Relocating Maybe - Texas?

I live in Texas, Fort Worth to be specific.  With the exception of college, I have never really lived anywhere else and don't really have the desire to go elsewhere.  I really do love it here.  Fort Worth has everything you need with Dallas less than an hour away that has even more shopping and stuff but the traffic there is horendous.  We don't have terribly cold winter's but do have very hot summer's.  The cost of living is not attrocious and you can actually afford to buy a house here with plenty of options under $200,000 for a nice size house in a nice neighborhood.  Of course there is a lot of old money around here and tons of mansions but there are plenty of options for the average person.  I saw something on the yahoo homepage yesterday that was a report about the top 5 cities in the US to get a job and Fort Worth was #5 and Austin was #3 I think.  There are a lot of businesses relocating here and lots of new stuff going up everywhere so it isn't suprising.  You and your hubby should come for a visit sometime.  That is the best way to see the city.  If you have specific questions about the area feel free to ask....Gina lives in Arlington which is midway between Dallas and FW.  That is where the Texas Rangers stadium is and the Dallas Cowboys new stadium is going up.  I am sure she will chime in as well if she hasn't already.  :)   

Edit:  There are actually quite a few people on this forum who live in North Texas....I am just not sure where everyone else lives...I know Ron lives further North and there is one more person, can't think of her name but has Joey who lives somewhere in DFW also...I am sure I am missing others.

Thanks for answering. Fort Worth is actually where we were looking. I found a few houses that were really reasonably priced. We will have to visit sometime soon. Relocating just sounds really appealing right now. It would be a lot of work to pack up and sell our house, but it sounds nice.

We could really move anywhere. Fort Worth was just one of the appealing jobs I came up with on my search, and I don't think dh would have trouble finding a job either. It looks like it has a nice downtown area as well. It just looks overall nice.

I don't think the weather would bother me too much, as long as the house had good AC. I don't mind being awake in hot weather, but there is nothing worse then sleeping in it. Does the weather tend to be really humid when it is hot, or is it more of a dry heat?

What about dog activities? Are there nice parks near Fort Worth where we can walk with the dogs?

I think most of texas is pretty humid.  You would be asking for punishment if you didn't have an A/C.  When ours went out last summer it was MISERABLE.  We spend everynight swimming and cooking on the grill to avoid the heat in the house.

Fort Worth definately has a VERY nice downtown with tons of stuff to do and places to eat.  There are tons of places all over the city and we actually hardly ever even go downtown b/c there is plenty that is not downtown as well.  We also have a lot of neat things come through the city like the Main Street Arts Festival and Mayfest which is very kid friendly.  There is a nice dog park in East Fort Worth called Fort Woof at Gateway Park with a small and big dog side that are both rather large and gated with double doors.    There is also the bicycle trail which goes all over FW and is a nice place to walk to the dogs, walk yourself, take a jog or ride your bike.  I think there are some more dog parks around the metroplex as well but they aren't the ones as conveniently located to me.  There are parks all over the place.  It is a pretty decent sized city so it is hard to mention them all b/c I am mostly familiar with the areas I have lived.  Plus there are so many little cities or whatever you call them in between here and Dallas that are all very close and accesible.  That is why it gets called DFW even though they are actually very different cities.  I grew up in what is considered West Fort Worth.  I lived right off of Camp Bowie which is a cool brick street that leads all the way downtown and has lots of neat shops and restaurants.  Now I live further South.  Do you have any idea what areas you are looking at when searching?   

I just searched realtor.com for houses in Fort Worth. The job just says Fort Worth so I don't have much information. I haven't even applied yet, so its still more of just an idea at this point.

Thanks for all of the information! I really appreciate your help. It really looks like a nice place to live.

Good luck with the job search wherever you may end up! 

boneyjean

I live in Texas, Fort Worth to be specific.  With the exception of college, I have never really lived anywhere else and don't really have the desire to go elsewhere.  I really do love it here.  Fort Worth has everything you need with Dallas less than an hour away that has even more shopping and stuff but the traffic there is horendous.  We don't have terribly cold winter's but do have very hot summer's.  The cost of living is not attrocious and you can actually afford to buy a house here with plenty of options under $200,000 for a nice size house in a nice neighborhood.  Of course there is a lot of old money around here and tons of mansions but there are plenty of options for the average person.  I saw something on the yahoo homepage yesterday that was a report about the top 5 cities in the US to get a job and Fort Worth was #5 and Austin was #3 I think.  There are a lot of businesses relocating here and lots of new stuff going up everywhere so it isn't suprising.  You and your hubby should come for a visit sometime.  That is the best way to see the city.  If you have specific questions about the area feel free to ask....Gina lives in Arlington which is midway between Dallas and FW.  That is where the Texas Rangers stadium is and the Dallas Cowboys new stadium is going up.  I am sure she will chime in as well if she hasn't already.  :)   

Edit:  There are actually quite a few people on this forum who live in North Texas....I am just not sure where everyone else lives...I know Ron lives further North and there is one more person, can't think of her name but has Joey who lives somewhere in DFW also...I am sure I am missing others.

That's me, Amy!  I just want to say you're doing a fabulous job of selling our wonderful Fort Worth.  I too am technically in Ft.Worth but it's really Arlington, pretty darn close to Gina I think.  Joey and I visit Fort Woof often.

I wish there was something I could add to Boneyjean's info but she's covered it all.  If you can tolerate hot, humid summers, friendly people and the laid back atmosphere, come on down!  You'll have ready-made friends waiting for you

I came to Texas in 1998...from California...mind you California is one of the nicer states they tell me...weather...scenery...etc.

I don't miss it...at all....ever.

I like it so much I moved my Mom and sisters out here too. More opportunity, lower cost of living, top 5 best markets for jobs....

SING IT WITH ME NOW...

THE STARS AT NIIIIGHT.....

ARE BIG AND BRIIIIGHT....

SalemsMom

as long as the house had good AC. I don't mind being awake in hot weather, but there is nothing worse then sleeping in it.

Amen. A/C is a necessity down here. And, if you're not mechanically inclined, getting a an ac maintenance program is a good thing. They will come out once or twice a year and clean your system. They will check and clean the outside compressor and will clean the central unit. Very important and make sure they clean the squirrel cage (cylindrical fan blades) to ensure even operation and clean the evaporator (radiator looking thingy inside the central unit inside the house) on both sides. This one thing will have your ac working like brand new. I finally figured out how to clean mine and the ac was knocking the temp down 30 degrees. And this is important. We can get days and weeks of temps of 100 + F. Usually in August.

Also, in the process of buying a house, since your going to finance around a 100,000 to 120,000 for a basic 3 bedroom 2 bath, see about getting a storm shelter or storm room added. Locally, there are businesses that can sink an underground storm shelter (the preferred type) into your backyard for about $2,500. 2,500 on, say, 110,000 ain't nuthin. Reason being, we get tornados here. Having watched weather for a long time, Oklahoma actually gets more tornados than anywhere else and most often west of Oklahoma city. Official tornado season is from mid March to June 1. I'm not trying to scare you. If you were moving to Florida and I lived in Florida, I would tell you to pay close attention to hurricane warnings. Anyway, the funky spring weather is what we pay for living in paradise.

"When I die, I may not go to Heaven. But Texas is as close as I've been ..." Tanya Tucker.

p.s. You will have to invest in some cowboy boots and a stetson cowboy hat. And learn to say "ya'll."

Also, there are sporadic dog events. For two years in a row, Shadow and I have been to Dog Days of Summer in Denton.

Also, right now, gas is at $3.14 a gallon but thanks to a federal excise tax, it may be $4 a gallon by the end of summer. Down here, that's a big deal, especially since we have wells capped off and storage tanks filled to capacity. It's not the choice of the energy companies, either.

Oh yes Tornados...there've been a couple close calls but (meaning within 5 miles)...this house has stood here since 1978....and the house before that was built in 1954....but those new builds down south got flattened a couple of times...so it's rather hit and miss LOL.

rwbeagles

SING IT WITH ME NOW...

THE STARS AT NIIIIGHT.....

ARE BIG AND BRIIIIGHT....

 DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!!!!!

I lived in the Houston area until September.  Now I reside in Austin, which is referred to as "As far from Texas as you can get without actually leaving the state."

Houston is a very nice city.  There are always places to go & things to do.  There a quiet a few dog parks, & lots of pup friendly activities.

Austin is a GREAT city!!!  It is our state capitol, home of my beloved University of Texas Longhorns, & the city that I, no matter where I may live, will call "home."  The entire city's vibe is very laid back.  There is tons of live music, street festivals, & just general fun.  Austin is super dog friendly.  If you have a dog that has manners, it will be allowed in all types of stores.  Bevo went shopping with some friends, & I.  He helped me shop at Old Navy, & Bath & Body Works.  There are tons of great eateries, & most have patios that are dog friendly.

 The only downside to Texas is the heat/humidity.  It was 95 here today!

Perhaps *I* shall move to TX.... 

I was in Dallas for a week for a skating competition about 2 years ago - I LOVED it. The people were awesome, the whole place was just awesome. =]

Good luck!

Leis, come on down! 

Austin tends to look kindly towards those of us with "vicious breed" dogs.  Most people don't even shy away from the big, evil doberman.  I'll bet that you'd get the same treatment with that "scary" German Shepherd of yours!

Omg. I am so amazed at the prices of houses in America..

http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=2074&mnp=22&typ=5&sid=a191cb8aae044b1c8da41002ae2c6488&lid=1094262454&lsn=2&srcnt=1101#Detail

http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=4&mnp=22&typ=5&sid=8f71530d0a624259aac4f2c8ecb0390b&lid=1096364878&lsn=1&srcnt=4763#Detail

OMG, 200,000 for that?!

this is what goes for 200,000 here in calgary canada...

http://www.welist.com/listings_detail.php?listing=32560

*sigh* 

I think I should move to the us.