General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI turn 60 in 16 days
Every one of those years I've lived in Texas. I used to love my state, in spite of its imperfections. When I was a boy and a young man, it was actually friendly. You'd hear a lot of folks mention how friendly Texans were.
Well, not anymore. The rabid right wing assholes have really been out since Reagan. They've obviously have come out more, first with the Tea Bagger movement, and then the MAGAT movement. The new abortion law has really put me over the edge. Last night, my wife talked to my 18 year old daughter about all of this. I sincerely fear for our women here
My older daughter and her fiance' moved to Oregon this summer. She's in a pretty conservative portion (the southern part) but she goes on about how everyone is so friendly. She said to me, "Dad, they aren't assholes." She found a job there, and she's treated like a human being. I'm so happy for her. I also have three Texan "ex-pats" friends who have moved to Oregon within the last five years or so. Two in Salem and one in Medford. They are loving it.
In four years, my wife and I can both be retired. I don't think my daughter is coming back here, and I wouldn't blame her. I want to move there. I know grandkids will be coming at some point, and that's an incentive. Plus, I love Oregon. I had been there before my daughter interviewed for her position, and I told her what a great place it was. She told me she absolutely agrees. My son and I have booked tickets to Eugene on October 21 to visit. Just can't wait.
So, if I can get my wife to agree (and that will be a chore, less so with a grandkid), I hope to be moving to Oregon by 2025. I will always be a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan, and I will tell you to go to hell when you bad mouth them. But, I will be a happy ex-pat in paradise. I know, no place is perfect, but I can't keep fighting anymore. The assholes here and our state government have beaten me down. It's going to be time to get out.
Budi
(15,325 posts)Make the move, my fellow Texan, I'm right behind you . I've 2 locations in mind & as I'm retired now, I want to live & die in a beautiful blue State.
Texas is frightening in a way I've never known in all my years.
Best to you~
LeftInTX
(24,554 posts)No way will hubby agree to move...
All three of my kids live here...
I've been tired of this state before I even set foot in it in 1977....I had been living in Wisconsin, but my parents moved here and I was broke, so I came here kicking and screaming.
Hate this state....
Hated it when I got off the plane and almost suffocated from the heat in the jet bridge. And when I saw my first low water crossing, I said "WTF is that? There's no infrastructure here".
Every time we walked out in my parents' yard, construction workers would whistle at us. The workers were from Mexico and were paid less than minimum wage to build homes. It was a strange surreal experience to be holed up in my parents' home because guys would whistle and stare at me. No unions in Texas meant they could pay people $2/hr to build a home....
leftieNanner
(14,997 posts)We moved from California to Ashland (just south of Medford) in 2009. The people here are very nice. Drivers are polite too!
But be aware that there is a very strong MAGA contingent in this state outside of the big cities. The Medford area is almost completely controlled by Republicans - and the only Republican Congressional Representative covers all of eastern Oregon and this little southern tip. The state is also not very racially diverse and racism is a problem.
Our summers are consumed by wildfire smoke too (along with the rest of the Western US).
I'm sorry that your home state has changed so radically and I'm certainly encouraging you to look in our direction when you retire. Just be sure to stay in Texas long enough to vote out Abbott, Patrick, Paxton, and Cruz!
Best of luck to you and your family.
NanceGreggs
(27,813 posts)... how many similar discussions are taking place in Texas right now.
gldstwmn
(4,575 posts)We have family friends who live in Oregon. I've never been but it looks so beautiful. It is on my list of places to go once I feel safe traveling (meaning travel including an airport) again.
Given what has transpired I can't go to Texas right now. The governor is incompetent to put it mildly. It seems like it will be a good long time before I set foot there, if ever again.
The one thing that none of us has or can get is more time. If you and your family want to move to Oregon for quality of life then do it. I'm sure you won't regret it.
hamsterjill
(15,214 posts)Sixth generation Texan. Never lived anywhere else.
I hope to change that come retirement. Oregon is nice, you say?
Comfortably_Numb
(3,777 posts)Last edited Wed Sep 1, 2021, 07:00 PM - Edit history (1)
Mr.Bill
(24,104 posts)Since the 70s, I've visited Texas, specifically the DFW area a handful of times, but not since 2016.
I've alway enjoyed the friendliness of the people there. It's also very easy in a short time to get caught up in the whole Texas culture thing, which can be kind of fun.
One time I almost bought a cowboy hat. Stopped myself just at the last minute. That was scary.
pecosbob
(7,506 posts)I grew up in Seabrook near Houston and Galveston. My old neighborhood is no longer there...it's now submerged beneath the surface of an estuary of Galveston Bay due to groundwater pumping for the petrochemical industry.
I believe the state reached critical stupidity around the year 2000 and began to melt down. Left in 2004 for Nevada.
SallyHemmings
(1,813 posts)He just lost his wife. She has been sick for years. Her suffering ended two weeks ago. I was hoping he would return to the east coast so he can spend more time with our daughter and grandsons. He has had enough of this country. He promises to spend more time with them but he concluded that America simply doesn't like him back. He is sixty two and self employed. I don't know about Panama but at this point, I can't blame him.
captain queeg
(10,036 posts)Mostly in Florida. Havent been there in ages but Im sure it would be unrecognizable. One time me and a friend went down in the mid 70s. I had relatives in FLA, he had relatives in Alabama. We both had long hair which was frowned on in those parts, but if you had a distant shirttail relative in the area people would come out of the woodwork to visit or take you somewhere. So friendly.