Panhandle questions (Amarillo, Killeen, Pampa: lease, safe area, tornadoes)

[NOTAM]

as yall frequent readers may know, i have been debating on which area to move to when my lease is up in Sept-Panhandle or Hill Country. (specifically Killeen/Gatesville/Lampasas area of Hill Country)...
well, i have a good friend in Amarillo who's been trying to talk me into working with her (she's a fellow nurse), and now my new neighbor down here in South Texas lived in Borger for 4 years and has been telling me all about the area.
i have to admit, the more i hear about the Panhandle, the more likely i am to take the lower paying job in Amarillo.......pays much lower than Ft Hood.....
and starting to think about where i would live if i took the Amarillo job...Borger? Fritch? Panhandle? White Deer? Pampa?
any thoughts? (from those very familiar with Panhandle Amarillo area)

[Scholar]

I know that you have been searching for a while now, but I can't remember what kind of place you want to live in. Are you wanting a long commute? Are you wanting a tiny town? Are you wanting way out in the country? We have friends who live in the country on the outskirts of Amarillo on some land, and we have friends who live in Canyon. So, I know you don't have to go that far out to have some land. Can you can update everyone more specifically on what you are looking for in a town, etc.?

[NOTAM]

will rent for the first year, then buy. would consider living in the OUTSKIRTS of Amarillo..in the county, not city limits...as long as it's got a rural feel to it. safe area, livestock around, country roads to walk with my dogs, minimal traffic. but prefer within 30 minutes to Clements or Neal Units.......

[Scholar]

Spouse drives out that way more than I do and recommends Pampa if you want to be out that far but also said Panhandle and White Deer are fine, too. I like Canyon, but it is on the other side of Amarillo. Groom is out a little too far, too, but the huge cross there is a must see. We've also heard there are good restaurants there -- one Mexican food and one BBQ. If you lived in Panhandle or White Deer, you would have the option of going into Pampa for some things instead of always having to go into Amarillo.

[shady12]

There was a long thread on an unrelated forum about the WORST small towns in Texas. Borger came up quite a bit.

The top two seemed to be Presidio and Pecos both in West Texas.

[topropeprincess]

I say no to Borger. It smells too bad. Pampa is too far out for a commute if you ask me. I enjoy Canyon. The best of both worlds is to be in between Canyon and Amarillo. Lots of land and it has that country feel. Anywhere off Hollywood on either direction is a good area also. I will say that I do miss that area. I am from a small town just northeast of Pampa. Good luck with your decision, but you can't go wrong anywhere in the Panhandle (in my opinion).

[NOTAM]

how about Hereford? wonder how long it would take me to drive from there to Clements/Neal units?
i want to live somewhere where i smell feedlots, cows....no, i aint joking. i really do love that smell......it makes me feel at home...please no jokes about me being full of it, or knee deep in it....my best memories are from my childhood and feedlots,dairy farms, and my adulthood on the rodeo circuit...
any specific feedback on the town of Hereford.?
i will be making a trip in the next 6 weeks to visit my friend, take a run around Amarillo, meet my prospective bosses etc.........

[ChristieP]

Personally, I couldn't live somewhere that smelled like a feedlot...the smell permeates your clothes and house, and pretty soon, you smell like cow poo, no matter what you do! (And this from a life-long horse lover!)

Do you mind snow? It does snow a LOT in the Panhandle in the winter. That's the biggest difference between there and Hill Country.

[victoriana]

Bellestar - We are in Amarillo now. When you come in, feel free to email me or call me and if I can answer any questions, I'll be most happy to help out. Yes - Pampa good, so is Hereford for the kind of living you describe. Our Panhandle has problems like everywhere else. Amarillo's bigwigs are trying their best to get the city on a GROWTH trajectory - a progressive woman mayor is doing a fine job on that point. Amarillo is the job centre of the Panhandle for jobs, medical care, etc. Many of us Texans consider Amarillo to have a real winter as we are mostly from other areas of Texas. If people tell me they are from Colorado, Rocky Mountain states, or the east coast, there will be basically no winter as far as they are concerned. We kind of laugh at our "half inch blizzards." Yes, every so many years, we have a good snow but it MELTS VERY QUICKLY. Snow is not a problem here. Tornadoes are much more of a worry than big snowstorms. Hey, we are indeed windy! LOts of land between Canyon and Amarillo, yes - but quickly the two cities are closing in on each other. LOTS of building going on. Lots of excitement. You will enjoy our growing city!!!

[NOTAM]

thanks yall.
i just wonder if the cost of living is THAT much lower than Hill Country, cuz i would be making considerably less. it is the lowest paying area of Texas for RN's (victoriana, i think we might have discussed this issue before on a thread).
i still havent made a decision.