Moving Advice

• Hurricane season starts on June 1 and lasts through Nov. 30 — though it usually peaks between August and September.
• Moving companies in Texas must be licensed with the TxDMV, so make sure your moving company is licensed before hiring them.
• You do not need any moving permits but check on local parking restrictions before moving to Texas.
• Texas’s big cities are known as some of the worst cities for traffic in the entire US. If you’re moving to one of these major areas, avoid rush hours.

Change your address online. To make your move from California to Texas easier, consider changing your address online. It is easy to do, inexpensive, and will ensure that your mail arrives at your new home with you.

Cities and Metro Areas

Texas has its own unique culture, and each city has a well-defined micro-culture. Austin is music. Galveston is the Gulf. Houston is oil. But everywhere you go you’ll experience a huge dollop of Texas pride. Texas is named for the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning friends or allies.

Hopefully, Texas will greet you with a friendly “howdy” once you arrive. Residents and visitors flock to Texas for its weather, jobs, quality of life, a great number of leisure activities, and relaxation. But before you pack up those boxes, take note of the following tips for moving to Texas.

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Texas varies widely by location. Generally speaking, the state boasts a decent cost of living in most suburban areas of the state, excluding Austin, which is a hot spot for real estate.  Housing costs in Texas are below the national average, making it a wonderful place to live. As one of the country’s fastest-growing states, Texas offers a wide variety of neighborhoods and any lifestyle option you are looking for.

As of Sept 2022, the median price for a home in the state was $355,800, down 7% from the peak of $382,800 in May 2022. It is clear that the recent steep rise in mortgage rates has curved sales activity and shrunk affordability, and the result has been a drop in home prices.

Climate

Texas offers a lot of different types of climates, depending on the location you call home. The average temperatures are mild, with summer extremes over 100 degrees as the major exception. If you are moving to the Gulf Coast of Texas, be prepared; the area experiences hurricanes.

Education

Texas is big, and so is the variety of educational opportunities available. Public, private, magnate schools, and everything in between is available as schooling options. Research your prospective school district before you purchase a home if school quality is an important factor in your move.

Current school rankings (elementary, middle, and high schools), campus and district zoning/location maps, information, and reviews are available online for parents moving to Texas.

Texas’ largest school districts include:

• Dallas, Ft. Worth, Arlington
• Houston, Sugar Land
• Austin, Round Rock
• San Antonio

Texas is a great place to pursue a higher-education degree. Universities include:

• University of Texas
• Texas A & M
• Texas Tech
• SMU
• TCU
• TWC

Government

Before moving to Texas, go to the Official Website for the State of Texas to find reliable information about everything to do with working and living in the state.

• You are required to obtain a Texas driver’s license within 90 days of moving to the state. For more information, visit the Texas Department of Public Safety.
• To register to vote in Texas, find out where your nearest polling location is, and get other related information, visit VoteTexas.gov.
• Vehicle Registration: The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has all the information you need about registering your vehicle in Texas.