Is Texas the place for us? (El Paso, Midland: hotel, houses, employment)

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Twenty five years ago, as a newly single mother of four biracial kids, I moved from the military lifestyle to East Texas to be closer to my parents, who had moved here long after I was grown (from Georgia).

Texas is different from any other place I've ever lived, and I've lived all over the world, and spent much of my life living in the Deep South.

It took me about six months not to start screaming in horror every morning - but in retrospect I realize that part of my problem was that I didn't like my entire life situation. In other words, a big part of the problem was me. However, Texas really was a culture shock for me at first. It was so much more rural than what I was used to. I wasn't used to the Hispanic influence. I had never seen so many pickup trucks in my life! People actually wore, as "real" clothes, cowboy boots and hats. There was country music everywhere. Wow.

Of course, none of those things are "bad." They were just very different. To me, even East Texas (which I now realize is a very "southern" place overall) seemed like the wild, wild West. But as I settled in, and came to grips with my new life, I realized that this place wasn't so bad. Then one day, I realized I was happy. Then one day, about two years later, I realized I loved my adopted state - and I still love it to this day.

I raised my kids in Tyler, which is a city I can't say enough positive things about. It's a beautiful small city of about 100,000, sort of the hub of northeast Texas, and it's two hours from Dallas and an hour and a half from Shreveport. Big enough NOT to be provincial. Prior to moving to Tyler, I lived in a small town outside of Tyler. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend that to anyone with biracial kids. I think that even today, twenty five years later, small rural towns are full of small minded people. No one was actually aggressive toward us - no crosses burning in the yard, no sort of attacks (not even verbal), but I just didn't like the mindset of the people there. I moved my kids to Tyler precisely for that reason, and they fit in very nicely there. We had absolutely zero problems as a biracial family there. Also, the schools were good.

Which brings me to your list.

- You're in for a treat. The Texas music scene is diverse and dynamic.
- Plenty to do in Texas!
- The food scene in Texas in general is amazing. That's one of the first things I fell in love with in this state. Best Tex Mex food I've ever had. Also, there are several really huge metro areas in the state, and the diversity of ethnic restaurants is impressive. Heck, I live near Longview now - a town of about 60,000 - and even Longview has a lot of ethnic restaurants and small, ethnic grocery stores.
- Someone earlier in this thread was complaining about the Texas school system, but once we moved to Tyler, I had no issues with the school system. Every town is different, even schools within the same district will differ. Just do your homework before you move. There is no doubt in my mind that you can find an area with good schools.
- City Data is a great resource to research crime rates. Someone was talking about the crime rates in Texas earlier too, saying "Texas has a lot of crime." That's a huge blanket statement to make. Texas has some gigantic metro areas - more than any other state - and that is going to be reflected in the crime rates. But there are many, many very safe and quiet towns and cities in Texas.
- You may want to avoid the huge metro areas and focus on some of the smaller cities (not necessarily small towns - small CITIES) in Texas. Waco, Tyler, Longview, Midland, Wichita Falls, etc
- This nice balance is easily found in many smaller cities. Personally, I really like Tyler because it's large enough to offer a lot of amenities, but it's still two hours from the DFW area - close enough but far enough if that makes sense.
- Once again, a small city sounds ideal.
- Once again, a small city sounds ideal. Big enough but not too big.
- Texas has lots of beautiful lakes and rivers and an extensive coastline - but it's such a huge state that you can easily avoid falling into a body of water! LOL
- Small city.
- Small city.
A lot to ask but I want to be as specific as possible.
- I have lived in Texas for twenty five years. Every year we have multiple tornado watches and warnings. Never had one iota of tornado damage to my personal property, but a massive tornado did do significant damage to Fort Hood - and my housing unit - back in the late 1980s. No significant injuries, however. But you're talking about Texas - we live in Tornado Alley. For some reason, some areas seem more prone to severe weather than others. The DFW area springs to mind quickly. I've lived in northeast Texas for decades now and had zero tornado damage to any property.
Here are the Texas Air National Guard units:

1. 136th Airlift Wing, Fort Worth, TX

2. 147th Reconnaissance Wing, Houston, TX

3. 149th Fighter Wing, Lackland AFB, TX

4. 254th Combat Communications Group, Garland ANGS, TX

5. Band of the Gulf Coast, 531st Air Force Band, Fort Worth, TX

6. Texas Air National Guard Headquarters, Austin, TX

Good luck - hope this helps! Personally, I am SO GLAD that I moved my family to Texas! I love this state. And I was just telling my very Texan husband the other day how appreciative I am of how Texas welcomes transplants. This state welcomed me and my kids with open arms and we proudly identify ourselves as Texans now.

Midland has a very high cost of living and a major housing shortage.....I saw this one guy on the news and he came to Midland and got work but he was living as a squatter in a homeless camp.

[Cathy4017]

Has the traffic really gotten as bad as they say(I haven't been there since Aug 2007)?

The comment that comes up from many here say that it has gotten so horrible in both M/O that they don't want to go back!

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Has the traffic really gotten as bad as they say(I haven't been there since Aug 2007)?

The comment that comes up from many here say that it has gotten so horrible in both M/O that they don't want to go back!

I hear its bad but it does not really phase me.....I use to drive over 100 miles a day in the area so maybe Im just used to it.....The loop and 191 are krazy though.I did see a big rig run a red light the other day.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Westerntraveler

I hear its bad but it does not really phase me.....I use to drive over 100 miles a day in the area so maybe Im just used to it.....The loop and 191 are krazy though.I did see a big rig run a red light the other day.

And several of those big rigs have been on the news lately for wrecks, along with all other types of vehicles. I never thought Midland traffic was bad, even during the 1979-84 boom period, but I've heard that it's much worse now than it was then.

Guess I'll find out when I visit before long.

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

And several of those big rigs have been on the news lately for wrecks, along with all other types of vehicles. I never thought Midland traffic was bad, even during the 1979-84 boom period, but I've heard that it's much worse now than it was then.

Guess I'll find out when I visit before long.

ya it seems like the roads are total anarchy.

[cinfali]

Yes, with a name like that. Texas is definitely the place for you ... Have you tried our whataburgers?

[Granny Fats]

I live in Midland. My suggestion is San Angelo. It is a pearl. Overlooked for some reason, but a wonderful town. Very reasonable housing. Low crime, tolerant (first school district to desegregate in Texas), beautiful ASU is there (part of the Texas Tech university system), really a place with heart.

Midland is wonderful in many ways, but with the boom, housing is on a par with other areas now. Lower than many, but people are blowing things far out of proportion and screaming about the prices, which are far below many, many areas of the country that have terribly high unemployment and low wages. We have good employment, good weather but hot and drought, good people here. You will not find a nice home for $100,000 (used to be able to, though) here in Midland, but yes, in San Angelo, you can find a nice home for that, in a decent area.

Reports of our traffic are greatly exaggerated. It is not bad. It's far better than anywhere else I've lived with comparable population. However, due to the large amount of oilfield trucks and equipment, we are having far too many fatalities and it is very sad and concerning.

Good luck to you.

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by Granny Fats

I live in Midland. My suggestion is San Angelo. It is a pearl. Overlooked for some reason, but a wonderful town. Very reasonable housing. Low crime, tolerant (first school district to desegregate in Texas), beautiful ASU is there (part of the Texas Tech university system), really a place with heart.

Midland is wonderful in many ways, but with the boom, housing is on a par with other areas now. Lower than many, but people are blowing things far out of proportion and screaming about the prices, which are far below many, many areas of the country that have terribly high unemployment and low wages. We have good employment, good weather but hot and drought, good people here. You will not find a nice home for $100,000 (used to be able to, though) here in Midland, but yes, in San Angelo, you can find a nice home for that, in a decent area.

Reports of our traffic are greatly exaggerated. It is not bad. It's far better than anywhere else I've lived with comparable population. However, due to the large amount of oilfield trucks and equipment, we are having far too many fatalities and it is very sad and concerning.

Good luck to you.

San Angelo is going to be the same way with price gouging as Midland if the Cline develops into its full potential in a few years.Housing is getting worse there.

[Granny Fats]

I don't think I would call Midland's prices gouging. I have lived all over, from coast to coast to coast to northern borders to beyond. Many areas have very high housing costs, despite having no good employment to offset it. Maybe the places are trendy, or hip, or have desirable weather, or lakes or oceans nearby that mean the houses are priced far higher than is normal. Midland's prices are not anywhere near the prices of these areas. So, I respectfully disagree that it is gouging, in terms of house prices, or even rent, when compared with the rest of the country in areas that have something "special" to offer.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Granny Fats

I don't think I would call Midland's prices gouging. I have lived all over, from coast to coast to coast to northern borders to beyond. Many areas have very high housing costs, despite having no good employment to offset it. Maybe the places are trendy, or hip, or have desirable weather, or lakes or oceans nearby that mean the houses are priced far higher than is normal. Midland's prices are not anywhere near the prices of these areas. So, I respectfully disagree that it is gouging, in terms of house prices, or even rent, when compared with the rest of the country in areas that have something "special" to offer.

You have to look at Midland for what you could get when it wasn't booming. Housing was once fairly reasonable, along with the general cost of living.

Even the 1979-1984 boom prices don't compare to what they are today. I was really shocked when I looked at the prices of homes in my old neighborhood (Northgate) now compared to what they were even when they were built new. Northgate is a product of the aforementioned boom, along with several others whose names I can't think of at the moment.

Hotels and motels ARE gouging--and I have no doubt that other businesses are also.

Just wait until the next bust--then they won't be able to give stuff away.