Mcallen (Houston, Dallas, Austin: obgyn, health insurance, crime rates)

[elvalle_mayne]

Originally Posted by hellpaso

uh--i live in an upscale (sounds a little better than "upper class") gated community in SOUTH mcallen. there are fine areas all over the city.

I KNOW THAT I LIVED IN MCALLEN! I was referring to the guy who said the "ghettos" are in the Northeast Side. I don't see anywhere in my post me saying the South Side is all crime with no nice places to live, so I don't know why you had to bring up that point in your post. Fact is there are upper class areas are on the Northeast Side, NOT "ghettos" like this guy claims there to be.

[cyrexpl]

Originally Posted by smithson12

Moved to McAllen a year ago, and I can't wait to get out of here.
. . .

First of all, the city (and rest of the Valley) is dull, boring and homogeneous. The number of strip malls is phenomenal. Best Buy, Wal Mart, Target, etc. are taking over the region. Driving around, it is just an ugly place. Virtually the entire region's economy is based on retail.

. . .

If you don't know Spanish, it's weird. You better pick it up. There's a joke here: the nice thing about McAllen is that it's so close to the United States.

Probably the worst part of living in McAllen is that it is so isolated. You'd think even though the city sucks, you could at least take day trips somewhere. But San Antonio is four hours away, Austin is five, and Houston is six. You're stuck here, like in prison.

This is a boring area that lacks character, nightlife, an attractive cityscape or significant cultural offerings. Cost of living is cheap in monetary terms but high in the mental toll. If you come here, be prepared to go crazy within a year.

Wow, where to start; everything you say is entirely true, at least from my experience presently being in McAllen. I'm highly educated, I hold a professional degree from a top law school, and going absolutely out of my mind after four months into a two year obligation.

I tried, I really tried to like McAllen and the Valley, however, I just can't take it anymore. Initially the lure of Mexico, South Padre and just the general intrigue that surrounds any new location was enough to carry me for the first few months. However, that initial euphoria has quickly faded and the realities of McAllen and the Valley have set in.

First, there is no ignoring it: the Valley as a whole is just plain ugly. For the most part it consists of one strip mall after another with parking lots full of dirty diapers, packing material (I have learned that to avoid paying duties upon import into Mexico, Mexican Citizens purchase goods and un-box them in the parking lot haphazardly disposing of the packing material), and other miscellaneous refuse.

Second, the bizarre driving habits of Valley drivers. Wow, never in all of my life, and I have lived in few very large metropolitan areas - San Francisco and Dallas come to mind, have I seen more clueless drivers. There are two groups of drivers on the road: those that drive 35 in 55 zone and those that drive 55 in 35 zone, nothing in between. While there is no traffic to speak of, the "rolling roadblocks" of two or three cars blocking all lanes of traffic while going 20 below the speed limit is enough to make me want to tear my hair out.

Next, the people, well let me just say good luck getting to know them. As an outsider, and a gringo (white), the locals while pleasant, are mostly Valley natives and have no interest in socializing with you beyond exchanging the basic pleasantries as they are all far too wrapped up in their Valley lives with their large pre-established relationships to afford you the time of day outside of work.

Moreover, and most disappointing, is the fact that a few clans run the show. That's right, there are a few powerful families who in some fashion or another run nearly everything. If you know the right people then things always seem to resolve in your favor rule-of-law-be-damned. I have on more than one occasion joked that any new resident of the Valley should receive from the local Chamber of Commerce a "clan map" to assist them in navigating the incestuous power relationships that exist here.

In addition, seeing what I see on a daily basis both at work, and in the community as a whole, has led me to the staunch belief that raising a gringo child in McAllen would be of huge disservice to them. In general you have two schooling options: Public schools, which on paper appear to be sound, however, the reality is that your child will be woefully behind in English and reading and far ahead of the curve in substance abuse and gang identification skills. Then there are the private parochial schools which will turn your child into a fervent zealot. Neither alternative is particularly attractive. Oh, as to college options in the Valley - there are none. UTPA is a complete and utter joke. And anyone that says otherwise is fooling themselves

Finally, getting out of the Valley is a chore. As others have pointed out San Antonio is four hours away and Houston six, or so, hours away. While the Valley does have a few airports the airlines, within the last four months or so, have been paring down their schedules to make any weekend travel to the East or West Coast an expensive exercise in futility.

The above, while not an exhaustive list by any means, is just a small sampling of why I can't wait to get the heck out of the McAllen and the Valley in general.

[crbcrbrgv]

Cyrexpl, I agree with everything you said except for UTPA. UTPA is a great school. The issue with the University is the fact that they accept anyone from the Valley kind of as a service to a poorer area. This brings their overall perception down as they are constantly kowtowing to kids that can't make it at the University level due to their subpar Valley education. As someone who once worked there I can tell you the University of Texas has made huge strides in fixing the issues that plauged UTPA. Furthermore, their admissions are increasingly becoming more stringent. Their ties to the University of Texas is what is saving them and what is improving them year to year. Okay, off my UTPA soapbox!

I enjoyed your comment about the socialization and clans running everything down there. This is very true. My wife is from Weslaco and grew up poor. We ran into a former classmate of my wife who is lighter (my wife is dark and I'm sure you are aware of the stigma), very attractive and has family in high places. She went on about how she did this, her family did that, she married a prominent attorney in the area and was thinking of running for school board. This was course told in a very condescending, high schooler "I'm STILL better than you" tone. She then proceeded to ask my wife what she had done since high school. My wife simply answered "I got the hell out of here." The classmate looked like she had been punched in the stomach. Her escape to Houston trumped all that she had done. You could see it in her face.

Cyrexpl, I am sure you have noticed people who defend the Valley are generally those who grew up with money. They never encounter the vast majority of those persons who live in shacks and colonias that have little choice but to live off of government assitance due to their situation. Furthermore, they are generally blind to the light/dark Mexican on Mexican prejudice that exists. I understand your pain. I lived down there for almost 6 years. It is one of the top 50 metro areas population wise. As for quality of life, it has to be ranked somewhere between 45-50. I hope you get out of there ASAP!

[TexasNick]

*in before thread lock.

I like the grapefruit, though.

[cyrexpl]

crbcrbrgv:

While I may have been overly harsh on UTPA, the fact of the matter is the very reasons you cite, are the very reasons why UTPA has a long way to go to gain respectability outside of the RGV.

The "constantly kowtowing to kids that can't make it at the University level due to their subpar Valley education" has to end. The moment that Pan-Am joined the UT system it ceased being a regional college, and it's high-time it stopped behaving as one. No respectable University can lower its level simply because the local schools produce inferior candidates who are behind in basics such as English and math. There are plenty of ways that local students who wish to attend UTPA can improve the level of competitiveness, such as attending a Two year college such as attending STC, or some other community college, and then transferring to UTPA.

While true that UTPA is making strides in improving its reputation, those strides are coming far too slowly and are being met with a great deal of resistance by faculty and students alike.

As to everything else that you have mentioned, all I can is say is spot on. Those whom enjoy the Valley and come to its defense are those that are members of the "ruling clans" and have a great deal of wealth, or are those with a great deal of wealth and have connections to said clans.

It's true that McAllen is growing, however, the quality of life, as you have stated, is truly terrible. Moreover, I honestly don't see a way in which McAllen, or any Valley city, can improve the quality of life for its residents as all the cities in the Valley are hampered by their geographic location and isolation, as well as their homogeneous closed society.

While I truly enjoy the work that I perform, I have quickly come to realize that I have no chance to advance due to being white and not having an affiliation with one of the ruling clans: If only I had known these things before coming to the Valley .

[extexanwannabe]

Originally Posted by Valleyborn&raised

Dear Texas Tech,
I wanted to take the time to welcome you to the Valley! I am glad that you took every ones opinions into consideration but, ultimately decided to experience it for yourself.

I personally was born and raised in the district of Sharyland in Mission. I have had the opportunity to watch it grow from a speratic ranch town to one of the fasting growing metropolitan areas in the Country. I have seen over my thirty some year’s large corporations take notice bringing in grande developments like the Sharyland Plantation. A city within the city that is over 6,000 acres of master-planned community combining the best of homes, recreation and conveniences. Many chain stores and restaurants like Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Applebee's, Chili's, and Hooters. I really feel that it may not be Manhattan or New York. But, it is a great place to raise a family with great intercultural values. Most of the children can speak English and Spanish.

Poverty and racism is like everything else, it is in the eye of the beholder. I personally have seen that many Hispanics associate the Anglo's with success and a higher social status. Valleyites cater to Winter Texans, Anglo's, and are typically ready to serve anyone.

I have to admit that due to being close to the border, we do have many people come across illegally to try to make a better life for their children. You will find poverty in all areas in every race. It is not unusual for the poor to work up to three jobs to support their family and take pride in the little they have. It is like the food chain without them our lives would be difficult. It takes them to assist the successful with all the things they have to sacrifice to be successful. It is the poor who usually work in the homes as maids, nannies, gardeners, and so much more.

I hope you enjoy the best parts of the Valley.........concerts at the Dodge Arena, movies at the park by Sharyland Plantation, Padre Island, bird watching at Quinta Mazatlan, multi-cultural art at Nuevo Santander, and most of all the excellent international cuisine at La Espana, Bistro M, and Sante Fe Steak House. Don't forget to try the Sushi at Kumori's and Kohnami's, and Shogun Steak House!

Welcome to what I have had the honor to call home. Many blessing regarding your new adventure.

I guess you never heard of La Joya ISD? Not one first grader speaks english. Mexican nationals come across the river and bring their children to go to our schools. The La Joya school district has more schools being built, rivaling that of McAllen. Sharyland is renown for its inherent wealth. Sharyland Plantation is a hoity-toity subdivision for extremely wealthy people.
TexasTech, I hope you're a teacher or in the medical profession; if not, you'll be just another nameless working slob here.

[extexanwannabe]

Originally Posted by Kalifornian

Not for me. I have completed one year here, moving from California and I can't wait to get away from this place! McAllen has nothing to offer as far as I'm concerned. McAllen's downtown has one ugly skyscraper you can see for miles away and no arts district. No one goes there. McAllen is a city of strip malls in search of a centralized downtown. The brand new library (which will be moved to a former Wal Mart) will be located south of downtown. The areas near downtown are impoverished and unpleasant to drive through. The humidified heat here makes summer especially unbearable and uncomfortable. I thought the climate would be like south Florida but it isn't--no ocean breeze and much higher temps during the summer months. At least 30 days reached 100/F last summer. What happened to fall? The leaves just dry up and fall off without changing color at all and that's refered to as early winter. I miss the beautiful fall foliage they had in northern California. You have to travel outside the region for that. It's weird when the temperature reaches 85 and 90/f around Christmas time. When it rains, the city's drainage system can't handle it and the streets become flooded with a foot of dirty water. They say it's cheap to rent here but they don't mention the outrageous utility costs, probably due to the fact the A/C must run 24/7 in order for one to be comfortable in their home.

I regret moving here and can't wait to leave the region!

Actually, the library is relocating to the Wal-Mart, but it is quite a bit NORTH of downtown.

[elvalle_mayne]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Cyrexpl,

Cyrexpl, I am sure you have noticed people who defend the Valley are generally those who grew up with money. They never encounter the vast majority of those persons who live in shacks and colonias that have little choice but to live off of government assitance due to their situation. Furthermore, they are generally blind to the light/dark Mexican on Mexican prejudice that exists. I understand your pain. I lived down there for almost 6 years. It is one of the top 50 metro areas population wise. As for quality of life, it has to be ranked somewhere between 45-50. I hope you get out of there ASAP!

WHOAAA! I'm sorry I didn't realize I came from a prominent and powerful family in the Valley??? I guess the $35k salary my father made to support my sister, my Mom's pursuit of college and me while we lived in the small two bedroom apartment (Parklane Apartments, North Side!) had a lot more influence in the city than I thought! And I guess the lower-middle class WHITE friends I had and dark skinned friends who had to work full time throughout high school to help their families were just doing it for fun!

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by elvalle_mayne

WHOAAA! I'm sorry I didn't realize I came from a prominent and powerful family in the Valley??? I guess the $35k salary my father made to support my sister, my Mom's pursuit of college and me while we lived in the small two bedroom apartment (Parklane Apartments, North Side!) had a lot more influence in the city than I thought! And I guess the lower-middle class WHITE friends I had and dark skinned friends who had to work full time throughout high school to help their families were just doing it for fun!

Who said you did? And you do know what "generally" means, correct?

[elvalle_mayne]

Yes I know what generally means but the fact is most people who defend the Valley are GENERALLY NOT from prominent families and NOT with the wealth. You and your anti-Valley posse have generally done quite a job of just pouring out "facts" with absolutely no authentic foundation. It shows lack of integrity and huge immaturity on your part.