How Much is Gas Where U R?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Jcp123

Here it's a must at home, but I choose not to use it when driving.

Wow. I can't imagine not using A/C in the car here . I've only had one car that didn't have A/C. during that time I spent quite a bit of time in north of Sunol parts of the I-680 corridor. And to top that off, the color of the car...black. A car without A/C....never again.

Government wise, there's some truth to the freedoms here, but even that is under the larger arc of simply trading one government for another; they'll get ya somehow. Use fees such as on telephones are higher, and unless you're old enough to qualify for a homestead exemption, your property taxes can be quite high rate wise and subject to plenty of elasticity.

The difference to me is that you can opt out of some costs here, and that one has much more control/say/input here.

Telephone, etc fees are higher, and there is sales tax on most services here, where that doesn't exist in California.....but the services usually cost more...with the added cost being more than the tax differential.

Texas has two homestead exemptions. One is open to anyone. You must submit a pre printed form to the appraisal district 'swearing' that you do live there. There is an additional homestead exemption for Age 65+ (my next door neighbor has the same standard exemption that I do, but he also has the additional age related exemption). After moving to this area and building my house in 2008, JOOC I decided to compare The Woodlands to comparable suburbs in LA/OC and in the Bay Area.....similar properties with similar amenities, low crime, greenery, etc. I figured that a $250,000 house in The Woodlands would cost $1,250,000 in either of the areas of California. Five times as much. I'd bet the difference, percentage wise, is at least as much if not more now. My homestead exemption brings me under 3%, but I do know people who pay 3.4%. I'm aware that people in parts of Oakland, CA have SEVENTEEN DIFFERENT ADDITIONS TO THEIR PROPERTY TAX BILL (mostly parcel taxes). This brings their 1.0% base rate up to 1.7% These additions will = a lower % of the total for people who haven't been in their house very long (not as much benefit from Prop 13). So the rate in Texas might be twice as much, but the amount that is based upon might be five times as much. The standard exemption in Texas limits assessed value increases to 10% per year, whereas Prop 13 in California limits such yearly increases to 2%. The overall amount (not the rate) people pay for property taxes in Texas is often less than it would be in California......AND.....no state income tax. The 9.3% state income tax rate in California starts at a bit over 40k per year. Here in Texas you can mitigate the overall impact of a property tax by buying a less expensive property and, since most of the property tax goes to the local school district, you can go to board meetings and have direct input if you so desire.

Vehicle wise, you are at minimum subject to a state "safety" inspection at minimum, plus an emissions check if you live in an urban county.

True, but the registration fee is a very small flat amount that is based on the type of vehicle, rather than being based on a percentage of the purchase price as in California.

The good-ole-boy mentality is alive and well here. If you think you can ignore the church here, you're mistaken - they are frequently involved in civic happenings. Locally, the good ol boys club snuck in a toll road where there was to be none (longish story)

I'm agnostic. When I moved here, I expected (mostly re internet research) to be questioned all the time about church. It has only happened a few times. From my observation, the size of the area/metro might determine the extent to which this might be an issue. Others might come to different conclusions.

Liquor laws are a bit cumbersome. Not so great.

Yeah, pretty silly.

But gun laws are great here

you can get pretty good fireworks too.

Yeah, re buying your own.....but the flat terrain can sometimes make finding a place to watch planned displays a PITA .

Speed limits generally make good sense

except for the 4839293747329 school zones I see everywhere.

The state sees to it that business can flourish here, and spend within their means.

Litter happens...it's the rednecks here. Most folks are polite enough not to do that. Heck, they are generally some of the most polite people you'll ever meet.

I agree, generally some of the most truly polite people you will ever meet.

Culture flourishes here but mostly within urban areas as mentioned, plus a few kitschy places like Luckenbach and Palo Duro.

The water where I am is actually pretty decent; not like the delicious Hetch Hetchy water but really quite good. The worst water I ever had was in NY State.

I wish we had the same water quality your area does.

[Jcp123]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Wow. I can't imagine not using A/C in the car here . I've only had one car that didn't have A/C. during that time I spent quite a bit of time in north of Sunol parts of the I-680 corridor. And to top that off, the color of the car...black. A car without A/C....never again.



The difference to me is that you can opt out of some costs here, and that one has much more control/say/input here.

Telephone, etc fees are higher, and there is sales tax on most services here, where that doesn't exist in California.....but the services usually cost more...with the added cost being more than the tax differential.

Texas has two homestead exemptions. One is open to anyone. You must submit a pre printed form to the appraisal district 'swearing' that you do live there. There is an additional homestead exemption for Age 65+ (my next door neighbor has the same standard exemption that I do, but he also has the additional age related exemption). After moving to this area and building my house in 2008, JOOC I decided to compare The Woodlands to comparable suburbs in LA/OC and in the Bay Area.....similar properties with similar amenities, low crime, greenery, etc. I figured that a $250,000 house in The Woodlands would cost $1,250,000 in either of the areas of California. Five times as much. I'd bet the difference, percentage wise, is at least as much if not more now. My homestead exemption brings me under 3%, but I do know people who pay 3.4%. I'm aware that people in parts of Oakland, CA have SEVENTEEN DIFFERENT ADDITIONS TO THEIR PROPERTY TAX BILL (mostly parcel taxes). This brings their 1.0% base rate up to 1.7% These additions will = a lower % of the total for people who haven't been in their house very long (not as much benefit from Prop 13). So the rate in Texas might be twice as much, but the amount that is based upon might be five times as much. The standard exemption in Texas limits assessed value increases to 10% per year, whereas Prop 13 in California limits such yearly increases to 2%. The overall amount (not the rate) people pay for property taxes in Texas is often less than it would be in California......AND.....no state income tax. The 9.3% state income tax rate in California starts at a bit over 40k per year. Here in Texas you can mitigate the overall impact of a property tax by buying a less expensive property and, since most of the property tax goes to the local school district, you can go to board meetings and have direct input if you so desire.



True, but the registration fee is a very small flat amount that is based on the type of vehicle, rather than being based on a percentage of the purchase price as in California.



I'm agnostic. When I moved here, I expected (mostly re internet research) to be questioned all the time about church. It has only happened a few times. From my observation, the size of the area/metro might determine the extent to which this might be an issue. Others might come to different conclusions.



Yeah, pretty silly.







Yeah, re buying your own.....but the flat terrain can sometimes make finding a place to watch planned displays a PITA .















I agree, generally some of the most truly polite people you will ever meet.







I wish we had the same water quality your area does.

Re: taxes, I'll take your word for it. I haven't taken the home ownership plunge yet :D

Montgomery county is sort of an exurb of Houston, no? I'm sure you get more progressive city dwellers around there. The religious stuff drives me nuts here! Bible Belt is alive and well, strange after spending the first 20 years of my life where religion was a non-issue and believing the Bible Belt was an old wives' tale which made a convenient scapegoat for whatever was bothering someone.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Jcp123

Re: taxes, I'll take your word for it. I haven't taken the home ownership plunge yet :D

Montgomery county is sort of an exurb of Houston, no? I'm sure you get more progressive city dwellers around there. The religious stuff drives me nuts here! Bible Belt is alive and well, strange after spending the first 20 years of my life where religion was a non-issue and believing the Bible Belt was an old wives' tale which made a convenient scapegoat for whatever was bothering someone.

Especially in the southern part lof the county, progressive people, I find, are usually more often transplants from other states, rather than people who move out from Houston. A book entitled "Next stop, Reloville: Life Inside America's New Rootless Professional Class" mentions that The Woodlands ranks second among all U.S. communities/CDPs/towns etc. re the percentage of residents who were born in another state. Only Alpharetta, GA (where some relatives of mine from California happen to live) has a higher percentage of residents born in another state.

I would say the people of the southern portion of Montgomery County (where most of the population resides) are generally conservative, but reasonably sophisticated conservatives...generally well traveled, well educated folks who have experienced a fair bit of what life has to offer. Not people who most would likely consider rednecks.

The website 'The Daily Caller' ranked the 20 most conservative counties in the United States. Montgomery County ranked third on that list. Number one was Williamson County, TN (suburban Nashville...includes Franklin, TN...one of the most beautiful non coastal towns/cities in the country, IMO). Number two on that list was Gwinnett County, GA (suburban Atlanta, adjacent to Fulton County where some of my relatives from California live). Montgomery County is considered sort of a 'tea party hotspot', and Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain had their debates here during the 2012 cycle. The last Democrat to carry Montgomery County in a presidential election was President Johnson in 1964.

There are over 3,000 counties or county equivalents in the United States. The growth percentage in population from 2000 to 2010 made Montgomery County the 24th fastest growing county in the United States over that period of time.

In 2012 I was part of a fascinating three way conversation with two very different other people. One was a single guy who moved here from the Bay Area to build his dream house, on acreage, and had a horrendous experience. He's originally from Southern California, and had been taken to party political events (he's a Democrat) starting at age four by his furniture store owner dad. The other person, sharp as a tack, was a woman in her 90s, a lifetime area resident, who had owned restaurants and invested the profits in residential real estate and the financial markets. They only seemed to agree on one thing.....that most Texans are friendly, but that it is a fake, 'Minnesota Nice' kind of friendly. I wholeheartedly disagreed with them then, and I still wholeheartedly disagree with them.

I imagine that size, location, and the nature of the economy combine to make the Tyler area a place where the 'bible vibe' would be more intense (than my area), and harder to escape or ignore.

[nookandcrannycar]

Still going up here. I got gas about 19 hours ago. $1.98 9/10 per gallon, tied for 4th cheapest in our metro. Two stations at $1.89 9/10 per gallon were the cheapest, and another station was at $1.95 9/10 per gallon.

[Jcp123]

Gassed up today @ $2.249. A disappointing 38.06mpg.

[ern-diz]

Originally Posted by Jcp123

Gassed up today @ $2.249. A disappointing 38.06mpg.

38 is disappointing lol? I average about 32...

[Jcp123]

Originally Posted by ern-diz

38 is disappointing lol? I average about 32...

It is for me. I'm showing 42+ for this tank :D

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Still going up here. I got gas about 19 hours ago. $1.98 9/10 per gallon, tied for 4th cheapest in our metro. Two stations at $1.89 9/10 per gallon were the cheapest, and another station was at $1.95 9/10 per gallon.

Got gas about an hour ago. Same price.....$1.98 9/10.... and same station (Kroger at SH 249 & FM 2920 in Tomball, TX). However this is now THE cheapest station in our metro, rather than 3 others being cheaper, as was the case last week.