With almost 40 million residents, California is easily the most populated state in the U.S. But Texas sits in second with almost 30 million residents, which is about 7 million more residents than third-place Florida.
The population of Texas is expected to grow in the coming years, too. People are moving to The Lone Star State in droves to pursue jobs and everything else that the state has to offer.
If you’re thinking about trying to find one of the best places to live, you might want to consider living in Texas. There are so many cities, like Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, etc., that you can move to if you’re interested in Texas living.
To help you decide if Texas would be the right place for you to move, we’ve put together a list of the pros and cons of living in Texas. Take a look at them below and give some serious thought to whether or not you should relocate to Texas.
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The Pros of Living in Texas
There is a reason why so many people are moving to Texas these days. Doing it will give you access to a whole host of amazing benefits.
You should make sure that these benefits are on your radar at all times when you’re thinking about living in Texas. Here they are.
It Will Offer Plenty of Job Opportunities
Like most states, Texas got hit really hard by the COVID-19 pandemic when it came to jobs. There were about 1 million jobs lost throughout the state because of the health crisis.
But now that the pandemic is coming to a close, the job market in Texas is getting back to where it was. In fact, you could argue that the job market in the state is now stronger than it was pre-pandemic.
If you’re not happy with your current career, living in Texas could give you a fresh start. You should sneak a peek at which job opportunities exist in the state and see if anything stands out to you.
It Will Provide Lots of Affordable Living Options
To be clear, you aren’t going to find affordable living in every single part of Texas. It has become expensive to live in many of the larger cities throughout the state.
But even with this in mind, you should be able to locate some affordable places to live in Texas. You just need to know where to look and be open to living in parts of Texas that you might not be super familiar with.
This doesn’t mean you’ll need to move to the middle of nowhere to be able to afford to live in Texas. You can still embrace suburban living in Texas without breaking the bank. You just need to be strategic about where you’re looking for housing.
It Will Feature Warm Weather All Year Long
You will be able to find snow in some parts of Texas if you look for it hard enough. But generally speaking, the weather in Texas is going to be warm and sunny almost all year round.
It might get a little too warm in Texas for some people during the dog days of summer. But outside of that, you’ll like what Texas weather can offer to you.
The Cons of Living in Texas
For the most part, many people living in Texas love it. There aren’t many other states out there like it.
But before you dive headfirst into Texas living, you should educate yourself on some of the potential cons of moving to the state. Here are a few of the drawbacks of living in Texas.
It Will Include a Lot of Traffic
Do you hate driving? If you do, you’re not going to love living in Texas.
Because Texas is such a big state, things tend to be very spread out. So you’re going to need to get into the habit of driving almost everywhere you go.
You’ll also need to deal with your fair share of traffic when you drive in Texas. Since the state is so populated, the roads are often crammed with cars, especially in and around the state’s largest cities.
It Will Come With Very High Property Taxes
There are a handful of U.S. states that don’t have income taxes. Texas is one of them.
This might sound amazing in theory. But because there isn’t any income tax in Texas, the property taxes in the state are some of the highest around.
You’ll need to prepare for this financially when you move to Texas. Even though you might be able to find affordable housing, it could come at a higher cost than you expect thanks to the state’s high property taxes.
It Will Involve Unpredictable Weather at Times
As we alluded to earlier, the weather in Texas is great for the most part. You’ll see lots of sunny skies in your future when you move to the state.
But you will also need to get used to the idea of hurricanes coming through the state every so often. You’ll also have to get used to tornadoes, floods, and more.
Do You Like the Idea of Living in Texas?
Millions of Americans have made the decision to move to Texas over the years. Would you like to join them?
You should spend some time thinking about if living in Texas would be right for you. You should keep all the pros and cons that we’ve discussed here in mind so that you’re able to make a smart decision.
If you decide that moving to Texas would be right for you, read through some of the other articles found on our blog to get some great house-buying tips.