Can anyone tell me anything about Sherman?

[freedomwolf]

I am also looking into relocating to this area. Forgive my ignorance, but what does S&S and TI stand for?

Thanks.

[GayleTX]

S&S--Sadler/Southmayd School District (a good consolidated school district outside of town). TI --Texas Instruments (the largest employer in this area.....computer chips....and the best-paying).

[freedomwolf]

Thanks Gayle!

[txgolfer]

I'm not surprised it is hard to find! Its a one gas station town! Here it is on Google:

phttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=Luella,+TX,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title

[karenr123]

Hey Dawn! I came accross your post randomly somehow and I thought I'd try to answer some of your questions about allergies and humidity, etc.

I lived in Denison (Sherman's sister town just to its north) for 10 years. I no longer live there but my sister and my parents still live there and I visit most weekends. My sister lives in a nice neighborhood in Sherman, and my parents live in the county inbetween the two towns (which isnt much county land anymore!). They have lived there for close to 15+ years.
As far as education goes for your kids, I am partial to Denison for high school because I graduated there, but the elementary education for children is better in Sherman. It seems that Sherman seems to have some sort of disconnect when it gets to high school. Their drug rate in teens when I was there was higher, and the ratio of students to teachers is worse than Denison. This is because Sherman is bigger than Denison.
I talked to my sister and she pays about 150 dollars for a 1200 sq ft home for Electricity with TXU (the largest and most expensive electric company in the state). And her rent is about 700 dollars a month. This is near North Travis and Belden if it gives you an idea on a map.
I know you had originally posted in October, but I am hoping to anyone else who might read this from a "native" ish person.
My parents live in the county and Have a 2200 sqft home with 7 acres of land. They have a pool and their electric runs them about 350 in the summer to run the pool. And about 75-100 for water because the county taxes you for not living in the city (and using city water!). Your other option in the county is well water, but when drought comes (as in 2006) your well can dry up.
If you are looking for areas to live here are some places to stay away from:
Cherry Street and vicinity (its gotten better, but lots of crime)
Downtown Sherman and area (this is also near Cherry street)
as said before Piggly Wiggly area and near/south of WNJ hosptial, although about 5 blocks north of WNJ hosptial is nice
In Denison avoid:
Walker st / armstrong
Downtown area and eastward streets
Anything near/off of area Hwy 91 and 69 (the futher away you get from the highway though has some nice larger homes)

As far as allergies, they have cottonwood trees! Actually it lines my parents street for 3 miles, and the spring was rough. Humitidy is not as bad as Austin. My uncle lives there, and Austin seems to have lots more trees and humidity. Although if you do decide to move towards lake Texoma, it does get more humid.

Shopping has become AMAZING there. They discovered that they can have shopping and still have small town feel. So you have Walmart and Target within a 3 block section.

The mall is dying, but it has been replaced with the Town center (off of the main highway, 75, ironic?)

My recommendation is if you are VERY scared of Tornados is dont move to Texas. My parents land has had direct hits numerous times, and had a 150 yr old oak tree be split in half. I watched a tornado outside the window one year when i was about 16 touch down right outside the door and go up again. Its scary, but this is Tornado Alley. The storms get fierce, I wont lie. The best thing I can think of is buy a house with some sort of basement, which is more common than a storm cellar. Safe rooms are a possibility too. It seems that more of my friends who lived in Denison had more storm cellars than sherman. And Denison seems to get hit more than Sherman as well.
I know thats a lot of info to take in, but its a good little town. I am just not a little town lady, and moved away for college. TI is the best paid, most prestigous large company in the area. They do a lot of good for the area, and I wish you luck working there. I am glad they decided to move their operations to Sherman, because they had a recession for awhile when Oscar Myer went out. But now they have large companies like Tyson and Kaiser Aluminum. If you do get moved in, good luck, and dont worry too much about Tornadoes or big storms, they only last for about a month, and then the rest of the year you are good. Anywhere you live in North texas, youll get those "Good ole north texas rain drops" (the size of your palms sometimes! ) and storms.
Karen

[DawnW25]

Hi Karen,

Thank you SO MUCH for your reply. I'm sorry I'm so late in reading it. As it turns out, we may have to relocate sooner than we thought, and to Sherman, so this information is very helpful. The job there has been offered to my husband but it starts in June.

I am terrified of tornadoes, courtesy of the Wizard of Oz and my paranoid dad who was born in Oklahoma. I've never even seen one, and I can't say I'd really care to. But I grew up in California and had no fear of earthquakes, so I think I could eventually get used to the idea of them and not be so terrified, just like I got used to spiders (Texas and Colorado--basement--cured me of that fear) and scorpions (Austin and Tucson).

Anyway, thanks again. I'm glad to hear they have shopping there. I really don't want to move to a real backwater kind of place. I'm a suburban gal all the way and I like my conveniences.

Dawn

[GTT1234]

How did the move go? Are you getting things settled?

We are planning to move to that area also. Could you tell us what its like?

Is the water quality good?

How much taxes do you have to pay? (Property, sales, any other)

[DawnW25]

I wish I could help, but we didn't move after all. We can't sell our house here this year because of the market so my husband turned down the job. If we do move there, it will be in early 2010.

I have lived in Texas before, though in Austin and Cedar Park, so I don't know much about the Sherman area. I can only tell you about property taxes, which are around 2.5%+. Not as bad as some places back east, but higher than the 1% we're used to here in Arizona. Hopefully someone else can chime in about the water quality, etc.

Dawn

[MissyAKATink]

You guys will love the Sherman area. Im a native Texan from Southmayd and i married a man in the Army and we have been moving state to state for 12 years now and every Christmas i go home to see how much Sherman has grown. Theres not a visit that I go back when I don't want to move back. Tons of manufacturing companies for jobs, reasonable taxes, no state tax taken out of pay check, low city taxes for spending like Walmart ect..., really really reasonable housing with land, lots of shopping now, great schools, beautiful lake, friendliest people. But yes if you do not like tornadoes, you might be on pens and needles every spring. It is in tornado alley and i was terrified every spring from 2 yrs old till I moved. The humidity is nothing. People say it gets humid, but its normally not and its dry heat. My dad lives in Denison and my mom lives in East Texas and its 98% humidity all summer in East TX compared to 30% and lower in North Texas...I didn't realize it till I moved to Charleston SC and Augusta GA how bad humidity was. I only thought i had frizzy hair till i moved east.....lol. I can with stand 100 degrees in north TX where its hard to do 90 degrees in East TX. I hope you both enjoy the area....wish i was back there.