Who here is from another state/Country, As in you moved to TX and currently live here

[GhostTX]

Born near Santa Ana, but my folks family was/is in TX hill country, so we made the pilgrimage twice a year during either Thanksgiving or Christmas and once during the summer. One set of grandparent had a farm, the other a ranch, so I came to love TX. After stints in other states, we finally moved back to TX in '85. I haven't left yet, nor feel the need to, basically for all the reasons Denny said plus some. I think the only thing TX lacks geography-wise is mountains we can ski on; otherwise, we have everything else if you want to move there or just visit.

[Roscoe]

Should have been a REMF

You and me both... We were in the field more than back in the rear. I think I did NTC 4x in the 3 years I was there. Also did "Operation Fuck the Monkey" in Korea for 2mo and Kuwait for 6mo, so it could've been worse...

I think I paid my dues. Grew up in North Texas, join the Army to see the world and get stationed at Hood. That shit wasn't funny at all.

[ceyko]

You and me both... We were in the field more than back in the rear. I think I did NTC 4x in the 3 years I was there. Also did "Operation Fuck the Monkey" in Korea for 2mo and Kuwait for 6mo, so it could've been worse...

I think I paid my dues. Grew up in North Texas, join the Army to see the world and get stationed at Hood. That shit wasn't funny at all.

Yeah, they asked for volunteers to go to Bosnia and somewhere else and we all jumped on it. However, if you could turn a Cisco device on and off you were not eligible. I joined for the same reason, wanted to do Korea...anything.

Got out ended up working in 10 countries in a 4-5 year span as a DoD contractor type person.

Still, I don't owe the Army anything and they don't owe me anything. I think it was a win-win, unlike troops these days doing 7+ combat deployment. Just insane to expect that out of people.

[Cannon88]

Born in Mississippi in 1979. Moved to Texas in 1984. Never leaving.

[Leah]

Chili moved from CA to DFW in 2001. I'm pretty glad he did.

<--Texan born and raised.

[SlowLX]

Born and raised here, will be leaving to travel for a long time after I finish school though. Whether I return or not ill definitely be buried here.

[Wicked98Snake]

I'm originally from Bad Axe Michigan, moved here as a kid when I was 5 or 6 and been here ever since. I would like to move back to Michigan though because it's too damn hot here, unfortunately there is crap for jobs up there or else I would already be gone.

[homealone]

Moved here in December of 2000. Probably just another stop.

Maine ---> California ---> Virginia ---> Pennsylvania ---> New Mexico ---> Texas

[talisman]

Born in Concord, Massachusetts. Dad got his final Army transfer to Fort Hood 6 months later, and I've been in Texas since. Arlington since 1985. Like Denny, I don't plan on leaving(aside from extensive travel)unless there is a tropical island involved.

[Blackpony]

Born and raised in Oklahoma, moved here last year and haven't looked back! Haha

[Sean88gt]

Actually Denny, the drivers here are worse. They do far more stupid stuff then the california drivers. When I was out there I had a job where I would drive about 500 miles a day. I would see stupid stuff (dipshit drivers are everywhere) in a months time. I see the same amount of stupid shit here in a week driving 200 miles a week. It is bad here. I miss the whole place. I miss seeing mountains, and I have family out there that I miss.

I agree with you there. Any kind of adverse conditions, from drizzle to snow and they panic down here. I tend to think that half the drivers are panicked at any given time. Keeping up with traffic doesn't register. I'll be driving on 380 and it never fails that someone feels the need to do 45-50 while someone else is attempting to do 75. People pass on the shoulders, in the median etc all because some ass can't exercise a bit of etiquette and bump his speed to match.

Not withstanding a period of about 7 months or so, I've lived in Texas since 8/97. I started in Lubbock, went to Paris, then Mckinney and have floated around there for the past decade. Maybe I've missed the greatness that Texas has to offer?

Lubbock was full of homers that would literally cut you off if you weren't from Lubbock or making a concerted effort to become part of their stuck up little town. I had planned on staying there through school and beyond, but was unable to find any kind of work. Lubbock is basically a cult that the ATF hasn't discovered yet.

Paris is an atrocity. That town's biggest commodity is ignorance, followed closely by meth. There were some very nice people there, but again, very cliquish. Most of the decent people seem to be from an older generation (55+) while the younger groups seem to be made up of people that are either lazy, proud to be white trash, swindlers, drug addicts or felons and potentially some combination of them all. The town never crashed because it never boomed. It is further segregated by the few that have money vs everyone else. My business was located here and I saw all spectrum's of this redneck rainbow. I was considered elite because I owned a business. To the point I got invited to meetings, received 'business owners' discounts, etc. It was like being a made man. But word spreads quickly and the other side approach you asking for cash, favors, jobs, etc. It is just an odd place.

Moved to Mckinney in 2/2000, it was great! Around 25-30k people, had some stuff but had a true suburb/bedroom community where you'd drive to Plano to hit the box stores. And then Mckinney exploded. Stonebridge really started to boom and the makeup of the city changed. It went from being a laid back, nice play to full speed ahead for growth. They wanted to be another Plano. The city learned they could make big money and started whoring themselves out. I think over a 10 year time span population lurched forward roughly 100,000 residents. Property taxes shot up (this is state wide) and the city just lost its appeal. The laid back feel is gone and everyone is trying to out do their neighbors, kids sports are events and not kids just playing a sport that they love, and so on. I'm curious if Mckinney (hell, throw collin county in here) has the largest Cadillac Escalade percentage per capita in the US?

Mckinney/Frisco/Allen/Plano all seem to suffer from a paradigm shift of priorities. Instead of coming home to relax, people work themselves into the ground to buy into the appearance of baller status so you constantly hear people bitch about the work:life balance as well as being in massive amounts of debt so they can look like they are doing extremely well. I've known people that both the husband and wife work just so they can gross enough to buy a house they can't afford and completely fail to take into account utilities, the outrageous property taxes, HOA fees, etc. I understand that isn't limited to this area, but seems to be extremely common.

Because of the location of my company, we split the distance and bought land about 10 min south of Bonham in 2005. While the land was fantastic I have never seen a city pride itself on ignorance and poverty like Bonham does. This assholes are absolutely thrilled to be living in the stone ages. The small town small mind mentality is the norm here and rules the thoughts/attitudes of the town. Property values don't apparently rise at all. The city has had several opportunities to further education. One was a bond package for a new high school as the old one is circa 1950 or so. It was voted because the city was proud of the old high school and hoped for a return to football glory...from 40-50 years ago.

Last year, someone donated a large chunk of land for an extension of Grayson County Comm Coll. A bond package, on average, would have raised property taxes by $75 across the county. This was supposed to bring in around 400 jobs, not to mention all the subsequent things that come in with a school and it was voted down by 75% because the fee was just to great for the benefit. A few weeks ago, this shithole, voted down a bond that would have brought all schools in the city up to code. That's right, most of the schools won't even pass code. A few years ago, 6-8 schools were shut down because they failed to meet standards, yet residents are so proud it isn't even funny.

Gratefully, we sold our property, at a substantial loss. I consider the loss my stupid tax for living there in the first place/the greatest fee I've ever paid to gtfo of a place.

Been living near Denton since September. It's ok. An eclectic town that I would never consider living in long term. It's a college town that has some industry and graduates that stayed. I haven't spent enough time to really get to know it.

So maybe I haven't lived in the right places? But the common theme I see in almost every town around DFW is massive sprawl, increased taxes, increased regulation and loss of identity.

As property values and cost rise property taxes will have to be addressed or home ownership will plummet in this state. Regulations are increasing and the State is involved in everything at a level I've never witnessed. Due to the amount of people moving in from California and the way they are, the state will change. There will be more regulations and Texas will become like California in all scopes. Since the issue with illegals has never been addressed they will begin to overrun like they have in Cali, AZ, & NM.

I've met more people in the past 2 years that are trying to get out of here than I did in the previous 12 years.

Texas does have benefits, but the picture they paint of it being its own republic and the single bastion of freedom are a bit skewed.

We're looking to move in July. I'll come back to visit family and friends, but at this point I can't see ever living here again.

[Sean88gt]

Born in Concord, Massachusetts. Dad got his final Army transfer to Fort Hood 6 months later, and I've been in Texas since. Arlington since 1985. Like Denny, I don't plan on leaving(aside from extensive travel)unless there is a tropical island involved.

Wait a damn minute....you're a Masshole?

[The King]

Born and raised in Oklahoma, moved here last year and haven't looked back! Haha

Why do birds fly upside-down over Oklahoma?

[Broncojohnny]

Why do birds fly upside-down over Oklahoma?

Because you suck goat dicks?

[Leah]

Sean-you just lived in all the shitholes possible. LOL

Both sides of my family are in Paris and you hit the nail on the head with the description!

I, however, was born in *gasp* Garland, but moved to Keller when I was 2 so I don't really associate myself with that town. I lived in Keller from the time I was 2 until Chili brought me way out to Euless.

I graduated from Southlake and went to college at UNT. I really have never lived anywhere outside of the DFW metro.