What is the best warm climate place in the US that won't break the bank?  Real estate, among other things, in Cali is just too expensive.

Julie and I have finally gotten serious about coming out from the cold!    We've been looking at FL, AZ and TX.  None of them, at the state level, offers any TG protections from discrimination but we figure you have to know before you'd discriminate.  We both pass pretty well. 

The best real estate deals we've found are in FL & AZ.  The Corpus Christi area has some good deals but what's the employment situation there?

The snow is begging to fall once again and, after almost 60 years of it, I'm ready for warmer climes.

I'd like to add my vote for Southern California. Here's my rationale:
1. It's friggin' expensive, and the market dictates that when demand exceeds supply, prices go up. Maybe the So Cal people know something that most of the rest of us don't know~that it's real nice to live there?
2. It's not too crazy hot, nor is it humid.
3. Not any much rain. Did I mention no hurricanes?
4. There aren't too many creatures waiting to eat you (gators), constrict around you( giant pythons), bite you (rattlesnakes) etc.
At least not in major numbers like in the desert of Arizona or the swampland called Florida. I'm sure stuff is there in the Cali desert, but whatever...
5.  It's sunny most of the year.
6. Cool stuff goes on there. For gosh sakes, they make all the movies and TV shows. Okay, so they make all the porn there too, but who's perfect?
7. You can drive into the mountains and snow when you get the itch. Snow is for skiing and nothing else!
8. The Pacific actually cools you off.
9. A very overall accepting climate for trans and gay folks. We spent a month in LA, and didn't garner one odd look. Hey, everybody is weird out there, so who cares? 
10. I'll confess that I'm no fan of a surprise major earthquake. Fortunately, 99% of shakers aren't real threatening. I also don't like traffic nor smog. Last time we were in LA, the smog wasn't bad at all. Plus, there's places like San Diego and the gorgeous central coast areas if you don't like LA.

Come on folks, let's hear you votes. I'm ready for everyone who can't stand LA to take me on! Speak up for your warm city in the U.S. 

Hey, everybody is weird out there, so who cares?

We're proud of it too.  As it turns out, every California joke is true.

I live in Gulfport, MS.  It's nice and warm, though it can get humid.  The winters are mild.  We do get hurricanes, but haven't had one in the last 2 years and the year before that, the only hurricane that hit only knocked over a couple of trash cans and knocked the power out for about 2 hours or so--nothing big.  The real estate prices aren't too terribly bad, either, because they're trying to sell the houses here because no one's been buying.

>> My vote wouldn't be for middle or north California (think about San Francisco and up) because of the people (who were unbelievably rude) and because of the large cities and the prices were outrageous and that was just north California, but that's just me.

I had to click Phoenix area for one place only....

Red Rock encased Sedona... up off the valley and 5000ft up in the air and sunsets there back in Sept.... that were truly sublime....

I lived in the Tucson area and love it.  Not near as hot as Phoenix, but still gets a might warm in the Summer.  Monsoon season it a trip the first time.  As is the Ice breaking on the San Cruz.

Quote from: Janet Lynn on December 05, 2010, 12:45:52 PM
I lived in the Tucson area and love it.  Not near as hot as Phoenix, but still gets a might warm in the Summer.

Is it true that you can't do anything outside during the 3-4 "hot" summer months? Even a golf game started at 4 pm is met by 95 degree heat?

Why is Phoenix supposedly much hotter than Tucson?  Are there any many jobs in the area? Just curious?

If you're in southern Florida and it's summer, you'd better get your golf game started before 8AM or you'll melt.  Yeah, LA has some great weather and seems to be filled with people who don't have people phobias.  I've never felt so comfortable, in terms of a social climate.  I've spent a lot of time in SE Florida and if you're not a conformist, you're an outcast.  Maybe it's because of all the old people. 

Quote from: juliekins on December 05, 2010, 03:11:43 PM
Is it true that you can't do anything outside during the 3-4 "hot" summer months? Even a golf game started at 4 pm is met by 95 degree heat?

Why is Phoenix supposedly much hotter than Tucson?  Are there any many jobs in the area? Just curious?

Many don't because it just beats down on you.  Phoenix has a lot more asphalt than Tucson so they heat up the area.  There use to be a lot of jobs but who knows now.

When I lived in Daytona Beach it was very affordable, shockingly coming from someone from Oklahoma. Not sure about gay/trans friendly but I am sure its not too bad. I didn't know about it whem I lived there. Plus there is bike week, speed week, spring break, and surfing.

Surfing = win.

I live in the Houston area. If you are used to larger cities, this might be a place to consider. It is cheap and there is no state income tax. There is a vibrant trans community and the mayor of Houston is an out lesbian. Of course, it isn't all milk and honey. It is still Texas and close minded religious types and Mega Churches abound. There are also a lot of master planned suburban neighborhoods that are very much like Stepford. It also is very hot AND humid in the summer. You would have to choose where you live carefully. Basically, the closer to the city center and the Montrose gayborhood, the better. Of course, these also happen to be the most expensive areas of town. Good luck!

I really don't have much imput but I can tell you that Texas will not recognize a gender change for legal purposes .... they have held in their court cases consistently the gender you are at birth is your legal gender.

Thus, if you marry in another state or have your birth certificate changed in another state but die in Texas they will not recognize the marriage or inheritence claims ...as was the big case in their legal history.

The west is the best

The west is the best

'Get here, and we'll do the rest'

The sun may rise in the east but at least it settles in a finer location

I'll toss Atlanta into the pot. Okay, so it does get a bit cold for a few weeks a year and we do get snow (about 4 inches total in the past 10 years I have lived here), summers can/do get pretty hot 90's daily for several months and it can get humid (when we aren't in a drought). Home prices/real estate is pretty decent here right now (tons of homes on the market) and availability of jobs would depend on what you do. I have found that within Atlanta there is little to no problem with being trans - I have been treated as just any other person - with maybe one minor exception.

Of course the only other area of the country I have any experience with is New England and there is not much that is warm about that climate.

As far as unemployment rates of warmer climate states:

California       12.4%
Florida          11.9%
Mississippi     9.7%
Arizona         9.5%
Alabama        8.9%
New Mexico   8.4%
Louisiana      8.1%
Texas           8.1%
Hawaii           6.4%

For the major metro areas (1,000,000 or more) with their US rank:

Rank            Metropolitan Area                                                           Rate
4   Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area        6.8
7   San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area              7.3
14   Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area              8.0
15   New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area             8.1
16   Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area          8.2
21   Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area                    8.5
36   San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area        10.1
37   San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area       10.2
39   San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area       10.7
40   Jacksonville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area                                      10.9
42   Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area              11.2
43   Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area   11.7
44   Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area   11.8
44   Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area      11.8
46   Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area   12.1
48   Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area                          14.1
49   Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area     14.2

While Austin may be a very LGBT friendly area, housing prices are among the highest in Texas.  I've heard San Antonio is fairly liberal too but, like Houston, they are all in a state that is anything but LGBT friendly.  It's a double-edged sword.

Julie passes very well.  I can pass as long as I don't have to talk too long.  Two to three hours talking and my voice begins to break down.  Julie has to work.  Her ex took her for everything.  I have a pension but I would like to work, probably part time.  My brain is in retirement mode.  Julie is ten years my junior.  She still wants (and needs) to work.  So the employment situation is important.  But I'm very uncomfortable about moving to a state where they think discriminating against LGBT people is a good thing.

Disregarding employment and housing prices, California wins hands down.  But based on the population vs unemployment scenario, that's what everyone thinks.  "I'd rather live in California and be broke than live in redneck country and live like a millionaire."

On a side note, it seems pretty obvious:
The more liberal the area, the higher the property value. 
The higher the property value, the higher the education level. 
The higher the education level, the lower the prejudice level. 
The lower the prejudice level, the lesser the incidence of discrimination.
The lesser the incidence of discrimination, the higher the tolerance.
The higher the tolerance, the more liberal the area.

So the cure for falling property values?  You do the math. 

On the other hand, if you want cheap housing, you have to conform, or else! 

The more liberal the area, the higher the property value. 
The higher the property value, the higher the education level. 
The higher the education level, the lower the prejudice level. 
The lower the prejudice level, the lesser the incidence of discrimination.
The lesser the incidence of discrimination, the higher the tolerance.
The higher the tolerance, the more liberal the area.

Funny how that works out.

I used to live in San Antonio.  Great climate if you like warm weather.  It gets very hot in the summer, and there are floods in the winter, but it doesn't get cold and it's never too dry or too humid.  It's very affordable.  Overall, a nice city to live in.  It's not conservative in the way people think of when they think of Texas.  I didn't run into many born again Christians or Tea Party types.  It's a big enough city that there are all kinds of people.  But it is traditional, as in old-fashioned, which is a cultural thing, not a political thing.   

It's a beautiful city with a rich history and a lot of character.  My neighborhood was about as diverse as it gets.  People were really friendly.  I got to know my neighbors, and they were nice people who came from all walks of life.  And it's not hard to find a job.  The challenge is to find a job where you won't be considered "too weird".  It's very easy to be considered "too weird" there - by people of any political or religious affiliation or lack thereof.  So if there's anything unusual about you, you have to make an effort to find your niche.  Once you do, you can live pretty well.  Everything is dirt cheap, and the city has a lot to offer.  Good libraries, and a lot of interesting things to do in general.  Austin is about 70 miles away, and it's cheaper to live in San Antonio and drive to Austin once a week for a show (or whatever you want to do there) than it is to live in Austin.  I get the impression that San Antonio has more to offer job-wise than Austin too, but that would obviously depend on your field. 

If you don't mind hot weather, don't mind feeling like you've gone back in time a bit, and enjoy Mexican culture, it can be a great place to live.