California Woman Moves To Texas For Freedom, Returns Citing High Costs And Political Exhaustion

[discocrisco01]

A woman from California who moved to Texas because of the COVID-19
vaccine mandate returned after four months because Texas was expensive
and everyone was obsessed with politics.

In an essay sent to Business Insider, Kellee Speakman, 50, said she
moved with her family from Temecula, California, to the Dallas-Fort
Worth area in March 2022. She said she moved to the Lone Star state
because her brother was moving there too, but also because of some
California policies.

“I was being told that as a teacher, I was going to have to get the
COVID-19 vaccine, and I didn’t want it,” Speakman wrote. “I
consider myself to be pretty conservative. There are a lot of
California policies I’m not in favor of.” She added that many
people were moving to Texas at the time saying there was “freedom”
in the state.

Soon, she realized that Texas was not as cheap as she had been told.
She said that it was true that Texas has no income taxes, but the
property taxes were “horrific” and services were more expensive.

Read more at https://www.reformaustin.org/lifestyle/california-woman-moves-to-texas-for-freedom-returns-citing-high-costs-and-political-exhaustion/

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Idiot. Is she as dumb as she acts? Obviously. To go through a move and not know all of these facts on the ground

in TX before pulling up stakes in Calif? Like they say, the grass on the other side of the fence oftentimes isn't as green as it seems to look.

[RidinWithHarris]

3. It would be one thing if she were a young, single apartment dweller

But the article says she's 50 and has a family, and since she's bitching about relative property taxes, probably went through the hassle to sell a house, buy a house, and moving a houseful of stuff.

She's way too much of an idiot to be involved in teaching.

[Tanuki]

27. You just reminded me of a book by the late humorist Erma Bombeck,

entitled "The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank"!

[jimfields33]

32. And now when she buys a home in California, the property taxes will start with the new one.

She won’t be protected with the property tax protection proposition that was passed. She messed up big time.

[obamanut2012]

36. She didn't sell her ranch in CA

[SWBTATTReg]

43. Ha ha heh...appropriately named! I always liked her too, she was pretty good.

[UpInArms]

2. Duh

Texas … I left there 31 years ago … have never regretted it

[LauraInLA]

7. I think we need to form an expat/survivor club. I'm 29 years clean.

[UpInArms]

19. In 1990, I walked down congress avenue... taking back Texas

with Ann Richards ….

It was tragic when bush and Karl rove destroyed everything

[LauraInLA]

25. Miss Ann Richards and Molly Ivins every day.

[Skittles]

26. I was working on Congress Avenue then

[TexLaProgressive]

51. A man I know worked as a civil servant in TX government

When Bush became governor he had to retire early because he couldn't take the change of how things were done. Too mean, too nasty, without anything real happening.

He said Ann got stuff done and the staff were cheerful. This guy was a career public servant who worked under both D and R governors, but Bush and Rove were just too much.

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

22. I lived on Carswell base housing and then we moved to Camp Bowie Blvd.

[LauraInLA]

24. I'm a border brat from El Paso. My mother was the Republican county chairwoman in the Nixon era.

She was shocked when they came to town and asked how much it would cost to buy the Eastside. She thought only Democrats did things like that. I was the first Democrat in my family since the Depression, but my mother voted for Obama before she died.

[mountain grammy]

55. 40 years last April

Best move I ever made.

[senseandsensibility]

4. If Temecula is too liberal for her

she does belong in TX. Also, most people who move to TX or wherever after selling their home in CA for a lot of money can't afford to move back. By the time they figure it out, the prices in CA have climbed out of their reach. Maybe prices in Temecula are much lower than the rest of the state, but I don't know how they compare to TX.

[haele]

13. Mortgage is higher, but property taxes are half the cost.

Unless you own livestock or allow drilling on your land, you don't get a lot of exemptions. And if you want to live in a large town or city, there's more hidden costs and crime.
If she's a dedicated teacher, she won't like the public schools there. Of course, if she's from Temecula, she's had to deal with the anglo middle class Taliborn-again church crowd that likes to think they run the area -unless, of course, she was one of them.
Which I suspect she was - "problems with politics in California" tends to be code for " I'm fearful of those Liberal Commies in charge who are giving criminal, immigrants and drug users everything with out tax dollars while they take away our Bibles and our Guns".

Haele

[Jerry2144]

5. Texas is an awesome state to be FROM

Horrible state to currently live in due to lack of freedom

[pecosbob]

16. I'm proud to be an expatriate Texan.

Loved growing up there, but could no longer stand to live there.

[Jerry2144]

34. exactly my point.

But it looks like it's turning Blue. We're overcoming the voter repression and voter suppression. PErhaps within the next 10 years, it will be less extreme due to more diverse voting population

[UpInArms]

59. I lived in Amarillo when it had a democratic representative

I worked for a democratic sheriff in Gray County … he held that office for 32 years …

I weep for what it has become

[leftieNanner]

6. And how about those power/electric bills?

I understand that they can be astronomical because of the privately owned power grid.

We have been invited to a wedding in Texas next year and it's gonna take some willpower for me to go.

[Lonestarblue]

8. Which city would the wedding be in?

If you can ignore the politics for a bit, some areas are great to visit.

[leftieNanner]

10. Austin

I just hate spending even one dollar in a state with Paxton, Abbott, and Patrick at the helm.

[Lonestarblue]

14. I understand the desire, but Austin is a fun city to visit.

I always take visitors to the LBJ Library. I think I’ve been there six times now and I love every visit. Plus it’s on the University of Texas campus, so you can tour that, too. The football stadium is enormous.

Usually with weddings you don’t have a lot of free time, but there are also areas outside of Austin that are interesting: the LBJ ranch in Johnson City, Fredericksburg (settled by Germans), the Flat Creek Winery if you’re into wine (northwest of Austin), and of course many excellent restaurants in Austin.

Franklin Barbecue is famous (and delicious) but the lines are long. County Line on the Lake isn’t quite as famous but still good and easier to get into. And my personal favorite us Loro, a collaboration between Aaron Franklin and Tyson Cole who has two excellent restaurants, Uchi and Uchiko. If anyone suggests the Oasis at Lake Travis, go for drinks on one of the decks overlooking the deck—gorgeous views and sunsets—but skip dinner there (or lunch). Food is mediocre.

Obviously I live in Austin, so let me know if you want more info!

[Bluesaph]

40. My husband and I are thinking of moving to Houston

For retirement. I have so many questions. It would be he and I and our 21 year old son at first. Then our three daughters, their husbands and all the grandkids.

We own our home in California and if we sell it we can buy two houses in Texas and rent one out as additional retirement income.

The idea is that the kids will be able to afford to buy houses in Houston suburbs whereas they cannot anywhere in California. And we are a BIG BLUE VOTING FAMILY!

But do you know whether people can get solar panels with the wind and hail? Like what if we store our own power?

Also, I’ve been here in the summer and it’s humid but the heat is no different than chino hills. But what really are the winters like? I mean I remember the winter from hell a few years ago but is that the norm?

Thanks if you have time to reply.

[Lonestarblue]

41. I'm not fond of Houston because of its heat, humidity, and traffic.

California has so little humidity compared with Texas and a coastal city like Houston especially, and it is very hot in summer. Even in the hill country of Austin, we’ve had summers with triple-digit heat for over 90 days. Houston also gets bashed by hurricanes every few years.

Houston does have some wonderful cultural attractions, and if you’re used to the snarls of LA traffic, you might not find Houston’s traffic daunting. There are some lovely communities north of Houston, and prices are probably better than in California. One thing to be aware of in Texas is that while we have no state income tax, property taxes and sales taxes are high. The state is not particularly generous with public education, preferring to put the burden on property owners and the predictable result is that wealthy areas have great schools while poor ones do not. Middle class tend to be okay.

Also, depending on the community, some areas around Houston, as in most cities in Texas, are rabidly MAGA, and their schools have become targets of people like Moms for Liberty. Here’s an article describing what has been happening in some schools.

I don’t know how much the politics of a community would influence your decision, but it’s there. I remember in early 2017 doing the Women’s March in Austin that several men with assault weapons were along the route trying to intimidate marchers, even in Democratic Austin. That attitude has not gone away. In my neighborhood in northwest Austin, I do not discuss politics with my neighbors because they are mostly right-wing Republicans.

All that said, I’ve lived in Austin for 20 years and enjoyed it, though the heat, the traffic, and the politics are making it less enjoyable. Before moving, I would spend at least some part of August in Houston to see if you like it. That tends to be the hottest, most humid month. You might also google neighborhoods you think you might be interested in and see if there has been political controversy in their schools that would concern you. And, of course, compare property taxes for different neighborhoods. They can be a big surprise. When I moved to Texas years ago from a New England state, the property taxes on the house in Texas were considerably higher than on my higher value property in New England—a big shock.

Best of luck, and let me know if I can provide any into to help.

Edited to post the article I mentioned above.
https://www.texasobserver.org/school-board-pacs-consultants-right-wing/

[Bluesaph]

42. Thank you 🙏🏽 so much.

I will for sure go in August next year to make sure. Where we live we have three plus months of triple digit temps and it is horrible. And I’ve lived in Costa Rica and am used to humidity. The rest of my family not so much!

The taxes is a big issue and the schools. So I will definitely look into all that.

Thanks again for taking the time to give such thorough advice.

[LeftInTX]

44. Why Houston? Conroe is nicer but very red.

The weather all over Texas sucks. It sucks less in the mountains, but not many people live there.

The Hill Country/Austin area is popular with Californians followed by the Dallas area. In San Antonio many came for cheap homes and got stuck in overcrowded neighborhoods with bad traffic.

[Bluesaph]

46. Ocean

I need to live within an hour from my happy place.

[LeftInTX]

47. You may want to visit the Texas coast first

It's very different from CA's coast. In CA, we had hills right next to the coast and a small beach. We had caves and all sorts of interesting stuff. In Texas, you have a sandy plain that goes inland for about 50 miles. So, it's flat. When you get there, it's flat, deep sand. There is also alot of seaweed etc. The coast near Houston is sometimes muddyThere are no caves, no geological formations, just sand. There are a few dunes in the Port Aransas area. It's also very hot and it's the only place in Texas where I get burnt. The Galveston beaches have a darkish tinge to the sand.

[Bluesaph]

53. This made me sad.

I don’t want to have to leave my beautiful state. But my kids need to be able to buy homes. And we need to retire. At least it’s closer for me to fly to Costa Rica for the winters. That’s the plan.

[LeftInTX]

54. When my son lived in Houston, he went to the beach about once or twice a year. (Sand castle contest)

My sister lived there for 30 years and never went. Hubby says Port Aransas is better, Galveston is kinda dirty.
Port Aransas (Corpus Christi ) is probably the best beach in the state. Corpus is red.

Some people like South Padre, but it's very touristy with lots of dog and loud music. (Think Panama City, Florida, but not 1/2 as nice) South Padre has tons of deep sand. South Padre is in a border town area. The population is 96.7% Mexican-American. So, that's something to think about if you have grandkids who are not. They have a few malls there, but don't have shopping like they do in Houston or San Antonio.

[Bluesaph]

56. And the schools!

My grandkids have been spoiled going to schools in an upper middle class California neighborhood. A lot to think about.

[LeftInTX]

57. My son lived in the University District with great public schools and very expensive homes.

They actually sold their house and rented an apartment because they wanted to live in a cultural area. They now live in Boerne (outside of San Antonio) because his boss said that he could live anywhere.

[mucholderthandirt]

61. Maybe check out North Carolina? Good schools, close to the beach, prices are reasonable. We're turning blue.

[LauraInLA]

9. If it's in Austin, you might enjoy it.

[leftieNanner]

11. It is.

I'm sure it will be a wonderful event with very dear friends.

[Wounded Bear]

12. People often make the mistake of thinking "low taxes" means low cost...

Yeah, generally places with low taxes tend to make up for that with fees and high costs in other areas. Low taxes might work for a company, but not so much for individuals. Companies that move for lower taxes usually move because such areas have lower wages, too.

The old saying used to be: It's a great place to be from...far from.

[DBoon]

17. People often make the mistake of thinking "no income tax" means "no taxes"

TX property taxes and a zillion fees will kill you

[FHRRK]

15. lol, she likely did well enough in CA, so kept her house in CA

Thus she was able to move back.

I moved to CA almost 40 years ago, buddy went the Texas route. We both bought houses we still live in 30 years ago. I paid slightly more. With appreciation, mine is worth much more now, factor in increased utility costs, increased property taxes, and he paid a premium of about $2,500 per month or roughly over $1,000,000 to live in Texas.

Gen. Sheridan said it 150 years ago, “if I owned Texas and Hell, I would live in Hell and rent out Texas.”

Limited natural beauty, horrible weather, full of millions of ignorant people who somehow believe the place is a gift from God.

[markodochartaigh]

31. In 1977 I bought a two bedroom frame house in

Amarillo for $13,500. My cousin bought a two bedroom house in San Jose for $77,000. I rented the house out most of those years, for between $350-$600 a month. Taxes were about $1,000 a year. When repairs were getting to be too much I sold it in 2019 for $50,000. My cousin's house is worth more than $1,000,000.

Rarely is it mentioned that since salaries for the working class haven't kept up with inflation (or productivity), many people have been unable to save. What made up for that in coastal cities was the price appreciation on houses. Much of the "flyover" country has been left behind. The last decade much of Texas has started to catch up. But a lot of the country is still far behind, older people realize that they have missed out.

[LeftInTX]

37. Someone in San Antonio paid $10,000 for a bungalow near downtown SA in 1976. Worth about $700,000 now

Gentrification

[markodochartaigh]

38. Location, Location, Location

n/t

[Tikki]

18. Plus depending where you live in Texas it can be very hot and very cold and very HUMID.

I just can’t handle the humidity.
I did it for a year when my husband was drafted into the Army and we spent the last year
of his service in Western Central Louisiana.

The Central Valley of California can have some summer humidity, though.

Tikki

[sakabatou]

49. I refuse to go outside in high humidity

But a swimming pool? I'm game.

[dchill]

20. Grass is always greener...

[turbinetree]

21. ........

[Dem2theMax]

23. Who let her back in?

[Klarkashton]

28. Temecula is a weekend town for drinking in the cooler

Months. It's basically a shitty place with no other "fun"

[shanti]

39. It does have several wineries

So there is a tourism business. My oldest son lives in Temecula. And yes, it's everything people say it is! I couldn't live there despite growing up in SoCal. NorCal is more my vibe.

[OAITW r.2.0]

29. Free Lunch" Republicans.

Turns out, there is no "free lunch".

[Scrivener7]

30. I doubt California wants her unvaccinated ass back.

[AllyCat]

33. So...what's everyone having for dinner tonight?

[Hugin]

35. I had an interesting innovation as a side...

I had a serving of a wild rice mix and a serving of camp style beans as left-overs. I threw them together and had two servings of dirty camp rice!

Pretty good. It might've been better if the beans were ranch style. But such is life.

[republianmushroom]

45. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence.

[sakabatou]

48. This is why you do your homework before moving!

And not getting the CV-19 vaccine, and wanting to be a teacher? How much more of an idiot can she be?

[Tree Lady]

50. I could have told her that

my daughter lives in San Antonio and her property tax is very high. Food & gas are cheaper but thats about it. Her utilities are pretty high too.

As soon as her younger son finishes high school in two years they are moving back to CA where she was raised. Will cost a lot more in price of housing but prop taxes won't be as high.

[Demovictory9]

52. Every Calif crime story.. there are "Newsom will let the perp out if jail" type posts, ignoring same type crimes in TX,

Texas Florida have nonstop major crime stories..Dad kills whole family type stuff bimut the MAgAs don't blame Desantis/Abbott

[JI7]

60. On social media whenever it's something in a red state there is no comment about politics

but even a story of drunk diving accident in california or other blue state will have replies blaming Newsom or other Democrats.

I saw things like " Biden's america" as if drunk driving crashes never happened before.

These must be misersble people that just live online .

[Demovictory9]

62. Exactly!!! Its like the comments when perp is Black or brown "usual suspects"

I have noticed a push back where folks are posting "usual suspects" when perp is white..confusing some of the online racists. Lol

[LeftInTX]

58. It's like moving to Texas from Wisconsin because you like summer.

"I wanted summer, not hades!"

[The Bopper]

63. Florida is worse

Not only sky high local taxes, food prices 30% higher than home, it’s tollways everywhere, and my $35 a day rental car is actually $82 because of all the local fees. Let’s not talk about insurance.

[Vinca]

64. Did she get to experience the freedom from electricity for days after it snows?