Will a californian like the weather in Texas?

[isabel]

Hi,

I live in CA and we have been looking to move to ID, but I'm also researching Texas. It sounds like the high humidity that CA residents aren't use to, is in the eastern part of TX? I've heard that Austin has rolling hills and lots of trees. Do they get Twisters there and Humidity?

Weather wise where would a CA feel the most comfortable in TX?

Izzy

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by isabel

Weather wise where would a CA feel the most comfortable in TX? Izzy

Pretty big state. What part of California?

[kimbercuddles]

Hi Isabel!

If you are younger and like a more contemporary place, or if you are older and a little eccentric, you will probably love Austin. There are lots of hills, trees and, yes, thunderstorms every once in a while. It's a beautiful area, probably a little friendlier than California.

If you are any age, family oriented, don't mind a rapidly growing city and would like something a little less expensive, San Antonio is probably the best place, in my opinion.

Humidity is not bad at all in either area...in fact, in the summer mornings the humidity is a little heavy...probably somewhere around 70 or 80% but it decreases drastically in the afternoon to around 40 or 50%. In eastern Texas, it is significantly more humid, but not as humid as Louisiana.

There is a variety of things to do in both places and the people are absolutely fantastic, for the most part!

[Jenbar]

I don't think it has anything to do with where you are from - just what your preference is.

I am from Seattle - and totally couldn't take the rain, gray, drizzle life anymore. I would rather be sweaty and hot anyday. So, I am adjusting well. It was 80 on Thanksgiving... that rocked.

Now, if you DONT like heat much at all, I think you would have an issue.

[deeptrance]

I'm from California (Santa Barbara and Santa Rosa, over 30 years between the two) and I absolutely LOVE Austin's weather because we HAVE weather. California bores me with its monotony.

On the other hand, to most people California has a paradise climate and Texas is Hell. So... like Jenbar said, it just depends on your personal preferences.

As for twisters, your odds of having a problem with one are vastly lower than the odds that you'll have to deal with an earthquake, fire, or mudslide in California. Every place has it's natural disasters. Choose the ones that scare you least, it doesn't matter because your choice won't be rational.

No place on earth is safe 100% of the time. Then again, I wouldn't live anywhere east of the Rockies in a trailer or a shoddy house. We get some serious thunderstorms (which I happen to LOVE) with winds that can take your roof off if you're living in a piece of junk that doesn't deserve the label "home."

[Panterro]

You do know that Texas is its own country right? The weather changes depending where you are in Texas, so find the weather you like and move to that part of Texas.

[isabel]

That is exactly the problem...Where in Texas is the weather the best. Best meaning...Not to much humidity, No snow, Not to hot. Hot being 100+ all summer.

Like Thunder Storms (the dog doesn't, scares her silly), some rain, a little wind( hubby doesn't like wind he works outside) Some cloudy days and some sun mixed in. Trees, seasonal green, love fall weather. Not to cold for hubby to work outside.


Asking a lot huh:)

Izzy

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by isabel

That is exactly the problem...Where in Texas is the weather the best. Best meaning...Not to much humidity, No snow, Not to hot. Hot being 100+ all summer.

Like Thunder Storms (the dog doesn't, scares her silly), some rain, a little wind( hubby doesn't like wind he works outside) Some cloudy days and some sun mixed in. Trees, seasonal green, love fall weather. Not to cold for hubby to work outside.


Asking a lot huh:)

Izzy

I don't think there is any area in Texas that is ideal. It's because of where it is located, there are no mountains protecting the state from fast moving weather systems, and there is no cold water to moderate the heat in summer (like on the west coast). So there are extremes of temperature everywhere.

[Wyoming53]

Originally Posted by isabel

Hi,

I live in CA and we have been looking to move to ID, but I'm also researching Texas. It sounds like the high humidity that CA residents aren't use to, is in the eastern part of TX? I've heard that Austin has rolling hills and lots of trees. Do they get Twisters there and Humidity?

Weather wise where would a CA feel the most comfortable in TX?

Izzy

Don't let the humidity be a factor in your decision. When I moved to Texas, I set up my RV and thought, d*%n. I'll never last in this humidity. I like to set outside in the evenings. A month later, an RV pulled in next to me and saw me setting there. They stopped over to chat and said, it sure is humid. I said, "Didn't notice". That was in Grand Prairie Texas. You get used to it quick. Same with the temp. Both are no big deal in a very short amount of time.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by Panterro

You do know that Texas is its own country right? The weather changes depending where you are in Texas, so find the weather you like and move to that part of Texas.

Like others have said, there is no location in Texas that's free from some pain when it comes to weather.

If you want dry, you'll have intense sunny hot days in summer and more cold in the winter. If you like mild warm temperatures with less variation, then you'll have extremely high humidity (Galveston, for example).

There's nothing remotely like a California (Mediterranean) climate in Texas. It's all subject to extremes. But you're right that it's very different from one end of the state to another. So you can at least choose which type of suffering bothers you least. For me, the ideal climate would be west/northwest of San Antonio in the hill country. But it's kinda remote there and I'd feel pretty lonely!

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by Wyoming53

Don't let the humidity be a factor in your decision. When I moved to Texas, I set up my RV and thought, d*%n. I'll never last in this humidity. I like to set outside in the evenings. A month later, an RV pulled in next to me and saw me setting there. They stopped over to chat and said, it sure is humid. I said, "Didn't notice". That was in Grand Prairie Texas. You get used to it quick. Same with the temp. Both are no big deal in a very short amount of time.

I envy you. I could never get used to it. After more than 20 years, it bothered me more than when I was younger. It's an individual tolerance that I was never able to develop. To each, their own!

[deeptrance]

I'm with RodFarlee on the issue of heat and humidity. When I moved to Austin from the northern California wine country in 1990, I adapted quickly to the heat and was able to do hard physical labor in the mid-afternoon in July. Now I can barely stand to take a walk on a typical May afternoon. Every year has gotten worse for me, probably because my body has changed (I be gettin' old, y'all) and I'm not exercising as much.

I'm sure it doesn't help that my alcohol intake has increased from "a few drinks a week" to "a few drinks a day." Booze is horrible in hot humid weather because it wrecks your body's ability to self-regulate temperature, and it dehydrates you. Alas.... my stupidity is more of a problem than the humidity. Hey, nice rhyme, maybe I can sell that line to Willie Nelson...

[Panterro]

I say head for Corpus Christi then, alwyas an 8 mile an hour wind, so the humid weather is not noticed at all.. that is when its humid. Plenty of sunshine days. More rain than the dry areas of Texas.. I think you'll like it alot.

[deeptrance]

LOL, I absolutely hate the climate of the Texas coast, Panterro.

To each his own. I camped on Mustang Island during a Thanksgiving holiday and it was the most miserable camping experience of my life. My tent, clothes and dogs were all completely caked in wet sand, everything was soaked from the humidity, it was disgusting. And this was in late November!

Maybe I just hit it at a uniquely bad time. After all, it's not THAT far from Austin and can't be TOO different, right? But I think it might be. The dew point is usually a few degrees higher in Corpus, while the temperature is often a bit lower on hot days, so the relative humidity is significantly higher than in central TX. It seemed like the humidity was close to 99% the whole time I was on Mustang, with temperatures in the 70s. That's just WRONG.

For those who don't know what a "dew point" is, my post won't make much sense.

[isabel]

I've heard several times about the North West part of the state, near San Antonio, some call it the hill country...is pretty? Is it green at least part of the year. Are there lots of trees there? How about the humidity?

Izzy

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by isabel

I've heard several times about the North West part of the state, near San Antonio, some call it the hill country...is pretty? Is it green at least part of the year. Are there lots of trees there? How about the humidity?

Izzy

San Antonio is in south-central Texas. To the west and northwest of San Antonio there are lots of wooded hills with lower humidity and lots of small towns that are growing rapidly. It is probably the most desirable area to live in Texas, just on the basis of climate and scenery.

The woods are short and bushy, mostly oaks and junipers with lots of brush. There are spring-fed creeks and rivers that are beautiful, lots of great places to swim, boat, float down a river, etc. Some of the river valleys and canyons have beautiful large trees. You can see an example of this area in the move "All The Pretty Horses." The part where they say they are in Mexico was actually filmed directly west of San Antonio in the Texas hill country, and it's beautiful!!!!

The area is known for flash flooding because tremendous amounts of rain can fall in a very short time during thunderstorms, and the soil is extremely rocky so the water runs off instead of soaking into the ground.

The people in the Hill Country tend to be very friendly. The population is mostly white and hispanic, with lots of historic connections to early German immigrants and long-time Mexican settlements. In many ways the region from the Hill Country to the Mexican border could be called "Texican" because it feels like a mix of the two nations and there is very little hostility between groups here compared to what you would see in California. Texas and Mexico have a great friendship.

[isabel]

My husband works as a forklift mechanic and will need to still work for about 10 years. How far from San Antonio is the Hill Country...is it within commute distance?

Izzy

[deeptrance]

San Antonio is growing a lot in the direction of the hills and there is plenty of employment in the fast-growing larger towns such as Boerne, Kerrville, or to the north between San Antonio and Austin. San Antonio isn't a bad place to live, especially on the north and west sides of town in the greener, hillier areas. I prefer Austin and so do most other people, but some people prefer San Antonio. I wouldn't try to live in the country and commute into one of the cities. Traffic is horrible in both cities. If you work in town, then live in town. But you might luck out, forklift operators are needed in high-growth areas where there's a lot of construction, home-building supply stores, etc. Maybe your hubby can find a job in a beautiful smaller town!

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

LOL, I absolutely hate the climate of the Texas coast, Panterro.

To each his own. I camped on Mustang Island during a Thanksgiving holiday and it was the most miserable camping experience of my life. My tent, clothes and dogs were all completely caked in wet sand, everything was soaked from the humidity, it was disgusting. And this was in late November!

I know what you mean. I did the same thing only it was August. Call me stupid...

[MyAzi]

Don't parts of Texas get Hurricanes? And some parts Tornados? If so which parts?

This Californian didn't like Texas in general. Not that it doesn't have nice areas but the weather was similar to what I was used to in So Ca but it is all so dry and deserty. Figured if I wanted that I would just stay where I was in Ca.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by MyAzi

Don't parts of Texas get Hurricanes? And some parts Tornados? If so which parts?

The parts you didn't visit. How do I know you didn't visit them? Because you said:

Originally Posted by MyAzi

This Californian didn't like Texas in general. ...it is all so dry and deserty.

So, you saw El Paso, Pecos, Lubbock, Marfa...? Where else?

Just bustin' yer chops, mate.

East Texas is a freakin' JUNGLE. I challenge you to find a desert east of interstate 35. If you did go a bit east and saw what looked like desert, then you were in ag land during a drought or in mid-winter when it's brown or plowed under.

Texas is the size of France, significantly larger than California. I could come to Cali and say "It's all table-top flat and full of rednecks and incredibly ugly cities" if I only visited the rather vast expanses of the Central Valley. Ya gotta get around a bit more.

That being said, Texas beauty is much more subtle than anything you'd find in CA. We don't have dramatic mountains or dramatic coastline (the Texas coastline is a place I never want to see again for the rest of my life, to be honest with you, given that I grew up in Santa Barbara and spent a lot of my youth on those gorgeous beaches basking in blissful mild sunny weather.) The beauty and charms of Texas are an acquired taste and it's understandable if it's not your thing. But it sure ain't all "deserty". Houston averages about 55 inches of rain a year, Santa Barbara gets an average of about 17 inches. You figure out which one is closer to being a desert.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by ProEye

I know what you mean. I did the same thing only it was August. Call me stupid...

You're STUPID!

Don't worry, I know MANY people who spend summer weekends at the Texas coast. I question their sanity but they seem to be capable of functioning normally so I guess they just like being drenched in a stifling atmosphere of flat, featureless sauna-like emptiness.

I rather admire them for finding the beauty in it all. If you've ever seen the Texas PBS show about our state parks, which airs on Sunday mornings in Austin, they have many features on the coastal world. A lot of it focuses on unique intertidal ecosystems, unique birds, fishing, and other aspects of plant and wildlife that are apparently much happier in that environment than I am. Props to Texas Parks and Wildlife for preserving these places and showing us their beauty through the lens and words of their documentary producers!

[isabel]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

San Antonio is growing a lot in the direction of the hills and there is plenty of employment in the fast-growing larger towns such as Boerne, Kerrville, or to the north between San Antonio and Austin. San Antonio isn't a bad place to live, especially on the north and west sides of town in the greener, hillier areas. I prefer Austin and so do most other people, but some people prefer San Antonio. I wouldn't try to live in the country and commute into one of the cities. Traffic is horrible in both cities. If you work in town, then live in town. But you might luck out, forklift operators are needed in high-growth areas where there's a lot of construction, home-building supply stores, etc. Maybe your hubby can find a job in a beautiful smaller town!

I checked out Boerne and Kerrville real estate just to get a peak of some of the landscape around the homes. It is green and pretty. The homes seem reasonable. Will continue to research the area.

Thanks for all the info. folks it gave me a better feel for the state and how it divides up weather wise.

Izzy

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

You're STUPID!

Don't worry, I know MANY people who spend summer weekends at the Texas coast. I question their sanity but they seem to be capable of functioning normally so I guess they just like being drenched in a stifling atmosphere of flat, featureless sauna-like emptiness.

I rather admire them for finding the beauty in it all. If you've ever seen the Texas PBS show about our state parks, which airs on Sunday mornings in Austin, they have many features on the coastal world. A lot of it focuses on unique intertidal ecosystems, unique birds, fishing, and other aspects of plant and wildlife that are apparently much happier in that environment than I am. Props to Texas Parks and Wildlife for preserving these places and showing us their beauty through the lens and words of their documentary producers!

Seen the programs in my 10 years in Texas, but THANK GOD I'M OUTA THERE!!!! Sorry... I watch CT Parks and Wildlife... Okay I don't but I can dream...

What was really interesting about that trip to Mustang Island in August was that the water was almost unbearably hot. I swear in late afternoon the water felt like it was boiling.

One other thing about the parks in Texas. The biggest thing that I didn't like was that you generally cannot walk off a trail or grassy area in any of the wooded parks because of all the poison ivy. I remember a few parks that were literally 100% COVERED with that damn stuff. Seems like there ought to be a way to get rid of poison ivy or Kudzu. Kudzu is really bad in GA. Maybe that can be another topic...

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by ProEye

One other thing about the parks in Texas. The biggest thing that I didn't like was that you generally cannot walk off a trail or grassy area in any of the wooded parks because of all the poison ivy.

What about the fire ants? Or the fact that most Texas parks are so close to towns and highways that it's hard to find one where you can experience silence and see the stars?

Fortunately there are some great places here and I'm not telling where they are. And fortunately I'm not reactive to poison ivy. Poison oak, yes. It's really weird, I get it BAD on the west coast, but the version of that plant that grows east of the Rockies doesn't affect me. Maybe the western version gave me immunity to the eastern version...??? I would think that the exact same chemical would be the trigger for a reaction but apparently it's bit more complex than that.

I detest fire ants, though. I've had several campsites invaded and had to move my tent after setting up camp, it's really annoying. In fact, the only reason I camped on the BEACH on Mustang Island is that the campgrounds were massively infested with fire ants and the only people who were staying at them were in RV's.

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

What about the fire ants? Or the fact that most Texas parks are so close to towns and highways that it's hard to find one where you can experience silence and see the stars?

Fortunately there are some great places here and I'm not telling where they are. And fortunately I'm not reactive to poison ivy. Poison oak, yes. It's really weird, I get it BAD on the west coast, but the version of that plant that grows east of the Rockies doesn't affect me. Maybe the western version gave me immunity to the eastern version...??? I would think that the exact same chemical would be the trigger for a reaction but apparently it's bit more complex than that.

I detest fire ants, though. I've had several campsites invaded and had to move my tent after setting up camp, it's really annoying. In fact, the only reason I camped on the BEACH on Mustang Island is that the campgrounds were massively infested with fire ants and the only people who were staying at them were in RV's.

We really are much alike--except maybe on the political end...

I really detest fire ants too. Well, really, who doesn't? I like northern ants. They are so passive. You can almost have one as a pet.

I would be really careful about poison ivy. I've heard of plenty of stories of people who suddenly had a violent reaction after many years of zero reaction. As you know it takes time to build up. I had a patient who was in his mid-50's who said he always burned the stuff on his property. He never had a reaction until one day he broke out in what looked like third degree burns all over his body. He was lucky he didn't die since it could have closed off his airways. You should have seen his face--incredibly disfigured. He looked like he was in a house fire and that was after he said it healed quite a bit! Hopefully the pussy, bloody, crusty, red and black skin healed okay... I only saw him once and it was 5 years ago.

Okay now onto something better...

Speaking of stars and Texas... My wife and I were traveling through W. Texas years ago and we stopped off the road near Ft. Stockton which is basically beside nowhere and down the road from dead end. It was a moonless night and we slept in the back of my truck. Sheesh it was cold! AND MAN IT WAS DARK AS HELL. I swear it was darker than anything I'd ever experienced before. Even though my eyes were dark adapted, I could not see anything except the distant lights from various property owners miles away. It was like being totally blind. So it was 3 am and I had to pee!!! DAMN! I had to get up and bear the cold wind. As fate would have it, I opened up the camper door (it was a shell), and just as I looked out towards the mountains, there was a comet! And it was a beauty! You could see a perfectly round head and two perfect tails coming off it. You know how funny it is when you see something that you just can't believe so you stand there staring, wondering if you are dreaming or actually seeing it???

I held my hand out to measure it from the head to the end of the tail with my out stretched hand and it was about the length of my pinky to my thumb--maybe 9 inches. In the city, I would not have seen much. Out here in nowhere there were no cities, towns, lights, or anything that would have obscured the view. I believe the Midland/Odessa area was nearly 100 miles away. Needless to say I was incredibly excited (of course as I say, it took me about 10 seconds for anything to actually register). I actually thought I discovered the comet because I didn't recall hearing about any such phenomenon being visible at the time! To make a long story shorter, turns out it was Hale-Bopp which practically everyone on earth saw back in 1995, but I was lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time. Apparently, I was one of the first people to see it as well.

I'll never forget it. It was absolutely beautiful.

Reminds me of the many times I went camping with my father and brother in the mountains of Idaho. Wow, the view was amazing. Never saw a comet though.

Another great view of the sky was in W. Colorado when we lived in Ridgway. We had a house at 8,000 feet in this well-forested community which had regulations against lights. Sheesh, talk about dark. I'm glad there wasn't much crime but it was probably a good community to hit! We had this outdoor hot tub on our deck and it was amazing to sit there at night in the boiling water and stare at the sky, while you sip your wine and think "how lucky am I?" Ah yes, those were the days. Now we live in CT which basically has the moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and maybe two stars in the sky! It's fun just to see a plane fly overhead just to see something new!

YES, IT SUCKS. But I live here for other reasons than staring at the sky. Speaking of that... I need a friggin' vacation!!!

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by ProEye

We really are much alike--except maybe on the political end...

Bah! Who cares about politics. Just a fun thing to debate. One of my favorite people and life-long best friends is a very traditional conservative evangelical Christian and I'm a secular progressive. We get along fabulously and enjoy debating issues. I've learned a lot from him and I have to admit that he has affected my views a lot. It took about 5 years of his constant hilarious diatribes against the "liberal elitists" whom he would mock in a manner that is WAY beyond anything you'll hear on TV or radio. He's absolutely brilliant and the way he did it was so convincing because he was accurately mimicking half the people I knew!!!

It's hard to persist in a point of view when someone brilliantly shreds your basis for thinking as you do. That's what he did. While he failed at converting me to Christianity or Conservatism, he did succeed in alienating me from the Left. Now I'm adrift at sea, refusing to anchor in the safe harbors of any of the political doctrines that beckon me to sail into their womb-like comfort.

Originally Posted by ProEye

I really detest fire ants too. Well, really, who doesn't?

Good point. I guess that was like the great Indiana Jones line: Nazis.... I hate those g