Brownsville or Harlingen?? (Houston, Dallas, Laredo: real estate, apartments, houses)

[rfariasd]

Hey guys,

I'd appreciate any comments good or bad.

Situation:
36 years old, married, 2 kids (one 8 one 4). Currently living in Laredo. I am being offered a position in the lower valley. My area of influence will be from Pharr to S.P.I. so were to relocate, by meer geographic comfort I would say either Brownsville or Harlingen. But a lot of the comments in this threads have scared me a little in the Brownsville department.
Now, lets remember that I am currently living in Laredo, so anything can and should be better than this.

I guess my decision will incline towards, school and family life.

Anyone????

Robert.

I

[truetexan]

rfariasd,
pick harlingen, hands down.

[crbcrbrgv]

I agree with truetexan. Harlingen has good schools. Brownsville schools are garbage. Harlingen has a better mix of people also. It has a little more diversity than the average Valley city. If you want to visit Brownsville, it's only 20 minutes down the road.

[Othon]

Definitely Harlingen.

[Spree]

Harlingen would put you in a more central location for your travels. Be aware though, that expwy 83 is undergoing construction west to east in the valley.

[rfariasd]

I just visited both cities today. The truth....I wasn't impressed with any of them. Brownsville, just did not like it. checked a couple of elementary schools, one of them it looked like the classrooms where in temporary trailers. (palm ave.) The other one, which is supposed to be in the newest part of town (Ruben torres ave.)it seemed overcrowded with almost 2,000 students. I did see a lot of business closed all over town.
Harlingen, seems a lot cleaner and with less activity. Or should I say not enough activity. I checked some new apartments out of loop 499 (odd pastel colors) they seem nice, but I'm not so sure for an 8 year old girl, and a 4 year old boy. They looked more like a retirement home than any other thing. The elementary that corresponds to this area. It looked small enough to look comfortable, but the surrounding housing seemed pretty old and messed up.
I don't know but I am strongly thinking about commuting from Mcallen or Mission.

What do you think??

Roberto,

[gabetx]

I dont live in the valley, but I live two hours north in Corpus. I have family in Edinburg, which is connected to Pharr, which is connected to McAllen... Well all valley cities are pretty much connected. Anyways, I love McAllen and I love Edinburg. Both are very clean cities and have great growth and people. I assume you know spanish since you live in Laredo, have family there too, so that shouldn't be much of a problem. But overall I think McAllen has the best schools in the valley! I say McAllen!

[Bougainvillea]

I am thinking of retiring in the Rio Grande Valley and am attracted to the Hispanic culture, weather and low real estate prices. I am a fan of Latin American culture, art and architecture and like the proximity to Mexico for shopping and restaurants, though most postings say that Matamoros is pretty awful.

I have lived and traveled in Mexico and Latin America for years, speak fluent Spanish and love the Mexican people. I am looking at small houses (just for me....I am single) in Rancho Viejo, Los Fresnos and McAllen. I am female, Anglo, 60-ish and very active. I like the golf course community at Rancho Viejo, though I have only seen all of this via the Internet. Is it really that attractive? Many say that McAllen is the best spot. Who out there can give me an unprejudiced opinion on whether to buy in Rancho Viejo or McAllen? I can't get there for a look-around till January, so would appreciate some help with my research.

I want white stucco and red tile roofs, palm trees and bougainvillea, and flowers all year! I am a landscape designer, so I can handle the palm trees and bougainvillea, but the architecture needs to be in place!

Thanks

[rstrstx]

Bougainvillea

Rancho Viejo is a neat place, the resacas in the neighborhood are nice and there are a number or tile and stucco homes. Have you been to Bayview near the coast? It's the prettiest town in the Valley, but the homes and lots may be too big for what you want (it's also kinda far to other things). There are a few old neighborhoods in Brownsville that are very nice and really have a lush subtropical ambience to them, if you like tropical character it's the best there is down here.

For the original poster, you know Rancho might not be a bad place to consider, I believe the school district is Los Fresnos (which I don't know too much about). Harlingen does not have the same character of old Brownsville but there's nothing wrong with it and the schools are considered better and is a better family town. If you're coming from Laredo I don't think you'll have much culture shock; you should enjoy the Valley more

[Bougainvillea]

Thanks! I have not been to the Valley at all except to drive through Laredo or McAllen on trips to Mexico. Born in Dallas, lived in Houston and Dallas most of my life, ten or fifteen years in Europe and Latin America. Currently in New Mexico. McAllen looks like, well, Kansas to me. Blah and characterless, at least from the looks of the houses on the real estate listings. I will look at Bay View. I really want something that looks like.....mmmmm....Cuernavaca. Well, Cuernavaca thirty or forty years ago. A real estate agent told me that parts of Rancho Viejo were old and shabby (the entry area houses) and that the newer parts to the back were very elegant, with fairway views, etc. Do you live in the Valley?

Gracias!