Canyon Tx (Houston, Lubbock, Amarillo: real estate market, low crime, new home)

[todaro3577]

hello to all!

I am currently residing in the wonderful state of New Jersey! We are proud to pay the highest taxes in the USA! I am so happy to live here that i am looking to relocate faster than you can say New Jersey!

Now , all sarcasm aside, I have lived here in NJ all my life, but i am looking for somewhere to live that is more affordable, low crime rates (not that the area i live in now is high in crime) great schools (for my future children when they come along, someday) Decent music scene (i am a very active musician) and a decent
real estate market in which homes are moving, transactions occur on a good pace (i am a full time Realtor here in NJ).

I have researched the state of Texas extensively in the past month and a half. one of the towns that i have interest in is Canyon, i would like to hear from the canyon texas residents themselves about canyon. your feedback is appreciated, thanks!

[momof2dfw]

Exactly what draws you to Canyon? The closest large city is Amarillo and compared to the other more "popular" cities in Texas there is a night & day difference. Amarillo is like a small country town on steriods (meaning it has most of the conviences of a large city but still the small town atmosphere). Canyon is home to a university, Palo Duro Canyon is closeby. Other than that there is not much there. It is surrounded by plains and farms. If you fly often you will be flying out of Amarillo and will most likely have to change planes at least once to get anywhere else. Don't get me wrong as I LOVE the area up there VERY MUCH!!! Just wondering what there is to draw your interest all the way from NJ?

[todaro3577]

my mind is not really set on canyon as of yet. it is being considered. i have jumped around through a few different areas while researching the state of Texas. 3 locations have caught my attention. i am hoping to find out more about Amarillo/canyon area through this blog so that i can either keep it on my list or just scratch it off.
the areas of interest are:
1.Lubbock
2.Amarillo/Canyon area
3.Houston
though all 3 are very different and Houston being the Biggest difference, there are many things i like about all three.
the more i research the more i lean toward Lubbock and Canyon. one reason is that i would prefer the small town atmosphere, country kind of feel but not to far from a decent size city where i can drive to in a small amount of time to get the entertainment/dinning/shopping done.
i would like more land when i decide to jump into the homeowner pool in Texas as well.
Houston is great but extremely populated which in turn brings more traffic, more crime but on the other hand more things to do as far as entertainment and shopping and eating out and I'm sure more job opportunities.
i will be working at some point as a full time real estate agent as this is what i do here in NJ. That is another thing that concerns me, The Real Estate Market!

Houston being much much larger, will always have more people coming and going which is good for real estate, but then again I'm sure just like the population, the amount of real estate agents probably triples! more agents more competition.

Lubbock seems to be on the upside of things when it comes to new home construction,growing population and job opportunities (for the future wife) . it seems that Canyon is in the same boat (unless i have been misinformed).
I like the idea that it is similar to NJ in a way when it comes to the Four seasons of the year. Maybe not as much snow. which i am not going to complain about! trust me on this!
Also these areas seem to be a good place to start a family, affordable to raise one. I want to be able to get something for my hard earned money. In Canyon/parts of Lubbock , what i can get there Home wise (sq.ft., Lot size, Taxes, Schools) i would have to pay 2x sometimes 3x the amount more in NJ!

these are just a few of the things that have my interest drawn to Texas

[wade_word]

West Texas isn't too bad. Amarillo is a little boring except for Palo Duro Canyon. I can vouch for Lubbock, but you'd be better off trying out some of the larger cities if your heart is so set on moving down here.

[todaro3577]

do you have any suggestions? something i can research as far as the larger cities go? i plan on making a trip out there in april to physically visit the areas of interest.

[vantexan]

A good place to start is get the Texas Moon Handbook. It's written by Joe Cumminngs, probably the world's top travel guide writer. He also wrote the Baja Handbook as well a number of guides for Lonely Planet. You should read what he says about Ft.Worth. I lived in Amarillo in 2006 and liked Canyon. Being so close to Amarillo it's a little light on amenities but it does have a decent bookstore. That being said, other than Palo Duro Canyon there's just not much to look at. And prepare yourself for the smell of money, the local euphemism for cattle feedlots. It goes away when the wind shifts, but it'll be back soon! If green hills and trees and flowing streams are important to you then this isn't the place. Amarillo actually has some very nice neighborhoods with alot of trees and grass. You have to look at West Texas towns as islands in a sea of brown dirt. The islands range from fairly nice to total hell holes. Getting to them is something that has to be endured. Of course cotton farmers and cattle ranchers may feel different about it!

[desert sun]

Canyon is a place I would like to move if only I could convince my girlfriend to move there with me,Canyon would be my top choice in Texas and comming from Albuquerque in the desert, Canyon is green to me.I love the feel of the town and I like that its close to the city when you do need it,but I prefer the small town life.If only I could find out what kind of jobs Canyon has.