Mcallen (Dallas, Austin, Brownsville: house, job openings, school)

[zeChief]

Originally Posted by 11samuel

Hello my family is moving to Mcallen because of our business. Could you please give me some info about the middle schools. We are moving from South Florida. Looking at Sharyland properties. Please hope thank you Lori

Sharyland ISD has one new junior high school and a very old one. The old one is being replaced with a new one before the next school year begins

[11samuel]

Is Sharyland nice to raise a family? Or do you have any suggestions. Thank you Lori

[TawneeNottt]

I'm from (and still live) in Harlingen and I'll say that's abouy the most accurate description of the Valley that I've read in some time. Totally on the money. As an educator I can recognize your son's problems with the racism and poor education. Not to make excuses but we have to teach to the majority which is why we're still trying to teach the basics in high school.

I know from experience that when someone moves from another part of the state their car insurance will nearly double.

There is that real isolation that you mentioned. Satellite TV and the internet have opened up that some but it's not quite the same.

Thank you for the honest post.

Originally Posted by teatime

Hi TT! Guns up!

I just left the Valley and moved to Abilene. My son is a sophomore at TTU. We lived in Brownville for about 12 years and I wish we had moved sooner, frankly. My son had a super-hard time in middle and high school, being called racist names and physically attacked. Also, the schools were horrid; in fact, my son struggled through his first year at Tech and had to change his major because his professors told him flat-out that he was really far behind the other freshman students in math and science. Not good. He barely earned enough credits to become a sophomore and it was a horribly stressful year.

Anyone with kids who wants to move to the Valley needs to factor in the cost of private schools, and they're not cheap. The private elementary schools run about $2,500 and the Catholic high school is more than $7,000 per year. I was a teacher and simply couldn't afford it.

I taught at a small high school in the Valley, the only one that would give me a chance, to be honest. I was literally told by administrators that they didn't think I could "relate" to their students because I am white, originally from the North, and had pursued advanced studies. It was frustrating, but when I finally got that job, I loved it and did great with the students.

As I told friends and family, it was very interesting living as a minority for the first time in my life. At first, everything was a novelty and interesting but, in time, I felt like I was losing myself. This isn't a typical situation -- the Valley is approximately 96 percent Hispanic and it can be difficult for non-Hispanics to find others who share their interests and even to find the foods and products, movies and books I enjoyed. It was frustrating for me, too, because I lost so many friends who eventually left. It seemed as if I'd just make close friendships with people and then they would have their fill of the Valley and move away. I grew up in a very ethnically and racially diverse area, so it was strange to live in a place with little variety.

Yes, housing is inexpensive BUT property taxes, utilities and insurances are NOT! I would advise folks to rent for a long while before buying a home there. The Valley is considered a high risk for tropical storms, theft, and damage so insurers are leery. A lot of folks are having trouble finding a company who will even write a homeowners' insurance policy for them; others are seeing their premiums skyrocket. I know my premium nearly tripled in cost and I didn't have any claims! Auto insurance there is quite high, too, because of the number of uninsured drivers and the proximity to Mexico.

The two biggest complaints I had in the Valley were weather and isolation. It's ALWAYS humid and the year-round heat gets tiresome. This fosters other issues such as horrible, prolific bugs, very high electric bills, and drought. I never thought I could miss rain but it can get downright depressing when it doesn't rain for months at a time! I keenly felt a sense of isolation there, too. I had to drive to Houston or San Antonio for headline concerts, good museums and shows, pro sporting events, etc. I guess if you've never had those things, it's not a big deal but I was used to living an hour from a major city and needed them all the more now that I was living in a place that was quite foreign to me in many regards.

Until I moved to Abilene, I didn't realize how stressed out I was in the Valley. Communication was a struggle because even though I know "textbook" Spanish, I couldn't understand or respond to people who spoke a local hybrid. This was VERY difficult when I needed medical care. A large section of the population in the Valley expects to conduct all of their affairs in Spanish (or their version of it) and many could get downright nasty when you couldn't understand them. I realized that many of my ESL students were not only weak in English but illiterate in proper Spanish, too, when I expressed a willingness to allow them to do some work in Spanish. Yikes! Also, the traffic (especially in McAllen) is wretched. The Valley cities are getting overdeveloped and the roads can't keep up.

In short, I can see why folks would want to go there for the adventure of it but if/when it starts to get tiresome or annoying, do move on! My son has said repeatedly that he wishes he could have gone to high school in Abilene and lived here most of his life instead of Brownsville. I agree.

[conanS]

I've been called "racist" simply because I don't understand why certain people "expect" me to learn Spanish!!! It has become such a constant occurance that I simply REFUSE to learn Spanish. I'll have people try and teach and I just won't hear it.

I have 2 girls in public school here. The Principal did everything except call me a "racist" because I made her take my child out of a bilingual class. She said that it would help her, but I refuse to let her be held back anymore than she already is by the overcrowding of non-English speaking students.

I am currently just getting enough time at my present employer so that I can transfer out of this #@$@#hole

[seldon7]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

The valley is very poor, very poor, and its economy is basically dependent on upper middle class Mexican nationals coming over and buying things.

That's true...and it's also dependent on snowbirds, too.

I did some graduate work at UT PanAm in Edinburg--and lived in my uncle's golf course condo in McAllen (they stayed there only during the winter). I didn't stay for a second summer session. I left the next day after my final exams were over. That was 1977--and I have no desire to ever go back.

Parts of the valley are very pretty--but I would not want to live there or ever go back. The summers are horrible--hot and HUMID.

This comment is laughable. You're talking about 1977. Even Austin was crap back in 1977, so how could you know what it's like now? And this about the valley being dependent on snowbirds is 100% completely false. In fact, I would say they're more of an annoyance with their horrible driving.

Usually those that diss the valley know nothing about it.

[seldon7]

People, if you want concerts, city life, night life, and other things offered by a big city, then live in a big city! That's not what the valley is about, at least not yet. If you want a relaxed life, and aren't overly sensitive about being the minority (especially if you're white) then I'd say the valley is perfect. Again, those that talk bad about the valley usually don't have their minds open to the idea that there might actually be good things to experience here. I just came from Austin, and I'm loving it. It's exactly what I thought it would be. Apples and oranges - you can't compare big cities to the valley.

[jabbit]

correct me if im wrong but i would venture to guess that you cant possibly get a true picture of the valley if you are living in your uncles golf course condo in McAllen.

lol

[RGV]

Here's a link to a social magazine from McAllen, if anyone's interested:

SOCIALIFE NEWS MAGAZINE | be SOCIAL. feel LIFE.


Click on the date link below the photo.

[RGV]

And here's a recent article in the McAllen Monitor Article about their attempts to create an entertainment district in the DT area:


News: 17th Street entertainment district in McAllen coming alive | bar, room, boiler - The Monitor

[seldon7]

Originally Posted by HerkyHerk

Sounds like I'm interacting with the Chamber of Commerce.

I live in Austin now, but go back to the Valley to visit my parents several times a year.

Let's examine several things:

McAllen is a rathole like the rest of the Valley - but the delusional attitude there is that they are on par with Houston and Austin. I hear a lot of insanity out of the locals and read insinuations in their daily newspaper that McAllen has SO MUCH in common with two cities. Really now? Houston and Austin don't suck, so that rules that out. I've even read several times in The Monitor outrageous comparisons between the city's traffic and airport to those of Los Angeles, California.

Speaking of airports...their airport claims to be the only airport in the nation with it's own mall. Um, either they are stupid or coked up and drunk (I'm hoping it's the 2nd option), but the two aren't attached, nor are they associated with one another. And there is a lot of land and parking lot between the two.

McAllen is loaded with suburban development. Wow, a bunch of strip malls. Another Chili's, another Macy's, another Starbucks...just like every other city in America. Yeah, I'm impressed. McAllen really stands out. My cup runneth over. </end sarcasm>

On that note, there is a lot of unskilled labor, hence low wage jobs. Yeah, so they get Cavender's Boot City and Borders...but never white collar jobs.

Yes, there is shopping in McAllen. I will give it that. But at the end of the day, what is there to do aside from throwing away money and gaining weight? Oh wait, I know the answer: nothing. One can only go to Best Buy and Taco Palenque so much.


Yeah, a true gem. Maybe I should put it on my broach.

Scratch that. I don't want the ghettos of Business 83, south, northeast, and west McAllen on me. Thanks sweetie. Nice try, but no dice.

Some people think Austin is a $H|thole. Who's right? Bottom line, McAllen is crap IN YOUR OPINION, and you really think people getting offered GOOD JOBS are going to listen to your whining? Think of it this way... You think a guy is going to go to his wife and say "Honey, I've decided to reject that job offer that will help our family, because HerkyJerk on the discussion board doesn't like it at all and thinks its crap." ?? Of course not. Do us all a favor - give constructive criticism and advice, or don't give any at all.