FORGET WHAT YOU HEARD: Here's Why California Is Better Than Texas For Business And Your Family

REUTERS/Lucy NicholsonJohn Broz wears a cowboy costume during a surf contest in Santa Monica.We recently told you the story of why Vegas-based robotics startup Romotive is moving to California.

The gist of their reasoning was that while they knew they'd be paying more in taxes, but that they'd be in closer proximity to like-minded firms and entrepreneurs, as well as investors.

We were interested by their story in the first place, though, because California's business climate has received some bad press this year.

And the state most responsible for giving it?

Texas.

It started with Gov. Rick Perry's move to run advertisements in the Golden State touting Texas' more favorable tax and regulatory environment.

This was followed, among other things, by an op-ed from the Texas Public Policy Foundation "dispelling" myths about Texas' disadvantages versus California.

The TPPF's mission, in case you didn't know, is to "promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas."

So arguably they may not be the most impartial arbiter of the question.

So we have taken it on ourselves to be so.

We looked at five broad categories — taxes, health, education, housing, and sports and leisure — to determine which state is superior.

We took the perspective of a business executive or family trying to determine which of the two states is for them.

It comes down to the wire.

But the winner makes a convincing case.