I'm sure you'd fit in well anywhere.
































 

Oh yeah... trust me. We aren't doing this until I have work lined up. What the hell is SATX?

 

LOL

Things to be aware of:

Texas cities do not have zoning. This means neighborhoods can vary wildly block by block. Also, the Feds have a nasty habit of putting section 8 housing in front of nice $250,000+ neighborhoods.

The "affordable housing" has to consider the neighborhood. If we want to live within 5-10 miles of work in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, our choices are $300,000+ houses, gated condo complexes running ~$175,000+ with $200-300+ monthly fees, or living in a crime infested ghetto. We could also live in Katy (or some other suburb) in a sub $200,000 house and drive an hour or more each way to work. Average apartment rent near work in a "decent" place is $2000.

Houston is a sanctuary city and a liberal haven. The city never prosecutes or even arrests blacks that block traffic or freeways as part of some so-called "protest". The only arrests have been at the behest of private property owners to keep the shoppers in the mall shopping. Austin is probably worse and is more expensive.

No income tax. High property taxes. Schools vary wildly. Sales tax around 8-9%. No dry counties/areas south of Waco. (Dallas areas, last I heard, you have to purchase one of the private club memberships for $20 to buy alcohol at dinner.) Check for MUD (Municipal Utility District -- water basically) taxes for your area also. You might also check current predictions on the suspected 30 year drought that might have started. The water ponds at our friends' ranch in north Texas are lower by 4 vertical feet.

Significant portions of Houston are in high insurance flood rate zones. Be sure to consider this before purchasing.

Houston and coastal areas get hurricanes. Everyplace can get tornadoes, but we have no basements because the soil won't support them. Dallas/Fort Worth gets high winds and a winter storm means everything ices over, since it's just warm enough to melt the first fall and then it freezes over. And it doesn't happen often enough for cities and counties to stock enough sand trucks or to have any salt trucks.

If the Feds continue to be soft on illegals, the situation in Houston and Texas will only worsen.

Be careful of the boom/bust cycle of oil/energy. The oil/energy companies hire a lot of excess people and over spend during boom times. (This is to the point where deer leases and exotic hunting animal prices are doubled or more.) Then they fire everyone at the downturn.

There is little public land in Texas. If you hunt, you will probably want a deer lease. We take a week off and go hunting at an exotic ranch. Hunting style will vary by region, but due to ground cover and the lease setup, most places use blinds.

Compared to northern cities, there is little public transit in Texas. Houston has buses and crappy surface-level light rail. The light rail is barely tolerable (safe) if you are traveling at the same time as everyone else. Legal carry is actually pretty restrictive compared to some other states.

Houston plumbing and street infrastructure is really bad. We blew 5 tires and ruined three rims last year in a 3-4 month period. A lot of streets have literally 1 foot deep and two feet long pot holes. During the summer, it was not uncommon to see water leaking from the mains for a week or more at a time.

Traffic is crazy--we end up with people from all over the states so there is no consistent driving style. Bicyclists will run stop lights and stop signs and arbitrarily switch between side walks and streets without warning.

Crime in general is getting bad enough that our friends in the country who used to think I was "funny" for carrying all the time are getting CHLs.

On the good side:

Houston has incredible restaurants. We have a lot of awesome restaurants with lots of different cuisines. Midtown and Montrose in Houston are probably currently the hot spots for restaurants. The Medical Center and Energy communities bring in lots of people from outside Texas, so the food can be really authentic. A lot of the Mexican food is TexMex. Did you know that crispy tacos originated in Texas? http://www.thekitchn.com/100-american-how-the-crispy-ta-154273 One of our Mexican friends always stops at the Taco Bell outside IAH (Intercontinental Airport aka Bush Airport) when she comes back, to get some.

Night life in Houston is currently mostly on the Washington Ave area.

Texas has a lot of Mexicans that left Mexico in the 70s, fleeing the Cylon tyranny socialist explosion there. The communities are easy to spot demographically--87%+ Hispanic and much lower than average crime. I wish the one north of Houston was closer, so we could live there. The Medical Center area in the nicer places is really nice with a mix of people, since it is all higher paid medical folks, but you're looking at $300,000+ for a zero lot line house.

Airport hubs are in Houston, Dallas, and sort-of Austin. (Remember, Texas is really spread out BTW. You can be in Dallas and still be 2+ hours from the airport.) Houston and Dallas both have two airports which are hubs for different airlines.

I'd probably look mostly at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), which most people would include Arlington and Plano as being part of. I lived in a trailer park in Plano for several years and it was nice and quiet--no domestic disturbance calls or anything like that. DFW tends to be more conservative than other major Texas cities.

In Texas, the two major university systems are the Texas A&M System (Aggies! Whoop!) and the University of Texas (UT) System. These include all sorts of stuff from agricultural research and work, to the super computer/cluster complex, to MD Anderson which is part of the UT system. There are other private universities also.

On a side note, check with local Arfcom law enforcement on the condition of the local departments. I know, for example, in the 90s when I moved to Dallas, the PD there was being avoided by a lot of officers, because they were hiring gang bangers and wiping their records so they could be cops. (Some of the cops I shot with thought I was law enforcement and were telling me not to work for Dallas PD when I was about to move up there.) Houston PD has had significant issues yearly for as far back as I can remember.

ETA:

Texans also tend to be really friendly. A friend who moved here from California (before cell phones were so common) was amazed when she'd go into a store and ask where a pay phone was, and they'd ask if it was a local call, and dial it for her on the store phone.

Texans also fly their state flag more so than other states.

 Yes, they do.   Where did you hear that they don't?   Houston does not have zoning, but it is one of the FEW cities, if not the only city, that don't.  



 Sales tax in Texas is capped at 8.25%

  Texas has 254 counties.  Of those, 49 are completely wet and 10 are completely dry.  The remainder have wet and dry areas.  Dallas has both.  

OP, IMHO I would scratch Laredo off the list.  It is despicably hot there most of the year.  Houston, SA, & DFW all have there advantages and disadvantages so that will come down to you.  Do you have to go to work in a large city?  I'm sure the suburb communities surrounding the major cities have decent LEO jobs such as Conroe, Katy, New Braunfels, Arlington, etc.

I'm a fan of the Austin area but I've lived here most of my life so I'm biased but it does have everything on your list.  Plus it is centrally located so most of the other big TX cities are only a couple hours away by car.

ETA: While Austin is not short on hipsters and liberal local politics I think people unfairly make it out to be the only liberal area in TX.  Things have changed in the past decades and many of the other big TX cities have shown liberal leanings as well.  There are plenty of conservative Texans in and around Austin, and most of the Austin suburbs are very red.  Ignoring the local politics I think Austin is a nice city.

Dallas Fort Worth area has the best housing market for buyers in the nation.
best housing prices for years.
Don't take my word for it, research it on your own.

Fort Worth/Arlington/Dallas (the DFW area in general) is great.

IT / Finance / Medical etc is booming and Metro areas are always recruiting Officers.

Glad to see some gun lovers considering the move, we need more to offset the Kalicommunists that flood here from there broke state.

This

This is a good area if you end up in SA. The commute is bearable and housing cost is still relatively low. Start looking into what you need to do to challenge the state licensing exam (TCOLE). Unless you end up working for a major city, you'll need to be licensed before you apply.

I would move to North Texas again. Houston, Dallas, and Austin are all centers for liberal Commies. Anywhere in North Texas is going to be  a commute either into Dallas or Fort Worth. Housing in North Texas is greatly affordable compared to any of the major cities. Planned communities are the norm in North Texas so consider that in your choice. This can be a plus or a negative depending on how you view it. Right now the main highway between North Texas and the Dallas area is 75 and it is undergoing a major upgrade at the moment so traffic at times can be problematic. I would rule out the Plano area as it is too dense in population and has ethnic problems. Anything north of Plano is fine, McKinney, Allen, further north is Melissa. FWIW finding a place to shoot in North Texas is a real pain the ass there are just not that many places. One range I frequent a lot is Top Gun in Leonard, it boasts the only 500 yard range in the area.

V

SATX is way more Mexican than Dallas.

Dallas has lots of Mexicans too, but its more... "entrenched" in SATX.  Meaning more businesses, more "little mexicos", more mexicans everywhere.

I think (but certainly not sure) that Houston has more blacks.

San Antonio census

Dallas census

Houston census

OP listed everywhere I wouldnt want to live

+2, but definitely outside the Austin city limits...  Wilco (RR, Georgetown, Cedar Park or further out like Liberty Hill) is definitely more conservative...

I just don't think suburban Austin is what they are after.

Big city with lots of diversity, especially hispanic?  That's not Austin.  That's SATX.

Have you been to Round Rock lately?  Sometimes at the grocery store I feel like a minority speaking English...

You should probably take a week of vacation time and just come here and check it out for yourself.

All of the cities (in the entire USA) are going to be pretty liberal, and most of the rural areas are going to be pretty conservative. Thankfully Texas has enough rural areas to keep the cities in check (for now).

Dallas/FtWorth <-> Houston <-> San Antonio forms a triangle with each side being about a 4 hour drive (with Austin located between Dallas and San Antonio), so in a week you could easily take a drive through most of the cities on your list and check out the climate.

Personally I like Austin due to the huge job market. Yeah, we got hipsters, but unless you're out partying till 3 AM in the entertainment district or hanging out at the college you won't see much of them day to day. City politics are a little screwy, but on a daily basis the "bag ban" is the only thing I notice, and even then most of my shopping is done in Pflugerville or Round Rock when I can get fucking bags.

Might I suggest Tyler.

Haha I agree.

OP, what you really need to be looking at are the suburbs OUTSIDE of those cities.Take The Woodlands/Spring/Conroe areas for example, they have everything you're looking for, most attractions any City would have and if Houston is a must its right down the road on I-45. Close enough to go to the city when you want yet far enough to have some privacy/quite time.

OP, if you do that, get people to define/specify "commute time" in hours if you are working in the city. (I know people who think an hour commute is "good". We drive 15 minutes to work--that's about my limit.

I believe APD pays the most. Something to consider.

yes, but then he's working for a gun control supporting chief

 

You and I met some years ago (2007/2008) at the Manatee Gun Club at an Appleseed. My wife and I moved from Sarasota to Dallas and love it. Fits all the requirements on your list, even more so than Austin for work and for access to shopping, shooting, flying, and police opportunities and they pay well out here too. IM me if we can help.

I recall that shoot. Will IM you.

 

No Canadians





























or Cubans























Or PuertoRIcans

North Dallas... because we got Pollo Tropical here now...

One modification here.  Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington/Plano all share city lines, and are effectively one large metro area like New York or Los Angeles.  This metro area is far larger than Houston proper and still larger than Houston general.    Here is your re-adjusted list when you account for the greater metro areas:

14Dallas–Fort Worth–Plano-Arlington 6,371,773
25Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown 6,086,538
325San Antonio–New Braunfels 2,142,508
435Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos 1,716,289
558El Paso–Las Cruces 1,045,180
668McAllen–Edinburg–Mission 774,769
7114Corpus Christi 442,600
8126Brownsville–Harlingen 406,220
9127Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood 405,300
10132Beaumont–Port Arthur 388,745

ETA LINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Texas_metropolitan_areas

ETA:

Be sure to look at the suburbs north of Dallas for pd work.
Richardson,Plano,Allen all have good departments to work for.
And several newer hospitals as well.
You will have to get used to the lack of humidity.......

Very few of the suburbs north of Dallas are hiring in the PD's right now.  There are always openings, but with the number of applicants it is extremely difficult to get in when so many others are locals from other municipalities who 'know people'.  Highland Park is hiring, but you have to be both a certified Police Officer, a certified Fire Fighter, and an EMT to get a job there...take a guess as to why the job is still open; not too many people fill that requirement.  Wylie is hiring and Sachse is hiring fairly regularly.  Dallas is hiring, but then again, that's not a suburb north of Dallas.  I don't know what it's like on the Ft. Worth side, but I just had a good buddy go through the hiring process here in north Dallas, and even though he is an EMT, and a newly graduated Police Officer, and a Bronze Star awarded combat vet it took him almost a year because of all the people who 'know people'.

II emails them fuckers when I moved here 7 years ago.
I told them that people would beat their doors down

Can't wait for the one in Allen to,open   Though, they have changed a little since I was in Miami years ago
They are still awesome
Like everywhere else. You used to,get a lot more for less

Yes, Art "Little Fidel" Acevedo is a real @$$#013.  Wish we could send him back to Cuba or at least California.  Makes one wax positively nostalgic for Stan Knee.  I didn't always agree with him, but I could at least respect him.

I live in Downtown Houston (just east).  Houston is a great place for everything you are looking for except that the cost of living isn't just expensive, the housing is ridiculously expensive.  You could live on the outskirts for a decent price like Pearland...not far from downtown, affordable homes.  Look at other suburbs as well.  Not saying yall couldn't afford it, but be prepared for a house that looks to be worth $125k and it having a $300k price tag.  Beware...all large cities in Texas are basically Democrat.  Not the gun friendliest of places.  Harris County had a notoriously bad DA who was anti guns for a while before he got busted bangin his secretary.  For cultural diversity (food), Houston is by far the best.

These two reasons are the only reasons you need for moving here over anywhere else.

Completely false.  Austin and Houston (proper) definitely are.  San Antonio mostly and Dallas (proper) will vary drastically with the neighborhood and the socio-economic leanings therein.  For example, Highland Park is a neighborhood in Dallas. Some people you may know who live(d) there, Dick Cheney, George Bush, Ross Perot, among others.  Also, I read an article somewhere that 75% of individual (not corporate) donations to the national republican party (not PAC's or Super PAC's) originated in Highland Park.

Then you have Ft. Worth witch leans pretty solidly republican, and all the north Dallas suburbs are conservative strongholds.  

Nothing can save Austin except a political implosion or a great fire like San Francisco.  Houston proper just has far to many foreign nationals there wanting free shit and amnesty.  But the rest of the state's larger cities have political diversity that will appeal to everyone.

As for the food, you are kidding right?  Seriously?  I'll put Austin above Houston, and Houston on par with San Antonio.  I'll slot DFW in with Austin and depending on your location in the Metro it can be good or average.  Austin has BBQ that can't be approached by anything in DFW or Houston.  Not saying DFW or Houston doesn't have good BBQ, but good BBQ is common in Austin and spectacular BBQ is not hard to find.  There are only 2 places in DFW that I can think of that are great, one that is good, and the rest is 'meh'.  Houston has a single place I used to go to that I would consider great (but I can't remember the name).  As for the diversity of cultural food, they all are about the same...but Austin and their hippies seem to push their food further than anywhere else.  Then you have places like The French Room in Dallas which is the longest standing 5 diamond restaurant in the world...that's right, the entire world.  Continuously won 5 diamonds from 1986 to 2014, no other restaurant in the world has done that (one has come close but missed it one year in the late 80's).

I live in cedar park (north west austin) and its great. You have the option to have land and still be within a close 20-30 min drive to downtown. Best of both worlds. Also the food in austin area is top notch (hehe no pun intended) Everytime i go back (im in college)  i feel like I gain 10 lbs and thats not just from mamas cookin haha. Variety and quantity without a lack of quality!

They have it in florida also...

I lived there. I will skip the name dropping of my neighbors.

It is not a neighborhood but a city of its own. It is not part of Dallas. It is located in Dallas County. Same for University Park.

Ft. Worth

I haven't lived there in years but I like to go back when I can.
Every time I go I think about moving back, lot's to do, downtown has really boomed and is nice.

I'm in San Angelo got married here so I guess I stick around for awhile.

It's a nice place to, downtown atmosphere growing nice place, there are things to do also.

Population around 100k

Legally it's a city.  But in all reality, being completely engulfed by the city of Dallas on all sides, it is essentially just a neighborhood.  And let's be real, the only real reason they incorporated into their own city was to be able to control their tax rates.  Highand/University Park has the highest per capita income in the state of TX, but they have the lowest property tax rate in the entire metroplex.  Seriously, it was a monetary decision.

Pretty sure the one in Allen is open now.

 

San Antonio is the answer you are looking for

Another +1 for San Antonio. I'm an SA native and if you want diversity, we have that covered. SATX has fiesta every spring, lots of great ethnic foods, tons of great music. It's a great place to live.

I live in Arlington now, and lived around the DFW area for the last 20 years. My work takes me all around Texas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.

If I were moving to Texas, now, I would do my best to find a suburb of Fort Worth. The Alliance area is north of downtown Fort Worth, has a few ranges, and quick access to DFW via 114.

West side of Fort Worth is starting to grow and there's some very cool neighborhoods. My office is now off of University and 7th street. If you're under 40, it's a fun place to be. Business is doing well in Fort Worth, and I don't think the oil bust will affect it horrible. Well run as compared to Dallas and Houston.

North side of Houston is pretty good, but the rest of the city doesn't do anything for us. We like to visit Austin and Round Rock, but living there is not for us with a young daughter.

DPD...do your research before working there. Many do their time there and then move on to better agencies.

We're thinking about relocating to north Fort Worth, Roanoke or Haslet. Good schools.

If I HAD to move from Abilene, it would be to the Austin area.  Not IN Austin , just w/in an hour of.   Lots of small towns getting bigger, hiring new cops too (TX LEO here too ).  
Good luck, and stay away from Houston and San Antonio!!!

They may pay the most , but from EVERYTHING I have heard, their bosses do t back them up and throw them under the bus every chance they get.

Myth as well.  Police salary is public record.  I just looked it up on Salary.com, Austin area cops make a median income of $50,000 and Dallas area cops make a median of $52,000.  That doesn't mean that Austin doesn't have some good paying positions.  Just statistically speaking Dallas (and Houston too) have more of those higher paying jobs than Austin does.