California has been our home since 1993, and now we're leaving it for Texas. Here's why.
Goodbye California...
The first time I visited California, it was captivating. It was so different from my native New York. California had breathtaking natural beauty, from amazing beaches in Southern California to national parks like Yosemite. There were ambitious civil engineering projects and 12-lane freeways. It was sunny and warm—in December! Disneyland was there. People were friendlier, so much friendlier. Each time I returned on business trips, the fascination deepened.
The California itch wouldn't go away. A few years later, after marrying Becky in 1993, we were moving to Irvine, California to start our lives together. We became fans of Mexican food and California Fresh, falling in love with avocados and artichokes. We experienced our first earthquake. Once children arrived, we took them often to the San Diego Zoo, Disneyland, Seaworld, Legoland, and Knot's Berry Farm. Becky enjoyed regular trips to the beach.
We began attending a remarkable church in Fullerton. The senior pastor was Chuck Swindoll, who I'd heard many times on the radio. In stark contrast to the small evangelical congregations I'd known in Long Island, tens of thousands of people attended here; it was like a Christian city. Worship was amazing, and we joined the choir. We made friends with others who were also just starting a family, some of them lifelong friendships. We felt we'd found the ideal place to raise our children, and we bought our first home in Fullerton to be nearby. Alas, Chuck moved away a few years later and that place lost some of things that made it special. Still, we treasure the time we had there.
Work went well, and I made the progression from developing minicomputer software to personal computer software to Internet software. By 2000 I was CTO of an Internet start-up, had invented a programming language, and had my first patent. We moved to a much nicer home in Mission Viejo. We were very happy living in California.
Then the Dot-Com Bust hit and my Internet start-up failed, as did many others. I couldn't find work, and we reluctantly moved to Washington State for a few years. That gave me an opportunity to work at Microsoft, which was valuable for my career. Ultimately, we didn't find Washington a good fit. Dropping my girls off at school each morning in raincoats and umbrellas was quite the shift from the endless sunshine we were used to.
After a few years we determined to move back to Southern California, and in 2005 we did, even though we couldn't afford it. We bought a home, and I committed to moving less often. The 2008 housing crisis ensured I would keep that promise as our house lost half its value.
Another 15 years went by. I worked for a Microsoft consulting partner for many years, and more recently made the move to Amazon. Becky handled memorials for our church. California was still special, but the dynamic was changing. We'd already suffered through the double-whammy of economic and housing crises, and the negatives kept coming. The high cost of living kept getting higher. Gasoline was more expensive than the rest of the country. The tax structure wasn't business-friendly. Traffic on the packed freeways kept getting worse, while toll road rates got even more outrageous. Wildfires ravaged the surrounding areas each year, a far bigger concern than earthquakes ever were.
Sadly, California became more and more dysfunctional. The state government already had a reputation for nuttiness, but now the craziness reached new heights. The high gasoline tax and vehicle fees kept increasing. We couldn't water our lawns when we wanted to. Our power bills included a monthly rebuke about how much power we used compared to our neighbors. The government kept suppressing our freedoms in the name of loony causes, like taking away our plastic bags and drinking straws. Some of this incursion on our liberty was understandable, most it wasn't. Upside-down lawmakers kept allowing things we don't want, like drug use, and strove to avoid punishing criminals. Cities refused to enforce immigration law or cooperate with federal authorities. This is not how a country works. Plain and simple, California no longer wants to be part of America.
We feel differently, and it's time to move out enemy territory. After 15 years, our house has regained enough value that we can now sell it to get out of debt. Our two daughters have graduated college and are out on their own. The shift to work-from-home from COVID opens up the opportunity to live anywhere, and we're going to take advantage of that.
We'll always have fond memories of California. We started a family and raised our children here. Our daughter Debra lives here as do many of our friends. But now it will be a place to visit, not to live.
...Hello, Texas
Deciding to move is one thing, choosing a destination is quite another. First, you think of family and being near them. We have parents and brothers in New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. We have a daughter in Kentucky and another in California.
Why Texas? It first came to mind as we thought about lowering our cost of living as college loans are about to come due. We can cut our expenses in half and live comfortably there. The cost of housing, gas, and electricity is marvelously low. With family on both coasts, Texas' central location is appealing for travel. This will also let us put off empty nest for a few years: after our son graduates high school he'll want to attend flight school, and there are plenty of those in Texas. Texas checked all the boxes, and nothing emerged as even a close second.
We're hardly alone. The number of Californians moving to Texas increased by 36% in 2020. Reasons given for this include Texas's lack of a state income tax, business-friendly environment, abundance of jobs, less-oppressive government, and friendly spirit. All of those things appeal to us. Several of our California friends have made the move in years past and are thriving in Texas. By November we'll be there too.
We've settled on Frisco as our destination, which has topped several lists of top places to live in America. Frisco is a suburb north of Dallas. It has many similarities to Orange County, California, and we expect we'll feel right at home there, though there will certainly be some adjustments. There will be even greater heat and mosquitoes to deal with. We'll be trading earthquakes and wildfires for tornadoes and hailstones. I must learn to pass convincingly as a football fan. Does this mean I'll be wearing cowboy boots someday? It's difficult to say. Becky already has hers.
We expect those things are more than offset by the positives of the area. We're looking forward to exceptional BBQ, Tex-Mex, and Texas's well-established reputation for friendliness. We'll be in a state that wants to be part of the country. We'll be attending a renowned church: the Pastor's name is Chuck. Yeah, we think Texas will work out just fine. Go Cowboys!
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