Moving to McAllen Texas from Indiana (Corpus Christi, Brownsville: 2009, YMCA, school districts)

[tstone]

Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas

whites are NOT a minority in all of Texas.

Majority-minority state - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[RGV Girl]

Weslaco is in between McAllen and Harlingen and being from there, I can tell you that it is much better in terms of having a small town feeling with the advantages of traveling about 20 miles either way for shopping and entertainment. Weslaco though is growing and has all the favorite type restaurants and small shopping center. It is also about 3 miles west of a new outlet mall that recently opened this year. The population here is 22,000+. We have a Hospital with a 200+ bed capacity. I recently bought a 2500 sq ft home located on two lots in the affluent side of the town for $70,000. Not a bad price for the size and location. As with any town there are small gangs usually located in the rural area (not in the city limits). There are two high schools, three junior high schools, and approximately 8 elementary schools. I have 5 children ranging from 5 years of age to 24. The schools are exemplary with TEA Recognition. It's worth looking into.

[almost 60]

Originally Posted by kabrown

I'm wanting to get information about living in the McAllen Texas area. My husband has accepted a position with a company in the Reynosa area. We are from Indiana and have 2 girls who are 12 and 10. My concern is how well we will be accepted especially our blond haired blue eyed children. My husband and I are excited about this opportunity, but don't know if it is a good move for the kids. They are active in their schools that they currently attend. The oldest is a cheerleader and does swimming and diving. The youngest one is a competitive dancer. I don't want to offend anyone, but I know if we move we will be the minority and I don't want my kids to feel lonely and unaccepted. If anyone could give me any great advice I would be very grateful. My husband and I are very confused and not sure if it is the right move for our family.

Hi, Have you made the move yet? My husband, granddaughter (9) & I've lived in McAllen for 5 yrs. Husband came for yrs for business & thought it would be a good move. Came down with an open mind but I miss what I consider normal things to me-trees, grass, etc. Trememdously hot, humid & too dirty to open windows 10 months a year. We stay inside in the air conditioning most of the year. Locals play tennis etc at night after the sun goes down, but the temps for the evening in the summer are still in the upper 80s. My granddaughter went to daycare, & now attends a McAllen public school. She fits in good-I think because she's known the same kids for 5 yrs. She's one of a handful of anglos in her school. Next yr she'll be in a new school being built & won't be with most of her friends. I know many Mexican nationals come across to attend school here & at first don't speak English. I do want to move before she's in middle school. Have know several families whose kids were older & had tremendous hardships fitting in. I only know 1 family with kids in middle & senior high who've lived here awhile who are doing ok. I think most anglo kids must go to private school. Language is a problem in everyday life. Can't communicate with a lot of neighbors & holding a job working with the public without Spanish is impossible. Most of the service people are really friendly. The Mexican nationals are another story-butt in line etc. We came from a very diverse neighborhood & I still feel really out of place, but I now belong to 2 womens clubs & don't feel so isolated. If you attend a school assembly etc it will be in English & Spanish & most people around you will be speaking in Spanish. Everyones experience is different. Good luck.

[conanS]

I live in Donna which is very close to Weslaco. My kids actually go to school in Weslaco.

As far as working for the public and not speaking Spanish, it can be VERY frustrating!!! I get people that are mad at me and some that are just flat out rude. I usually get cussed out in Spanish 2-3 times a week because I don't speak much Spanish. Which doesn't bother me much, I usually just repeat whatever they are saying with a stupid accent and goofy grin pretending I have no idea what I am saying I've 3 individuals tell me white people weren't welcome here, to which I just reply I am here to help build the border fence (not true, but if they are going to be butts, I like to be one back)

Shoplifting is a MAJOR probem for me!! I've caught 7 people in the last 3 months, had them pull the merchandise out of their pants, with witnesses, took down their plates, called it in, and am having to harrass the police to do anything about it. I had one Sheriff's Deputy come to the store when I had a shoplifter in the store. He wanted to write the guy a citation instead of taking him to jail. So, I kicked the Deputy out of my store

The drop out rate in the RGV is over 50%. Wage scale is pathetic because the law does not go after the TONS of people here that hire illegals for less than minimum wage.

My only goal is to get out of the RGV. The sooner the better.

[gkha63]

Originally Posted by kabrown

I'm wanting to get information about living in the McAllen Texas area. My husband has accepted a position with a company in the Reynosa area. We are from Indiana and have 2 girls who are 12 and 10. My concern is how well we will be accepted especially our blond haired blue eyed children. My husband and I are excited about this opportunity, but don't know if it is a good move for the kids. They are active in their schools that they currently attend. The oldest is a cheerleader and does swimming and diving. The youngest one is a competitive dancer. I don't want to offend anyone, but I know if we move we will be the minority and I don't want my kids to feel lonely and unaccepted. If anyone could give me any great advice I would be very grateful. My husband and I are very confused and not sure if it is the right move for our family.

I had a similar experience before my family moved to this area from Dallas. The area have evolved greatly since then (10 yrs. ago) and I'm very happy with the moving decision we've made. My boys are very happy here. The people are very warm and welcoming, the weather is beautiful and tropical, the traffic is very low, the amenities are comparable with big cities. To make it short, you won't be unsatisfied with the move and your girls will enjoy the school and all the extra activities are available for them as well. By the way, the original residents of this area are among white race generation. So you won't be alone. If you need real estate help, please feel free to contact me. I'm working with Keller Williams Realty and will be able to help you with your house purchase.

Have a safe move

[Kalifornian]

We moved here a year ago from northern California and regret the move to the RGV (actually "valley" is a misnomer as there are no mountains around to make it a valley). At first I thought it would be nice and I was impressed by all the foliage and green vegetation. The heat is stifling and makes outdoor activities difficult. I spent all of the summer inside with the air conditioning running 24/7 (and continually breaking down due to the 25 year old units in the apartment where I was renting). They say it is cheap to live here but I don't think it is so cheap--wait 'till you get your first utility bill!! (They say CPL charges the most, but it doesn't matter--Reliant, TXU, Magic Valley, etc--there really isn't much difference in what they charge per kilowatt). Our average air conditioning bill was $200 because A/C needs to run 24/7 in order to be comfortable. Rents are slightly cheaper than the national average of $750, but once you factor this in it averages out, and that doesn't include cable.
Yesterday--March 15--the thermometer hit 105/f, and it's still spring. We had many weeks of 100/f weather last summer. There are many beautiful riparian areas along the Rio Grande, such as the Bentsen-Rio Grande Park with alot of greenery but the extreme heat and biting insects make it unpleasant to spend much time outdoors unless you are an avid bird enthusiast. Not to mention the poisenous snakes like fer-de-lance or the coral snake which make it dangerous to venture into the vegetation. And we have the so-called africanized "killer bees" on the loose which you can occasionally read about in the newspaper. Last September a swarm of them attacked two men in Mission, killing one. The unsuspecting Mission residents opened their garage door and were immediately engulfed by the dangerous insects.

McAllen is a city of strip malls in search of a cohesive, centralized downtown. There is NO arts district, no historic district downtown. No interesting or historic architecture except for a hotel. Most people do not go downtown as there is nothing but an odd assortment of mom & pop stores (many, many clothing stores) catering to Mexicans and nothing to really attract local residents or the tourist. There are plans on the table to build a loop freeway around McAllen and incorporate the RGV into the interstate highway system (there's no interstate highway freeway here). I fully anticipate that the area will become more congested and the low rents the area currently is known for will become a thing of the past. The population swells to 200,000 when the snowbirds arrive in November, then decreases when they leave in April. The job market isn't so great and most of the surrounding area is noticebly impoverished. The huge Wal Marts--and there are MANY--have taken their toll on once quaint downtowns like Mission, putting many stores out of business. It's a TOUGH place to start/open any business, inspite of the what the visitor's bureau will tell you! McAllen built a brand new multi-million convention center next to the downtown area along the freeway, but it is barely used. Obviously, the area's heritage is predominantly Mexican so spanish is the main language heard and spoken--not english. The schools are just plain bad and gangs harrass residents in the poorer areas of town, like Alton.

I can't WAIT to move out of this area but lack the money to enable me to do so at the moment. I DO NOT want to go through another summer here like I did last year!! They say that 50% of all new residents to the valley move within a year. I can see why.

[LCC1968]

I have never read so many backward, ignorant comments at one time. For those of you so one-dimensional--please stay away from the Rio Grande Valley. We don't want you here. I am a native Valleyite and have traveled Western Europe and South/Central America. I loved every minute of it and never once looked down on another culture because it was different from my own. Those of you looking to come down here and wishing for the same experience as you had in your hometown will be disappointed. The Valley is unique and unlike anywhere else. The people are family-oriented and loving, and will give you the shirt off their back half the time if you need it. Yes we have our problems and challenges, but so do all other places on this planet. I love this area and I think a lot of others share my view.

[johnbain]

I have travelled extensively throught the USA, lived in Texas for 20 years (2 of those being in McAllen). My advice....DO NOT move to South Texas! You have children and you will be putting them at risk. I now there are drugs everywhere but South Texas...especially the area you are talking about has HUGE drug problems and HUGE crime.

[LCC1968]

I have lived here for a long time and never had any major problems. If you stay away from bad people, the chances of something happening are slim. That is true anywhere you go.

[j96g]

maybe should have had smarter friends.