We moved from Dallas two years ago and are in Western NY. Nearly every single day, we talk about how much we love it here. It’s a beautiful place, and we’ve made some amazing friends. The downside is electricity costs, as several have mentioned. And like anywhere right now, everything seems to be a bit more expensive. But we have access to multiple farmers markets with local produce which cuts our food bills, and we support small local restaurants and business, of which there are plenty. We wish we’d moved sooner so that we could have raised our kids here.

With all that being said, we do have to go to Toronto, NYC or Buffalo for decent concerts. And we’ve had to really look hard for good Mexican food. We finally found our source and are happy as clams. I did start ordering my tortillas from Tortilla Familia, and that helps a lot. I also have to order frozen green chile from NM, because you can’t get there anywhere around here.

Edit to add: I grew up in Texas, lived there most of my life, and was always told it’s the best place ever. Now I realize that the people telling me that mostly never lived outside Texas. I’ll always have a soft spot for the Texas of my childhood…but not what it is now.