Beaumont & Lamar University (Houston, Port Arthur: rent, home, dorms)

[Motzko37]

Hello,

I've received some expressed interest from Lamar and I want to know what you know about Lamar and Beaumont, TX. I'm moreso interested in lesser known info about the city itself (IE - Stuff not in a tour book), but anything you know about Lamar that they don't advertise would be great as well.

Here's a little about me and what I'm looking for:

- I've been to Texas a whopping two times, and neither time took me anywhere near the Gulf. From someone moving from a northern state, what tips do you have?

- I am a twenty-something single male, and I have a wide variety of interests including sports, art, music, vintage books, etc. What is fun to do in Beaumont? What do guys my age do? What do Beaumont residents do when they are bored?

- I've lived in rust-belt cities most of my life, so I don't mind "industrial cities", but I am bothered by 'rotting' industrial cities with mass unemployment, large parts of town abandoned or ghettos etc. I'm trying to get away from that, is Beaumont like that at all? What parts of town should I avoid living in? Is the area around Lamar safe?

- What is the cost of living like? Are groceries and rent typically more or less expensive than other areas of the state/country?

- What is the restaurant scene like? Is there a diverse selection of quality eateries or is it all fast food and burger joints?

- What do the locals think about the school and Lamar students? Do they receive them well in the community and support them or are they seen as a nuisance? Are there community events that involve the school?

- Does the city have a good public library? Any book stores (vintage or stores like Barnes & Noble)?

- Are there any crazy by-laws in Beaumont? (For instance, in my home town, you can get a ticket for smoking within 50 ft of an entrance to a public building, even if you're just walking by.) Are the police in Beaumont honorable and friendly or are they corrupt jerks?

I know that's a lot of questions, but my queries aren't limited to those alone. Any info you can provide will help

I will go to Beaumont to check it out for myself, but before I go I would like to gather information and pointers about the city.

Thanks in advance for any help

[DanielWayne]

I can answer some of these as I grew up around the area, and one of my degrees is from Lamar.

- I've been to Texas a whopping two times, and neither time took me anywhere near the Gulf. From someone moving from a northern state, what tips do you have?

I've heard many new Texas residents from Northern states talk about the Texas hospitality. Some say people in Texas are friendlier, and others say Texans seem a bit fake with all the greetings and smiles. I guess it depends on the person, but I think it's kinda nice. Also be prepared for hurricane evacuations. Hurricanes suck, but unlike other natural disasters you have loads of time to prepare.

- I am a twenty-something single male, and I have a wide variety of interests including sports, art, music, vintage books, etc. What is fun to do in Beaumont? What do guys my age do? What do Beaumont residents do when they are bored?

I haven't lived in the area in a while, but they restored part of the downtown area with a few night spots/music venues and called it the Crockett Street District or something like that. Beaumont gets a handful of concerts at Ford Park Arena, but for all other concerts Houston is 1.5 hrs away. The beach is within easy driving distance, and there is a large national forest preserve nearby called the Big Thicket. Toledo Bend is a popular lakes/fishing area nearby. There's lots of outdoor activities near Beaumont. Also Lake Charles, La (about 55 miles east) has a few casinos. The casinos get most of the concert entertainment for that area.

- I've lived in rust-belt cities most of my life, so I don't mind "industrial cities", but I am bothered by 'rotting' industrial cities with mass unemployment, large parts of town abandoned or ghettos etc. I'm trying to get away from that, is Beaumont like that at all? What parts of town should I avoid living in? Is the area around Lamar safe?

Sorry to disappoint, but there are parts of Beaumont that are run down, but probably not on the scale you are thinking. The area right next to Lamar is not the best. But I have lived in much worse in Houston. Just be smart about what you do and you will be fine. You could also live in Nederland which is just a few miles from Beaumont. Nederland and Mid-Jefferson County are pretty nice. The area around downtown Bmt varies, and it can get sketchy. The area near the fairgrounds - be careful.

- What is the restaurant scene like? Is there a diverse selection of quality eateries or is it all fast food and burger joints?

There are some local gems, but you have to ask around to find them. Lots of seafood/cajun restaurants if you like spicy food.

- What do the locals think about the school and Lamar students? Do they receive them well in the community and support them or are they seen as a nuisance? Are there community events that involve the school?

Lamar is often thought of as 13th grade by locals as it is primarily a commuter school, and a large percentage of students work. However, the community does support it well (local industry does contribute a lot to the school), and Lamar has a solid academic reputation. The engineering dept is well known, and Lamar grads are regularly hired for NASA-JSC area jobs. Also, the school used to have a really high percentage of students accepted to medical school. If you were recommended by their advisory panel for med school, there was something like a 70% chance of being accepted. That's really high. Lamar abandoned football around 1988 or so, but recently started a brand new program in 2009. I believe they actually have a season full of games scheduled for 2010, and there is a lot of interest for that. Football is king in Texas, so I'm pretty sure this will be a big deal once it starts. The music dept used to have a really good reputation also.

In summary:
Lamar will give you a solid education for a lot less money than the big state schools, but it is a commuter school so on occasion you will have to dig up your own 'college experience' if that is what you are looking for. My brother became a physician with his Lamar degree, and I got a job supporting the space station with my Lamar degree.

Oh yeah there is a Barnes & Noble, but I don't know of much anything else besides a Books-A-Million in the local Mall. Houston is an easy drive, and there's Borders, Half Price Books, and vintage book stores around the city.

[centexguy]

Lamar is growing and they've been building new dorms on campus. A new dorm building is set to open this fall which will give Lamar over 2500 dorm rooms on campus. There are other construction projects in progress on campus too. Lamar recently raised their admission standards and they have raised $58 million in donations so far as part of their $100 million capital campaign project. The school has good engineering, nursing, and speech & hearing departments.

As far as the Beamont area is concerned, there's some good areas and some bad areas. The west end is the best but you'll have a longer drive to campus. Mid-county isn't that bad and it's not that bad of a drive. It's on the gulf coast so it does it got and humid. I would recommend a visit during the summer for a few days and check out the area.

[texdav]

They have always had a respected engineerring school is one thing I can say.

[thekrazv1]

How many community colleges are in the Beaumont area ? I am looking into teaching.

[DanielWayne]

Lamar State College - Orange and Port Arthur. Also Lamar Institute in Beaumont delivers 2 year programs relavant to local industry.