The Woodlands is a great place in the Houston area. It's north of the city and a fairly varied place as far as Texas goes. There are tons of companies, tech and

The Woodlands is a great place in the Houston area. It's north of the city and a fairly varied place as far as Texas goes. There are tons of companies, tech and otherwise here. Housing can be expensive by Texas standards, but would not cause a Californian to flinch. I know several California families who sold their homes there and bought their houses outright here in Texas, which has done wonders for their incomes. IT pay in Texas is subpar. I used to live in Northern Virgina and my base pay there was over 100k. Good luck with that in Texas--anywhere. The cost of living here just doesn't support those wages. The average IT salary here is 55-75k. More can be had, but those jobs are just not prevalent here like on either coast. I had a potential job opportunity in NYC, but my wife looked at me like I had grown horns. The money would have been great, but like California, the COL is outrageous. But...the public transport is great. It's walkable. Tons of culture and food, better weather. I like snow. I like rain.