Moving from NJ to TX… any tips?

What city are you looking at?! We just moved from TX from CO and my biggest price of advice is to make sure you have enough money saved up! The moving truck was $5000, we had to throw out all of our freezer/fridge items and had to rebuy everything, all the utilities companies have a deposit amount. If you do get into a rental they are not required to provide a fridge or washer and dryer so that’s another expense! I live in Houston now and work from home. I didn’t realize this until to late but my neighborhood is always having power outages when there are storms so being able to work during those outages might be hard.

Texas is huge. Which part? I have a lot of suggestions for DFW

@Hailey Oh wow thanks for the heads up!😮 We’ve been considering Dallas, Houston & Austin. Ive received a lot of recommendations on looking into Katy as well though. We have yet to make a trip but it would be a little difficult planning out considering how big Texas is😅 and we currently rent and don’t have too much personal belongings of our own because of what’s already provided

@Nikki Dallas, Austin, Houston and/or Katy is where we’ve been starting our search!

I think it depends on your politics and what kind of people you want to live around! Dallas is much more business focused- more money centric, barely any nature, but lots of city activities and pretty blue. Austin is very democratic, located near the hill country (most beautiful part of Texas! -lots of state parks and outdoor activities, also plenty of city activities, probably good options for land and homeschooling communities. (Austin area is my fav location but my family is in Dallas) I haven’t ever lived in the Houston area, but it is a big big city, I mostly hear complaints about traffic and humidity 😅 so I don’t have much to sell you on there. Also look into demographics if it matters to you- I had some friends in Austin who were black and sad not to have as much of that community as they did in other cities

Houston is diverse and has the best food but the weather isn’t great. then again tx in general doesn’t have great weather, but houston gets flooded and gets hurricanes as well Dallas is great too! Katy is just a suburb of Houston I grew up there & it isn’t too diverse unfortunately and pretty far from museums and aquariums

I’ve lived in Dallas as well and I love it there! it is more expensive and compared to houston but is also “newer”. It’s a bit less diverse though I would say

Austin is beautiful it has the most in terms of parks and activities but it’s a little more college town vibes.. great food & city life as well I love Austin all great choices tbh, maybe not Katy though

As a native Houstonian, I can only comment about Houston. Houston is definitely more affordable than Dallas and Austin, but there are some serious cons your family should prepare for before making a decision. Cons: - It is HOT! Houston doesn’t really have 4 distinct seasons. It’s most hot and humid throughout the year, and summers are brutal. You will sweat! Lol. I recommend visiting during the summer, so you won’t be surprised with just how hot it can be. - The traffic is horrible and public transportation is accessible everywhere, so you must have a car to get around and plan on being in traffic. Lol. Also, the conditions of the roads aren’t the greatest, so expect pot holes and constant construction. - Houston is prone to flooding, so take Hurricane season seriously. Invest in flood insurance and stay prepared during hurricane season.

oh also if you move to houston make sure you look to buy/rent in an area that isn’t in a flood zone

You really can’t go wrong with any of those options. They all have there advantages and disadvantages. If I didn’t live in Houston, I would personally move to Austin because of it’s a great mix of big city and small town living. It’s also has an amazing food and art scene, and an abundance of activities to do. It’s not as culturally diverse as Houston, in my opinion, but it has gotten most diverse over the past few years. Katy is just a suburb of Houston, but it has really developed over the past few years. I know you are planning on homeschooling, but Katy has a great school district, if you change your mind. You’ll have to come back and let us know which city y’all picked!

Texas sucks, don’t do it

don’t move into the city. if you want to be close to the city, look into the smaller towns within 25-50 miles of them. there’s just about anything you can think of to do in dallas, houston and austin (but again, don’t recommend living IN the city)

I moved from Florida to Houston. I live in the katy area. It’s nice suburb area. It’s developing so there are more stores and diversity. I suggest rent a Pod. We rented one pod paid about $3k and only had to worry about driving ourselves and personal belongings. But make sure you have extra money saved up. We bought a house here for half the price of what it would have cost me in Florida. And it’s a decent size for 3/2.

Imma be honest. I suggest you stay somewhere up north. The heat itself if a shock for those who are used to different weather. In the south, we get seasoned for a week and then put back in the air fryer to bake year round. As someone who lives in Houston, please 🙏 I beg you, stay away. The traffic alone here goes so slow that you could get a full nap in before you move. Houston is not safe for a woman to be traveling alone either so be prepared to want to go everywhere with your spouse and even then, you’re liable to get shot. If you don’t have a gun, get one. Hell, get two. Road rage in Texas is not for the weak and driving slow will get you shot at. If you’re not republican, that’s also something to consider. Expect constant construction and years before they fix one part of the road. We get hit with a lot of hurricanes so be prepared. Everything is expensive but definitely make sure you got insurance for everything. Life, flood, hurricane, car, etc.