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Old 09-29-2014, 07:47 PM
 
14 posts, read 64,130 times
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Hi,

Moving to Longview, TX and kind of afraid, I do not know what to expect? Where do professional young blacks live in Longview, TX? Also, are the people there progressive minded or is it a "hick" town, that is ..it still decades behind? I appreciate any info. you can share on best areas to stay? Thanks!
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Old 09-29-2014, 09:58 PM
 
Location: Wonderland
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You should have no problems fitting in with the people of Longview.

The better neighborhoods (not "in the hood") are further north, or along 4th street and north of the hospital. Also, off Pine Tree road to the east.

Are you looking for a house or an apartment or townhouse or condo? Longview has a decent townhouse/condo market as well as single family houses.
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Old 09-29-2014, 10:29 PM
 
14 posts, read 64,130 times
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Hi KathrynAragon! Thank you for replying. I am looking for any and all advice as this is my first big move since being out of college. I am a single female and so my parents and I are kind of leery of anything not a "big" city because I was raised in an urban area. The small town thing is totally foreign to me, and I just want to be comfortable. I am use to seeing allot of diversity. The first year, I will be looking for an apartment. Any suggestions? The following year, I would like to move into a home in a nice neighborhood,in which i can walk outside comfortably? Any and all suggestions and feedback is much appreciated! Also, for my move I had the option between Columbus, OH and Longview, TX and thought TX would be cool bc of the weather but was afraid of the small town feel or mentality where people would see me as an outsider and not a young professional just trying to make a decent living. I am excited about TX but afraid at the same time bc I am only familiar with Dallas as TX is concerned. Thank you so much for your advice and any additional advice you can share!
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Old 09-30-2014, 08:03 AM
 
Location: Wonderland
67,666 posts, read 60,184,669 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tiamariakia View Post
Hi KathrynAragon! Thank you for replying. I am looking for any and all advice as this is my first big move since being out of college. I am a single female and so my parents and I are kind of leery of anything not a "big" city because I was raised in an urban area. The small town thing is totally foreign to me, and I just want to be comfortable. I am use to seeing allot of diversity. The first year, I will be looking for an apartment. Any suggestions? The following year, I would like to move into a home in a nice neighborhood,in which i can walk outside comfortably? Any and all suggestions and feedback is much appreciated! Also, for my move I had the option between Columbus, OH and Longview, TX and thought TX would be cool bc of the weather but was afraid of the small town feel or mentality where people would see me as an outsider and not a young professional just trying to make a decent living. I am excited about TX but afraid at the same time bc I am only familiar with Dallas as TX is concerned. Thank you so much for your advice and any additional advice you can share!
Congratulations on all the changes in your life and your professional and personal growth! I know you must be very excited and nervous all at the same time.

I think you will like a lot of things about East Texas. For starters, it's very diverse. Texas is a majority/minority state, which means that white, non Hispanics make up less than 50 percent of the population (I think there are four states in which this is the case). East Texas has a much higher percentage of African Americans than further west, so there's a good mixture of white, black and Hispanic here. Personally, I really like the diversity.

Longview is a decent sized town, and one of the things I really like about it is that it is NOT congested. I live in the Tyler area, about forty miles west of Longview between Longview and Dallas. Tyler is much more congested than Longview (it's also bigger). However, Tyler does offer more anemities than Longview, so you may really enjoy the close proximity of Tyler to Longview. When I lived in the Longview area I drove to Tyler several times a month because Tyler, being larger, has more options to choose from when it comes to shopping and entertainment. But Longview has good options for it's size.

I do not think you will run into people considering you an outsider in Longview or Tyler (I am assuming you chose Longview because of a job offer?). Both small cities have lots of people moving into the area from outside the area, and have for a long time because East Texas has had a good unemployment rate for decades. Tyler is VERY open to people moving from different states and areas and Longview is coming along right behind Tyler. Both cities have some industries which attract professionals from across the nation - and even the world (medical, oil and gas, universities and schools).

What sort of work will you be doing?

As for apartments and that sort of thing, my basic advice is to avoid south and central Longview and stick to north of Good Shepherd Hospital and highway 80. My daughter and her husband and their three small girls (a very racially diverse family by the way) have been looking in Longview for rental property since they just got out of the military in June and my son in law is about to start working at Halliburton. They were looking at houses and duplexes, not apartments, so I'm not as familiar with the apartment market, but there are LOTS of condos and townhouses and the best ones we found were in the Pine Tree area (northwestLongview). The duplexes they looked at were in the $1200 a month range and very spacious. I think they are going to go with renting a house though, for $1300 a month. You should be able to find a good, safe apartment for much less than that.

There are some excellent apartments and condos and duplexes just north of Loop 281 on the west side, between Gilmer Road and Judson Road.

North Longview and Pine Tree have some BEAUTIFUL neighborhoods, in all price ranges. Housing prices are reasonable.

Keep us posted on your adventures!
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Old 09-30-2014, 07:39 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
5,287 posts, read 5,735,019 times
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Unfortunately no part of East Texas (which includes Longview) has any real young black professional community to speak of. Atleast not comparable to what you've been exposed to in much larger urban areas. There are certainly educated blacks throughout the region, but they tend to be older or settled with families. Most younger black professionals originally from ET tend to move to the larger cities like Houston, Dallas, Austin or New Orleans.

Longview is a sleepy, very working class town, and most of the blacks in the area will be poor or close to it. The town is two hours from Dallas, where there is a very significant community of black professionals. So you're close enough to the city for weekend getaways. You'll simply have to figure out if you're able to tolerate small town life five days out of the week. I also noticed you said that you chose Texas because of the weather. What about the weather is it that you prefer?

I personally think Columbus would have been a better choice for what you're looking for. Have you already made a final decision on Longview?

Last edited by Gunion Powder; 09-30-2014 at 07:47 PM..
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Old 09-30-2014, 08:52 PM
 
1,644 posts, read 3,016,080 times
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They live wherever they want.

If you're afraid that you don't fit the pejorative stereotype of a Texan, don't worry. Most people don't. In fact, most people generally don't care about racial, gender identity, or religious demographics. They just want you to keep your lawn mowed in a timely manner.

You'll fit in. Because, really, nobody really fits in. There is no in.
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Old 09-30-2014, 09:26 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
5,287 posts, read 5,735,019 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoreLysium View Post
They live wherever they want.

If you're afraid that you don't fit the pejorative stereotype of a Texan, don't worry. Most people don't. In fact, most people generally don't care about racial, gender identity, or religious demographics. They just want you to keep your lawn mowed in a timely manner.

You'll fit in. Because, really, nobody really fits in. There is no in.
Something that most young professionals would rather not be bothered with, which is exactly why your typical Texas town might not be the best fit for her.

Sure, Texas has become a state filled with all types of people from different walks of life, but assuming that the OP is interested in being social and making friends with people she would have plenty in common with, her options are indeed limited outside of Houston and Dallas.
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Old 09-30-2014, 10:07 PM
 
61 posts, read 117,035 times
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Longfellow Arms, The Reserve, Summer Green, Summer Lake, Summer Brook, Pine Knoll, Hunter's Crossing and are all decent, safe apartments apartments in Longview. Of those listed, you're probably more likely to find a higher concentration of professionals in Longfellow Arms, The Reserve, and Summer Brook - I say this because they command higher rents.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mega man View Post
Unfortunately no part of East Texas (which includes Longview) has any real young black professional community to speak of. Atleast not comparable to what you've been exposed to in much larger urban areas. There are certainly educated blacks throughout the region, but they tend to be older or settled with families. Most younger black professionals originally from ET tend to move to the larger cities like Houston, Dallas, Austin or New Orleans.

Longview is a sleepy, very working class town, and most of the blacks in the area will be poor or close to it. The town is two hours from Dallas, where there is a very significant community of black professionals. So you're close enough to the city for weekend getaways. You'll simply have to figure out if you're able to tolerate small town life five days out of the week. I also noticed you said that you chose Texas because of the weather. What about the weather is it that you prefer?

I personally think Columbus would have been a better choice for what you're looking for. Have you already made a final decision on Longview?
This. I moved to East Texas several years ago from the northeast US, and regularly move between Tyler and Longview every 9 months or so, according what part of the region I'm needed to work in (long story). I'm familiar with Columbus, and I agree that it would be a better fit if living in a progressive, diverse area is important to you. I think you would really have to have a hangup about cold weather to warrant choosing Longview over Columbus. Not that Longview is a terrible place to live, because it's not. It's just not a town that young professionals are typically attracted to, since it's lacking in amenities that often appeal to them, like a decent nightlife scene and diverse/walkable/mixed-use neighborhoods. Ditto for Tyler and any other town in East Texas.

East Texas espouses very traditional values, and is solidly in the Bible Belt. Church is a pretty significant part of the culture. Some parts of the region are still dry (and I'm not talking precipitation), if that gives you a sense of the area vibe.

Now, Shreveport/Bossier City is about an hour's drive to the East of Longview (just across the LA state line). It's not a particularly young and vibrant city either, but it does have some amenities that Longview lacks (a better nightlife scene, casinos, etc.) and is larger than any ETX metro. I know people who live in Shreveport and commute to Longview. I think these people are crazy, but they make it work. So, you could look at that as an option as well.

I hope this helps you. Not trying to be negative or scare you away, but I think it's important for people to be as informed as possible when making significant decisions.

Good luck! Any more questions, happy to help.
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Old 09-30-2014, 10:47 PM
 
14 posts, read 64,130 times
Reputation: 24
Thanks everyone! Your advice has been so helpful. Mega man, you mentioned what about the weather i was looking for...I want WARM winters! I would like mid-50/60/70 degrees in Jan-Feb.

On the small town thing, I am not a clubber or anything like that....I do like to shop, i do like nice dining and movies on occasion. I like dressing nicely and keep my appearance quite put together, and I do not want to stick out and be out the "norm" or feel like I being stared at bc there are not enough of similar people.


However, I am okay with a slow pace but not a slow mentality bc I am a "mind my own business type of person." My issue is when others think my business is their business. I want a good church, nice gym, a nice mall, and nice living environment ( i can walk around in the evening). I do NOT want to feel like I am restricted in any kind of way.

Again, I do NOT mind small town as far as the pace, the quietness. I do not drink, smoke, drug or any of that so I am fine with a dry town. I am fine with church, but I am not looking for one of those church places that are hypocritical, church going, but at the same time hating thy neighbor for no reason. Again, my concern is I have heard of these places seen them in the movies, but coming from an urban area and suburbs of diverse professionals, I have not had allot of experience with an exclusive culture. I just want peace of mind that I can be me and go and come without stares like you have not seen a professional AA which there are AA all over TV and radio.

I feel in the year 2014, an issue of finding somewhere to comfortably live for anyone should not be an issue; however, when your not accustomed to an area or its subtle or unspoken culture, you want to be informed. I know nothing about Longview, so there may not be any issues of concern; however, every place has a culture or vibe, and I am just trying to get some glimpse into the vibe and inclusiveness of the community.

I want decent neighbors whom I can walk outside and its not like seeing Michele Obama (okay that was a big stretch :0), but still I hope you catch what I am trying to say). From one of the post it started to seem like AAs are mostly poor, and I am thinking it must be segregated with a have and have nots type of mentality where AA are "expected" not to have and get stares when they do "have." Please say it aint so, however, I always prefer TRUTH over sugar coated reality. Thanks to everyone as all advice shared is most appreciated and a million thanks!

Last edited by tiamariakia; 09-30-2014 at 11:07 PM..
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Old 09-30-2014, 11:20 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
5,287 posts, read 5,735,019 times
Reputation: 4469
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiamariakia View Post
Thanks everyone! Your advice has been so helpful. Mega man, you mentioned what about the weather i was looking for...I want WARM winters! I would like mid-50/60/70 degrees in Jan-Feb.

On the small town thing, I am not a clubber or anything like that....I do like to shop, i do like nice dining and movies on occasion. I like dressing nicely and keep my appearance quite put together, and I do not want to stick out and be out the "norm" or feel like I being stared at bc there are not enough of similar people.


However, I am okay with a slow pace but not a slow mentality bc I am a "mind my own business type of person." My issue is when others think my business is their business. I want a good church, nice gym, a nice mall, and nice living environment ( i can walk around in the evening). I do NOT want to feel like I am restricted in any kind of way.

Again, I do NOT mind small town as far as the pace, the quietness. I do not drink, smoke, drug or any of that so I am fine with a dry town. I am fine with church, but I am not looking for one of those church places that are hypocritical, church going, but at the same time hating thy neighbor for no reason. Again, my concern is I have heard of these places seen them in the movies, but coming from an urban area and suburbs of diverse professionals, I have not had allot of experience with an exclusive culture. I just want peace of mind that I can be me and go and come without stares like you have not seen a professional AA which there are AA all over TV and radio.

I feel in the year 2014, an issue of finding somewhere to comfortably live for anyone should not be an issue; however, when your not accustomed to an area or its subtle or unspoken culture, you want to be informed. I know nothing about Longview, so there may not be any issues of concern; however, every place has a culture or vibe, and I am just trying to get some glimpse into the vibe and inclusiveness of the community.

I want decent neighbors whom I can walk outside and its not like seeing Michele Obama (okay that was a big stretch :0), but still I hope you catch what I am trying to say). From one of the post it started to seem like AAs are mostly poor, and I am thinking it must be segregated with a have and have nots type of mentality where AA are "expected" not to have and get stares when they do "have." Please say it aint so, however, I always prefer TRUTH over sugar coated reality. Thanks to everyone as all advice shared is most appreciated and a million thanks!
You should have no problems regarding your appearance. If anything you may be complimented. Longview doesn't seem incredibly segregated for a southern town. And while most blacks are poorer, I'm sure you won't be the only one living comfortably.

It isn't a one horse town, so there is enough to keep you busy throughout the week. Just get used to chain restaurants and shops, if you aren't already. I'd also join the local library. Reading is a great way to fill those hours of boredom that might come up.
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