Interesting piece in Time about why the country is evolving to more and more look like or be centered in Texas. A number of these things don't reflect directly on the Lone Star State so much as they do the evolving American economy (for example, the impending extinction of middle-class America.)
http://ideas.time.com/2013/10/17/10-reasons-texas … ?hpt=hp_t3
Dallas or Houston. I liked Austin but its very expensive there too. I've been to both Dallas and Houston and both had smoking hot men.
here in San Jose I just looked at a tiny 1 bedroom that was very old and rundown, old carpeting, walls are paper thin, neighborhood is so-so and it's $1,400. And Ive talked to agents and told them my max budget is $1,200 and they kind of moan at my tiny budget lol.
In Dallas I could live in a beautiful 1 bedroom in a highrise with granite countertops and wood floors for $1,100.
While it is true that Texas is not gay friendly it is changing. Houston has a very out lesbian mayor. Dallas has a very out lesbian Latina county sheriff. We have had gays on council for a number of years. At while 20 years ago Dallas was a very conservative city that may be one of the reasons the gay community is so strong here. Austin on the other hand is very liberal and there isn't much of a gay community there to speak of.
Texas does have a low cost of living. Housing is cheap especially compared to the East and West Coasts. My best friend lives in Silver Spring, MD, a DC suburb. She has a 1000 square foot, two bedroom house and the SEV is $450,000. My duplex in Denver would be about $350,000 depending on the neighborhood. Food is cheap here due to the intense competition. No paying a state income tax also saves you 4-8% a year.
And if I move I think it'll be Texas.
I've been to Texas a few times and the people I met all seemed happy to be there. Great business community and I can rent a nice apartment for half of what it would cost in California.
I'm thinking about it....