Ambivalent between Big Spring or Denton, TX (Dallas, San Antonio: affordable houses, apartment complex)

[Romeo2]

Ambivalent between Big Spring and Denton, TX
Hello!
I am very interested in knowing more about the quality and cost of living between these two places. I am serioulsy considering TX because so far it is one of the few states that have not felt the crash on economy dramatically. I work for the federal government in Puerto Rico and seriously want to move!( I lived 11 years in NYC before coming to PR). I need feedback and recommendations of good and affordable neighborhoods around the VA clinic in Denton and both the VA hospital and the outpatient clinic in Big Spring (I'm just waiting for them to call me so I can decide). I am planning to rent for the first 6 to 12 months, and then consider buying. It's only me and my husband...
What about the job market for my husband ( he is in the Auto Mechanics/Automotive Field).

thanks!

[honu1]

I don't know a thing about Big Spring, but have lived in the Denton area for 8 years. The clinic in Denton is located next to the mall and a lot of commercial development (target, home depot, best buy, etc). There are lots of very affordable houses in Denton, and honestly I think you could commute to the VA clinic from anywhere in the Denton city limits in under 30 minutes. I think, depending on age, location, etc you could purchase (or build) a nice home for as low as 120K and of course the prices go up from there. There are several apartment complexes near the VA clinic. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is called Paces Crossing, but there are several others including a fairly new one.

Denton is 30-45 min from Dallas and Ft. Worth and you have two major airports (DFW international and Love Field) so traveling around the country and beyond is easy. You also have the benefit of being close to lots of shopping, restaurants, major league sports teams, etc if that appeals to you. Big Spring is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Not saying that's not appealing in its own way. I grew up in the country and find myself missing the wide open spaces and less traffic. It just depends on what appeals most to you.

Good luck with your decision.

[honu1]

one more thing...this may not make a difference for you but just an FYI. Big Spring falls in the VISN with New Mexico and Phoenix. The Denton CBOC falls in VISN 17 with Dallas and San Antonio. When I worked at the VA in Albuquerque (own home here...but worked in ABQ last year), we'd get referrals from Big Spring. I felt so bad for those guys, as there didn't seem to be many resources for them within a reasonable distance from B.S.

I don't know how often CBOC employees need to travel to a central place for trainings, etc. I do know ABQ was really trying to develop tele-medicine and I suppose these connections could also be used when face to face staff trainings were warranted, but not sure to what extent this is currently done.

[Romeo2]

thanks so much honu1!, you are giving me a pretty good idea to start... I like the idea of diverse entertainment . My husband and I are in the mid 30's, so having choices besides the malls and the movies is a plus!

thanks again.

[honu1]

you're very welcome. My husband and I are similar in age to you guys. We moved to Denton for graduate school (Both Univ. of North Tx and Tx Womans Univ are here in Denton) and have stayed in the area so far. We are looking at living further west in the long term, as my hubby and I love snow skiing and hiking in the mountains...none of that around here, but its really not a bad place to live. Job market has stayed pretty strong in TX compared to many other places around the country.

[DFW8]

I would DEFINITELY go with Denton over Big Spring anyday. Big Spring is a medium size town out in West Texas off of I-20 and it is actually shrinking in size. Most of it is very trashy and there is a ot of crime out there right now. They just put a new prison out there which is causing most of the crime. There is not much to do out there and definitely not many housing options. I would hate to live out there and would get bored very fast! Denton is much larger, so they have a ton of shopping,dining, and entertainment options. There is a bunch of new housing developments, so there are definitely many housing options. Denton is only 20 min from Ft. Worth and about 25 min from Dallas. The schools in Denton are very good also.

[Rowdy]

I feel I can help you on this one as I have lived in Denton and currently live in Big Spring. I really liked Denton as its a typical college town to a degree and is very green, has trees and near the lake about 10 miles away. It's growing and has places to shop and Dallas Fort Worth is only about 35-40 minutes when you want to go there. Denton is very cozy and comfortable place to live. The downtown square is nice and there are places to listen to live music. Now on the other hand Big Spring could not be more different. Big Spring is more of a desert town in West Texas that is very depressed economically and kind of out in the middle of nowhere. We have very few stores to shop or things to do. What we do have is a dry climate with minimal rain and you get occasional dust storms and prairie fires. Its very quiet about all you ever hear is the wind. Our terrain is kind of hilly (mesa's) with many wind turbines on them. Lots of prairie dogs around here. Big Spring is about 20,000 people and no traffic needless to say. Its very quiet and peaceful. Big Spring is kind of a rehabilitation town - big state hospital, a deaf college, the VA, a large community MHMR program, several prisons so many disabled people live here. It also has some very nice large parks that were built back in the 1930s. We have the Big Spring State Park and Comanche Trail Park which has an 8,000 person limestone ampitheater. I am in my fiftys so I like Big Spring as its so peaceful and relaxing and I like the desert scenery we have. In fact in the July 2008 Texas Highways magazine on page 36-40 there is a story with several pictures on Big Spring. In all honesty most young people would tale Denton over Big Spring any day but an older person closer to retirement might like Big Spring very much. I hope this will help you.

[Romeo2]

thanks so much guys..very helpful information ....

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by honu1

I don't know a thing about Big Spring, but have lived in the Denton area for 8 years. The clinic in Denton is located next to the mall and a lot of commercial development (target, home depot, best buy, etc). There are lots of very affordable houses in Denton, and honestly I think you could commute to the VA clinic from anywhere in the Denton city limits in under 30 minutes. I think, depending on age, location, etc you could purchase (or build) a nice home for as low as 120K and of course the prices go up from there. There are several apartment complexes near the VA clinic. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is called Paces Crossing, but there are several others including a fairly new one.

Denton is 30-45 min from Dallas and Ft. Worth and you have two major airports (DFW international and Love Field) so traveling around the country and beyond is easy. You also have the benefit of being close to lots of shopping, restaurants, major league sports teams, etc if that appeals to you. Big Spring is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Not saying that's not appealing in its own way. I grew up in the country and find myself missing the wide open spaces and less traffic. It just depends on what appeals most to you.

Good luck with your decision.

Just to clarify a point of fact... Denton is 35 minutes from the Dallas and Fort Worth downtowns. The space between Denton and downtown Dallas is completely built-up and suburban.

Big Spring is in fact in the middle of a sparsely populated region, but it is one of several towns strung east to west along interstate 20. The landscape is semiarid scrub. Denton is actually in forest and lake country. Big Spring has perhaps 30,000 people. Denton has about 100,000 people, and is more or less an extension of metro Dallas. Many people do not know this, but Big Spring is actually hilly. One flat-topped hill is about 2 to 300 feet above the surrounding plain, giving you an excellent view of the town and the landscape.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by longhornfan22

I would DEFINITELY go with Denton over Big Spring anyday. Big Spring is a medium size town out in West Texas off of I-20 and it is actually shrinking in size. Most of it is very trashy and there is a ot of crime out there right now. They just put a new prison out there which is causing most of the crime.

Just wondering how a prison can cause crime. Do they let the inmates out at night?