West Texas help please (Houston, Dallas: how much, homes, job market)

[west2texas]

Hi folks,

We plan to move West. We are retireing from the Military and are looking for an area with low humidity. We live on the Mississippi gulf coast and the alergies just kill us. It is beautifull here but the cost of the alergies is to much.

We have researched areas out west looked at Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas. We have a high school age son....From research we have found that the schools in N. Mexico just are not going to do.

We are very familiar with Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, and Dallas areas...We have relatives that live in Austin/Georgetown...But the area grown way to much for what lifestyle we would like and we have never been West of those areas.

We are interested in possibly Abilene or Midland type areas...

What are the job opportunities, schools, humidity, air quality and quality of life issues (allergies, water, hospitols, cost of living, entertainment etc..)in those areas.

We like scenic areas but not as important as other things. This, after more than 20yrs of moving around, is hopefully the last one....

Please give us a hand and let us know what "ANY" of your thoughts are.

Thanks in advance

[Cathy4017]

I hear you on the MS weather.....I worked outside of Jackson for 6 months, and I never acclimated. My allergies raged in the south, but they aren't bad here.

Midland is not scenic. It's near-desert, and we've been in a drought situation for several years. We had a record-wet August of nearly 6 inches, but we need a lot more to bring area lakes/reserviors back to anywhere near-normal levels.

It is usually not humid here (runs around 25% or so), but has been for awhile because of the recent rains and new growth. Summers are long, hot and dry. It can even be 80 in January and 90+ in Februrary. Most days are sunny and dry.

Schools are fairly decent. We have two senior high schools, 2 freshman schools, at least two alternative high schools, 20 or so primary and also several magnet schools, along with a few private ones. Quite a few parents here homeschool, enough that our local aquatics center has classes for them. I have never had kids in school here, so there is much I don't know about them.

Air quality? Midland made the top 25 areas nationwide for clean air.

Cost of living here is cheaper than Austin, Dallas, Houston, et al....but property taxes are high all over the state, including Midland-Odessa.

We have a good hospital....and good medical facilities/doctors, though we do have a shortage of nurses, just like in most parts of the country.

There are also two hospitals in nearby Odessa.

The job market is hopping. We have the lowest unemployment in the state right now, and have had for the past several months, if not a year or longer. It's mostly tied into oil and gas. Midland is still an oil town, and always will be. The fortunes here ebb and flow with that. They cannot find enough workers (oil field and related) for some of the jobs. The medical field appears to be wide open, too.

We are also in a tight housing market right now, and prices have increased because of that. However, we've been underpriced for years, especially since the last bust in '84 or so. How long this will last, I can't say. There isn't much available right now, not compared to what can usually be found. Building/construction is going crazy right now.

Entertainment depends on what you're looking for. We have a community theater, a symphony orchestra, movies, a new sports stadium with football/baseball, a minor league team....

We have 2 Walmart SuperCenters, a large HEB, and all of the usual chains (Best Buy, Office Depot, et al). You won't have to drive all over to get what you need.

We are growing, but I doubt that we will ever see the same growth that Austin and thereabouts are experiencing. I went out to visit Sis about 5 years ago, and I couldn't believe how much it has grown.

I don't really want to see us get much bigger. We still have a small-town feel...yet we are 100K.

[west2texas]

Thank you Cathy,

That is a good description of Midland. From what I can tell from city-data Abilene has almost the same weather.

Since it is your I-20 neighbor do you have any info on it? How about San Angelo? Any thoughts?

Thank you for your detailed reply, much apprieciated

I invite all inputs.....

[Cathy4017]

West2Texas:

Abilene has 3 denominational universities (Hardin-Simmons, McMurry and Abilene Christian), but isn't that much different from Midland, other than being a little farther east...and therefore less flat, with occasional rolling hills here and there. The climate is similar. I wouldn't mind living there at all.

San Angelo is nice, and has good medical facilities as well as similar entertainment options. They also have area lakes that we don't. It, too, is less desert than Midland, but generally flat with some rolling hills. It will be a little more humid, but basically the same as Midland and Abilene. You'll have long, hot and often very dry summers....usually very mild winters with only a few very cold days scattered here and there.

[NOTAM]

i say san angelo or abilene, because both have AF bases there, so you can have access to commissary, PX/exchange, and military medicine

[WestTexan87]

I was born in New York on Plattsburgh AFB and was transferred with family to Dyess AFB in Abilene in 1991 when PAFB closed. My dad retired in 1995 and we moved to NYC, only to return to Abilene just because we liked it so much better. Right now, I am living in Austin, attending UT and I absolutely hate it here. I'll be transferring back to Abilene after this semester.

So basically, it would be safe to say that I am a big fan of Abilene. Abilene has been growing rapidly in recent years. There are more construction sites around town now than I have ever seen in my 10+ years living there. As Cathy4017 stated, there are 3 denominational universities in town: Abilene Christian (Church of Christ, founded 1906, about 4,700 students) which holds more than 50 NCAA national titles, mostly for track. Then there is Hardin-Simmons University (Baptist, founded 1891, about 2,600 students) which has one of the top Div III football programs in the nation. Finally, there is McMurry University (Methodist, founded 1923, about 1,600 students) which offers very low tuition rates and an excellent education.

In addition, there is a branch of Cisco Junior College which just recently built a gleaming new campus in east Abilene and is now home to roughly 4,000 students. Also, there is the West Texas branch of Texas State Technical College in northeast Abilene and the Texas Tech Engineering College in downtown. Right now, the Texas Tech School of Pharmacy is under construction in north Abilene.

Abilene is home to two school districts: Abilene ISD and Wylie ISD. AISD has 2 5A high schools (Cooper, Abilene High) 4 middle schools (Mann, Madison, Clack, Craig) and more than a dozen elementary schools. Wylie ISD is home to the 3A Wylie High School, a junior high, middle school, and several elementary schools. Wylie takes in the southern part of Abilene and its suburbs, which is the most rapidly growing area in the county as far as I can tell. Abilene was recently ranked 17th in the nation for education, according to "Business Development Outlook Magazine." Lubbock was the only other Texas city ranked and it was 23rd. Abilene was also ranked 39th in the nation for quality of life. The only other Texas cities in the top 50 were Bryan/College Station at 34 and San Antonio at 42.

Abilene is home to Hendrick Medical Center, Abilene Regional Medical Center, West Texas Hospital, and the Dyess Hospital. Health care here is the best you'll find for many miles, and patients are flown in from all over the area to take advantage of out great healthcare facilities. Hendrick recently completed a multi-million dollar expansion to add a new trauma and ER center. Abilene Regional is in the middle of a $26 million expansion and renovation, adding a new 4-story wing, entrance and ER center. There is also a new rehab clinic under construction near ARMC.

Abilene is served by Abilene Regional Airport which offers several flights daily to and from DFW and Houston as well as flights to and from Las Vegas twice per week. With the airport under almost constant renovation and expansion, it is becoming more and more of a pleasure to fly into and out of Abilene lately. It is currently on track to break its enplanement record in 2006, which is set last year.

[WestTexan87]

(I ran out of room)

If you're military, you'll be lucky enough to utilize Dyess AFB and all of its wonderful facilities. It is home to the B1-Bomber and the C-130. The base is currently constructing over 100 million dollars in new housing. Just this year, it opened a brand-new BX and it also boasts a wonderful new Gym, which is free and is better than any gym you'll find anywhere that you'd have to pay for.

As for shopping, Abilene has basically everything you'll need. The Mall of Abilene was built in 1979. It currently is home to Sears, JCPenney, Dillard's (2 locations), Best Buy, Books-A-Million, Kirkland's, American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale, Gap Outlet, Victoria's Secret, Hibbett's Sports, Steve & Barry's, Spaghetti Warehouse, Chuck E. Cheese, Hot Topic, Spencer's, Limited Too, Bath & Body Works, Express/Express Men, The Buckle, a 10-screen theater, and many other stores. The area around the mall is Abilene's largest shopping district, home to: Circuit City, Target, Office Max, Michael's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Petsmart, Dunlap's, Home Depot, Lowe's, and dozens of other big-name stores. Basically, the entire southwest side of Abilene along Hwy 83/84 from Buffalo Gap Rd to Southwest Drive is prime shopping area. Abilene is home to two Wal*Mart supercenters; one near the mall, the other recently opened in northeast Abilene near ACU. Since that one opened, that area has seen unprecedented growth. A second Lowe's, Staples, a theater, Comfort Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, and numerous other projects are going up nearby.

Abilene has more museums per person than any city in Texas other than Houston, which the Grace Cultural Center, the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, the Center for Contemporary Art, and Frontier Texas being the main attractions downtown. In east Texas is the Abilene Zoo (currently in the middle of a massive expansion project which will eventually increase its size by 500%) and the Taylor County Expo Center, home to numerous statewide rodeo competitions as well as the annual West Texas Fair & Rodeo.

Anyway, I'm tired of writing and I'm sure you're tired of reading. Basically, I'm trying to say that Abilene has everything you could ask for while retaining a small-town feel. One of my friends from ACU who moved to Abilene from Seattle said "I often forget how big Abilene is. You wouldn't know it's got over 100,000 people unless you read the city limit sign." I love the town. It's a wonderful place to grow up and a wonderful place to retire (just ask the 20% of the city's population who is over 55). If you have any other questions at all, just let me know and I'd be happy to oblige.

[RSTX]

I was born in San Angelo back in '72 and grew up just down the road in Junction. I still have family in SA and went to college there. I loved it and would move back if the opportunity presented itself. Check out Angelo State University's website. If I remember correctly they have some civic links there.

Abilene is nice as well. I haven't spent much time there, but it is easy to imagine living there.

Good luck with your search.

[conanS]

WestTexan, thanks for the responses on Abilene. We are wanting to move back to west TX eventually. I would love to live in Andrews again, but the lack of good paying jobs dictates that not happening. And I don't want to live in Odessa or Midland. Abilene and San Angelo are possibilities for us. I am leaning towards SA since I love to catfish

[west2texas]

Thank you WestTexan87 for an excellent response. That was very descript.

My wife is from Austin and I lived there back in the early 80's when there was about 380k + residents. She still has family there, we loved it back in the day but the Austin area is a bit overgrown for our liking. The populated has more than tripled since we lived there....We still like it but only for family visits.

Thanks again WestTexan...We will for sure be checking Abilene out.