8 Californians who left for Texas share thoughts 1 year later

As someone who was born in Austin in 1986 I can tell you that Austin has been absolutely ruined by the big tech companies that have moved in and completely taken over. I can no longer afford to even rent a shifty apartment in my home town of Austin and even worse, I've had to watch the soul, character, personality and natural eco-systems of Austin and the surrounding hill country be completely destroyed. Austin is now a more violent, less local and unaffordable place. I wish that instead of spreading these problems to another state, people of California would fix the issues of affordability and big tech in their own state. That being said, corrupt politicians and developers are also what has attracted big tech to Texas. The tax cuts these corporations like Tesla and Oracle (of many) are absolutely disgusting and should be completely illegal.

Those leaving CA for TX should be mindful of something. Texas is a great state to live in if you're not in or adjacent to the cities. The cost to live in or very near these cities can be very high. Texas has no income tax so that's a major plus if you make good money. But, TX is growing very fast. In 2016 my wife and I moved to Texas. We were going to retire there. We paid $210k for a great house in a very nice neighborhood just outside the normal commute distance to the DFW area. Our community had no crime, all houses in the development were on 1 acre lots (plenty of room), all middle/upper middle income families, very well kept neighborhood, etc. Our development was next to a very nice quite sleepy town, I built my dream shop, we put in a pool, it would have been great to retire there. We could never have imagined what happened. In just 5 years the growth of the DFW area overran our small town. Traffic became unbearable. So bad it became "shorter" to drive the other way to a different town 9 miles away. We started seeing significant crime. Property values went through the roof. And something you might not think about....sure they have no income tax which is great when you're working, perhaps at the end of your career, where you making your best income. But, one day you'll likely retire and not be making bank. You'll live on a fixed income. Property values are exploding and TX has a very significant property tax. We had paid off our house, which after just 5 years was now assessed at over $500k. You pay property taxes based on assessed value, not purchase price, and we were looking at $1k a month for taxes and insurance (almost all taxes) for a house we had worked hard to pay off and owned outright. In 5 years our property taxes had more than doubled. In retirement that's something that has to be considered, not to mention, $1000 a month for something you own sticks in your craw. We both saw the writing on the wall. It wasn't going to stop. One day we'd have to move and the older we got the harder it would be. in 2021 we retired, sold the house we planned to retire in, and moved to a different state. It's quite likely that in a very short time frame you'll find TX has the same problems that you left in CA.

I left California for the Alabama Gulf Coast. And started a business. I've lived in Petaluma and worked in Marin, California is beautiful, and there's a lot to love about it. But the government is terrible. Here i have a house 3 miles from the Bay and paid 250k for it. My taxes are low, and I've yet to experience any crime here. Packages are safe by my door, I can leave my bike in the bed of my truck all summer without it being stolen, and there's no drug addicts shooting up in the parks.

Left CA, moved to Austin for 18 months, couldn't get back to CA fast enough. Texas is a nightmare.

Im a native Texan and I can tell you that our weather is rough. Summers are brutal. I used to want to move to California because of the amazing weather but could never afford to live there. Im always so shocked to see people leave California to come here.

I’m a fourth generation Texan who has lived here all my life. At 74, I can tell you that the Texas today is nothing like where I grew up. We could do without the tremendous influx of people from other states forcing the housing prices up so high that they are unattainable for the working class families.

This was a very well done video. No inflammatory politics, no grifting, even the comments are pleasant. Well done!

3 year anniversary today, I WANT OUT ASAP

I’m a native Californian. I moved to Missouri in 2003 because it was cheaper, and as an over the road truck driver, it’s was centrally located in the US. I moved to Texas in 2011, then Tennessee in 2014. I now have lived in Minnesota for the past three years. I find living in the middle of the country is a lot more affordable.

Everyone should be able to find their happiness. There is no perfect state, but the one where you feel is the best. California's challenges are a product of its success. As Texas' population booms, it will inevitably face similar challenges in managing millions more people and rising costs. I have never understood why so many people see it as a competition. I'm a native Texan, and after 39 years, I decided to leave Texas in 2022 because it no longer worked for me, and I have found my happiness in Wisconsin.

I'm a native Texan, with plenty of amazing friends that live in California. As much as I despise my city changing in culture, becoming more expensive, and extreme traffic from all of this population growth. I can still empathize with my friends that work extremely hard and have multiple side hustles and still struggle to live in California. I just pray that our Southern Texas hospitality and neighborly kindness rubs off on some Cali folks. A smile and a "how's it goin'?" really goes a long way!

I left my home state of California 20 years ago and moved to Florida. Home prices was part of my decision, but the political landscape was also a very large part of my decision. I miss San Diego and I love California, but I don’t regret my decision one bit!

To the guy talking about Disneyland and how he wasn't able to afford it while visitors from Texas could... Well, I hope you realize that those are not your everyday Texans.

I’m a native Texan that lived in California for almost 10 years before coming back to Dallas. California just became too much for me to handle. After moving back to Dallas and seeing what the massive influx of people has done to the area it’s really quite sad. The traffic in Dallas now is just as bad as it ever was in Los Angeles. There are literally people everywhere. Even our back country roads are clogged with people and cars. Dallas has in my opinion, become unlivable because of all of the people from California that have moved here. A single-family three-bedroom home that could be purchased for $200,000.4 years ago has now tripled in price. The funny thing is Dallas is really quite a horrible place to live. The weather is severe and extreme, we’re landlocked and there is no geography is completely flat. My family and I are evaluating other places to move as we really just can’t take it anymore. Living in Dallas has turned into living in an ant farm.

I was born and raised in SF, worked in Alameda. Just moved to Houston TX. What I miss the most is friends family and the sunset. Outside of that. Better cost of living, bigger homes and more of a family first culture out here in Texas. Houston is also very diverse and southern hospitality is a REAL thing. No regrets so far 👍

I know of 3 families that moved to Texas and one by one they have returned to California.

So many people moving to Texas has driven property taxes sky high. My neighborhood is so old, but it's quickly becoming unaffordable.😢

My home for over 40 years was Austin, Texas... Thanks to the Californians... I can no longer live in my hometown...its definitely Austin, California now and extremely Shallow and Entitled!🍀

Moved from the bay area to Austin Texas. We are a young family of 2 kids. We absolutely hate Austin and are just waiting to move back. California is home and there is no place like home .

Evacuated 5 times because of fires, earthquakes, flooding on Central Coast and 🇨🇱🇺🇸🐎🥹😘crowding down in LA. Price of car, horse trail licenses, $450.00 etc, now $47.00 each. No state income taxes. Added it up! You can always jump on a plane to see the Pacific Ocean. Plus lots to see here in Texas.