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The Texpatriates Thread


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7 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Kinda funny watching a bunch of people with state issued licenses in law and architecture and what not, with wives and kids and real responsibilities, argue with the hard rock cafe waiter. He doesn't understand you and you don't understand him. 

Just FYI state licenses can be used by someone residing outside the state.  I’m licensed in TX and have been for 25 plus years, and am licensed in CA too.  

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12 hours ago, 27-25 said:

I live in Sonoma and love it.  We don't have kids with us, so I have no informed opinion on the schools here.

The weather is great.  The wine is great.  The political climate (for me and I assume others on this thread) is great.

The downsides?  Taxes are higher.  Home prices are higher.  There's always a fire risk in the fall, particularly if you live in a more rural area.

Marin is a center for anti-vax sentiment I believe, even if not MAGA.  It might be even more expensive than Sonoma.

There is no paradise on Earth.  It's all compromise.  On balance, Sonoma is a winner for us.

Gracias. Do you have any towns in particular that you would recommend in addition to Sonoma proper?

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22 hours ago, Evil Bill Obrien said:

Way I see it, I'm not one of the assholes ruining Texas so why should I have to uproot my life and leave? Good for you for being able to pick up and run tho...

Pacific Northwest outside of Seattle and Portland has been described to me possibly just as bad as the worst parts of Alabama/Mississippi with way less daylight in the winter, doesn't seem all that great.

You want to show me a rural area of any state where that’s not the case?  At least in WA and OR the urban areas can outvote the rurals on statewide elections. Unlike Texas and the south. 

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11 hours ago, bonnieblue said:

Gracias. Do you have any towns in particular that you would recommend in addition to Sonoma proper?

In no particular order, Healdsburg, Windsor, Sebastopol.  Glen Ellen is nice, but more fire prone (a friend of ours lost their home there a few years back).  And if you want a larger city instead of a town, Petaluma is pretty good too.

There's not much built up on the coast of Sonoma County.  It's windy, rugged and takes a while to get to from further inland.  No major roads coming in from the east, just the twisty 2 lane variety.  It does have some nice hiking though.

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On 12/13/2024 at 2:46 AM, Xminus6 said:

Dana Point has gotten stuck in my head as a place I’d like to retire to. We drove through there once on a weekend trip down to OC. It’s just super pleasant.

Last vacation I took with my ex was to Dana point. We had a lovely time actually. 

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On 12/14/2024 at 7:08 PM, troph said:

Last vacation I took with my ex was to Dana point. We had a lovely time actually. 

If this wonderful relationship that I have ever ends, I'm headed back to Dana Point the next day.  I lived in Capo Beach for a few years, and it was terrific. 

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1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

If this wonderful relationship that I have ever ends, I'm headed back to Dana Point the next day.  I lived in Capo Beach for a few years, and it was terrific. 

Sounds like a win win. I’m still aiming for Carmel area… though my wife will only do that if we split time with Colorado. 

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On 12/13/2024 at 9:02 PM, Goofyboy said:

None of us actually know what’s coming next or how bad it’s going to be. I include the entire world with that. Everywhere has shifted politically. Things in the world are not ok - or maybe they are if you’re a billionaire.

Yep.  And I’ll be fine no matter what. I’m a cocky asshole but I don’t get westside’s take.  I won’t have issues whether I stay or go anywhere but leaving and acting like ‘it’s all good now’ is some ‘I got mine’ BS that’s actually quite on brand for magatards.  Be better.  

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1 hour ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Yep.  And I’ll be fine no matter what. I’m a cocky asshole but I don’t get westside’s take.  I won’t have issues whether I stay or go anywhere but leaving and acting like ‘it’s all good now’ is some ‘I got mine’ BS that’s actually quite on brand for magatards.  Be better.  

I have moved from many places, but the only place I fled started with "College" and ended with "Station."

Custer performed better recon than I.

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  • 1 month later...
On 1/25/2025 at 5:47 PM, Constant said:

I have accepted a conditional offer of employment in central Illinois, with a potential start date in April or May. The whole family plans to join me in June. After considerable thought and research, I believe these particular circumstances are the best fit. I’m looking forward to living in a state that will fight this madness, not kowtow to it.

Not to burst your bubble but, if you’re truly moving to Central Illinois, you will be in deep red territory and likely a 2-3 hour drive from sanity. Illinois votes blue only because Chicago votes blue. The rest of the state strongly resents Chicago’s politics and always has.

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17 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

Not to burst your bubble but, if you’re truly moving to Central Illinois, you will be in deep red territory and likely a 2-3 hour drive from sanity. Illinois votes blue only because Chicago votes blue. The rest of the state strongly resents Chicago’s politics and always has.

A dude I know from central Illinois is the one of the most racist people I know.  I never experienced it until Obama became POTUS.  After that, the hood went on.  He loves dropping the N-word and is genuinely surprised when people call him out on it.

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On 12/14/2024 at 9:09 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

You want to show me a rural area of any state where that’s not the case?  At least in WA and OR the urban areas can outvote the rurals on statewide elections. Unlike Texas and the south. 

Also worth noting that at least in WA, the I-5 corridor from Olympia to the Canadian border, including areas outside the Seattle MSA, is pretty blue; as is the Olympic peninsula (weighted toward the eastern portion but that's where people live). Bellingham, Kitsap County, Mt Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, etc. Tertiary cities that pad the margin. Seattle MSA sets the floor as the blue state even if everywhere else went red but it's the rest of Western WA that cancels out the rural areas and makes it really blue. Obviously micro level the trend is still cities = blue, rurals = red, and that's true in eastern WA too.

South of Olympia on I-5 until Vancouver is basically the south with more white people in my limited experience lol

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4 hours ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

A dude I know from central Illinois is the one of the most racist people I know.  I never experienced it until Obama became POTUS.  After that, the hood went on.  He loves dropping the N-word and is genuinely surprised when people call him out on it.

 

I mean c’mon. It’s been four hours. Do you people have jobs or something?

IMG_2227.jpeg.c4839eb044a9455f4b331f878079d881.jpeg

 

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On 12/4/2024 at 11:34 AM, MissingInAction said:

Y'all talking about Idaho?

That place is run by Mormons.

 

On 12/4/2024 at 11:37 AM, royiv said:

Very, very true in the eastern part of the state. Not nearly as much in Boise proper.

Yeah, my g-g-g grandfather was an LDS pioneer who had a homestead near Bear Lake.   They eventually gave that up and moved to the big city - or as my late uncle called it, “the salubrious sunswept slopes of Soda Springs, Idaho”

Diversity would not be welcomed in the western part of the state so much…

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A Marbury v Madison type showdown. Court rules against Trump the Court runs the risk of being delegitimized, the only way to retain any vestige of authority is to agree with him.

He’s going to push the envelope for 4 years. O/U on laws broken intentionally or recklessly - I’d have to put it over a thousand. 

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CA peeps - tell me about Monterey and Pacific Grove?

Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Highlands, and Carmel Valley Village are my top 3 destinations but Carmel Valley Village is two steps up from where we currently live in Texas for fire risk. Carmel-by-the-Sea is possibly $1M-2M above our budget for what we would want. Carmel Highlands I would think is mudslide prone dunno, also the lower end is accessible but turn key is a bit too much.

So assuming in the next 3-4 years we can't stretch to Carmel-by-the-Sea, what's Monterey and Pacific Grove like for day to day living?  anyone know?

I can't imagine it much different weather wise and the pacific ocean right there, sunsets, succulents, mild weather, outdoor living, just not as spectacular as a few miles south... am I missing anything?

CO is falling down the list for permanent relo, wifey is reminded she doesn't like the cold.
 

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1 hour ago, troph said:

CA peeps - tell me about Monterey and Pacific Grove?

Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Highlands, and Carmel Valley Village are my top 3 destinations but Carmel Valley Village is two steps up from where we currently live in Texas for fire risk. Carmel-by-the-Sea is possibly $1M-2M above our budget for what we would want. Carmel Highlands I would think is mudslide prone dunno, also the lower end is accessible but turn key is a bit too much.

So assuming in the next 3-4 years we can't stretch to Carmel-by-the-Sea, what's Monterey and Pacific Grove like for day to day living?  anyone know?

I can't imagine it much different weather wise and the pacific ocean right there, sunsets, succulents, mild weather, outdoor living, just not as spectacular as a few miles south... am I missing anything?

CO is falling down the list for permanent relo, wifey is reminded she doesn't like the cold.
 

Pacific Grove is on my short list when my kid's out of the house. Prices are surprisingly reasonable, given the location. 

I've also got Berkeley on the list for that same reason.

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23 minutes ago, Foosters said:

Pacific Grove is on my short list when my kid's out of the house. Prices are surprisingly reasonable, given the location. 

I've also got Berkeley on the list for that same reason.

Looking at a month long stay in July this summer. 

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2 hours ago, troph said:

Looking at a month long stay in July this summer. 

July? Ya gotta go when stuff sucks before you decide. Seattle, for example, is chock-full of people who came out to spend time in July or August, when it's the best place on earth, saying "lol it doesn't rain here that much!" Yeah, come back in the fall/winter. If you can make it through November, you're a local. Chilly, foggy, drizzly is what you want to experience on the central California coast.

I spent a June and part of a July in Tavira (Portugal); fell in love with it. I had to go back during a November to make sure it was right for me.

Good luck - y'all would be a great addition to the Best Coast.

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5 hours ago, troph said:

CA peeps - tell me about Monterey and Pacific Grove?

Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Highlands, and Carmel Valley Village are my top 3 destinations but Carmel Valley Village is two steps up from where we currently live in Texas for fire risk. Carmel-by-the-Sea is possibly $1M-2M above our budget for what we would want. Carmel Highlands I would think is mudslide prone dunno, also the lower end is accessible but turn key is a bit too much.

So assuming in the next 3-4 years we can't stretch to Carmel-by-the-Sea, what's Monterey and Pacific Grove like for day to day living?  anyone know?

I can't imagine it much different weather wise and the pacific ocean right there, sunsets, succulents, mild weather, outdoor living, just not as spectacular as a few miles south... am I missing anything?

CO is falling down the list for permanent relo, wifey is reminded she doesn't like the cold.
 

I live in PG.   Have been here almost three years.  Great schools, small town feel, very walkable.  Just like the rest of the peninsula, economy is very tourist dependent but surprisingly doesn’t feel touristy.  Very different from Carmel by the Sea, which is very t touristy .  Way less expensive but not cheap.  1000 per square foot for a decent house is probably close to the floor price.  
 

I love it, go to the beach every day but it’s definitely on the cold side for Texans!  High right now usually about 55 or less and low around 42.  
 

The farmers market has better produce than any other place I’ve been in the world.  No shit.  Monterey county is agriculture and tourism so no surprise there.  The fishing is good but limited on species because of restrictions.  
 

Property tax is one third of typical Texas at 1 percent but it’s also fixed at your purchase price.  Income tax sucks.  Sales tax sucks.  But it’s all worth it to me.

 

 Feel free to PM specific questions.

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