Texas
 

Hi all.

We are looking to move there some time next year, need to re start my visa as we kind of called things off before the recession. Luckily we did as I was laid off and UK benefits are a quite good.

However, seems like the US is coming out of recession and the UK is still in it, even the weather is depressed.

So I am running my own detailing and tinting business which I will look at doing over there.

So, generally just after some advice on what the Fort Worth area is like. Been looking at houses and we are drooling.

Thanks
Steve :D

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Hard to believe no one has commented here yet :sneaky:

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Come on over, pardner! :lol:

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Lots of detailing and tinting businesses here in FW, not sure how they have fared in the recession.
We love it in FW, but it depends on what you are looking for, how old you are, do you have kids etc. etc.
I'll ask the question....what visa are you coming over on??:)

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http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulask...ork_in_the_USA

I know someone will come on this topic and post the link, so I'll just do it for ya. Basically, read over the link, find out which visa you might be eligible for. If you are not eligible for any of the above-mentioned visas, it will be almost impossible for you to move to the U.S. anytime soon. Have you tried looking at Canada as a possible alternative? Sure it's cold as hell, but hey you're next door to the U.S. :p not to mention it's a lot easier emigrating to igloo land than the U.S.

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Hi.. Well, i lived in FW for 4 years after hubbies company sent us over there from here in UK on a 4 year transfer . WE loved it... we lived in Keller just north of FW up the i35. FW is very family oriented we have 2 small kids and it was a great life. The schools there are great too. The best places to live in my opinion is Keller, Southlake (taxes are high here though.) Colleyiville, Grapevine, Saginaw is nice too. Avoid the White Settlement area Not a good area at all. In the south of Fort Worth heard Benbrook was ok. Everything is close by and down town is only 20 minutes away from these places. You will love the houses i had a 4 bedroom - 3 bathroom house it was huge compared to the UK houses . We would give our right arm to go back and live there but damm near impossible for us unless we get another company transfer which we are praying for. We had our 2nd child while out there but until he is 21 yrs we are stuck for him to sponsor us . USA is so difficult to immigrate to thats why other posters may ask how or what your visa will be? Good luck anyway and you will love Fort Worth.... :)

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we live in Aledo..great if you like the country..which we do! Nearer FW is the area of Tanglewood which is very nice....pm me if you need further info :)

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I believe the wife and kids are dual UK/US citizens. He'll be coming on an IR-1.

Ian

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I would recommend carrollton 75007 just north of Dallas. There is a new railway link opening next year into dallas. It is very well situated for malls and highways and is less of a hotspot for tornado's as Fort Worth is. Be aware of property tax here our house is 3500 sqft valued around $320k the yearly property tax is $6200.

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Texas is great - the economy is better than a lot of places in the US. I'm in Austin, so I can't describe your town - but I will say that housing prices will appear absurd to someone coming from the UK.

Our house is 3 bdrm, 2 bath, 2100 sq ft, 15 minutes from downtown, 30 minutes from the airport on a 1/4 acre lot and just sold for a whopping $175k. What is that, about 120k pounds? Texas' prices never really made it to the over-priced zone before the recession - so we still made money on our sale after buying in 2005.

Also, for your detailing and tinting business you're in a good place - Texans take their trucks and their tinting seriously. (UV protection). Of course, tinting is restricted here to certain amounts... but I'm sure you know the rules better than I do.

You'll find it awfully warm in summer - so plan your return trips to the UK for then. Good Luck!

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ahhhh !:)

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great area and idea, unless his business is going to be in FW then it will be a freekin nightmare to do that commute every day wouldn't it ?:huh:

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Wow guys thanks for your replies. :thumbup:

Briefly, wife and son are dual US/UK citizens so I will be on what ever visa covers this.

I know how much Americans love their cars and keeping them in good order, where in the UK they are pretty much cast off after a few years and cheap. So hoping with my paint corredction skills and tinting skills can set up a business, ideally from home.

I want to embrace the US lifestyle, I love been outside (hard in the UK as it rains 364 days a year) enjoy watching sports and when we are at the inlaws in California we go and watch the speedway.

Plus I can have the Dodge Ram I have always promised myself!!!!! :D

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I apologize for the side question, but we have been considering moving to Austin and wondered what it was like.
Could you tell me your observations, pluses and minuses?

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Pros:
Endless amounts of things to do
People from all over the world
Excellent music scene including the debauchery that is SXSW
Awesome weather
Fitness and eating healthy are very emphasised
IMHO, liberal (left-leaning) populace
Average educational attainment far above the national norm

Cons:
Because it's a cool place to live, and there are a lot of young people pumped out of uni every year, salaries are lower than they should be for the cost of living, and you may lose out on a job to someone simply because they are younger than you are (this is illegal, but try proving it). The traffic is horrendous and house prices are certainly not the steal they are in other parts of the US; we never saw a depreciation in home vaues.

If you can get a job here that pays the bills, I'd say go for it. The only people I know who have hated it were ex-Californians who lived here in the 90s and thought we didn't have enough "cultcha." Well - if SF or LA is your cuppa, then Austin will not suffice.

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The above won't suit us (all are cons for us) and so we'll have to knock Austin off our list.

Thanks for saving us a huge truck load of time, money, hassle, stress and rubbing shoulders with lefties.

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Wow:ohmy:Quick decision on just one persons observations and opinions:blink:

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LOL - As someone who lived in Seattle prior to Austin I have to say that I don't consider it full of lefties. Even the liberals here are into low taxation and small government. I think it probably depends on what circles that you run in yourself. There are plenty of both in Austin.

The big difference for me is that Austin offers the perfect city size right now - big enough to remain anonymous but small enough to run into a friend at the farmer's market. It is a university town of course - so we do breathe a sigh of relief in the summer when the population decreases and traffic eases. If you wanted to come to austin and avoid that particular scene you could move to Georgetown or Round Rock - both in Williamson county - which are known for being a bit more conservative and also don't attract the college kids. Then you're close enough to commute for work, but you'll find like-minded folks as your neighbors.

Good Luck!

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Well, it might seem that way, but there are so many places to go to in this great country and we just don't have the time to waste on places that have too many big turn offs, even if the plus points are attractive to us.

I also don't see why one person's good first hand opinion can't be pivotal, especially since it is not reasonable to think that it won't be true.

Also, I didn't know Austin was a university town and university towns are nearly always overflowing with lefties and liberal bullshit/polices/attitudes, etc., because they are imbued with fake and misled social ideologies and as is often the case, the new batch of students always seem to think it will be different with them.

In addition, with so many young people, the market will understandably cater for them and we don't want our lives and choices to be affected or determined by their choices and even though there is merit to having some engagement with young people in our lives, we don't want it to be at the expense of our quality of life.

We need somewhere else, with more balance and genuine choice.

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Well you could always try Houston.............

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can I suggest Lake Havasu City, AZ

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I am curious why.

A quick read on Wikipedia (the fount of all knowledge, I think we can all agree on) doesn't tell me much to get us excited/interested and it seems much too small a city for us.

Also, I reads this;

"In a 2008 nationwide survey, Forbes magazine ranked Lake Havasu City "The Most Uneducated City in America", coming up last in the number of college graduates living in the city."

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bingo

plus it's a magnet for retirees and heavily republican. Sounds like everything Austin is not. So right up your street?

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How's the black on black crime in those parts?

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errmmm....I didn't say we were retirees or republicans.

Also, bingo to what?

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Sonic I think Missouri might be nice for you. I heard Springfield, MO is a nice place and I have family in St. Louis and I visit there often and I think it's somewhere suitable for you. It's educated enough, I would say it's conservative, not too many global warming (oops I mean, climate change) alarmists living there. Perfect spot. And it's sunny too (I'm assuming ur British :p) winters can be a bit chilly and summers can be an inferno but I like it better than the east coast.

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Thanks. I'll check it out.

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By the way if you see a user named another bloody yank, he's from Missouri you can ask him also. He posted a reply a few posts above this one

Wirelessly posted (LG-GR500/V10f Teleca/Q7.0 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 UP.Link/6.3.1.17.0)

i second missouri, some nice places close to the cities. I live in hillsboro missouri, about 30 miles from st louis. Festus is a pretty decent area as well.

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I think I should re-state "lefties." "Lefties" as in US non-west coast lefties - nowhere near as "left" as Europe or the US West Coast. As in - it's safe to have bashed Bush as being a lousy president. Sheesh. And UrsTX is right - if you want hardcore conservative, you can live in Williamson County and enjoy to your delight.

If you want construction work, the Austin area never saw the huge downturn in construction and property values that places like California, Michigan, Florida, and Arizona saw. But hey - you know you wouldn't like it here. The I-10 corridor heading west out of Houston might be more your style.