Cross Roads

Texas is the most populous state in the Southern United States. It borders the American states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, and New Mexico to the west. To the south and southwest, it has an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, along a natural boundary formed by the Rio Grande. Texas has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.Wikipedia

Texas draws more domestic migrants than any other state, driven by no personal income tax, a rapidly diversifying economy, and housing that — outside Austin — remains relatively affordable by national standards. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the country's largest inland metro, anchored by corporate relocations and financial services. Houston's energy-tech hybrid and the Austin-San Antonio corridor's tech and university cluster give the state genuine economic breadth that goes well beyond oil and gas.

The climate is the sharpest tradeoff. Summers are long and frequently exceed 100°F across central and west Texas, with Gulf Coast cities like Houston blending the heat with intense humidity from May through October. Oklahoma and northern Texas sit squarely in Tornado Alley, with peak severe weather from March through May. Those who adapt to the heat find that the outdoor living culture — especially in the Texas Hill Country, coastal Louisiana, and the Ozarks — offers a richness that outsiders often underestimate.