Texas

I was born and raised here in North Texas, and have live here all but four years that I was in the Marine Corps.
Of the areas that you listed, Celina would be my choice simply because it's a small town, nice area, great school, great football team, and close enough to DFW to hit the big city when you need to. Frisco, McKinney, and Plano real estate is at a premium; nice areas but expensive and steadily growing into big cities. I don't know much about Farmersville, seems like a nice area, but that's about where my knowledge ends.

Thank you sir. Really appreciate it. Liking Celina a lot. Great to get first hand knowledge. Thank you Raburn2906.
 
One thing that can offset a lack of income taxes is all the dang toll road fees if you have to commute. That can be a shock for a lot of westerners from states where that isn't a thing.
Dallas has a lot of Toll Roads, so does Austin and Houston. When I lived in Austin I would spend 25 bucks a month on Tolls.

No toll roads in San Antonio.

State income tax in California is 13 percent right? Think he might be alright...
 
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Dallas has a lot of Toll Roads, so does Austin and Houston. When I lived in Austin I would spend 25 bucks a month on Tolls.

No toll roads in San Antonio.

State income tax in California is 13 percent right? Think he might be alright...

Yes, that is the top tax rate. Been looking in Texas, Tennessee, etc. CA property taxes aren't that much higher percentage wise...though property values are pathetically high even with these lockdowns. Really amazing here. Using my equity and some cash to not have a mortgage sounds enticing for a house of equal or more size. Appreciate everybody's info.
 
Dallas has a lot of Toll Roads, so does Austin and Houston. When I lived in Austin I would spend 25 bucks a month on Tolls.

No toll roads in San Antonio.

State income tax in California is 13 percent right? Think he might be alright...

That sounds pretty cheap! I can spend upwards of $40 just making a single trip on the 407 here.
 
Dallas has a lot of Toll Roads, so does Austin and Houston. When I lived in Austin I would spend 25 bucks a month on Tolls.

No toll roads in San Antonio.

State income tax in California is 13 percent right? Think he might be alright...

The lack of Cali income tax is most likely offset by some other aspect in TX that probably isn't being thought of.

For example, property insurance is much higher in the OK/TX region because of hail and tornadoes. Not saying this alone will equate to CA income tax, though.. just thinking of examples.

My point being.. the states always find a way to get you in the end. Can't really win when it comes to taxes.
 
If you happen to end up in Celina, get ready...for... High School Football. You might be thinking I am exaggerating, but you will find I am not. Celina is definiely part of TX HS FB lore. TX HS FB lands somwhere between obsession and religion in many parts of Texas, and Celina is one of them. We have numerous HS FB stadiums here that cost over 50 million to build, and our Championship games draw 20,000 to 50,000 fans. Not kidding, here are a few:

Texas High School Football All-Time Highest Attendance
  • 54,347 Allen vs. Pearland – AT&T Stadium, Arlington 2013.
  • 52,308 Allen vs Cypress Ranch – AT&T Stadium, Arlington 2014.
  • 49,953 Plano vs. ...
  • 48,379 Allen vs. ...
  • 46,339 Southlake Carroll vs. ...
  • 46,289 Cedar Hill vs Katy – AT&T Stadium, Arlington 2014.
  • 45,790 Dallas Highland Park vs. ...
  • 45,000 Dallas Adams vs.
https://lonestargridiron.com/history-records/all-time-highest-attendance/

"A religion, puts college stadiums to shame"

 
Dallas has a lot of Toll Roads, so does Austin and Houston. When I lived in Austin I would spend 25 bucks a month on Tolls.

No toll roads in San Antonio.

State income tax in California is 13 percent right? Think he might be alright...
10% to 13%
Yes, CA income tax is high. We also have many benefits that are paid for by that tax.
Some like it, others don't.
 
Open to both urban or rural living. Depends on which Campus she gets. Plano, TX has a Costco (which is nice). Schools look good from what I can see in Celina, TX. Have a 6 and 8 year old.
So does McKinney and it’s half as crowded as the Plano Costco! Never have to wait at the pumps.

But if you have to commute, make sure you know what you are getting into.

Texas is great, but you will learn a lot about the roofing industry lol
 
So does McKinney and it’s half as crowded as the Plano Costco! Never have to wait at the pumps.

But if you have to commute, make sure you know what you are getting into.

Texas is great, but you will learn a lot about the roofing industry lol
Hopefully will find a house near my wife's campus. I noticed McKinney has executive office suites, which is what I have now for my business. Tired of commuting myself...not a fun thing in California either.

Assuming your roofing statement is because of tornadoes/wind?

Really appreciate everything.
 
The lack of Cali income tax is most likely offset by some other aspect in TX that probably isn't being thought of.

For example, property insurance is much higher in the OK/TX region because of hail and tornadoes. Not saying this alone will equate to CA income tax, though.. just thinking of examples.

My point being.. the states always find a way to get you in the end. Can't really win when it comes to taxes.
Maybe depends where you are. My progressive homeowner insurance is $600 /year for a new build, I think 1% peril deductible.

Property tax on our place is $3900 annual with homestead exemption. appraised around $240k.

House payment around $1200 all in with HOA and all escrow, on a 20 year note.
 
Most roofs get replaced here due to hail, stuff that fits in your palm. Standard deductible for wind/hail is 1% of your policy value. So if your homeowners insurance policy is $600k, you would pay $6k to have your roof replaced, including gutters, fence re-stain, etc. Foundation problems are probably the next big issue, although those tend to be in more established ‘hoods due to improvements in construction (e.g., post-tension)

There is an ‘explosive’ amount of new office space going up in the Allen, McKinney, Frisco area, so you shouldn’t have a problem there.
 
My wife travels for her job and is a senior bussiness analyst. She works for a firm that gets hired to improve a businesses productivity and other aspects. No offense to Texans, she says they are the hardest people to deal with. You can't change their mind, they don't want to hear your opinion and they only want to deal with like minded people.
What city is that ?
 
Most roofs get replaced here due to hail, stuff that fits in your palm. Standard deductible for wind/hail is 1% of your policy value. So if your homeowners insurance policy is $600k, you would pay $6k to have your roof replaced, including gutters, fence re-stain, etc. Foundation problems are probably the next big issue, although those tend to be in more established ‘hoods due to improvements in construction (e.g., post-tension)

There is an ‘explosive’ amount of new office space going up in the Allen, McKinney, Frisco area, so you shouldn’t have a problem there.

Very informative. Thank you sir. Not used to tornadoes or hail so will need to make sure I have plenty of garage space for my vehicles. Lots of great areas from what I see. Excited to see where this goes for our family. I can assure you all I WON'T be bringing California with me 😉
 
Been told by some co-workers that Frisco is an excellent suburb to start a family, but is probably the most expensive of your group and you can expect real estate pricing to be quite similar to CA.

In general, I would keep in mind that there is no free lunch, regardless of what some folks try to tell you.
 
Been told by some co-workers that Frisco is an excellent suburb to start a family, but is probably the most expensive of your group and you can expect real estate pricing to be quite similar to CA.

In general, I would keep in mind that there is no free lunch, regardless of what some folks try to tell you.

Honestly, financial advantage (which surely does exist) isn't my motivation at all. With current state of affairs here, I'm doing it for a better way of life for my children. Don't want get my thread locked, so I will leave it at that.
 
It’s what they call “learning to live in North Texas”, but yes the cost to carry a home is generally higher than in CA. No free lunch for sure, just what you value. Glad that we can make these personal choices!
 
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