A Gen Zer left Texas to find acceptance and peace of mind: ‘Texas has a lot to fix and resolve before I would even encourage anyone to move or live there’

Ty Joerger, 25, and about a  dozen of his friends moved from Texas to Seattle recently.Joerger was fleeing mass shootings, intolerance of LGBTQ+ communities, and intense weather.”Texas has a lot to fix and resolve before I would even encourage anyone to move or live there,” he said. 

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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Texas native Ty Joerger, a 25-year-old multimedia producer, who moved to Seattle in July. The essay, which also incorporates quotes from emails between Joerger and BI, has been edited for length and clarity.

I was a lifelong Texan.

I was born in Houston, lived in San Antonio as a child, and grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. After living in the Lone Star State for my entire life, I moved away from Texas in July — all the way to Seattle, Washington.

I’m just one of about 10 to 12 friends who all moved from Texas to the Pacific Northwest over the past two years. Prior to 2021, I had a few friends who moved to Seattle, but the brunt of my friends ended up moving in late 2022.

I have a laundry list of reasons as to why I moved away from Texas. A consistent reason among me and my friends is the political climate, especially with all of us being members of the LGBTQ+ community.

You also want to be with your friend circle. I always say that was my No. 1 reason for coming up here.

I wanted to live in a more tolerant environment

My friends and I shared a pretty similar sentiment: That we didn’t feel safe in a state that had more and more aggressive legislation targeting us.

Joerger with friends at a Seattle Mariners baseball game.

Courtesy of Ty Joerger

As a gay man, I didn’t feel like I could be myself, and always felt hesitant to bring up my sexuality or the fact that I have a boyfriend. I didn’t come out to my boss until I had a political debate with him and had to make a point.

Towards the end of my time in Texas, I was a little more open about it. But even still, I wasn’t telling people I was queer or parading pride flags.

Honestly, I didn’t even go to any pride parades in Texas because I was scared and knew that the state has lax gun laws.

Mass shootings caused anxiety

The gun policies in the state were another significant reason for moving.

I grew up witnessing mass shooting after mass shooting. Some of these included Uvalde, Sutherland Springs, and the Allen outlet mall.

It didn’t help that the state continued to pass legislation that weakened gun control and made it easier for individuals to acquire them.

In May, I was already in the midst of planning my move when the Allen Outlet shooting happened. It caused enough anxiety that I hardly went out in my final months of living in Texas.

Having to fear a shooting everywhere I went or having to be careful to not honk at the wrong person was just no longer feasible.

The state’s extreme weather also drove me out

Intensifying weather within the state and its ever-record-breaking cold and hot climate were also factors in my decision.

Texas is getting hotter and colder, and its electric grid is just not able to handle that.

I don’t want to be dealing with 110 degrees outside and having to worry if my air conditioning is going to turn off all of a sudden or if my pets are going to overheat.

Joerger took this photo of the 2021 snowstorm and cold snap that left many Texans without power and water.

Courtesy of Ty Joerger

I also went through Texas’ 2021 winter storm that shut down the state for almost a week and killed hundreds of people. I was fortunate to keep my power on, but lost water for about five days.

I had to resort to getting snow into a bucket and boiling it for drinking and cooking water. I did not get to take a shower until I was able to drive over to my parents in Dallas.

After what was a complete failure — on part of the state government in the form of ERCOT along with state and federal representatives — I thought there would be significant change. What we got was ERCOT doing nothing to upgrade the power grid.

I can’t count the number of days this past summer where ERCOT warned about power usage since they couldn’t handle the output.

I’m saving money on gas

My boyfriend and I ended up finding a really nice spot to live in Seattle. We are only a 10-minute walk from the rail station.

We live in a 770-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that we rent for $1,750. It’s about $350 more than what I was paying for my 950-square-foot Texas apartment.

I chose Seattle mainly for its robust transit system. In Texas, I consistently I spent between $200 to $250 a month on gas while I lived in Texas alone.

I’ve gone from driving 700 to 800 miles a month to less than 200 while consistently traveling on Seattle’s Sound Transit. My costs to travel have dropped significantly — My partner and I spend less than $100 monthly — it’s a big reason I’ve been able to adjust to the higher cost of living in the Pacific Northwest.

The views of the Seattle area are impeccable. I love its hills and mountains. You have a lot of greenery alive in nature. I’ve also noticed that it feels like the area is actually lived in. There are so many people walking around compared to Texas, where most people are driving cars.

Joerger and his partner in Seattle.

Courtesy of Ty Joerger

One aspect of Texas that I don’t think gets talked about enough is the complete lack of public transit within the major cities. While Houston and Dallas have some public transit with METRO & DART, they don’t even compare to systems elsewhere in the country.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, you pretty much have to expect a more-than-30-minute drive to get anywhere of significance. If you don’t have a car in Texas, you are extremely limited.

In Seattle, I have a lot of travel options. The accessibility of getting around is such a nice thing. You really feel like you live in a community.

I think I made the right decision

I lived in Texas all my life and I am so glad I moved to Seattle.

l think it’s a friendlier place and I feel so much safer, and my friends and I are able to be ourselves. It’s a little more expensive to live here, but honestly the cost can sometimes be worth it.

Joerger next to a car when he first arrived in Seattle.

Courtesy of Ty Joerger.

While I have a ton of criticism towards my home state, I still love it. I do miss the food and the culture of cities like San Antonio a lot, but I feel like I’ve put myself in a better place physically and mentally.

I would love for the Lone Star State to change for the better as my parents and numerous friends still live there, but it has a lot to resolve before I would even encourage anyone to move or live there.

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