I've lived in both California bay area, Dallas and Austin (currently)
I loved the Bay Area, lots of fun things there, but it is fairly expensive. I don't know where that 49% tax thing someone said is coming from, that's not true in my experience. I would gladly move back there as it is a major place for tech industry (my industry)
Dallas was alright. It's not really Texas in my mind. Too many businesses moving there for favorable taxes. The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, as it's called, is just a big melting pot of people from all over the country.
Austin is probably my favorite, albeit a little warm. You'll find some excellent barbecue here, a lot of music and a number of competing world views. You'll find conservatives and you'll find liberals. No state tax, seems like a lot of companies are moving into the Austin area. We just got a Formula 1 track as well, if you're into that.
