Is Texas GA friendly?

Rykymus

Rykymus

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Rykymus
Wife and I are looking to move out of CA to escape both its state income tax and its general insanity. We're seriously looking at Texas with an eye on the greater Austin area. (We want to buy an acre or two outside of the city and build.)

Anyone know if the state is GA friendly? It doesn't look like they charge property tax on personal aircraft.

Also, any recommendations on best areas for climate and humidity in Texas would be appreciated.
 
I live in NC but I do know two things. Number One. God Blessed Texas with his own hands. And Number Two. California is the land of fruits and nuts. Draw your own conclusions...
 
I have nothing to add having only flown to Texas a handful of times. I will say the number of POA guys that meet up in TX regularly makes me jealous and one of these days (if these guys increase their notice a bit) I'm going to fly all the way down to crash one. I'll probably plan on sleeping under one of @SixPapaCharlie 's wings. Hell, he has 4 to choose from.
 
regarding the climate...assuming you don't want hot and humid then there's just one choice...the texas hill country. it gets warm...hot even...but very low humidity most of the year. THC is the area roughly encompassing Burnett==>San Antonio==>Junction. the only GA airport i've enountered was in my pre-instruction days at Fredericksburg, TX.
 
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Check out Georgetown TX KGTU. It's a great little city just north of austin. KGTU is a towered municipal GA airport. I'm a life long austin area resident.
 
are you retired or do you need to be near a city or?
do you need to be within x miles of a major center for other reasons? (ask your wife this too)
want close access to medical care?
what climate are you used to, how do you want that changed or does that matter?
do you want to be in a place with regular airport gatherings, or just a good paved strip, or what else? Residential airpark?
what type of people do you like to be around? rural/city; liberal/conservative?
 
The state itself is GA friendly IMO. Lots of great small airports all over the state. One thing I haven't seen though is a big GA culture like exists in at least areas like San Diego and Palo Alto. At least around here, we don't have GA airports covered up with small planes, and no clubs with the sort of access and membership some friends have out in Cali.
 
SUUUUUUUPER GA friendly but if you are over 30, I would avoid Austin. Er... Actually if you are coming from CA, Austin is sort of California lite so it might work for you. When I go there, I don't fit in (my problem not the Austinites)

@Radar Contact, you can sleep under one of my wings any time. Or if you pass through this way, we have space ;) Happy to have you.

North of Dallas, you get away from the hipsters and the Jonses and get closer to the really good schools (If that is important)
West of Dallas and Ft worth is an area full of fantastic people and great schools. Still building new houses for not a lot of money.

I would recommend to anyone coming to Texas from anywhere else to look into the town of Keller.

But to your point, GA is thriving in Texas.
 
Texas is terrific for GA. Lots of great, sparsely used airports, plenty of wide open spaces to explore by air.

We love South Texas. No winter, ever -- the top is permanently down on the convertible. Of course, in the summer you've got humidity -- but out on Mustang Island, where we live, the thermometer rarely tops 90. That's a damn-sight better than inland, where triple digits aren't uncommon.

No income tax ain't bad. We have lots of California imports on the island.
 
It's very GA friendly. North Texas is particularly hot and humid from June through September but other than that the weather is usually great here.
 
I am based at KGTU and it is a great airport. Austin is beyond weird. Trying to make it illegal to walk and text. How far out of town? Still working and need to commute into Austin? Austin is a 3 lane city with 5 to 6 lane traffic. It is horrendous and mainly due to the hippies of the 60's not wanting anyone to move here. I live in Round Rock, a suburb and in the last twenty years I have been to downtown Austin less then ten times. No desire to go anywhere down there. Leslie is dead but there are plenty of other nuts to replace him.
Property taxes are high as is the sales tax but nothing like CA. You will be able to buy a LOT more house here. Now the real downer. Hangar's. There are NONE, ZERO, NADA with the exception of a few spots in community hangars. Waiting lists are very long. In fact when I asked to put on the list at Georgetown, the guy asked how old I was and then he said I would be dead before something opened...seriously. I was able to speak with one of the FBO's and got real friendly with the receptionist and by persistence and luck was able to secure a T Hangar. Hint, you have to go in at least once a week, treat the ladies like ladies and magic happens.
If you are retired and insist on the Hill Country, then I would look at Kerrville, Burnet, Fredricksburg (no hangars available) several fly in communities in the San Antonio area etc. Depends upon your budget but there are hidden gems like Blanco Landing at Blanco...not cheap but very nice. If you go up towards the Dallas area there is Pecan Plantation, Bourland, Hicks, and a multitude of airport communities near the DFW metroplex. You will find most airports to be sleepy with little traffic but friendly (please don't come in with the attitude of "we did it this way in CA"...remember your trying to escape there...don't bring it here). We are friendly and trusting and respectful and we just expect the same in return.

Weather...It is HOT. It is Texas, seriously just wait a day and it will be different. Austin is on the edge of the gulf coast humidity. Winter in this area is about four weeks and when it gets into the 30's everyone is dying. I grew in NE Texas and it was more four seasons there.

If you come to the Austin area to look, let us know and just about everyone will be willing to show you around.
 
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Rykymus said:
Wife and I are looking to move out of CA to escape both its state income tax and its general insanity. We're seriously looking at Texas with an eye on the greater Austin area. (We want to buy an acre or two outside of the city and build.)

Anyone know if the state is GA friendly? It doesn't look like they charge property tax on personal aircraft.

Also, any recommendations on best areas for climate and humidity in Texas would be appreciated.
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Yes, Texas is GA friendly. Lookup how many airport we have. East Texas is the greenest area of Texas. Lots of lakes. Very laid back. Lots of low cost land compared to Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio
 
A pretty ok breakout on climate in different regions of state:
http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/texas_climate_descriptions.htm

We are in NE TX, Tyler - extremely humid, but uber green and very affordable. 07F advertises T-hangers at 65/mo. KTYR has community space around 225. Tyler area is pretty, and economically robust. But humid as all hell. With your Cali money you can live like a KING!

I echoe Keller area if you need to be near DFW -- Hill Country, Austin area is cool too depending on your druthers.

Here's a graphic to help get a handle on the diff climate regions.

IMG_0271.PNG
 
I don't know if it is poor marketing advice, or an indication of how many refugees there are here, but some guy just opened a "California style" Mexican restaurant. My son asked what California style is. I told him every recipe starts with one cup sour cream.

If you want to avoid humidity, stay west. Alpine, Marfa, or the panhandle. Or El Paso if you need a big city.

If you can handle the humidity, Austin or San Antonio; lots of air parks around. Coast is nice too, as Jay pointed out.
 
Minus property tax, check out NH too, pretty state and its also rather GA friendly.
 
Texas won't tax your airplanes, they're far to busy taxing your house. Plan for 2% or more depending on how nice a town you like. Keller, for example, is rocking 2.6%
 
No sales tax on aircraft purchase, as long as it is an "occasional sale" - basically, the seller is not selling a bunch of 'em and neither buyer nor seller has a Sales Tax Permit. More to it, but easy to comply.
 
Oh Lordy. I guess I travel too much and meet too many people. Austin is neat. Much better than the Dallas/ ft worth area. Then again, I don't care much for mega traffic.

I have gay clients in California and redneck clients in the south. I could never move somewhere in the US for political reasons. There just isn't that much of a difference to me. Then again I enjoy meeting people and talking. At some point, I always get weirded out by some political bs used to keep the local politicians in power. (Meeting a local KKK member once was the whckiest of all- tops seeing two guys kiss is CA by a lot. )
 
I was born and raised in south central Texas. We must have had kidneys the size of basketballs. As soon as I walked out the door the sweat pops out. I usually got the water hose and went ahead and soaked my clothes just to get it over with, because with the humidity you will sweat out clothing shortly.

I miss the Texas friendly. When I go back to visit the area I grew up in, I can't pull over on the side of the road to pee without 2 or 3 or more trucks stopping and asking if I need help. (not help to pee)

Now a lot of foreigners (people not born in Texas) have moved in. The real Texans are still friendly to them but don't trust them. If you ever need a hand with something, approach a real Texan with your hat in hand and don't be afraid to ask. When they ask you for help in return then you are almost accepted. If you see a real Texan neighbor working in the yard, don't ask if he needs help, just jump in and help. A real Texan won't invite you to a bar-b-que. More than likely he will just tell you that the feed bag goes on at 7. Don't bring wine, bring beer. Learn who Bob Wills and Hank Williams were.

The Hill country is a pretty area. So is the Pedernales River area. If the property you buy has an old barn on it, keep it. 5 acres will look better than 1 or 2. Horses are not required anymore, but a few cows on the property looks normal. Don't read the Wall Street Journal while at Dairy Queen. That is a dead give away that you are not from the area. Learn how to pronounce Waxahachie and Mexia. If you don't already, learn to like high school football.

Most importantly...... when you tell people you are from California, say it apologetically.

Darn, now I have made myself homesick....:frown3::lol::lol:

You will enjoy the country of Texas.
 
Zeldman said:
I can't pull over on the side of the road to pee without 2 or 3 or more trucks stopping and asking if I need help. (not help to pee)
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When they ask, "Need a hand?" they're not really asking if you need help. Well, not exactly, anyway.

Nauga,
who has lived in a lot of places
 
Was the point of this thread GA friendly or GAY friendly? I think @brian] is a bit off on his assessment.

Not to mention that anyone who thinks Dallas and Fort Worth are remotely similar just hasn't spent much time in either. <- So says the dude who lived in SoCal until he was 33
 
Not a lot of tax in Texas, despite the slogan "Deep in the heart of Taxes", that's because they make it up in speed traps.
 
Ravioli said:
Was the point of this thread GA friendly or GAY friendly? I think @brian] is a bit off on his assessment.

Not to mention that anyone who thinks Dallas and Fort Worth are remotely similar just hasn't spent much time in either. <- So says the dude who lived in SoCal until he was 33
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I have family in the area with a sister in Arlington. I remember when there was a Dallas and a ft worth. Now it is just "Dallas" (as one of my clients lamented this past week).

I have family that works in ft worth. Once a year they have a few things to say about their gay pride day. Family my age usually. The next generation appears to be a little more open to other walks of life then mine. Time will tell.
 
tinerj said:
Not a lot of tax in Texas, despite the slogan "Deep in the heart of Taxes", that's because they make it up in speed traps.
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Several at my company call Texas taxus for a reason. It takes a lot of money to build roads and things. Also a reason they have taxes collected by private companies- something called a toll.
 
When I lived in Texas, I thought sales tax was high, until I moved to New Mexico...

But they don't call it sales tax here, it's called gross receipts tax....I guess someone thought that sounded less invasive...
 
My property taxes are almost 3% of the total home value. It's crazy
 
Lot's of replies, thanks. To meet the requests for further clarification, more details below:

I want out of CA because of the state income tax, and all the property taxes on aircraft, boats, etc... (I have to pay $1200/yr to the county plus $800/yr to the state for my plane!) I don't mind paying taxes, but CA spends money like drunken idiots on stuff I don't agree with. I'm also tired of all the liberals (mostly young people) who want everything to be free and for it to be paid for by those of us who work for our money. CA is a beautiful state, but it's politicians are out of control. Next up...single payer health care. (Don't get me started.) Overall, I'd call us social liberals with a closet conservative slant, but definitely fiscally conservative.

We currently live in Stockton CA, and the weather here is acceptable to my wife. She is not a big fan of the 100+ summer days, but it's not very humid here. (She cannot tolerate high humidity at all.) She was born and raised in the Ukraine, and would like someplace with more pronounced seasonal changes, although she is afraid of having to drive in the snow. While I easily adapt to anyplace/anyone/anything, my wife is far less adaptable. She is a challenge, in the sense that she wants green, but doesn't want snow and rain. (Uh, not sure how that works.) She wants to be someplace that is more centrally located in regards to the US, so that we can reach travel destinations more easily by small plane.

We are looking to buy a few acres outside of a city that is big enough to have all the basic shopping needed, but small enough that traffic is not an issue. (Probably under 300k pop.) We'd also like to be within an hour or two drive of a major city, for those times when we want what big cities offer. Our goal is to build a 3600 sq/ft custom home (that we designed) and create a sort of "stay-cation" paradise. We're not terribly social people (my wife almost anti-social). We pretty much just want to live our lives in peace and quiet. My wife wants to work (she works part-time as a bookkeeper and enjoys that), not because we need the money but because she feels better working. (It's a mental thing.) I am self-employed and work from home, and all I need is a small office with a good internet connection. Budget isn't really the issue, although I'd like to keep things as reasonable as we can. I'm not as much concerned with the cost of land acquisition/construction as I am with ongoing operational costs, as although business is booming for me, you just never know.

I'd like for an airport and golf course to be nearby, and I'd love if there was an ice rink with adult recreational hockey within an hour's drive. (But the later is not a deal breaker, as I don't see myself continuing playing hockey for more than a decade at this point.)

Oh, and my wife is natural disaster adverse. See my problems?
 
Zeldman said:
When I lived in Texas, I thought sales tax was high, until I moved to New Mexico...

But they don't call it sales tax here, it's called gross receipts tax....I guess someone thought that sounded less invasive...
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The lack of state income tax in Texas more than makes up for it.

When I moved to NM from Texas in '96, the sales tax delta was almost 3%, but now our tax is almost even (within about 1point depending on the area).


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Rykymus said:
Lot's of replies, thanks. To meet the requests for further clarification, more details below:

I want out of CA because of the state income tax, and all the property taxes on aircraft, boats, etc... (I have to pay $1200/yr to the county plus $800/yr to the state for my plane!) I don't mind paying taxes, but CA spends money like drunken idiots on stuff I don't agree with. I'm also tired of all the liberals (mostly young people) who want everything to be free and for it to be paid for by those of us who work for our money. CA is a beautiful state, but it's politicians are out of control. Next up...single payer health care. (Don't get me started.) Overall, I'd call us social liberals with a closet conservative slant, but definitely fiscally conservative.

We currently live in Stockton CA, and the weather here is acceptable to my wife. She is not a big fan of the 100+ summer days, but it's not very humid here. (She cannot tolerate high humidity at all.) She was born and raised in the Ukraine, and would like someplace with more pronounced seasonal changes, although she is afraid of having to drive in the snow. While I easily adapt to anyplace/anyone/anything, my wife is far less adaptable. She is a challenge, in the sense that she wants green, but doesn't want snow and rain. (Uh, not sure how that works.) She wants to be someplace that is more centrally located in regards to the US, so that we can reach travel destinations more easily by small plane.

We are looking to buy a few acres outside of a city that is big enough to have all the basic shopping needed, but small enough that traffic is not an issue. (Probably under 300k pop.) We'd also like to be within an hour or two drive of a major city, for those times when we want what big cities offer. Our goal is to build a 3600 sq/ft custom home (that we designed) and create a sort of "stay-cation" paradise. We're not terribly social people (my wife almost anti-social). We pretty much just want to live our lives in peace and quiet. My wife wants to work (she works part-time as a bookkeeper and enjoys that), not because we need the money but because she feels better working. (It's a mental thing.) I am self-employed and work from home, and all I need is a small office with a good internet connection. Budget isn't really the issue, although I'd like to keep things as reasonable as we can. I'm not as much concerned with the cost of land acquisition/construction as I am with ongoing operational costs, as although business is booming for me, you just never know.

I'd like for an airport and golf course to be nearby, and I'd love if there was an ice rink with adult recreational hockey within an hour's drive. (But the later is not a deal breaker, as I don't see myself continuing playing hockey for more than a decade at this point.)

Oh, and my wife is natural disaster adverse. See my problems?
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Look in the New Braunfels area. Other than our island, it's our favorite part of Texas, and we fly there often..


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brian] said:
Oh Lordy. I guess I travel too much and meet too many people. Austin is neat. Much better than the Dallas/ ft worth area. Then again, I don't care much for mega traffic.
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Man alive, you haven't visited Austin lately, have you?

Someone above noted it - Austin has steadfastly refused to anticipate its growth with infrastructure, and the piper has called for payment. Austin's traffic makes the worst in Dallas look like child's play. There are no workarounds - you're just... stuck.

At this point, Dallas-Fort Worth's traffic is much (and I mean profoundly) less burdensome than Austin's. It's terrible.

nauga said:
When they ask, "Need a hand?" they're not really asking if you need help. Well, not exactly, anyway.
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Why do you say that? Most people I've seen stop to offer help, do so because they want to offer help.
 
tinerj said:
Not a lot of tax in Texas, despite the slogan "Deep in the heart of Taxes", that's because they make it up in speed traps.
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No income tax, but it's made up with property, school, and sales taxes.

In the end, the total tax bill for me was pretty close to the same between San Antonio and Virginia. Property cost less in Texas, but property tax was higher. Income comparable, income taxes less in Texas. Purchases were comparable - sales tax higher in San Antonio. Personal property tax - higher in Virginia (but no tax on planes were I was based).

In the end, Texas was comparable to Virginia but they got you in different ways. Texas is a LOT cheaper than California, though.
 
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