Interracial couple from S.Cal to move to Longview Texas (Dallas: fit in, high crime)

[Adamseve918]

My husband just got a job offer in Longview Tx. I'm black, he's white and we have 3 bi-racial children ages 9, 6 1/2, and 4 1/2. Neither of us have ever been to Texas, although I was born in Mississippi I haven't lived in the south since I was 5. I'm well aware that racisim still exist but we don't have to deal with too much of it where we live now, Cali is kind of a melting pot. My husband and I fully understand that Texas will be different ie. weather,lingo,things to do. My question is where are the area's of the town that we should stay away from? It's hard to do real research on a place that you've never been to. We are excited for this new adventure. It'll be nice to get away from the superficial attitudes of some Californians, and be welcomed with that southern hospitality. Any and all input is welcomed! Thanks!

[destin04]

Welcome to Texas!!! Longview is a nice city. I haven't ever lived there....but have visited and we are in the process of transferring to Tyler..just 30 miles west of where you are going to be living. I do think racism still exist...however...not so much in the main city. I would not move out to some little town with backard old ideas.....We are moving from Dallas....I said DALLAS, TX...and our neighbor across the street asked me if we sold our house to white people (we are white) ...because she didn't want mexicans living across the street from her. I almost fainted! This woman teaches english as a second language in the Dallas School District. That's compassion for you! Anyway...you will find small minded people anywhere you go. You will have a great time finding a house in east texas for probably what you would have to put a down payment on in California. Be excited!

[Watchful]

I sent you a PM. Good luck in Longview.

[MommyJulz]

Well, first let me start by saying Welcome To Texas! Here is the deal, you are going to endure narrow minded people no matter where you move. I don't know a whole lot about Longview, but I would say you will fit in just fine. Some people have their own beliefs about certain issues, some racial, some political, etc.., but for the most part I think we are learning as a society to become more accepting of each others differences and as long as you are outgoing and kind, you will (most of the time) have the same in return. Texas is a friendly place and we as Texans are always looking to make new friends and turn outsiders into "Texans" too. :-) Before you know it, you will be proud to travel out of state and know that you have Texas tags. :-) So, don't stress over this, you and your family will love it here. Take Care and Best of Luck!! God Bless

[RSTX]

I've read many posts asking about racism in Texas, and I've come to conclude that it is what you make of it. Everyone has some kind of issue. Try not to look for racism and you will likely see less of it. And have some thick skin. It makes life easier to live.

[UNT_Eagle]

Hello,

I want to also welcome you to Texas! I don't live there anymore, but was born and raised in Dallas, and I have some exposure to Longview. I lived in Hallsville which is about 10 miles east for 1 1/2 years, and on my days off from youth ministry, I would travel to Longview to hangout, get coffee, etc.
From my experience, it was and still is a great place to live; very family oriented, inexpensive housing, and somewhat of an open-minded area. Be prepared that it is very conservative, and usually very friendly as well. With that said, there are some "locals" there that have a hard time adjusting to new folks coming into the area. You're about 2 1/2 hours east from Dallas and 40-45 min. north from Tyler, so there's things to do, just not alot to do in Longview.

As far as good areas of town, I would check out the Pine Tree area of Longview, which is northwest. Great schools and pretty ranch style brick homes with LOTS of pine trees, etc.. Most of the areas in Longview are fine (north, west, east) with the exeption of South Longview around LeTourneu University. High crime area down there..

If you are looking for a church, let me know. I visited a few there when I lived in E. Texas.

[Born in CA, Raised in TX]

I'm originally from Ojai, California but have lived in Longview, TX for the last 30 years. Longview is a great city to raise a family and retire. Without a college degree, your employment opportunities are limited. There isn't as many opportunities for young single people but for them (including me), Dallas isn't too far away! Bi-racial couples aren't "common" in Longview and some people will probably judge, but honestly, people will judge no matter where you live. I can honestly say Longview will be a shock to your system but once you settle in you should really grow to love it. I went to school and graduated from Spring Hill. It is a small public school but I absolutely adored it. Living in Spring Hill would be my recommendation. Pine Tree ISD is okay too but I've been told by way too many ex-Pine Tree students that going to that school was more of a "who owns what" social scene. That's something to take into consideration when finding a good school for your kids. Pine Tree does offer more academics and extra curricular activities than Spring Hill. I moved to AZ from Longview in November of 2006 due to some work related changes. However, I am going to move back in October. I've decided that although there's more to do here (Phoenix), Longview is my home. Yes, there are "bubbas" that live in Longview but there are also really wonderful people that live there too. Cost of living is really good too. Good luck on your move. After moving to a new state, I completely understand how hard it is to adjust to a new lifestyle.

[FeelsLikeHome]

My husband and I relocated here 18 years ago with our jobs. Years ago, the longtime residents seemed to not be as accepting of newcomers to the area, but I feel that's changed. The town is growing. It still has it's clics, but most towns do. I will tell you that the city's South side has some beautiful homes disbursed throughout it; however, it is declining. The lower income families tend to gravitate to it. There is a mix of white, black, and hispanic, but I think black is in the majority. The homes aren't as well kept and drugs are rampant in the area. Crime in that section of the city is higher. Sections of the city's West side have some troubled areas that harbor lower income and educated whites and hispanics. Drugs are rampant there as well. Homes are on the decline as well. The city's East and North sides have the better kept homes and less crime in them. As far as schools. In the city, there are three school districts: Longview ISD, Pine Tree ISD, and Springhill ISD. My children attend Pine Tree. Pine Tree offers an excellent cirriculum to its students. They have the advanced placement and gifted and talented programs. We are quite pleased with the education our children receive there. I have friends that attended the Longview schools themselves and would never send their children there. I've heard law enforcement say that there are things that go on there that you would not want to hear about. On the other hand, I've had graduates say that they loved the school system. Now, the Springhill school district I hear over and over again is wonderful. When my husband and I moved here, we lived in an area that you chould chose to go to Springhill or Pine Tree. We checked the demographics of each school and at that time, there were very very very few blacks and hispanics on the rolls. We had heard that it wasn't as welcoming of other races. My husband and I wanted no part of that as we wanted our children to attend schools with all races. There are tons of new housing divisions being built all around that school district, so it's census spread may have changed in the last 10 years, but you can look that data up on the Texas Education Agency's website if that bothers you. I will mention two suburbs that I've been hearing touted as great schools as well. The Diana ISD and White Oak ISD. Now, I have heard that the White Oak ISD has lots of closed minded rednecks in it, so you might check out it's census spread at the TEA too. I would suggest that you get a map of the city and drive around several days and check it out for yourself. You'll get that gut feeling as to where you feel safest and where you want your children to be. Also, contact the city police and ask them if they have any profile data as to crime statistics for each area. Visit each school too and you will know when you have found your children's school. The Diana and White Oak ISD has growth areas there and they are out in the country. We also have some private schools here that you could check out as well. All in all, I love Longview. It feels like home. Yes, there are clics here. They're everywhere. I think the folks that cause the most trouble are those that have anger management issues and they weren't raised to love one another or weren't raised with moral compasses. You'll find that anywhere you move, so you just have to decide to ignore them and make the best life you can where you feel you most fit in. Welcome to the area. If you are churchgoers, I can recommend some great family churches if you are of the Baptist Faith: First Baptist Church, LifePoint, Oakland Heights, Calvary Baptist Church, Fellowship Bible Church. Oh, and each school district has their own website that has info pertaining to them. You could look at each of those as well to help you make a decision.

[FeelsLikeHome]

Go here to find out info on school systems....census spread and teacher / student ratios: It's the IES National Center for Education Statistics Search for Public School Districts

Longview is in Gregg county, so just enter Gregg County and you'll get all the schools districts around here. Then, click on individual school name and under district details, click on census. Then, click on Show All and you'll get tons of info!

[EastTexGal]

Hi. Welcome to Longview. There aren't a lot of interracial couples in Longview, but there are significantly more now than there were 10 years ago. There is a mix here. The school down the road from my house has 551 students. 370 (69%) are black. 126 (23%) are hispanic. The remainder are white or other. I live on the east side of Longview. On one side of me I have a white family, on the other side a black family. Across the street are black people and mexicans. We all get along just fine. The south side of Longview is infamous for being "the bad part of town", but crime happens everywhere. There are going to be some people who will snub you for being of different races, there are going to be some stares and sneers. And it will not be subtle. You are moving to the Bible belt. But those experiences should be few and far between.I think that once you get settled in you will find that the people here are - for the most part- friendly and helpful. Have a great day, and congratulations on your husband's new job!