What's EP REALLY like for complete newcomers?

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

You will find BLM riots and flag waiving Trump supporters in basically every part of America. BLM riots moreso in bigger cities. There is really no escaping this.

Black and white people have lived together in the south for many centuries. By now, there is not as much racial conflict as the media would make it seem. Seems like it is worse in the north, where the two groups are still getting used to living near each other. Also, lots of white/hispanic or white/black interracial marriages... Obviously Texas will have more of the former as there are a ton more hispanics. I do hear you about the humidity though.

Your best bet for avoiding humidity in San Antonio is staying on the northwest side. Castroville and Boerne (fair oaks ranch is basically a part of Boerne) would be better than Bulverde and Spring Branch I believe. Maybe Bandera, and then out towards Junction it is a lot more dry, although now we are getting pretty far from San Antonio.

Towns like Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo and Alpine would be muchmore dry, but then you will be kind of screwed when it comes to work.

Seems like El Paso or Arizona would be your best bet. Not sure what you have against NM but I think it would be a good place for you too. If work is not possible in these places... You may have to settle for a dry, hilly place outside of San Antonio.

Without turning this board into a political discussion, I just have zero tolerance for BLM altogether. Don't mind Trump fans, but I dump the radical elements in the same trash can as I dump BLM into. What I mean is I hate *confederate flags, nazi flags, anything far right. We in Europe have VERY bad memories of far rightism. There's very few people who haven't had their family suffer from that crap. Lots of lives were lost at the hands of the far right overhere, so those wounds and scars run very very deep. There's a big difference between the outright insanity of the waaay too far to the right, and the Gadsden and Betsy Ross flags and very vocal 2nd Amendment activism [to which I most definitely and wholeheartedly subscribe because I'm a Constitutionalist] As soon as things turn into anything remotely 'anglo saxon nationalism or bust and we don't give a F about everybody else' from the what would be considered traditionally 'white' spectrum of the political arena, that's where you loose me. Yes I am culturally white, upper middle class, I like classic art, but I also like guns and the great outdoors. But I do not at all want to be confronted by or associated with ku klux clowns, Alt Right types and what have you not. I spit on that trash as I do on the same trash on the other side (BLM/Antifa/Woke etc). In other words, I am socially VERY Conservative. I simply don't believe in the 'Unite the Right' cause, because there are not only subtle lines but very clear lines as well. I don't clearly identify as a Republican (or a Democrat) anyway. I'm a pragmatic Independent, it depends on the issue. Green on environmental issues, left of center/progressive when it comes to employee/tenant/consumer rights, Isolationist (to HELL with foreign "policy" -or any lack there-off), Socially and Constitutionally Conservative and so forth. You get the picture I guess.


Culturally, TX appeals more to me than the Deep South. Nature wise the latter wins hands down. I just love endless forests and a fresh breathe of air. The humidity sucks though. Northwest San Antonio is the sweet spot indeed. I'm in the process of discussing a potentially very good business deal with a might be venture partner/employer, and San Antonio is right where I'd land the entire operation, for various reasons. I'll see how it all pans out. Thanks for the insights on the other outskirts, and yes I need to keep potential employment for my significant other in mind. She'll need a finance/banking job within reasonable driving distance into SA (she hates driving as it is, lol).

Laredo etc are dry you say? Hmm, that's new. I hought it was a humid hell hole in that neck of the woods? You hit the nail with regards to employment though. Not much opportunity there, if any.


I have absolutely nothing against NM, other than it's less than stellar self defense laws and the fact that's it's run by Liberals. I just don't want to live in a wishy washy State that is not SYG, has no immunity from criminal prosecution in self defense cases etc. I'm a line in the sand Pro 2A guy. The problem with NM is you'll get dragged into court in case you defend yourself, and half to refer back to that one single verdict from 1950-something which ruled there is no duty to retreat and what have you not. The Liberals running NM still have not made any effort to just make that loud and clear already on the books. The whole 'but' philosophy is not what the Fathers had in mind when the Bill of Rights was drafted. I think there is no room for any 'but' because the Constitution is the superior Law of the Land, no matter what the funny guys in individual States come up with for monstrosities of so-called legislation. As for work, that's hard overthere as well. NM mostly has a thriving art scene in particularly Sante Fe, quite a few retirees, and there's just not much going on economically, at least not in my line of business nor in my better half's.


Yep, all things considered I might very well agree the San Antonio area would be the best balance of all factors involved. Especially because of this whole business thingy I have cooking. If I can pull it off and convince the prospective partners, San Antonio is most definitely the place to set up shop.


*What is hilarious to me is why on earth 'have not' whites even identify with it?? Poor whites were just as much victims of the asininity which was the increasingly dictatorial Confederacy as black slaves were. Because they were the ones sent off to fight for it in the first place. Southern pride, Southern courage, Southern heritage, all horse excrement because the bottom line was that the poor whites were doing the rich slave holders bidding/(bleeding). The fact that many whites in the South today still live in this misplaced romance is both a joke and an outrage (to blacks). It's just beyond me... Of course, you can't undo history and by some Woke inspired magic trick erase all the public reminders -which would be pointless anyway, for starters, there's just no cancel culturing this whole thing by means of replacing flags, removing statues and renaming military installations. But at least people need to wake up and snap out of it all -on both sides of the argument, most importantly just learn from the mistakes written in the annales of history and move on. Just bury this whole black vs white thing already That's why I cannot stand retards such as BLM, Alt Right etc and most certainly do not want to get caught in any cross fire. There's a reason why the Western half -or let's say most of it- of the USA calls out to me.... The Old West, the Rocky's, I'm sure you get my drift....

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

East Texas, which Houston is in, is probably going to be way too humid for you. Hill Country is where it starts to get less humid.

Houston otherwise might be a decent choice... But you will definitely find more BLM riots there than in San Antonio. Not sure about race relations but I could see them probably being better in San Antonio too.

Our Heavenly Father knows I hate some of His Creations. Humidity and mosquitos ranking pretty high on the list of the lot.... Sure, summers in The Netherlands are what I'm used to. They're nasty, muggy, sometimes on the level of being outright brutal. But I don't have the illusion of them being even remotely comparable to subtropical levels. Especially if I'd take into consideration that is what's pretty much the deal year round in Houston. Sure, much of it can be remedied with A/C, but the moment you step outside you're done for.

Yep I prefer 'the Old West' culturally, with its heavy Latino influence. I don't think I'd fit in nor be actually happy or comfortable -culturally- in what are the Deep South and peripheral South. Just doesn't float my boat, to each their own of course. Take Lousiana for instance. That's a very.... occult..... State... I would never want to live there.

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by WRM20

That's just not true at all. We've had essentially zero riots in recent memory in Houston. Protests, yes, but not riots, and very few protests.

Troublemakers nevertheless Protests/riots=tomatos/tomatoes if you care for my $0.02



Gun rights, environment, employee rights, screwing with religion/the Constitution/established social order, ridiculous taxes, Big Brother overstepping it again, foreign whatever messing about, and corruption=legit cause for directed havoc. Everything else is moot

[supfromthesite]

There are lots of finance/banking jobs in San Antonio, and many of those are on the northwest side of town. Your big issue will be traffic depending on how far outside of the city you are wanting to live. If you are narrowing it down to San Antonio you might start a new thread on their board. I will be over there as San Antonio is where I live.

I still think El Paso could work too, but if you are having trouble finding a job over there then San Antonio is definitely a good choice. I wouldn't mind living in EP myself one day if I can find work over there...

I have never seen a nazi flag in San Antonio. Although I don't think they are very common anywhere in America. I do see confederate flag bumper stickers and t-shirts on occasion... And even black or hispanic people wearing them. It is complicated. I have met many people who would call themselves "constitutionalists" in San Antonio so you won't have much trouble in that regard. Texas is a pretty libertarian state, for the most part.

In regards to the stand your ground stuff... I know some states are better than others but I don't think New Mexico is significantly worse. I am sure people kill in self defense all the time, it just doesn't get a ton of news. If you are involved in a big media case that goes national ala Kyle Rittenhouse or George Zimmerman I think you are pretty screwed no matter where you live.

[ExpatNL]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

There are lots of finance/banking jobs in San Antonio, and many of those are on the northwest side of town. Your big issue will be traffic depending on how far outside of the city you are wanting to live. If you are narrowing it down to San Antonio you might start a new thread on their board. I will be over there as San Antonio is where I live.

I still think El Paso could work too, but if you are having trouble finding a job over there then San Antonio is definitely a good choice. I wouldn't mind living in EP myself one day if I can find work over there...

I have never seen a nazi flag in San Antonio. Although I don't think they are very common anywhere in America. I do see confederate flag bumper stickers and t-shirts on occasion... And even black or hispanic people wearing them. It is complicated. I have met many people who would call themselves "constitutionalists" in San Antonio so you won't have much trouble in that regard. Texas is a pretty libertarian state, for the most part.

In regards to the stand your ground stuff... I know some states are better than others but I don't think New Mexico is significantly worse. I am sure people kill in self defense all the time, it just doesn't get a ton of news. If you are involved in a big media case that goes national ala Kyle Rittenhouse or George Zimmerman I think you are pretty screwed no matter where you live.

I'm indeed very interested in San Antonio. El Paso could work as well. Jobs appear to be rather a challenge though. There's just nothing there. I might as well start a topic in the San Antonio board indeed.



I've seen NSM and Aryan nation flags a million times during right wing rallies. It's a shame the 2A crowd mingles with trash like that. I'm a social and constitutional Conservative, and in some area's economically as well but that's pretty much where my rightiness ends. I identify more as an Independent of the pragmatic and technocratic school of thought. As long as nothing gets too outrageous I'm fairly okay with the Texas culture of basically live and let live. Arizona is similar in that outlook.



I hear ya, just wouldn't want to run the risk of being dragged to court for that matter. High profile or not. I also look at the bigger picture and economically TX is just lightyears ahead in opportunity. NM is kind of a the bottom of the barrel, unless you're in the art business and tourist industry because it's a very interesting State in that regard.

[wilberry]

Without turning this into a POLITCAL DISCUSSION .....

[ulymoli9]

This is my very first post, so apologies if i don't do something right.
I feel like i can answer most of these questions for you.

I was born and raised in EP, living here for almost 3 decades and change.
I am Mexican but also have white people in my family that also live here.

*In regards to your first question about what it would be like for a white person as yourself, I think you will be more than fine here. Obviously, we are a majority Hispanic community but with Ft Bliss, Gov't jobs, and other reasons for relocating, you will not find a shortage of white people who live quite happily here. The fact that you have already introduced to the language (and in some way the culture due to your spouse's roots), you'd be at a bigger advantage than other newcomers. I think that if anything, the biggest barrier for white/non-white relations would be the language. It is not rare to go into a retail store and find an employee who mainly speaks Spanish. (granted this is more common in the more-heavily hispanic communities). P.S. My brother-in-law is white and from NY state and he's been here for over a decade now. I can tell you that I have never even heard of hostility towards white people here, truly (but that can be because I am not white myself although I'm kind of white-passing HA).


*For your road rage question, I actually don't know what LATAM is so i'm sorry but i wouldn't be able to compare that. But, the city roads have been expanded, extended, and reconfigured quite a bit over the past decade (especially on the west side). While all that was going on, I did experience a lot more traffic and therefore more impatient or "ragey" drivers. But now that we are on the other side of that, the roads are more efficient therefore you'll be stuck in traffic less therefore less road rage. I think the biggest ragers are the ones that drive on I10 that ride on the left lane for passing only. Just make sure that you stay out of the left lane if you drive slowly because they will ride your tail until you move. That's really it for the road rage I feel. Another thing, I do think that it'd be good for you to know that we do have a lot of young people that love to party and unfortunately drinking and driving is a problem usually on the weekends or late at night, so just use caution during those times.

*In regards to housing in a green environment, yes, Coronado and its surrounding areas are some of the most green or lush. Those areas are a bit more dense and tightly compacted. These areas also happen to be some of the priciest, and so I think maybe finding a smaller house may be a challenge. I think you'd have to go to a condo type of housing in order for you to find a 2 bedroom (and especially 1 bedroom) home. If you stick to the nicer/greener areas, I'd say you're looking at least 500k for a 3-4bedroom house.

There is another area closer to downtown called Kern, which is adjacent to the university UTEP. That area is also pricey but you would be able to find 2 bedroom homes, as they are mostly older, historic, cottage types of homes. A 2 bed fixer upper may cost you around 300k while an updated home would be closer to 4-500k.

Now, the greenest area is the Upper Valley, which is on the other side of I10 from Coronado and downhill from the mountain. These are the more ranch-style, large property types of homes. These houses though happen to be probably even larger than the Coronado houses and pricey. They will vary greatly in size, but i'd say you may be more likely to find a 2 bedroom home in this area than Coronado. I'd guess that homes range from around 300k to over 2 million.

So these are the 3 areas i'd choose to look into if i were you, Coronado/Westside mountain, Kern, and Upper Valley.

But if you want to be in a gated community, we just dont really have smaller houses in gated communities. But to be honest, you dont need to be in a gated area to be safe. We are quite a safe city, but are also not that small so we do need to use common sense and not make things desirable to criminals, like leaving car doors unlocked.

We definitely had a home shortage recently but prices have started to fall and the availability is also improving.

*For the employment question, I do not know too much about those fields unfortunately.

*In regards to living a green life, I think you'd have to look in the Upper Valley area if you're wanting that type of setup with a septic tank. I read somewhere that there are over 30k septic tank systems in the county so I'd imagine it is a simple/streamlined process, though I have no knowledge or experience with that. Solar panels are everywhere.

I hope this info is helpful and welcome if you do relocate






***original post***

My fiancee and I might be relocating to EP from abroad due to her very possibly getting a good job offer there.

I have some questions for [former] locals though as I've spent a proper amount of time doing research but would like to discuss some things a bit more in-depth with people who have a good deal of experience living there.



First off the bat, we are a mixed race couple. She is Latina (Peruvian) and I'm white (Nordic heritage, but from The Netherlands). My intelligent guestimate is she'll have no problem integrating, or rather put, blending in. As for me, I'm completely fine in a majority Latino environment and having to speak Spanish alot, although I've read about quite a bit about hostility towards white people, and especially white men. Can someone elaborate on this? What's the deal on race relations, employment chances, and just your basic day to day interaction with other people? I'd appreciate a no-BS, straight forward assessment.


Secondly, the apparent hideous drivers. My fiancee has had more than her fair share of that already in Lima and she is sick and tired of road rage. So how bad is it in EP? Is it LATAM 2.0 or just your occasional moron?


Third, and this one's pretty big, as I understand the greenest and nicest area's are Coronado, Thunderbird and their immediate vicinities. We're fully aware EP is pretty much desert, but we happen to be tree lovers and want to live as green as possible. How cramped -as in supply vs demand- is the housing market in those neigborhoods and what price range are we looking at for a 1 or 2 bed one floor property? I suffer from knee arthrosis so we don't want any stairs. We're not planning on having kids either, but we'd like to have a guest room in order to offer relatives a place to crash. So overall we don't need a huge/overly expensive per square feet house. We basically want a modest-in-size good quality house in the nicest neighborhood, and have a preference for a 24/7 guarded gated community.



Fourth, as for employment, we both hold masters degrees in our respective professional fields. As I said earlier there is a very good job for her in sight so she's pretty much tucked in if all falls through, but I'd have to search upon landing. I'm a military expert (ex top brass in my country of origin) and looking at private sector jobs in high end security (convoy escort, explorations guarding etc. In other words 'non-permissive environment' stuff). I haven't come across any companies of that caliber in EP yet, but within certain parameters pertaining to the conditions I'm okay with working for a lower scale outfit that does less 'spectacular' things and is of a more locally oriented nature. Does anyone on this board know if I might have overlooked any employer of my first preferential category, or is perhaps connected to this circuit and brief me about the EP landscape of this business? Just for your general reference I'm MOS 49A/50A/59A.



Fifth and lastly, we are very green minded people and would like to be self sufficient/[semi] off the grid. What's the deal with any possible resistance from the municipality or permits with regards to solar panels, septic tanks etc? We'd like to cut out as many costs related to traditional suppliers as possible with regards to our energy and water needs because we just don't like third parties being forced down our throat.


Anyway, that's pretty much all, folks! Looking forward to your constructive replies.[/quote]