Leaving Long Island for Texas

I grew up near Huntington NY and moved to Texas in the 1970's after college.

Everything you say about NY and LI are all too true...I would never move back. I even dread visiting family members there.

We have lived in the Dallas area for over 30 years and the opportunities are great here. Dallas proper is quite liberal and there is a large gay population. You would be very comfortable here. The suburbs are more conservative, but Dallas itself is a great place to live with lots of restaurants, theater, concerts etc and has a positive upbeat feeling. Make sure to visit the Oak Lawn, Uptown, M Streets and East Dallas (near White Rock Lake) neighborhoods.

We were able to do well financially because we moved here....I think you will find it to be true as well. Had we stayed on LI, we would never have been able to retire early...


,
 
I lived in Dallas (Richardson) from 99-07. Liked it there, cost of living pretty awesome for a city. Home cost $145k (2200 sq ft) and 3-4 streets from a nice golf course. $4k in prop taxes total. BUT, no income tax!!!

Spring, Fall & Winters are nice, Summers suck...humid & hot. We stayed in from June thru Aug.
Not a ton outdoors to do, unless you like sailing (good windy lakes all over); maybe good for biking as its pretty flat. Just a short 4-5 hour drive to Hot Springs AR or 7 hours to North AR (beautiful).

Lots of room & decent DART transportation. I used to pay like $50 / month to train / bus to work. Not sure how much it is now.

We only left for some awesome job opportunities in So Cal...we'll likely move back there one day.

People there are relatively nice and neighborly, they are conservative in my opinion, but if they don't like you, they just leave you alone vs. making trouble.

Commuting is like most cities, so really think about that while deciding on where to live. Restaurants galore and great food if you like to go out. We do not anymore as food here in Cali is sub-par at best. We were spoiled by TX food.
 
East Texas said:
Yup. The highlight of the weekend is going to Amarillo.:cool: Some of you young 'uns (and non-Texicans) may not remember the tornado that went through Lubbock in about 1969. It left an imprint on one of the tall bank buildings.
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Speaking of Amarillo...:)
 

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I grew up in Huntington.
 
MBAVisionary said:
Most of the jobs if I were to stay here are in New York City. Many of the readers here may or may not know that New York City has a 4.75% city tax which LI does not. This money is used to cover all types of government provided services. I'd imagine that covers the water supply, electricity generation, public roadways, teacher salaries, etc.

-Have some type of pension, or earn enough where I foot the bill for my own pension
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You only pay the NYC income tax if you live in the 5 boroughs. So your numbers are off.

Don't hang out in Amityville and Huntington Station if you are worried about getting shot. Those areas are some of the worst parts on the Island... besides Wyandanch.

Id personally choose Austin over Dallas if moving to Texas.. everyone is much more friendly and laid back.

If you do stay on the island check out Suffolk's Civil Service website for tests. If not USAJOBS.gov for a federal job.
 
I think one grows through different life experiences. I have lived in several places in the U.S. and have found something to recommend each....started out life in a western PA steel town, college in Manhattan, then Hampton, VA, Bayside Queens, Syosset (Nassau Co)-LI, Columbus, OH, Monterey, CA and now suburban Pittsburgh, PA.
Hands down favorite was Monterey although I am very fond of LI, too. I have spent a total of one week in TX...Houston, Feb. 2010 visiting old friends. I could definitely live there like my friend lives there....big house in the 'burbs with maid, no kids, hubby goes off to work early, sleep late, meet friends for lunch, shop all afternoon, throw in a little volunteer work and music lessons for variety. She is used to the heat and humidity having grown up NOLA.
 
Come on down, OP, the water's fine.

East Texas said:
Some of you young 'uns (and non-Texicans) may not remember the tornado that went through Lubbock in about 1969. It left an imprint on one of the tall bank buildings.
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I remember. May 11, 1970, an F5 went through downtown. (I moved to Lubbock two years later. Underground tornado shelters in backyards were still a booming business.)
The 271-foot (83 m) tall Great Plains Life Building was actually twisted by the tornado, and was damaged so badly, many thought it would collapse; several radio towers on the roof were twisted or broken off. Much of the plaster in the stairwell walls between the 4th and 16th floors had cracked, and 60% of the building's windows were shattered. A foot of permanent deformation damage occurred at the steel frame on the south side, and three of the building's four elevators were damaged with the support rails bent. In spite of the severity of the damage and amid cries to demolish, the owners chose to repair it instead, and it still stands; this building is believed to be the tallest building to survive a direct hit from an F5 tornado.
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Htown Harry said:
In spite of the severity of the damage and amid cries to demolish, the owners chose to repair it instead, and it still stands; this building is believed to be the tallest building to survive a direct hit from an F5 tornado.
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Wow. Not the kind of award a facilities manager wants to win. Must've been a wild ride for some very scared occupants.
 
Back about the time Lubbock got slammed more tornadoes were hammering Texas. One when through.... Pampa:confused:.... and hit a large mobile home park head-on. After the air cleared, a single mobile home was standing in the midst all the carnage. The news folks couldn't get there fast enough - it was in the news for weeks. I think that was when the Texas legislature mandated tie-downs on mobile homes. The tie-downs were the only thing that saved it. It was absolutely weird to see.
 
New London School Explosion

And the reason odor is added to natural gas (see how many things you can learn from Texans?)
NEW LONDON SCHOOL EXPLOSION

In 1937 New London, Texas, in northwest Rusk County, had one of the richest rural school districts in the United States. Community residents in the East Texas oilfield were proud of the beautiful, modern, steel-framed, E-shaped school building. On March 18 students prepared for the next day's Interscholastic Meet in Henderson. At the gymnasium, the PTA met. At 3:05 P.M. Lemmie R. Butler, instructor of manual training, turned on a sanding machine in an area which, unknown to him, was filled with a mixture of gas and air. The switch ignited the mixture and carried the flame into a nearly closed space beneath the building, 253 feet long and fifty-six feet wide. Immediately the building seemed to lift in the air and then smashed to the ground. Walls collapsed. The roof fell in and buried its victims in a mass of brick, steel, and concrete debris. The explosion was heard four miles away, and it hurled a two-ton concrete slab 200 feet away, where it crushed a car.

Fifteen minutes later, the news of the explosion had been relayed over telephone and Western Union lines. Frantic parents at the PTA meeting rushed to the school building. Community residents and roughnecks from the East Texas oilfield came with heavy-duty equipment. Within an hour Governor James Allred had sent the Texas Rangersqqv and highway patrol to aid the victims. Doctors and medical supplies came from Baylor Hospital and Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children in Dallas and from Nacogdoches, Wichita Falls, and the United States Army Air Corps at Barksdale Field in Shreveport, Louisiana. They were assisted by deputy sheriffs from Overton, Henderson, and Kilgore, by the Boy Scouts, the American Legion, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and volunteers from the Humble Oil Company, Gulf Pipe Line, Sinclair, and the International-Great Northern Railroad.

Workers began digging through the rubble looking for victims. Floodlights were set up, and the rescue operation continued through the night as rain fell. Within seventeen hours all victims and debris had been taken from the site. Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler canceled its elaborate dedication ceremonies to take care of the injured. The Texas Funeral Directors sent twenty-five embalmers. Of the 500 students and forty teachers in the building, approximately 298 died. Some rescuers, students, and teachers needed psychiatric attention, and only about 130 students escaped serious injury. Those who died received individual caskets, individual graves, and religious services.

Three days after the explosion, inquiries were held to determine the cause of the disaster. The state of Texas and the Bureau of Mines sent experts to the scene. Hearings were conducted. From these investigations, researchers learned that until January 18, 1937, the school had received its gas from the United Gas Company. To save gas expenses of $300 a month, plumbers, with the knowledge and approval of the school board and superintendent, had tapped a residue gas line of Parade Gasoline Company. School officials saw nothing wrong because the use of "green" or "wet" gas was a frequent money-saving practice for homes, schools, and churches in the oilfield. The researchers concluded that gas had escaped from a faulty connection and accumulated beneath the building. Green gas has no smell; no one knew it was accumulating beneath the building, although on other days there had been evidence of leaking gas. No school officials were found liable.

These findings brought a hostile reaction from many parents. More than seventy lawsuits were filed for damages. Few cases came to trial, however, and those that did were dismissed by district judge Robert T. Brown for lack of evidence. Public pressure forced the resignation of the superintendent, who had lost a son in the explosion. The most important result of the disaster was the passage of a state odorization law, which required that distinctive malodorants be mixed in all gas for commercial and industrial use so that people could be warned by the smell. The thirty surviving seniors at New London finished their year in temporary buildings while a new school was built on nearly the same site. The builders focused primarily on safety and secondarily on their desire to inspire students to a higher education. A cenotaph of Texas pink granite, designed byDonald S. Nelson, architect, and Herring Coe, sculptor, was erected in front of the new school in 1939.
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Disclaimer: I've never lived in TX, but I have been there on several occasions when I was w*rking. I always enjoyed my visits.

Fact: I am a native Noo Yawker, born and raised in Rockland County NY. I am female and hetero.

I have to say that there are some locality and lifestyle factors you 2 guys need to take a serious look at. Follow me?
 
freebird5825 said:
Fact: I am a native Noo Yawker, born and raised in Rockland County NY. I am female and hetero.
I have to say that there are some locality and lifestyle factors you 2 guys need to take a serious look at. Follow me?
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After thinking about this for a while, I have to say that I disagree with your assessment of the situation. My daughter's experiences at Rice have been different from your inference.

Houston's the 4th largest city in America. It may only be a quarter of the size of NYC but I'm sure that even among Houston's denizens there are people who can be tolerant of others...

... from the state of New York.

Even blatant female heterosexuals. And ponytailed geezer surfer dudes who eat chili laced with meat chunks.
 
Nords said:
After thinking about this for a while, I have to say that I disagree with your assessment of the situation. My daughter's experiences at Rice have been different from your inference.

Houston's the 4th largest city in America. It may only be a quarter of the size of NYC but I'm sure that even among Houston's denizens there are people who can be tolerant of others...

... from the state of New York.

Even blatant female heterosexuals. And ponytailed geezer surfer dudes who eat chili laced with meat chunks.
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No problem.

However...Tolerance...and/or lack thereof can make or break a move such as the one proposed. I saw no plan to visit the area ahead of the final geographical move.

Sometimes it is best to test the waters before diving into the deep end of the pool. ;)
 
Do you really want to go on the other side of the river?
 

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Cool, my neck of the woods. Things have changed a whole lot since the 70s and 80s. Way more congested than it ever was before. Lots of open land converted to homes, apartment complexes and condos. It seems like the roads aren't as well maintained as they once were either.

Also thanks for your insight and background. It's reassuring to know that there are some liberal areas. I'm not much of the waving around rainbow flag types, but just want to some degree of comfort.

Other than to see family members and friends, once I'm gone I won't have a whole lot of reasons to come back here.

BarbaraAnne said:
I grew up near Huntington NY and moved to Texas in the 1970's after college.

Everything you say about NY and LI are all too true...I would never move back. I even dread visiting family members there.

We have lived in the Dallas area for over 30 years and the opportunities are great here. Dallas proper is quite liberal and there is a large gay population. You would be very comfortable here. The suburbs are more conservative, but Dallas itself is a great place to live with lots of restaurants, theater, concerts etc and has a positive upbeat feeling. Make sure to visit the Oak Lawn, Uptown, M Streets and East Dallas (near White Rock Lake) neighborhoods.

We were able to do well financially because we moved here....I think you will find it to be true as well. Had we stayed on LI, we would never have been able to retire early...


,
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DART is way cheap compared to LIRR ($300/mo from my zone, as low as $163/mo if you actually live near Penn Station). I'm actually shocked at how cheap it is a month.

Local $65
System $100
Regional $120

It was 90 and very humid earlier today on LI. We usually don't get days that warm, but it was bearable with the A/C on in my car. Cooled off a bit when we got to the beach.

I can do biking, I consider it a great way to exercise. Just no bike rack on my car and it won't fit in the back seat or my trunk. We pretty much keep to ourselves unless someone starts being sociable. I don't think the cultural adjustment would be too intense.

I visited Richmond Va in 09 and outside the city areas were churches everywhere. I felt a vibe that I didn't particularly care for. Maybe it was the sluggishness of the economy / area in general. Compared to NY I suppose most places are a bit slower paced.

I love southern cooking, not gonna lie. Better go to the gym at least 3 times a week otherwise I'll blow up like a balloon. :p

Surewhitey said:
I lived in Dallas (Richardson) from 99-07. Liked it there, cost of living pretty awesome for a city. Home cost $145k (2200 sq ft) and 3-4 streets from a nice golf course. $4k in prop taxes total. BUT, no income tax!!!

Spring, Fall & Winters are nice, Summers suck...humid & hot. We stayed in from June thru Aug.
Not a ton outdoors to do, unless you like sailing (good windy lakes all over); maybe good for biking as its pretty flat. Just a short 4-5 hour drive to Hot Springs AR or 7 hours to North AR (beautiful).

Lots of room & decent DART transportation. I used to pay like $50 / month to train / bus to work. Not sure how much it is now.

We only left for some awesome job opportunities in So Cal...we'll likely move back there one day.

People there are relatively nice and neighborly, they are conservative in my opinion, but if they don't like you, they just leave you alone vs. making trouble.

Commuting is like most cities, so really think about that while deciding on where to live. Restaurants galore and great food if you like to go out. We do not anymore as food here in Cali is sub-par at best. We were spoiled by TX food.
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Thanks for the clarification. I did the research and you're absolutely right with the NYC tax. Checking out civil service jobs in Dallas. I applied for a few in Nassau and Suffolk, one I was told I didn't qualify for after they already took the money out of my account for the exam. Not letting some bad experiences kill my enthusiasm though.

usajobs.gov is a great site though.
raiser said:
You only pay the NYC income tax if you live in the 5 boroughs. So your numbers are off.

Don't hang out in Amityville and Huntington Station if you are worried about getting shot. Those areas are some of the worst parts on the Island... besides Wyandanch.

Id personally choose Austin over Dallas if moving to Texas.. everyone is much more friendly and laid back.

If you do stay on the island check out Suffolk's Civil Service website for tests. If not USAJOBS.gov for a federal job.
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Dallas doesn't have any world-class attractions. But it does have world-class traffic jams. So fly into DFW and experience it yourself! You won't have to go far... You can just take the North airport exit into the Hwy. 114 idling parking lot, or take the South exit and experience the 183 Airport Freeway idling parking lot. Be sure your rental car has a full tank before you leave the rental lot.

If you take the North exit, get out of the car and have someone take your picture next to the toll booth where the woman flew her car up and over the toll booth. It's on youtube somewhere. I think she got tired of waiting in line.

Dallas fire dept. sends two trucks to every freeway accident, no matter how minor. One to service the accident, the other parked a bit upstream to intercept the rear-enders to avoid losing firemen, EMT's and police. The sacrificial fire truck. I kid you not.
 
Telly said:
You know it's bad when the guy driving the white-line marking truck falls asleep and runs off the road...
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There was nobody driving the truck. In the Panhandle, the roads are straight and no hills to worry about.

They just put the paint truck in first gear and let it go down the road by itself (not much traffic to worry about, either :LOL: ).

When it runs off the road, they just back it up and continue painting :facepalm: ...
 
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