From the Midwest to the Pacific, job seekers are heading to Texas

[tammywammy]

'If you had to ride out this downturn, there is no better place than Texas. The declines here have been nothing compared to other states.’

By STEVE CAMPBELL
[e-mail]

Across the nation, unemployment is sky-high, the housing market is sucking wind and recessionary fears have frozen Americans in place.

Just don’t tell that to a stream of new residents who are "voting with their feet" that Texas is the safest place to ride out the storm and the place to be when the economy recovers.

Even in the midst of a recession, economists, demographers and relocation experts believe the Lone Star State is on the cusp of becoming The New California.

Or maybe it already is.

For people seeking economic opportunity, Texas is becoming what California has been since the Great Depression, says Los Angeles urbanist and author Joel Kotkin. Texas recently "ran the table" in a recent list of "Best Cities for Jobs" prepared by Kotkin for New Geography and Forbes. Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas were ranked as the top five large metro areas in the country to find a job. If that weren’t enough to get the moving van loaded, McAllen and Odessa top the mid-sized and small city categories, respectively. Among 333 metropolitan areas, Texas has a remarkable 20 in the top 100.

Relocation surveys show that Texas remains a top destination for people leaving other states. Its automobile registrations continue to climb, and the Texas housing market has avoided the double-digit declines other fast-growing states have seen. While the unemployment rate has risen in Texas, it’s nowhere near as high as most of the country, underscoring the state’s economic resiliency even as the downturn deals out its lumps.

-snip-

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1380964.html

[Kerrytravelers]

1. If people from California, Washington and Oregon are headed there, the politics could change.

A blue Texas? Hmmmm... It's been a while, hasn't it?

[Oregone]

2. Those states aren't extremely blue though...

You take enough liberals out of those states, and you may turn them red. The reality is that it probably wont effect the demographics much at all.

[Lisa0825]

3. We're already on the verge of turning blue.

It's coming.... the metro areas are mostly blue already, and growing. The growing Hispanic population will continue to influence voting trends as well.

[tammywammy]

4. Exactly Lisa. :) n/t

[sonias]

5. Texas welcomes you!

Texas has huge potential. Those of us in Texas have worked hard for change. This might be the right opportunity to get there faster.

Come on down!

:hi:


Sonia

[Liberal In Texas]

14. Texas is turning bluer and bluer.

If you take a look at the last election, most (if not all, can't remember) of the metropolitan areas went for Obama. In '06 every repub judge was turned out of office in Dallas County. Not because they were necessarily doing a bad job, but because they had an R after their names.

We could also use some better help from the national democratic party. For example, during the last election the Dallas county dems had to have their own Obama/Biden signs printed (and then had to sell them to recoup the cost) because they couldn't get them from the national organization.

[madrchsod]

6. my ironworker buddy moved to texas in the 80`s...

he lasted about a year then the construction went to hell and he came back to illinois. he really did`t like denton texas!

[HubertHeaver]

7. Nobody likes Denton

He needed to move further south--to Austin, for instance, or Galveston, or Corpus Christi, or Padre and be a beach bum. (no future but the present is fantastic)

[MagickMuffin]

8. I suppose this will be the help Texas needs to keep turning it BLUE

Fort Worth really needs the help with more progressives/populist/liberals moving here, perhaps that will be the push we need to turn Tarrant BLUE.

Interesting article. I just wished our highways were ready for more traffic, since the TXDOT has been too slow in accommodating the growth.

[tammywammy]

9. Ain't that the truth

And the only solution to highway problems is toll roads. :banghead:

[PBS Poll-435]

10. From Bill White to Lupe Valdez, Texas is turning

BLUE.

[Joe the Liberal]

11. Everything is bigger in Texas...

or so they say, everything except the brain of governor Rick Perry the wanna be Jefferson Davis.

[sonias]

12. Yep some of our flaws do show up as bigger too

And seriously most of Texas is Texas sized friendly too. I'm not saying you won't find your problem areas - every state's got em. There won't be many jobs thriving in those areas anyway.

The big changes and potential for jobs is in or near the urban areas.

:hi:


Sonia

[book_worm]

13. there has been a huge exodus to Texas since the 80's and it hasn't made the state any bluer.

[sonias]

17. How do you know?

Define huge? The population of Texas is about 24.6 million people. It takes a huge influx to make a change. But we are definitely trending blue. Every major urban area is now blue since the 2008 election.

The Texas House of Representatives is now split 76-74 Rs to Ds. That's a pickup of 8 seats in the past 6 years. And we picked up one more Senate seat as well.

Nothing changes overnight. It takes time to rebuild the party. And it was almost totally decimated before. There is real life in the party now.

So please cut us some slack. We could always use some more national help. Texas will turn blue, it's just a matter of time. This state will be a majority minority state by 2015.

Sonia

[datasuspect]

20. most people talk out of their ass when it comes to texas

republican gerrymandering has taken away the voting power of many democratic districts in this state.

[sonias]

22. Well I'm from Texas too and I don't think I'm talking out of my ass

The post I made had real facts. I was born in Texas and have lived here my whole life. And I have been an active party worker for decades. So I think I know a few things about what's going on in my state.

Gerrymandering happens in all states. Not just Texas. And even with that gerrymandering that was drawn to give the Republicans a 22-10 advantage in Congress from 2003 we have a 20-12 split now.

The next census is going to give Texas even more Congressional districts and most of those will come from the urban areas which are trending blue.


Sonia

[datasuspect]

24. i was agreeing with you

sheesh

[sonias]

26. Sorry

I thought since you were replying to my comment, your comments about speaking out of their ass was directed at me.

:hi:

Sonia

[marmar]

15. I spent a long July weekend in Houston......That was quite enough Texas for me.

..... "Hotter than Hell" doesn't even describe it.

[tabbycat31]

33. I spent an August week in Dallas and that was enough for me

The people are friendly there (I have family there, and their neighbors loved me), but I could not take the heat.

I do have a legacy from Texas though, since my cat was born there.

[riverdeep]

16. And the reason they give:

Texas’ business climate of low taxes and a low regulatory burden draws companies and workers, Saving said.

Kotkin says tight business regulation is hurting California. But not Texas. "Whether you are GOP or Democrat, you can’t imagine Texas becoming anti-business," he said.

The same reason jobs move to China. Texas is our own mini-China. California is also burdened by a tax system that cripples state budgets.

[sonias]

18. Nice dig

Texas is part of the United States. There are federal laws that have to be followed. I don't think it's fair to call Texas a "mini-China". I'm not saying Texas policies are progressive for workers. They aren't. But at least the jobs are staying in the U.S.

Sonia

[riverdeep]

27. I think the not so subtle point of that part of the article is really simple:

"See, if you want jobs, follow the Republican principles-it's working in Texas." In other words, let's make this national.

California was/is the leader in all sorts of environmental efforts that eventually went national. Right now, there is talk of the ways in which carbon emissions can be reduced in California. Instead, let's bring back lead in gasoline and gut the EPA. What's hurting the national economy is businesses having to pay more than 2% in taxes and not being able to pour wastewater directly into the river.

I'm glad some people are finding solace in Texas, but a race to the bottom is what got us here in the first place.

[sonias]

28. And Texas is the leader in renewable energy in the country

I'm sorry California is suffering. But I disagree that the job potential in Texas is in oil. The future of energy is wind and solar and both of those initiatives are picking up speed in Texas.


Sonia

[tammywammy]

31. Exactly Sonias n/t

:)

[datasuspect]

19. GTT - once a de facto way of declaring bankruptcy

it means, "Gone to Texas." people would tack this on their door.

texas has some of the most liberal consumer protections in the country.

they have a homestead exemption for debtors, plus your wages cannot be garnished here in the collection of judgments.

there was a great migration from the rust belt in the late 70s, early 80s.

[krabigirl]

21. No thanks. While I'd love to visit Austin, I couldn't live in Texas.

[blue_onyx]

25. I don't think I could either

I've been unemployed for quite a while but Texas definitely wouldn't be on the list of acceptable states to relocate to. Most of the states I would find acceptable aren't far behind Michigan in terms of unemployment so I don't think relocating would be all that helpful for me.

[juno jones]

23. AllI can say is good luck with that.

I followed that advice in '83 after Reagan decimated my hometown.

I wound up in Amarillo for 6 excruciating months. I left because I was paid poorly, treated shitty and aghast at the violent redneck culture of the area.

When I came in to get my final check, some lady in the personnel office shrieked at me "Isn't that just like you northerners, come down here, take our jobs and then just leave. You're just ungrateful!"

I'll take my chances with the west coast, thanks. I don't get treated like I am an outsider who should be grateful to be given scraps here.

[WolverineDG]

29. Yeah, go ahead, judge the entire state by Amarillo

:eyes:

dg

[riverdeep]

30. OK, one thing I've always wondered,

it's been puzzling me for some time. Why is state pride so high in Texans? I rarely see this in other states. I don't define myself in any way by the state I live in, it was just a circumstance. But Texas, it's like it's its own country. People self-identify and define themselves all kinds of ways from their religion to their gender to their ethnicity, but- their STATE? I just don't get it.

My own theory- Texas most represents a myth deep embedded in America. The myth of the iconoclastic independent rugged individualist hero- the cowboy. The scenery is big, and the personality has to match to make it there. Texas is buried deep in America's psyche, and people who live there want to connect with it and project it out to others- even if they don't have any of those qualities. Am I full of it, is it something more practical?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

32. Texas used to be a republic.

From 1836 to 1845.