Escaping CA...Tx vs Co

[Keedman]

The wife and I have come to the conclusion we simply can't afford to stay in Los Angeles, we're born and raised here and having a hard time of leaving tbh.

But so far we've narrowed it down to 2 states. We like Texas for the massively lower cost of living and the ability to own a home to fit our growing family 4 kids and grandma. From my understanding if I hunt Tx I'm paying a guide/ranch. Which not against. But that's isn't a major point as I'm willing to travel to hunt.
Next is Colorado, we love it there, love the openness, the people, and overall vibe. Hunting cost would be reduced lol.

In short any opinions on areas to look into?
So far we like the idea of San Antonio, haven't been but will be making a extended weekend fly in to "scout" the area and overall vibe. We were sold on northern Denver, Broomfield Arvada area but we noticed housing isn't exactly low lol.

Thanks for any advice or tips.
Hope everyone is safe from fires and filling those tags.

 

[Kiwi1]

My wife and I have done two fact finding trips to Colorado Springs, and God willing, plan to retire there
We were concerned about a potentially liberal state, but CS seems to be a conservative bastion, with
1. A huge military presence
2. A large Christian population
When it snow there, it often clears in 1-2 days
We asked every person what they line there, and everyone said the outdoor life was the main drawer
I believe there are 500 hiking trails on All trails
The only negative is the cost of real estate- we are looking at a 1600' 3 bedroom which is going to be around 375-400k
Sales tax I believe is 4.3 percent, regardless of income
You could probably get more bang for your buck in Texas, but I wonder if humidity, hurricanes and Tornados would be problematic
All the best !


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[brsnow]

I enjoy CO and don’t complain about it like most on here. It is a great place to live and raise a family. I think the Denver metro area offers great balance of urban and outdoor life. My kids don’t play video games, they are outdoors kids. If you are a person who needs to be around people who think exactly like you then it might be the wrong place.

 

[txhunter581]

I would guess it depends on which way you slant politically. If you are conservative, Texas will be more to your liking. If liberal, then Colorado. That said, most of the people in the western half of CO are pretty conservative, but if you have to live in Denver, Boulder, etc ...........

As far as hunting, unless you primarily bow hunt, the seasons in CO are pretty short and you can travel to hunt there. That is what I do. But when I retire in 2 years, I will be switching to bow hunting and staying at my Colorado cabin for the month of September.

As far as hunting in Texas, yes, unless you are lucky you will have to pay, but I lease my ranch to some guys who have access and critters to hunt 365 days a year. From whitetail and turkeys, to feral hogs and exotic deer/antelope (all free range). They can take 4 whitetail, 4 turkeys, unlimited hogs and 1 exotic buck and some exotic does. The license for anything you want to hunt and fish is $68/yr.

 

[Fitzwho]

Texas born and bred. I live in Midland, which has better access than any of the big 5 as I call them (Ft Worth, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston). At least in terms of proximity to hunting the West, its basically 300 miles closer than any of those.

I would not suggest looking here as there isn’t much else to do and housing hasn’t really come down a whole lot.

Ft Worth and San Antonio are my favorite big cities in Texas. For having a smaller town feel while offering the services of a big city. I lived in Austin for 3 years after college, and there’s lots of outdoor activities (fishing, jogging/hiking trails, etc) there as well, but the traffic is horrible at times and I don’t align well with some of the politics there. I always used to say that if you are bored in Austin, it’s your own fault.

I have several friends that live in Colorado Springs. Its a god place to visit and I enjoy visiting. Other than the mountains, Denver reminds me too much of Houston.

What do you do, career wise?

 

[Pk_in_Dallas]

I live in a suburb north of Dallas. Texas is a great state but not the best when it comes to being a outdoorsmen friendly state especially if you are living near a urban center. You will have to have a lease to hunt deer, hogs, etc.

The positive is that the Texas is very conservative and the cost of living is lower than anything on the coasts. Seems like the cost of living here is definitely getting higher.

I would stick with Colorado. Housing is crazy high but I would stick with that if you can swing it.


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[browning2480]

Great fishing in Texas.

 

[Mt Al]

Have two friends who live in San Antonio and love it. Hunting is pay-for-play but they get to cull does and small bucks to fill the freezer. Fishing on the coast....it's awesome even if it's a long drive. If I moved from MT, doubtful, it would be first on my list and I'd get me a flats boat. My 2 cents.

 

[Ucsdryder]

If one of your big reasons for leaving is cost of living then why are you looking at Colorado? A 5 bedroom house will run you 600k +++++ depending on the area. Cost of living has sky rocketed here.

 

[brsnow]

If one of your big reasons for leaving is cost of living then why are you looking at Colorado? A 5 bedroom house will run you 600k +++++ depending on the area. Cost of living has sky rocketed here.

That will run 5 times as much in CA, all perspective

 

[Patton]

Texas is great, except for all the Californians coming here and voting the same way they did in California...

 

[gelton]

Do you have to live nearby a large city? Get away from the city centers and you can find affordability in Colorado. I personally just made the move to a rural community 3.5 years ago and would recommend it regardless of which state you choose. I am 1.5 hours south of DFW, 45 minutes from Waco, and 2 hours from Austin but still well off the beaten path.

Big cities tend to vote themselves into big government, taxation and the general ruin you see in other big cities across the country. Including San Antonio. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Edit - Also, if you get out and away from the big cities you can afford to buy yourself some land instead of relying on the "private ranches" in Texas...I am on 7 acres and have taken Turkey and Deer fairly regularly including the one below.

https://imgur.com/a/z5dSwCv

 

[b2one]

I lived in Texas for a little while after spending most of my life in Western States. Yes, you can pay to hunt, but still I felt claustrophobic because if I wasn't hunting (on someones private ranch), there were very few public land areas that you can just go and stretch your legs. The flip side of that is that the people we got to know there are hard to beat!

 

[Ucsdryder]

That will run 5 times as much in CA, all perspective

not true. I’ll find you a 5 bedroom in the outskirts of Bakersfield for half that. I’ll find you a 5 bedroom in Greenwood Village for 5x that. “It’s all perspective.”

 

[browning2480]

I lived in San Antonio for about 6 months and that was all I could take. I am not a big city person though. Probably will enjoy it if you are from Cali. Great place to visit.

 

[txhunter581]

I am waiting until you let us know if you are conservative or liberal before I vote

Update: Now that we know...... I voted for Colorado

 

[Gerard Marcaurele]

I’m from Tx and love it here because I’m close to family and friends. Don’t see myself leaving for those two reasons.

However, if I was contemplating a move Co would be #1 on my list. Been there twice and have yet to see countryside that I didn’t fall in love with. I really liked the Arvada/Wheat Ridge area, and their school system seems to be pretty solid.

I’ve had more fun hiking in Colorado than I ever have hunting Tx. Plus, I am more intrigued by mule deer than any other species, so I’d say I’m swayed to Co because of access to public land and opportunity for mule deer. If you’re the same way, I don’t see you being too happy in Tx.

 

[Mosby]

I wouldn't live in Denver unless I had too. Too much daily traffic for me and going west on 70 on weekends is a nightmare. I prefer smaller cities/towns in western Colorado personally for quality of life.

Ft. Worth used to be nice but it is becoming part of the Dallas metroplex. One big blob of humanity and traffic. San Antonio is ok to visit but there isn't much once you get out of town. Houston is hot and humid. Traffic is equal to LA but you have access to the gulf.

Places like Boulder, CO and Austin, TX tend to be pretty liberal, if that matters to you. People in large cities like Dallas and Houston are used to people moving in and out and don't care where you are from. People in smaller towns and cities in Texas do. Don't expect a welcome parade. Getting on a good lease in Texas can be difficult. There are a lot of bad ones.

I can live just about anywhere and deal with it. My wife hated living in Texas and we left after 3 1/2 years. I would look at a city like Kansas City before Denver or Dallas.

 

[brsnow]

not true. I’ll find you a 5 bedroom in the outskirts of Bakersfield for half that. I’ll find you a 5 bedroom in Greenwood Village for 5x that. “It’s all perspective.”

My clients all live in the South Bay Area and I have a pretty good idea on prices, I am sure if you look for less desirable places you can find less expensive.

 

[5MilesBack]

My wife and I have done two fact finding trips to Colorado Springs, and God willing, plan to retire there. We were concerned about a potentially liberal state, but CS seems to be a conservative bastion (El Paso County used to be a VERY conservative part of the state, but not anymore.)

The only negative is the cost of real estate- we are looking at a 1600' 3 bedroom which is going to be around 375-400k

Where are you finding that? Unless homes have gone up 50% in the last year that seems way high. We have a 3700' home on 1/2 acre and it appraised at $385k last year. Of course the guy next door bought his house 4 years ago and now has almost 3/4's of a million into it, and it's smaller than ours. So who knows these days.