Amarillo/Canyon area (Houston, Victoria, Pampa: home, look for a job, safe area) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

TN Gal in AZ · 04-30-2007, 10:10 PM

I've been checking out several places as possible relocation sites and this part of Texas seems of interest to me. Background: single mom, child in middle school, assorted cats and a couple dogs. Would like an area with a good to great high school, I'd like to purchase a home (our first!), would prefer to be out of town a bit with an acre or two in safe area. Anyway, does anyone have any info/comments on this area (Amarillo and or Canyon). Presently, we live about 100 miles north of PHX, AZ, I have lived in PHX for about 1.5 yrs, so I KNOW hot weather! I'm a transplant for TN so I know humidity and don't care to be in a real humid area anymore, I kind of like the desert. So, I noticed that housing seems reasonable, but not sure of wages out there. I do secretarial/clerical work, and would probably look for a job with the county/city/state or a hospital or doctor's office. I have a relocation packet from the chamber, so now I'd like to hear from some locals. Thanks in advance!

NOTAM · 04-30-2007, 10:19 PM

i am looking at Amarillo too.
i would like to make a suggestion-how bout a clerical/secretarial job with TDCJ? (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)? you would get great benefits (state). they have two big prisons in Amarillo-Clements Unit and Neal Unit..also a smaller one in Pampa-Jordan Unit

lilypad · 05-01-2007, 06:50 AM

Am also looking at tentative move to Amarillo area. Went up on a weekend recently, seemed very nice to me! Going again next weekend to look around some more.

Best of luck, hope the move is to your liking!

victoriana · 05-01-2007, 08:13 AM

I'm all ears and ready to answer questions about Amarillo/Canyon. I live here! Just to start, from your questions, because of huge influx from Mexico (if you really need some honesty) we have low wages. However, if you already live in Texas, you already know that one.
We are experiencing lots of growth from people in larger TX cities who want to get away from the crowds of a DFW-FT.WORTH or Houston. We are not a small town but we are medium-sized city with plenty of restaurants. We like to say that this is the physical exercise here - going to restaurants. We laugh that even if there is a skull and crossbones on the door of a place from the health dept., the parking lot will be full anyway. We like our restaurants! Our taxes are going to be going up as our infrastructure and growth is making it clear that the level of city services, sewers, police dept., fire dept., roads are not cutting it anymore. Even so, I think our tax structure will be kept to a low rise because this area is SO Republican. I say REPUBLICAN, not necessarily conservative. That is the interesting thing about the area.

Hope I helped a little. If you have specific ?, I'll answer them specifically for you. By the way, weather is mild and summers NOT humid.

TN Gal in AZ · 05-01-2007, 08:58 AM

Bellstar thanks for the suggestion on TDCJ. Bellstar & Lilypad, lets keep each other posted on info that we find re: the Amarillo area. I plan to head over that way to check in out this spring. My plan is to relocate somewhere this summer.
Victoriana thanks for your reply, too. Any suggestions for jobs? Would you know the name of the hospital in Amarillo?
Thanks

victoriana · 05-01-2007, 01:53 PM

TN gal: Just got home and glad I checked in again! Sure - there are two hospitals - Baptist St. Anthony's (a combination of the old Catholic St. Anthony's that had an OUTSTANDING reputation in the past) and the Baptist system (they had the $$). BSA, as it is known, is the largest employer in the Amarillo area. My hubby works there and has for nearly seven years now. BSA is just now completing a new front and multi-million dollar addition. Looks darn nice!

The other hospital is Northwest Texas Hospital. It is large and medical employees (especially RN's) all go back and forth, many working at both places as hourly wages here are low for registered nurses. Northwest Texas also has a new Heart Hospital - which is very very nice. We are gaining a large retirement community with our mild weather, and people are moving here for jobs so, the medical complexes are becoming immensely profitable.

Oh yes, there is also a VA Hospital (which also helps attract retirees)as well as a small rehab hospital. Several physicians have opened a magnificent private hospital - small, expensive but not that many jobs. RNs WAIT for that place to have an opening - the doctors are good guys and actually pay a good wage for an EXPERIENCED RN.

Anything else, I will help all I can -

NOTAM · 05-01-2007, 03:10 PM

yes, so true-i am SHOCKED at how low the hourly wages are for RN's there. it has to be the LOWEST of all of Texas-really. not sure i understand why, because there are other parts of Texas with similiar cost of living.
matter of fact, i have been an RN for 15 years.......and at this point in my career, i can make as much as $90-100K a year with just a bit of overtime, and going to the Panhandle, i will be lucky to clear $60k with overtime.
so i am going to have to weigh this decision carefully.
i wont be working in hospitals again-i'll be working full time in the prison system, and maybe supplementing it with some contract ER/Trauma work on the side.
i am going to make a few trips to Amarillo to see a friend, and decide if it's worth such a cut in salary to live up there. if not, i will probably live in Hill Country or Central Texas area.

victoriana · 05-01-2007, 03:43 PM

Hi belle - Nice talking to you. OK, now that I know a bit more I can be real honest here. Here is the scoop - RN wages here are low ESPECIALLY for very experienced ones from someplace else. Basically, this is because there are two nursing schools spitting out new grads every six months or so. They do NOT pay you for your experience. I have met RNs that move here (our whole family is medical, docs and RNs, so I know of where I speak) and go over to Northwest TX Hospital to apply (some with 20 plus years of experience) and they are treated rudely. First off, before your interview, they demand a copy of your license. I have never seen that before. As far as BSA goes, some departments are okay. Some are good old GIRL clubs - they will hire a dumb woman they graduated with over at WT rather than an exceptional experienced RN that nobody one the interview team grew up with. I have seen them REHIRE dumbos that were fired for incompetence before over good candidates too. I've seen it time and again. BSA is known for this stuff, so if you talk to anyone who has had relatives work there and has been here for years, you will hear exactly the same thing. BSA admits it, they don't care.

Amarillo is growing, however, and that even makes the hospitals dig in harder cuz they figure that just to live here RNs will go along with the crummy wages. Sorry to be so pessimistic, but you seem to want to really know what is going on, so I hope I helped you. The hospitals lose a lot of the good RNs to the bigger cities just because they realize staying here for 20 years will get you nowhere financially - especially if you are the breadwinner. I know RNs here who find out after 10 years that a new grad who knows nothing makes only $3-4 dollars less per hour. As you already know, many of the smartest RNs travel and as that has increased, the benefits and goodies from travel agencies are marvelous. I wish you luck - sorry I couldn't be more optimistic but I'd hate for you to come expecting things to change when we don't see that any time soon - for registered nurses anyway. Other jobs can pay well! I actually make one of the top wages but if I were the breadwinner, I could not live on it really. Best of luck to you.

NOTAM · 05-01-2007, 03:59 PM

victoriana, thanks so much for the honesty. so sad that AMA is not up to par with RN salaries throughout the whole rest of Texas...and i mean really, everywhere-i have gotten offers from small Hill Country and central Texas town hospitals that pay $10/hour more than Amarillo hospitals! and AMA is a much bigger city than these small towns!
but like i said, i wont be working in a hospital as my full time job, but do need to supplement my income working ER or PACU on the side, and expect, and i mean EXPECT, to be paid very well, esp if i am just moonlighting, and they dont have to inisure me!

victoriana · 05-01-2007, 04:45 PM

Good for you, belle. I think RNs really do need to stand up, especially the experienced ones, and say we just aren't working for that kind of wage. As you know, nursing has never been a profession where we stick together. I admire California for one thing - their nurses have it together as a profession. They have stood together and not let the nursing curriculums be dumbed down (as we both know, that has been happening all over) and demanded that the law read there must be a safe patient/nurse ratio. God bless em. I wish Texas nurses would fight at least a teeny bit! I've been doing agency on and off for ten years. I find with agency, I can concentrate on NURSING and don't even have to be involved with the petty politics. I think that is one of the best benefits. Also, there are now so MANY RN travellers that there are organized activities and meet and greets at any hospital of size. There are many bennies and accommodations made to agency nurses. Also, so many times the overworked staff is SO glad for the help, you often make new friends, don't you? Well, you keep us posted as to where you end up. AMA is good for a nurse's vacation anyway! Ha ha.