The Texpatriates Thread

[dcbc 14179]

2 hours ago, MC Fresh Breath said:

and grateful to be back in Oregon, away from that crap.  Again, though, given how things are going I do wonder if leaving Texas was far enough

Probably far enough, as long as you stay away from the bird sanctuaries.

 

Beaches and lakes in Texas are hard hit unfortunately.

[Biff Tannen 44919]

1 hour ago, troph said:

Previously was about 2-3 years from a summer place in CO MT or WY. Mountain town with good trout fishing. Wouldn’t do more then escape the July - September heat.

I still want to escape the heat but thinking now we need a blue state to protect our pending marriage and other rights. Sierras in CA including Tahoe/Truckee are currently top of my list. Truckee river is supposed to be world class fishing. Looking at Ojai and to a lesser extent Guerneville. If Tahoe/Truckee we would leave for the worst of the winter but call it home for basic rights. If it was Ojai I might never come back. Though I’d need a fishing fix and their summers top out in the low 90s so I’m sure they are hitting 100 now a days on occasion but I had no complaints when Austin was a 90s high temp climate.

Never imagined not being a Texan but the idea of weekend trips all over CA and saying fuck these Republican ass hats makes me tingle. 

I lay awake at night wondering what it’s like to live in a blue state where I can just live instead of fight.

Sierras may not be as blue as you think they are.  In my experience, everything in Cali outside of the big coastal cities feels very much like Texas.

[gmr548 16253]

12 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Sierras may not be as blue as you think they are.  In my experience, everything in Cali outside of the big coastal cities feels very much like Texas.

Imagine how nice Texas would be with better weather, scenery, and a state government not out to make life worse for like 75% of the population.

[gmr548 16253]

5 hours ago, 'stache said:

I attended our city's Pride festival this weekend and there wasn't a parking spot to be found in the dozens of our surface parking lots. Tons of people supporting the LGBTQ community. Things like that remind me that there are tons of like-minded people in my vicinity. If I do move, it'll be for more than just politics. And our political problems are becoming more and more problematic on a nation-wide scale, much of which can't be escaped anywhere within the US. We are all fuct.

It's true. As appalling as the political situation in Texas has gotten, I wouldn't be so sold on leaving if it weren't for other things - for example, if hadn't been 100+ degree heat indices (or even outright) for like a month already... in late June. And I agree that there's a pretty good chance moving to a blue state is just buying a few extra years of time. So it isn't just politics.

[troph 23963]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Sierras may not be as blue as you think they are.  In my experience, everything in Cali outside of the big coastal cities feels very much like Texas.

I *think* it’s a little different in the Tahoe area, I think south and closer to the valley it’s more conservative, but I don’t know. We plan to find out though. The thing for us is finding a blue state more than a blue city in a red state like we’ve known. I want elevation and smaller city or town so the theory to test is - deal with a light blue town in the sierras but have the back drop of legal certainty in a very blue state while improving outdoor life and the weather (except dead of winter). I’ll add that I’m comfortable around conservatives if I have to be in order to be near the fish and the outdoors, that’s more important to me than liberal city life. I just am tired of burning up with no guarantee my rights are protected.

Edited June 28, 2022 by troph

[troph 23963]

30 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

It's true. As appalling as the political situation in Texas has gotten, I wouldn't be so sold on leaving if it weren't for other things - for example, if hadn't been 100+ degree heat indices (or even outright) for like a month already... in late June. And I agree that there's a pretty good chance moving to a blue state is just buying a few extra years of time. So it isn't just politics.

It’s not just politics, climate change is much more real when you have a baseline memory of pre climate change in the same spot. I grew up in Austin, the difference is too confrontational. I need a blank slate - and cooler, hence the elevation - to cope.

[dcbc 14179]

10 hours ago, gmr548 said:

It's true. As appalling as the political situation in Texas has gotten, I wouldn't be so sold on leaving if it weren't for other things - for example, if hadn't been 100+ degree heat indices (or even outright) for like a month already... in late June. And I agree that there's a pretty good chance moving to a blue state is just buying a few extra years of time. So it isn't just politics.

For me, the heat always has been the primary motivator.  No, I don't like the politics either.  But the heat.

[CooterBrown 17695]

11 hours ago, troph said:

It’s not just politics, climate change is much more real when you have a baseline memory of pre climate change in the same spot. I grew up in Austin, the difference is too confrontational. I need a blank slate - and cooler, hence the elevation - to cope.

You used to be able to go do stuff on a summer day. Now it's all about avoiding going outside to suffer. 

[WBT 20131]

12 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

In my experience, everything in Cali everywhere outside of the big coastal cities feels very much like Texas outside of the big cities.

fifm

[Biff Tannen 44919]

1 hour ago, dcbc said:

For me, the heat always has been the primary motivator.  No, I don't like the politics either.  But the heat.

[South Austin 51410]

25 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

You used to be able to go do stuff on a summer day. Now it's all about avoiding going outside to suffer. 

I was in San Francisco this past weekend.  We walked all over the place, and I was thinking that if I was back in Austin I wouldn't make it four blocks without being drenched in sweat.

[Biff Tannen 44919]

27 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I was in San Francisco this past weekend.  We walked all over the place, and I was thinking that if I was back in Austin I wouldn't make it four blocks without being drenched in sweat.

Wait, you weren't murdered by homeless people after wading through their poop?

[South Austin 51410]

8 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Wait, you weren't murdered by homeless people after wading through their poop?

Nah.  But we pretty much stayed away from the Tenderloin and Financial District.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, troph said:

It’s not just politics, climate change is much more real when you have a baseline memory of pre climate change in the same spot. I grew up in Austin, the difference is too confrontational. I need a blank slate - and cooler, hence the elevation - to cope.

So I've been in Austin about 20+ years -- all my adult life. Before that, I was in SE Texas. So, used to being in the heat. I remember the first time I was hot just going outside was when Katrina was bearing down on New Orleans. It was hot and the hurricane sucking air drew in a hot breeze. 

Just looked it up, and the weather the day before Katrina hit was 102. Hell, there were only six days above 100 that August. That's mild compared to this June.

[Vegas64 640]

The heat and medical marijuana is definitely two primary factors for us continuing to keep our head on a swivel for a good idea. Unfortunately nothing really financially makes sense right now, so we suffer.

[We’reTexas 1467]

13 hours ago, troph said:

I *think* it’s a little different in the Tahoe area, I think south and closer to the valley it’s more conservative, but I don’t know. We plan to find out though. The thing for us is finding a blue state more than a blue city in a red state like we’ve known. I want elevation and smaller city or town so the theory to test is - deal with a light blue town in the sierras but have the back drop of legal certainty in a very blue state while improving outdoor life and the weather (except dead of winter). I’ll add that I’m comfortable around conservatives if I have to be in order to be near the fish and the outdoors, that’s more important to me than liberal city life. I just am tired of burning up with no guarantee my rights are protected.

Truckee became SF east over the pandemic, almost as expensive too. Guerneville is very LGBTQ friendly though.

[Chewbacca 7612]

16 hours ago, troph said:

Previously was about 2-3 years from a summer place in CO MT or WY. Mountain town with good trout fishing. Wouldn’t do more then escape the July - September heat.

I still want to escape the heat but thinking now we need a blue state to protect our pending marriage and other rights. Sierras in CA including Tahoe/Truckee are currently top of my list. Truckee river is supposed to be world class fishing. Looking at Ojai and to a lesser extent Guerneville. If Tahoe/Truckee we would leave for the worst of the winter but call it home for basic rights. If it was Ojai I might never come back. Though I’d need a fishing fix and their summers top out in the low 90s so I’m sure they are hitting 100 now a days on occasion but I had no complaints when Austin was a 90s high temp climate.

Never imagined not being a Texan but the idea of weekend trips all over CA and saying fuck these Republican ass hats makes me tingle. 

I lay awake at night wondering what it’s like to live in a blue state where I can just live instead of fight.

CO is pretty solidly blue these days, but not so much in the rural areas.  The resort areas tend to be much more blue, or at least purple.

Edited June 28, 2022 by Chewbacca

[Foosters 17624]

Tahoe/Truckee would be nice long term, as long as you stock up on air filtration systems and gas masks for all the wildfires you're going to be dealing with.

I had long dreamed of retiring in the Sierras, but not even considering it anymore given fires.

 

 

[TexPx 2270]

Truckee became SF east over the pandemic, almost as expensive too. Guerneville is very LGBTQ friendly though.

Wow. Nevada County is over 93% Honkies.

[Neonmoon 38126]

58 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

CO is pretty solidly blue these days, but not so much in the rural areas.  The resort areas tend to be much more blue, or at least purple.

I got ya fam

[Biff Tannen 44919]

7 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I got ya fam

I'm actually surprised that Ouray county went blue.  Ridgway certainly seems very red, but I guess Ouray the town is bigger.

[gmr548 16253]

I'm actually surprised that Ouray county went blue.  Ridgway certainly seems very red, but I guess Ouray the town is bigger.

I just looked it up out of curiosity because I know Ouray is tiny. I didn’t know Ridgeway was only a tiny bit bigger at ~1,100. It’s probably blue because there’s a bunch of rich liberals living at this point.

[Slacks 6666]

4 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Wait, you weren't murdered by homeless people after wading through their poop?

My wife worked in SF before we got married... We loved being able to walk around that city.

[Goredho 17154]

If anyone is looking at Colorado for a rural county that is reliably blue and not home to Vail and Breckenridge type of prices, I would strongly suggest Chaffee county.  Salida and Buena Vista are two great small towns where the red plague has not taken a hold.

[troph 23963]

yeah I would still consider Colorado but we need blue, blue, blue not going back blue, blue blood blue states I'm afraid.

the folks I know who talk about Tahoe/high sierras/truckee say its blue enough.

fires yes I get that but in the end we all will have climate change no matter where we go.  I just need elevation and different.

colorado would be great but I shifted for a quick minute because purple won't cut it.

Edited June 28, 2022 by troph

[troph 23963]

3 hours ago, Foosters said:

Tahoe/Truckee would be nice long term, as long as you stock up on air filtration systems and gas masks for all the wildfires you're going to be dealing with.

I had long dreamed of retiring in the Sierras, but not even considering it anymore given fires.

 

 

btw that applies to any mountain town in the US West unfortunately.

[UpperWestside 5990]

19 hours ago, troph said:

Previously was about 2-3 years from a summer place in CO MT or WY. Mountain town with good trout fishing. Wouldn’t do more then escape the July - September heat.

I still want to escape the heat but thinking now we need a blue state to protect our pending marriage and other rights. Sierras in CA including Tahoe/Truckee are currently top of my list. Truckee river is supposed to be world class fishing. Looking at Ojai and to a lesser extent Guerneville. If Tahoe/Truckee we would leave for the worst of the winter but call it home for basic rights. If it was Ojai I might never come back. Though I’d need a fishing fix and their summers top out in the low 90s so I’m sure they are hitting 100 now a days on occasion but I had no complaints when Austin was a 90s high temp climate.

Never imagined not being a Texan but the idea of weekend trips all over CA and saying fuck these Republican ass hats makes me tingle. 

I lay awake at night wondering what it’s like to live in a blue state where I can just live instead of fight.

I cannot adequately feel the anguish of your situation in life, but I want to see you and your family happy. You get just one shot at life. Go and live somewhere that you can be free to be who you are without any worries. Life is precious and I believe all of us want to see you living the best version of your life that you possibly can.

[troph 23963]

1 hour ago, Goredho said:

If anyone is looking at Colorado for a rural county that is reliably blue and not home to Vail and Breckenridge type of prices, I would strongly suggest Chaffee county.  Salida and Buena Vista are two great small towns where the red plague has not taken a hold.

they were on my "intrigued" list, I then started wandering up to MT, then Ken Paxton said he's gonna prosecute gay sex if he has his way and now I don't know what to think.

[troph 23963]

2 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

I cannot adequately feel the anguish of your situation in life, but I want to see you and your family happy. You get just one shot at life. Go and live somewhere that you can be free to be who you are without any worries. Life is precious and I believe all of us want to see you living the best version of your life that you possibly can.

I was, I am, holy fuck Ken Paxton today?? he's coming for your blow jobs next because you know his wife isn't giving him any head so why should you get any. time for solidarity between the homos, fags, and queers and the horny straight guys. sodomy is for everyone!

Edited June 28, 2022 by troph

[Goofyboy 2955]

The GOP has already said they are going full tilt after abortion laws, etc if they get back control of the government. Based on how shitty things are heading AND our ever increasing costs of health care, is anyone looking to leave the US? If so, where are you looking?

[wild_turkey 3077]

I try to stay out of CR but this thread topic is of interest to me. I've lived in Texas my entire life, but I've considered leaving for a long time, mostly due to being tired of the heat and wanting to live somewhere with prettier geography (nice beaches or possibly mountains). I'm not a lake person and I think the Texas coast is ugly.

Politics haven't historically been a big motivator for me, but that's starting to wear pretty heavily on me too. Our state leadership seems incompetent most of the time (winter storm 2021) and increasingly determined to use religious beliefs to oppress large percentages of our population. SB8 had me pretty pissed off, not to mention countless school shootings with no willingness to change gun control, and now the post-Roe abortion stuff. I would not at all be surprised to see same sex marriage on the chopping block and I don't want to live in a place where our government dictates those things. An 18 year old can buy an AR-15 here but women don't have control over what takes place in their own bodies.

The problems for me are the classic issues of job and family. I'm a physician with an established practice. My family and my wife's entire family all live in Texas, most within 2 hours of us. That includes 3 sets of parents, 5 siblings, nieces and nephews. We're fairly close to everyone and want to keep it that way as best as possible. Not to mention, we have a lifetime of friends within driving distance of us.

Added to all of this, we have a baby on the way. Very difficult to intentionally leave a great support network and a great income and start from scratch somewhere new. So if we were to do anything, we would probably wait 4-5 years, but by that point we may have aging parents and that's a new set of concerns.

If we did move, our criteria for a new place would be better weather, prettier geography, and hopefully more moderate politics. For the first 2 criteria, I think California, Hawaii, and North Carolina fit the bill. We absolutely love visiting Colorado but I think the long winters would be more brutal for me than the Texas summers. For the politics part, I'm not sure anywhere in the U.S. is really safe.

Maybe I'll just focus on getting a forever home in Texas where I can have a pool and a backyard oasis to retreat to in the heat. And maybe the politics will eventually change  if someone like McConaughey gets in office. Doubtful. Maybe I'll figure out a way to retire early to Tuscany or New Zealand or St. Barth. None of those solve all of my concerns. It's a flawed world for sure.

Edited June 29, 2022 by wild_turkey

[Beau Vine 53625]

1 hour ago, wild_turkey said:

For the politics part, I'm not sure anywhere in the U.S. is really safe.

I have spent a good part of the last two years, researching/obsessing about where I'm going to retire.  In response to your comment, I would say look for towns that have high levels of very educated citizens.  Which is why Los Alamos and Corvallis are at the top of my list.  

Niche.com shows you this:

[troph 23963]

5 hours ago, Goofyboy said:

The GOP has already said they are going full tilt after abortion laws, etc if they get back control of the government. Based on how shitty things are heading AND our ever increasing costs of health care, is anyone looking to leave the US? If so, where are you looking?

Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal depending on cash available.

Edited June 29, 2022 by troph

[Bama Chick 28595]

Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal depending on cash available.

Y’all need a live in nanny?

[F250 28380]

8 hours ago, troph said:

sodomy is for everyone!

[Left Coast 862]

On 6/27/2022 at 5:53 PM, troph said:

Previously was about 2-3 years from a summer place in CO MT or WY. Mountain town with good trout fishing. Wouldn’t do more then escape the July - September heat.

I still want to escape the heat but thinking now we need a blue state to protect our pending marriage and other rights. Sierras in CA including Tahoe/Truckee are currently top of my list. Truckee river is supposed to be world class fishing. Looking at Ojai and to a lesser extent Guerneville. If Tahoe/Truckee we would leave for the worst of the winter but call it home for basic rights. If it was Ojai I might never come back. Though I’d need a fishing fix and their summers top out in the low 90s so I’m sure they are hitting 100 now a days on occasion but I had no complaints when Austin was a 90s high temp climate.

Never imagined not being a Texan but the idea of weekend trips all over CA and saying fuck these Republican ass hats makes me tingle. 

I lay awake at night wondering what it’s like to live in a blue state where I can just live instead of fight.

Check out Alpine County, liberal AND in the Sierras. Honestly it sounds pretty good:

A rural county in heart of red California votes more like San Francisco. Here’s why

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-06-05/alpine-county-democratic-speck-in-rural-california-republicans?_amp=true

[RPM 26073]

On 6/22/2022 at 3:50 PM, Goredho said:

Near Salida.

I used to haul red rock out of there back in the 80's. Always liked that place, laid back and peaceful. Looks like it has grown like a weed since then.

[South Austin 51410]

7 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

The problems for me are the classic issues of job and family. I'm a physician with an established practice. My family and my wife's entire family all live in Texas, most within 2 hours of us. That includes 3 sets of parents, 5 siblings, nieces and nephews. We're fairly close to everyone and want to keep it that way as best as possible. Not to mention, we have a lifetime of friends within driving distance of us.

This is my situation as explained upthread. Established law practice, youngest just starting middle school, parents close by and pushing 80, and lifetime friends in town who are pretty much like family.

I’m likely stuck here for a long time, maybe till I’m dead. And that’s okay. I have pretty good reasons for staying, and loved ones around me who make all of the turmoil bearable. And I live in Austin. It’s not like I’m living in East Texas or one of the many rural communities I drive through that still waive a Trump/Pence flag.

[CooterBrown 17695]

Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal depending on cash available.

Some wealthy friends moved to Portugal a few years ago. They kept their two Austin houses and the rent income from those 100% fund their expenses in Portugal. They have a $400K 4 bedroom house with a pool in Lisbon. He has a Portuguese passport so they didn’t have to hit the €500K price for a Golden Visa.

[Chewbacca 7612]

23 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

I got ya fam

And all 3 MAGA candidates for statewide office (Sec State, Governor, US Senate) lost their primaries yesterday.  Boebert won hers, sadly.

[CO Horn 151]

41 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

And all 3 MAGA candidates for statewide office (Sec State, Governor, US Senate) lost their primaries yesterday.  Boebert won hers, sadly.

I think CO is pretty solid blue at the state level. There has only been one republican governor since 1975.  At the Congressional District level, District 4 & 5 are solid red.  Boebert's 3rd district is the most vulnerable in my opinion.  We'll see what happens in the new 8th Congressional District.

[chainsaw 9441]

What you want are those "on the cusp" counties like 2016 Williamson (but not in Texas obviously) with healthy growth near a liberal hotbed. Eventually they will be voting reliably blue, and even before they go blue it will be hard for extremists to win general elections.

[Goredho 17154]

12 minutes ago, CO Horn said:

I think CO is pretty solid blue at the state level. There has only been one republican governor since 1975.  At the Congressional District level, District 4 & 5 are solid red.  Boebert's 3rd district is the most vulnerable in my opinion.  We'll see what happens in the new 8th Congressional District.

Most of the not-liberals living in rural Colorado that I know are libertarian types vs religious zealots.  They (at least those that are female) are more pissed off about Roe v Wade being overturned than they were about mask mandates and a liberal governor's heavy response to covid (and they were plenty pissed about that).  It will be interesting to see where they throw their weight this fall.

[Chewbacca 7612]

57 minutes ago, CO Horn said:

I think CO is pretty solid blue at the state level. There has only been one republican governor since 1975.  At the Congressional District level, District 4 & 5 are solid red.  Boebert's 3rd district is the most vulnerable in my opinion.  We'll see what happens in the new 8th Congressional District.

I'm really hoping (although it's likely futile) that the Dem candidate in Boebert's newly drawn district can put up a strong fight and take her out.  Every time she opens her mouth, that stupid bitch embarrasses this state.  I cannot fathom looking at her as a candidate for ANY office and saying to myself "Yep, that's the one.  She's my candidate."

[Chewbacca 7612]

39 minutes ago, Goredho said:

Most of the not-liberals living in rural Colorado that I know are libertarian types vs religious zealots.  They (at least those that are female) are more pissed off about Roe v Wade being overturned than they were about mask mandates and a liberal governor's heavy response to covid (and they were plenty pissed about that).  It will be interesting to see where they throw their weight this fall.

I dunno, at least in Grand County there were plenty that were all fired up about mask mandates and the librul (and gay) governor and how he was trying to ruin their lives.  And Grand is not quite 50/50 split (leans R), but it's pretty close.

[Smax 3799]

Check out Alpine County, liberal AND in the Sierras. Honestly it sounds pretty good:

A rural county in heart of red California votes more like San Francisco. Here’s why

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-06-05/alpine-county-democratic-speck-in-rural-california-republicans?_amp=true

Beautiful country, was there last October exploring.

[Goredho 17154]

14 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

I dunno, at least in Grand County there were plenty that were all fired up about mask mandates and the librul (and gay) governor and how he was trying to ruin their lives.  And Grand is not quite 50/50 split (leans R), but it's pretty close.

The railing I see against the governor in conservative-leaning people from Park, Fremont and Custer counties has nothing to do with him being gay.  It has to do with government intrusion into their lives in the form of lockdowns and mask mandates (which I generally supported until everyone had an opportunity for a vaccine).  These people are libertarians, not religious fanatics.  They are not giving a standing ovation to the supreme court overturning Roe v Wade.  The women among them are as vociferously pissed off about Roe v Wade as they were about mask mandates.
 

[Chewbacca 7612]

12 minutes ago, Goredho said:

The railing I see against the governor in conservative-leaning people from Park, Fremont and Custer counties has nothing to do with him being gay.  It has to do with government intrusion into their lives in the form of lockdowns and mask mandates (which I generally supported until everyone had an opportunity for a vaccine).  These people are libertarians, not religious fanatics.  They are not giving a standing ovation to the supreme court overturning Roe v Wade.  The women among them are as vociferously pissed off about Roe v Wade as they were about mask mandates.
 

In Grand, it depends on where in the county you are.  The closer to WP you get, the more moderate people are.  Kremmling is Trumplandia.

[Beau Vine 53625]

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

In Grand, it depends on where in the county you are.  The closer to WP you get, the more moderate people are.  Kremmling is Trumplandia.

Not complicated.

 

[Chewbacca 7612]

3 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Not complicated.

 

Yeah, that's why we're on the WP end of the county.  Well, that and the resort...