Hi there everybody

I need some advise please!

I currently live in Sydney, Australia. I moved here from a little country called New Zealand which is very close to Australia.

I moved here about 9 years ago and liked it very much at that time. In fact, I liked it so much that I was considered by all my friends as "the ambassador for Australia" and managed to convince many of them to move over here.

Anyway, that was THEN and now I actually have started to HATE this place. Government was very different then, very pro-business. Now with a Labour/Democrat type government things have gone poopoo.

And that's NOT the worse part. The worse part for me (or at least one of them) is that over the last few years, the Australian authorities think that speeding is devils work and so there are speed cameras every few hundred meters. There are fixed cameras (which are easily avoided) and now being introduced speed cameras on every third/fourth traffic light intersection - and these are almost impossible to get around.

Admittedly, I haven't been caught at all in years BUT, I can sense that my luck will change soon.

The problem is that they are so strict with tolerances that if you are even 1km over the limit - you get a fine! (comments from other drivers).

The roads are also terrible here and even a Porsche suffers. I was actually very close to buying a Ferrari / Lambo about a year ago and decided against it for these reasons.

Anyway, that was just a brief on my dilemma - but the good news, is that I want to move to the USA which is a place I and my family have always loved (I've travelled there many times).

BUT, I don't know where to move to! And here is where you guys could give me some tips on what I should do..

My options are, California, Texas or Florida. Texas is at the top of the list.

Things I want to know:

I want to feel comfortable and relaxed when driving my car (future 996TT) - not thinking that I'll get a ticket at every turn. I'm not saying that I want to drive like crazy, not at all, but I want to be able to enjoy my car..

I'm still young (34) and somewhat single, but I will settle down soon..

I have a business and will need to employ people in IT - ideally nice, smart people that won't demand a fortune..

Weather is VERY important for me. I like to keep my car clean and SHINY and don't want it to rain every day - like it has been here in Sydney for the last 5 years. Ok, maybe this is an exaggeration, but the truth is that weather here has been appalling for a few years now.

Anyway, that's about it!

So any tips?! - where would you recommend and please please do include why (if possible)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN ADVANCE!

 

Its pretty hard to be Cali Texas has awful heat so windows up and A/C blasting is a must. Its pretty much 70 degrees year round with little rain and a ton of beach cities up and down to coast to cruise along.

Good luck with your search!

- David

 

Newport Beach California and the greater Orange County area.

 

California is very similar to Australia in terms of weather. If you are are reasonably successful and are a small business owner, you may consider Florida for tax purposes. I live in Southern California and love it here, but taxes, medical insurance are considerably higher than what you would experience in Australia. From my understanding, you don't have to pay any property tax in Australia on your primary residence correct? You will here. Education and Insurance are also much higher on the expense scale compared to what you encounter in your country. We currently don't pay that b.s. carbon tax fund though. hahaha.

 

Florida for the most part is flat, straight roads with traffic lights every 1500 ft or so. When the temp finaly does cool down we are crowded with tourist who can't seem to make up there mind where they want to go.

 

Ahah!!!

I knew I ruined your daily commute to work,sorry!!!

 

Not the north east...from DC upto Boston...potholes and cold weather

 

Northern California has some great places to drive, fantastic weather, and a huge pool of talented IT folk for your business. Several sweet rides out here as well. Good luck with the search!

 

Parts of California are beautiful but the cost of living and taxes can be brutal.

 

HEY!!! ah heck...he's right...

 

WOW guys that is awesome - thanks for the responses!

BUT, it appears that there are only Cali fans here - where are the rest of the guys?!

Except for health cover and education - EVERYTHING is cheaper in the US.

Yes, you might need to pay tax on the first property, but (this actually is making me laugh as I type) you buy a 2 bedroom sh*t hole here for $600,000 yet in the US you can buy a mansion for that.

BUT if you choose to buy a small residence then you'll pay circa $200K - so paying tax on that still leave PLENTY of cash in your pocket! (when comparing to here).

FOOD, FUEL and almost EVERYTHING else here is absolutely ridiculously EXPENSIVE.

ONLY thing cheaper here (actually almost free) is health - education costs are likely to be on par with the US.

So what about the earthquake possibilities in Cali?? nobody is worried about that?

MORE importantly, however, how do you rate the driving in Cali? - can you drive relaxed when driving quickly or always nervous you might get a fine? - how many of you living in Cali speed here and there whenever you feel like it? - essentially, the most important question, is it easy to loose your licence?

Its VERY VERY easy to loose your licence here. For example you only have 13 points in your licence. If they catch you with a radar detector, that's 9 points of your licence gone. Just 6mph over the limit and you loose 3 points.

 

Texas is really, really, really BIG. The highways here are amazing and you don't have to worry to much about speeding because everyone is doing it. The northern cities like Amarillo and Lubbock get snow regularly in the winter. The southern cities including Dallas get very hot during the summers and the winters are usuallly mild with only a few freezes. Austin and San Antonio are probably the most beautiful cities here. The cameras are voted on county by county here and we don't have them in Houston. In fact we just voted out the red light cameras that cost me 500 bucks!

Good Luck with your business and if you need any help with employees, my semi-retired mother is the president of the largest international IT organization in the world. PM me if you need her info.

Clay

 

Oh I forgot to mention...Texas is the least cost of living of the three states you named, we don't have a point system on our licenses, we don't have smog restrictions, radar detectors are here, and 3500 sq ft homes can be had for under $300k.

 

I can give a little input for Texas since I live there

Texas (No state income tax, cheap land, pro-business, 93 octane)

Austin:
- College town/medium sized city
- Hill country, nice roads, lake
- Many tech companies in the area
- UT Austin
- Young demographic

Houston
- Large metropolitan city
- Flat land
- Highways with many many lanes ~12
- Many 6 speed members live here
- Tuning shops
- Rice University/UofH
- Tech companies/Oil industry
- Pro sports
- Going 10+ over speed limit is normal...except for school zones/neighborhoods.

 

they tax the air in ca!!!!!!