Information on relocating to Texas!

Thank you, I have visited my father in law in plano years ago when he lived there, it seemed like a nice area, but didnt investigate the area as at that time we were not discussing moving, wish I would have now.

Austin is having a lot of influx lately, so I know pay isn't that great because there are so many people willing to move there and taking a lot hourly wage. Dallas and Houston are both good places with great medical centers, but you might find more success in the suburbs (Woodlands, Sugarland, Katy, League City, etc.)

Houston/Dallas/Austin/San Antonio are going to be the most populated and most competitive for jobs. Popular beach towns such as Galveston, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Rockport, South Padre Island, etc don't have a lot of people living there. For one, Galveston and even Corpus aren't the pristine beaches of Mexico or even Florida!

South Padre Island is south near the Texas/Mexico border, and I know a lot of border towns such as Eagle Pass and in an area we call "The Valley" (included Harlingen, McAllen, etc) are looking for nurses - many even offer signing bonuses. But don't worry... the beach towns aren't crowded at all. There's more tourists than actual residents in the beach towns.

Thanks In my research I am leaning toward the areas around houston I do not want to actually live in houston but the woodlands sugarland seem nice but am unsure how finding a rental for a family of 5 with 2 dogs price range wise as I dont know what my income would be like in texas here I make $20.72/hr & could never do 1300-$1500 a month on rent(thats what I saw on realtor.com rentals in texas).

You probably will have no problem finding a job in the Houston area if you have experience. There are a lot of jobs in Houston and the economy is really picking up. One of my best friends grew up in sugar land, they have great schools and a lot of cultural diversity. Woodlands is also really nice, it is considered the wealthy "white" suberb. You probably will make more than 20 an hour. I'm a new grad and got offered 25 an hour to work LTC and turned it down to pursue acute. You do for the most part need BSN to work here, but ADNs still can sometimes find work in hospitals. Hope that helps. Welcome to TX.

Thanks, does anyone know if I should pursue a certain specialty, as I have said currently 6 months into ICU & not my cup of tea , I miss working with the babies & could go to NICU but want to know what is the need in Texas cause if it is ICU I will stick it out!!!

OK - First enculturation lesson. We never refer to the "western area of Texas" - it is "West Texas". (we don't use '-ern' to indicate any area of the state) - LOL. Second lesson: 1 person = you, 2-3 people = y'all, > 3 people = all y'all. Now you're good to go.

Houston metro area is always in need of experienced critical care nurses. Do you have a BSN? If not, I would strongly recommend that you get your CCRN. I am not familiar with relocation policies for travel nurses, but I don't believe that they will transport your home furnishings & housing arrangements are usually for short term only. Contracts may also have stipulations against accepting permanent positions with the travel client for a period of time. It's probably better to do your own job search.

The Woodlands is great, but you will be faced with a horrendous commute if you are working anywhere outside the Woodlands. If the school district is important, you will probably want to take a look at this -http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/1556675-2012-edition-chron-houston-area-school.html . And if you want to get demographics on areas of the city, this is a great site Houston TX Real Estate Information - NeighborhoodScout

I love Houston, but we have a lot of 'unique' issues when you are looking to invest in a home. Be sure to work with a very experienced realtor to make sure you aren't surprised. Evacuation zones, flood district classification, MUD taxes dictatorial HOAs - all potential minefields.

Houston is only an hour from the beach. You need to review mandatory (hurricane) evacuation zones before deciding to live closer. Insurance costs can be daunting for higher risk zones. Hurricane Evacuation

Thank you, & I appologize for saying western area lol, That is one of the issues we are discussing as to moving to the houston ARE the hurricane issue as mentioned above I am trying to calculate all the expenses we are not use to here in the midwest, that is why we were also considering plano area near dallas but sounds like jobs are around houston for nurses I would prefer not to commute into houston if I don't have to.