Moving to Texas from California was not a decision our family took lightly. My husband and I weighed every angle, thought of a million scenarios, talked endlessly about “what ifs”. It was exhausting. Doing what feels right for your family, may not feel right to everyone in your life. We were met with a lot of criticism. It’s like people thought we made the decision in 32.5 seconds while on the potty during a commercial break. So I wanted to do a post about some main arguments I used when discussing our move. A side note- I just finished reading “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck“(may come in handy if you are considering a move across the United States).

Keep in mind that I have so many arguments as to why this move was right for our family, but this doesn’t mean that it is perfect for your family. Every family is different and therefore prioritizes differently. This is just a small reasoning about a family of native Californians making Texas home.

We were met with these questions/comments over and over from our California faithfuls. Here is my 2 cents on each question/comment.

Comment: But it’s so ugly in Texas. California is so much prettier. 

I know it seems silly, but this is the one comment we heard over and over. 

3 words: COST. OF. LIVING.

While I do love the beautiful landscapes of California- the ocean and the forests, I cannot justify staying in California because of its beauty. There are other pressing issues that we have at this point in our life- mainly the cost of living. Being able to drive to the beach is wonderful. Living amongst the redwoods is beautiful. I will not discount California’s beauty in any way, but I cannot justify the cost of living. 

According to bestplaces.net (You can click on this link and compare two cities that interest you), I compared the cost of living:  

We bought our home in Flower Mound for right around the median home cost. 

Our critics will say:

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Question: Why don’t you live in a cheaper city in California- then we can be close?

According to liveability.com the most affordable city in California to live in is Oxnard, California. The two things I concern myself with are schools & safety:

1. How good are the schools in an area that we can afford to live in?
2. How safe is the area we could afford to live in?

Livability says, “The median household income [in Oxnard, California] is $62,349 with median home value settling at $332,600, which is actually a great deal for California real estate.” 

How about the schools? According to greatschools.org (screenshots taken 9/14/2018, click on the great schools link for updated information): 

Here is some information on the greatschools.org rating system.

Oxnard, CA:

Flower Mound, TX

So while it might be the same cost to purchase a home in Oxnard, California- schools are simply better in Texas.

Another metric is crime rates: (taken from Sperlings Best Places) 

Additionally, according to a study, “The town of Flower Mound has been ranked in the Top 10 Safest Cities in America by the National Council for Home Safety and Security. Flower Mound came in at No. 7 in the list, the only Texas municipality in the top 30. The No. 1 safest city according to the report, went to Thornton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.”

 Affordability. Schools. Safety. 

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Question: When will we ever see you?

It’s really not that expensive to fly. Here is a screenshot of flights between SFO/SJC and Dallas. These flights are round trip found on google flights: 

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Question: Why Flower Mound, Texas?

Here is the town’s 2017 annual report.

Here is an excerpt from the town’s website: 

Town Yearly Awards – 2018