What's EP REALLY like for complete newcomers? (Houston, San Antonio: crime, employment)

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

You will be fine driving your audi. You will hardly be the only one driving a car like that. Although a toyota 4runner or chevy/ford pickup truck might help you fit in a little better

You can also look around Amarillo and Lubbock if you want to be away from humidity.

Job will be the most difficult part but if y'all find some you won't have many if any complaints. Maybe try searching on indeed.

Toyota Tacoma is cool. As for SUV's I'm more of a Yukon/Tahoe man. Humidity is something I really reallly hate... The job part is darn difficult indeed. Not only finding one, but having a healthy work life balance is also important to me. I have a wife to consider and we love to do our activities together in the sports and leisure realm. We're looking on all job boards. Glassdoor, indeed etc.

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by WRM20

The Trinity site is a 160 miles away. It's safe, they have tours there a couple of times a year. Here's the site on a map https://www.google.com/maps/place/33...6.475278?hl=en

Unless your Audi is US spec, don't even consider bringing it to the US. It will cost you a fortune to get it compliant.

Tacomas are a good choice as are 4Runners. You do not need an armored car.

Roger that on Trinity. My Audi is German spec, but yeah, probably not worth all the trouble of shipping over.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by ExpatNL

Toyota Tacoma is cool. As for SUV's I'm more of a Yukon/Tahoe man. Humidity is something I really reallly hate... The job part is darn difficult indeed. Not only finding one, but having a healthy work life balance is also important to me. I have a wife to consider and we love to do our activities together in the sports and leisure realm. We're looking on all job boards. Glassdoor, indeed etc.

You will definitely see more Chevy pickups and suvs than Toyota in ANY part of Texas. I drive an old tahoe myself.

Have you looked at remote jobs?

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

You will definitely see more Chevy pickups and suvs than Toyota in ANY part of Texas. I drive an old tahoe myself.

Have you looked at remote jobs?

In my field of business there are no remote jobs. Translated to the US Army MOS designation system (Dutch military is an entirely different ball game) I'm ex 49A/50A/59A and looking at PMC/PSC jobs in the US. There's hardly if any use for ex top brass though. My fiancée is in banking & finance. Obviously, her resumé is much more widely applicable. We're basically looking for a State with a year round warm and preferably dry climate (because I have arthrosis issues), solidly 2A friendly with a no BS SYG law on the books, good work-life balance, clean air and water, natural beauty as both of us are tree lovers, and a majority Latino or mixed Latino/white live and let live culture. Because I'm white and she's Latina and I want a safe environment for her. We both have pretty thick skin but just don't want to face any racism issues or draw any otherwise unwanted attention.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by ExpatNL

In my field of business there are no remote jobs. Translated to the US Army MOS designation system (Dutch military is an entirely different ball game) I'm ex 49A/50A/59A and looking at PMC/PSC jobs in the US. There's hardly if any use for ex top brass though. My fiancée is in banking & finance. Obviously, her resumé is much more widely applicable. We're basically looking for a State with a year round warm and preferably dry climate (because I have arthrosis issues), solidly 2A friendly with a no BS SYG law on the books, good work-life balance, clean air and water, natural beauty as both of us are tree lovers, and a majority Latino or mixed Latino/white live and let live culture. Because I'm white and she's Latina and I want a safe environment for her. We both have pretty thick skin but just don't want to face any racism issues or draw any otherwise unwanted attention.

Look at San Antonio as well. There's a couple of USAF bases there, and it's the home of the USAF basic training and security police school. There's also a large Army presence, although that's medical. San Antonio is the third largest city in Texas.

Further North from San Antonio is Fort Hood, the largest US Army post by land area. It's located next to Killeen. Not sure what the banking and finance opportunities are there.

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Look at San Antonio as well. There's a couple of USAF bases there, and it's the home of the USAF basic training and security police school. There's also a large Army presence, although that's medical. San Antonio is the third largest city in Texas.

Further North from San Antonio is Fort Hood, the largest US Army post by land area. It's located next to Killeen. Not sure what the banking and finance opportunities are there.

Tnx, we're also looking at SA. I'm indeed very familiar with US military installations (Bragg and Benning appeal the most to me). Working there requires citizenship. I'm a Dutch citizen and tired of working for the govt -any govt and looking at doing private things for private entities, no govt contracting whatsoever. Just for the sake of the argument and to give you an idea of my pay grade and duties, the closest thing that comes to where I've worked is approximately the JCOS, OSD etc. Within the Dutch military establishment those organizations are similar in comparison to the US'. I cannot imagine a PMC/PSC that takes itself seriously wouldn't have any need for somebody of that caliber. Just saying. I check my MOS codes with Constellis regularly, but they never have any jobs in that realm. I really wonder why there doesn't seem to be a very serious non-permissive environment security service outfit located somewhere in the South West or the Deep South. Because there's the border issue in the former, and sea lanes to LATAM and Africa in the latter. Yet all the big names are located in the larger DC area. Guess it has to do with govt contracting, but that's yesteryear's game.

[supfromthesite]

Do you have a list of cities that have these types of jobs? I am not familiar with your line of work but if you know what cities these jobs exist in we may be able to direct you.

San Antonio would work although it is not that dry.

New Mexico and Arizona would work great.

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

New Mexico and Arizona would work great.

Despite the cities being similarly Southwestern and there probably being more cartel activity in El Paso, Albuquerque NM has much more violent crime per capita than El Paso. Its in the top 10 for violent crime the US.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us...ies-in-america

[ZSP]

malcorub16

Despite the cities being similarly Southwestern and there probably being more cartel activity in El Paso, Albuquerque NM has much more violent crime per capita than El Paso. Its in the top 10 for violent crime the US.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us...ies-in-america



According to a study from AdvisorSmith, which took data from the FBI, El Paso was ranked as the No. 3 safest large city sitting just behind Henderson, Nevada and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

******************

I have lived in El Paso for 53 years and have no recall of dangerous cartel activity...maybe briefly many years ago but that's old news.

I raised my family here and had good paying jobs until I retired a few years ago. I never experienced any criminal or dangerous activity here.

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

Do you have a list of cities that have these types of jobs? I am not familiar with your line of work but if you know what cities these jobs exist in we may be able to direct you.

San Antonio would work although it is not that dry.

New Mexico and Arizona would work great.

I am former top brass Dutch military (in what would translate as a civilian in MOS 49A/50A/59A capacity at JCOS/OSD level) looking for a career switch into PMC/PSC.

The most obvious employees according to my desired line of work are located in the larger DC (North East VA) area and in NC, but I don't want to live in those states for a number of reasons. So I'm 'okay' settling for less spectacular business activities, as long as the conditions are good. Which could basically be anywhere in the Southern half of the US less CA , NM and FL. Of course the South West would be my number one choice for health reasons, but it's also a trade off because I love to walk in endless forests and so does my bride to be. The trade off in the Deep South is the humidity, mosquitoes and possibly hostility because we are a mixed couple (I am Nordic and she is Latina). We do not want to get caught in the middle of white vs black issues, nor do we want to be bothered [as in mobilized for their cause in any way, shape or form] or outright harassed by either BLM or far right flag wavers. So, ideally we want a majortiy Latino or mixed Latino/white environment and be as far away from race issues as is physically possible. I'm very protective of her and completely comfortable around Latinos myself.



I'd absolutely love -in theory, never been there- AZ's climate. Would be great for my knees (I have severe arthrosis, almost no cartilage left and the stretching tendens are also done for, but I feel fine in warm/hot and dry wheather as long as I don't do anything that's too much physical strain).


Are San Antonio's Northern outskirts relatively dry? I like the looks of places like Bulverde and Fair Oaks Ranch. They are also in a more elevated part of TX, which might help with humidity.


So basically, long story short: key issues are employment opportunities, environment/quality of life/pollution, 2nd Amendment, year round warm and ideally dry climate, green (yeah, I know...), absolutely no cold ever because that's torture, not exactly prone to natural disasters, and zero race issues (latino/white/one not hostile to the other/vice versa and absolutely no black/woke/white troublemakers. We are from Europe and LATAM and hold no stock in what we consider to be internal quarrels within the US, the Civil War heritage animosities etc. We don't wish to get involved in that crap).