! Your Dallas is showing! People will know!!!"
The mud gets slung both ways, of course.

RE: Should I move?



The best thing about DFW is that you are only 120 miles away from the best college football team in the world.

RE: Should I move?

Rhodie, mapquest shows Dallas to be 1,400 miles from Miami...

RE: Should I move?

My sister and brother-in-law moved to Dallas for a few years, hated it, moved to the NorthEast for a few years, then moved back to Dallas.  They still hate Dallas and are considering moving away again.

The summer climate is extremely hot and humid.  Pollution is bad.  Traffic is bad.

There is a reason it is cheap to live there.

RE: Should I move?

I live near Houston.  I believe that one grows accustomed to the heat.  I think maybe the salaries are high compared to cost of living which for us meant we could get a bigger house with a pool.  Our area seems like a good family location.  Our oldest child is involved raising rabbits with 4H which is one of the types of things that you don't see on the coasts.

Two things I don't like about Texas:
1 - It is a very long way between cities.  You are mostly stuck in d/fw.  Outside of there you will find miles and miles of nothing.
2 - The terrain is just not as scenic as other parts of the countries.  Fewer hills, fewer rolling rivers and streams, etc.

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
thanks everyone....you are all alot of help.
I looked at Houston, but was told to stay away.
I have only been to El Paso. Would not live there.
I will be looking at other cities in surrounding states also.

RE: Should I move?

Sounds like you aim to stick to the Sun Belt.  I get calls now and then from recruiters in Georgia.

Me, I like the long winters.  Helps keep out the riffraff ;)

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted.

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
I had a fellow engineer quit here and go to Georgia. He was there a year and did not like it. He came back to CA.
I would like to go somewhere that has all four seasons. Not too cold or too hot.

RE: Should I move?

CTO,

just out of couriosity, why were you told to stay away from Houston? Like all cities, it's got it's faults, but there's a lot of good things too.

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
I heard of very bad humidity, and stinky from the gulf.
I have never been there, but find a lot of jobs on the net.

RE: Should I move?

I was in-line for a transfer to Houston a few years ago, but it didn't come through.

Like Dallas, the summer weather is unbearably hot and humid, plus Houston gets the occasional hurricane.  Traffic bad, pollution bad.

In my opinion Houston is nicer than Dallas from a things to do and see standpoint, but I guess that depends on the types of things you like to do and see.

You could likely sell your house in So. Cal and buy a palace in Houston for cash and have plenty left over to buy a nice comfy car with good air conditioning.  You will appreciate the comfy car while stuck in traffic.

RE: Should I move?

There's always NC.  That's another spot recruiters seem hot for warm bodies.

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted.

RE: Should I move?

Sort of seems like a silly thing to argue about, but you're talking about my home.

I live within an hour of Houston. My town is great small little town with mall and plenty of shopping and civilization.  We zip into houston and Galveston on weekends from time to time.  In 10 years living here I think I have been stuck in traffic maybe 10 times.  Just requires a little planning to avoid the rush-hours ans snarls.  Not much different than any big city I thought.  I lived previously in Washington DC and I thought traffic there was a lot worse, especially in the suburbs of Washington DC compared to suburbs of Houston.  So traffic is not necessarily a  strike againt Houston in my book... depends where you live and work.

RE: Should I move?

Having driven in both Chicago and Texas (San Antonio and Austin), Texas driving is a breeze!

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
Got to be better than So Cal!
Took me 1 hr 40 min to go 35 miles yesterday!
Still looking for a Mech Designer position using SolidWorks (anywhere!)

RE: Should I move?

Yeah, the heat and humidity are bad, but that's why Houston is known as the "most air-conditioned" city in the world. Any smell is most likely caused by the petrochemical plants in the east/southeast areas. That's why I live in the northwest part!

RE: Should I move?

Yeah, I love Houston.  I live in Alabama and I constantly badmouth the Houston traffic.  BUT, everytime my company calls us for a meeting, I am soo happy to go there.  So many places to see, theme parks, Galveston island, shopping at Outdoor World and Fry's Wlwctronics.  AND Southern friendliness.  Preplan your commute to avoid the freeway and you should not have any problems going to work.

RE: Should I move?

If you have children, and you love them, get them as far away from California schools as is possible.

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted.

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
I agree Tick, that is my 1st priority.
thanks everyone

RE: Should I move?

ctopher,

I have the same thoughts as you right now. I grew up in Orange County, went to school in San Luis Obispo, and now live in San Diego County. Depsite all of the negatives, I think SoCal is one of the most beatiful places in the country (the whole state is pretty nice) and I would not have traded my childhood in OC for anything.

Right now however, my wife and I want to move out and pay cash for a house like you are talking about.

I think you really need to consider a change in lifestyle if you really want to make that large of a move. I would not move just because of smog and traffic. Almost every big city has that. Where there is work there are people and there is traffic there is smog. You still may have to drive a ways to work and sit in a cubicle 40+ hrs/week.

My wife and I are considering a whole lifestyle change. The areas in which we are looking to move: Reno/Tahoe, Boise, NE New Mexico, Northern AZ, southern Utah. Reno is the most urban of the bunch. I've considered buying a dairy someplace and just farming full time. If we buy a house in the sticks for cash I could just dink around doing my hobbies for a living.

If I move to another large urban area, the only advantage as someone mentioned is the cheap housing.

I am also sick of California politics and taxes.

If you never have been there, most of Texas is flat. I dunno about you but it gives me the willies. I like seeing mountains, I get lost otherwise.

Good Luck

Clyde

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
Thanks for the input Clyde. I have thought of N AZ also.
It is tough thinking of moving from CA.
I agree with you about all big cities being similar and TX flat. I love the mountains also. I still have an ok job and somewhat stable. I will be getting some good training soon, so I may stick it out for a while.

RE: Should I move?

Mark up another Californian considering a move.

Personally, I'm looking up toward Oregon which offers real seasons but not nearly as much rain as Washington.

I'm a 5th-generation Californian and I've never been to another state whose geography and climate I like as much as here but the state's a mess and I'm thinking that I should "get while the getting's good"

Clyde Poly rocks!!! (& SLO and the surrounding area is about the nicest part of the state, IMHO - I guess that's why there are so many degreed waiters, bartenders, and bus drivers there...)

RE: Should I move?

I moved my family five years ago from San Diego, California and never looked back.

RE: Should I move?

Last year I moved away from Houston, TX to Long Island, New York and let me tell ya, though I am from Upstate New York originally, Texas was very nice. I lived in Houston but a half an hour drive out and there was plenty of country. Besides the heat and being 3 days of traveling away from family, i sure miss Texas.

RE: Should I move?

ctopher, et al:
So you want to flee. I do'nt blame you at all. The state of California is is such dispair, I do'nt think it will ever recover. I am not too far from retirement now, I wish I could stay where I am. We have a lovely home (So. Cal). But with all this BS, I do not think we can afford to stay.
Our plan, (and I generalize) which would be diffrent from someone younger, is to visit various cities in AZ, NM, and NV in that order of MY preference. We will pick a city rent or buy a condo for a short time to get a feel of the terraine. Then we'll buy a small place. You can modify this plan, if you have children look for the best schools, whatever is your priority, etc. But resist buying until you know the area.  
You are doing the right thing to move, It's OK! It's the American Way! Workers should go where the work is. Thats how California was developed back in the late 30's through the 50's. Review the history.
I am a native Californian and I really like where I live  but; Can I stay here when I retire, I donno?
Whoops! Can I even afford to retire?
If I retire and leave, can I afford to come back later?
And you guys thought it was so simple..

Hang in there...it can only get better!
 
I Wish You All Well

pennpoint

RE: Should I move?

ctopher,
As a mechanical engineer, you have many more options than someone in, say, aeronautics.  In particular, the biggest cities aren't your only option.  There are manufacturing and engineering firms in most towns of any size.

There are always tradeoffs.  If you hear of a place with great scenery and 4 real seasons that are mild, let us know.  We'll probably beat you there.

Having worked in the Long Beach area for several years, I agree with your conclusion that So. Cal. is no place to raise a family -- whether your concern is the hassle factor or the dysfunctional environment.

Yes, California is a beautiful place - when the smog lifts and/or when you have time to look, which isn't really very often - with all the time it takes to get around.  Still, I know how hard it is to steel your nerve to leave.  You will wonder for a while if you've lost your mind.  But that sort of thing happens whenever you pull up stakes.

Just make sure your wife won't be irrevocably unhappy.  She needs to find something about a new area to like enough to call it home.  If not, you will be moving again within a few years, and when you try to go back, house prices may well be even further out of reach.  I've talked to engineers that's happened to.

Mid - and east-Texas have a generally good climate, but share the extreme summer humidity problem with the entire south.  I honestly don't know how people managed to live there before air conditioning.  Maybe some people aren't so affected by humidity.

West Texas doesn't often have high humidity; but if you don't like El Paso, then I suspect you wouldn't like Amarillo, Lubbock, or Midland.  But there are many others -- Harlingen, Brownville, Corpus Christi, Austin, San Antonio, and San Angelo to name a few prominent ones.  The latter three are particularly nice to visit, but they are far enough east to get some of that famous humidity.

West Texas has decent scenery, especially near Big Bend National Park.  The towns of Presidio, Laredo, and Zapata have plenty of western character, occasional turbulent growth, and, no doubt, good engineering opportunities.

Most places in smaller towns will have a lower wage scale. You might not find a job paying more than half what you now make in California.  So you have to decide what you really want -- high reportable income with high expenses and a hostile family environment, or moderate income and low costs with a good family environment.

There have got to be other smaller towns around the country with a good mix of income scale, cost of living, locality benefits, and family friendliness.  I'm sure the other contributors can offer more suggestions along these lines.

In summary, if you don't have to limit yourself to huge, unlivable megacities, you have lots of options besides Dallas and Houston.

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
Thanks Miper, lots of good info. I am still debating which area to go to. I like to fish and FW/Dallas has some nice lakes. But still looking at other areas. Thank you all for the inputs.

RE: Should I move?

If you can deal with the humidity, the gulf coast states are pretty nice and have great housing prices.

I visited Birmingham recently, and was fairly impressed. Being a Californian (where we have only beaches you know), I could only picture Alabama based on what I saw in Forrest Gump. But it is big enough town to have some oppurtunities for work and not have you feel like you are in the total sticks. I didn't check it out, but I am sure there is no shortage of lakes around there.

Clyde

RE: Should I move?

(OP)
My mom. aunts & uncles are all from Bermingham. They came out to Calif ~1960. Now they wish they had never left!

RE: Should I move?

ctopher, I have a sister in LA & several siblings in San Jose. I lived in SJ one year & couldn't wait to get back to Texas.

If you want four seasons, you don't want DFW. We have two seasons in Texas: summer & February. If you are used to CA traffic & smog, driving DFW will seem like a clean drive home to you. In non-rush hour, there is rural living within 30 minutes to an hour of Dallas (or Ft Worth) in most directions.

I'm working in Indy now because it's where I was able to get a job. I was laid off last Octogre from my job in the Houston area & didn't get a job offer until April (from my former employer - they have a facility here in Indy & gave me all of my service levels back - it was a very attractive package - I was gone for 2.5 years). I am a native Dallasite, but I'd go back to Houston in a heartbeat. I went to school in Dallas, but my summers were spent in the Piney Woods.  We've got a place in Galveston.

The Gulf is not stinky. The ship channel & the refineries can be smelly periodically. Even Pasadena which we used to call "steenkadeena" ain't too bad now. Out in the boonies of NE Texas between Paris & Greenville, we lived in a little town called Ladonia - about an hour & half NE of Dallas. It stank - ever lived near a meat packing plant? Whew, if the wind is just wrong (and I mean wrong - it sure ain't right), you'll wish you were not there. Praise be, the packing plant closed down & Ladonia is a lovely little town with mostly old & historic houses (I'll be happy to  give you a referral to a realtor if interested in a 3200 sq ft historical landmark Victorian 2 story with a pool on ~1 acre for under $100K).

Regarding Alabama...I've got an uncle who has worked for a NASA contractor for a number of years in Huntsville, Alabama & they love 'bama. I've tried for years to get on with NASA. My current employer does some NASA contracts, so I'm trying to do some networking for that area.

ClydeMule, I lived in the Santa Clara Valley when I was in CA - I'm sad to say, no beaches there....

RE: Should I move?

Leanne,

I was just referring to the commmon misconception.

The beach is nice, but personnally I am a mountain guy. The Sierra Nevada is like Heaven to me. Plus you don't get sand stuck in weird places.

Clyde

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