May Be Moving to San Angelo (Houston, Abilene: house, school district, property taxes)

[ChristieP]

Do you mean the PaulAnn addtion? It's on the NE side. Nice homes, but WAY out there, and a long drive from restaurants, grocery store, entertainment, etc.

[rescue brew]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Do you mean the PaulAnn addtion? It's on the NE side. Nice homes, but WAY out there, and a long drive from restaurants, grocery store, entertainment, etc.

I'm not sure what the Paul Ann addition is. Is that something to look into?

It seems that the newly constructed homes were on the side of town I wrote about. Another post stated that the lakeview highschool was undesirable, but the homes I saw and liked (new construction) were in that district. also, the homes in the heart of the town are older homes, not a bad thing I guess, but I would prefer a new construction. How would someone describe the heart of san angelo, as far as housing is concerned?

[Miss Murphy]

I dont know about the schools in sanangelo, but you may want to look into Grape Creek, wich is about 9 miles outside of San Angelo. I graduated from Grape Creek highschool and it was AMAZING. the teachers are great and no student feels like they are left out. everyone is friendly, now, youll have the occasional bully or stuck up snobs, but for the most part everyone is great. Grape Creek is so small that you get the vibe of a small friendly town, and the benifit of a short drive into Sanangelo.

and sanangelo is WONDERFULL. so many things to do.

now, like everywhere else, as long as you raise your children right they will not try drugs. but this is not the case with some teens in sanangelo. teen boredom = drug use.
so as long as you stay involved in there lives they will be fine!!
I think you would love it in Sanangelo!!

[ChristieP]

Unless they have drastically changed since the mid-1990s when I was a peer tutor at ASU's English language lab, MANY of the kids that graduated from Grape Creek HS had never written a term paper and often had failed the English entrance exam and were in the remedial classes. I had to tutor them and introduce them to how to do a research paper, basic grammar and punctution, etc. I would do some serious checking before sending a kid there.

Lakeview DOES have new homes, but you seriously need to check out the high school. LOTS of gang activity and low-income, non-English speaking students. I doubt this has changed much as Lakeview is still the minority and low-income side of town.

[rescue brew]

Originally Posted by Miss Murphy

I dont know about the schools in sanangelo, but you may want to look into Grape Creek, wich is about 9 miles outside of San Angelo. I graduated from Grape Creek highschool and it was AMAZING. the teachers are great and no student feels like they are left out. everyone is friendly, now, youll have the occasional bully or stuck up snobs, but for the most part everyone is great. Grape Creek is so small that you get the vibe of a small friendly town, and the benifit of a short drive into Sanangelo.

that is interesting you say that about grape creek. another poster said the exact opposite. Stay away from grape creek, but they also said stay away from lakeview as well... with only two or three highschools in the town that pretty much narrows in down to one, central.

my concerns are this : My wife and I are somewhat liberal and we dont go to church. We know nothing about livestock, have never worn a cowboy hat and neither of us speak spanish. Are there others like us in San Angelo?
transplants from other places?

[ChristieP]

That was me who said to stay away from Grape Creek and Lakeview. I lived in SA for 4 years during college, and for 2 years afterwards. I'm an active member of the ASU Alumni Association, and I have family who still lives there, too, so I stay pretty up-to-date. Central isn't the best high school, but it could be a lot worse. Also check out Wall HS and Christoval HS. Both are smaller and still academically good. (Christoval is home of Colby Donaldson of Survivor fame.)

You don't have to speak Spanish in most of San Angelo (it helps in Lakeview). Since the Air Force base is there, you will find some people that are transplants from other cities. Not everyone in San Angelo is a rancher, but your kids will go to ASU Block & Bridle Club's Barnyard Day when they are in second grade, so it would not be good if they are spouting "meat is murder" for the occasion. As for being a liberal, be advised that San Angelo is a pretty conservative town. Yes, there is a large G/L community, and even a few Democrats, but for the most part, it is very Republican.

[rescue brew]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

That was me who said to stay away from Grape Creek and Lakeview. I lived in SA for 4 years during college, and for 2 years afterwards. I'm an active member of the ASU Alumni Association, and I have family who still lives there, too, so I stay pretty up-to-date. Central isn't the best high school, but it could be a lot worse. Also check out Wall HS and Christoval HS. Both are smaller and still academically good. (Christoval is home of Colby Donaldson of Survivor fame.)

You don't have to speak Spanish in most of San Angelo (it helps in Lakeview). Since the Air Force base is there, you will find some people that are transplants from other cities. Not everyone in San Angelo is a rancher, but your kids will go to ASU Block & Bridle Club's Barnyard Day when they are in second grade, so it would not be good if they are spouting "meat is murder" for the occasion. As for being a liberal, be advised that San Angelo is a pretty conservative town. Yes, there is a large G/L community, and even a few Democrats, but for the most part, it is very Republican.

Our child will not be saying "meat is murder", maybe "meat for dinner". I may have misrepresented myself and my concerns in the last post. We have been in larger cities for the last several years, Chicago suburbs and Orlando, Fl. Our only visit to TX was DFW. I am just trying to get a good grasp on local opinion of the area before I go there and interview (this weekend). Also trying to figure out what part of town would suit us best. Thank you for your observations of the town. All contributions are welcome.

I'm glad there are a few democrats there... just for balance.

[ChristieP]

You should be fine. :-) Just keep in mind that Angelo is a small town. It is VERY different from DFW. If DH and I could have found decent-paying jobs there, we'd still be there!

If you can, go make a trip out there and look at neighborhoods and what's around them. I lived in the Southwest part of town and my family lived in Santa Rita. (CUTE older homes, mostly well-kept, some historic.) We loved the parts of town we lived in, and they were honestly the most popular ones with middle- and upper-class people. I ventured out to Lake View for the Stock Show, and a friend managed a big convenience store out there and a lot of my references are from her experiences.

[Rathagos]

Originally Posted by rescue brew

My wife and I (and our 9 month old daughter) are considering a move to San Angelo. Any feedback on the area would be great. We are both in our late 20's looking to settle down a while.

1. Schools
2. Taxes
3. Activities
4. "Vibe"
5. Golf Courses
6. Real Estate

Thanks!

I'm sorry.. I normally try to reply to San Angelo posts as I have lived here for 10 years now. Sorry I missed this one until now. But, to answer your questions:

1. San Angelo schools are not bad. Of course, as with any city, it depends on where you live in the city which schools your child will attend. Here's a link for you: saisd.com

2. Taxes are 8.25% (sales tax), and there's no state tax. Property taxes pretty much make up for that, and are among the highest in the state (I believe, don't quote me on this one).

3. I'm not sure what kind of activities you're looking for. We have a city symphony, a civic performing theater, a 12 screen movie theater, a mall (with major players Sears, JC Penneys, Dilliards, etc.), there is a mini golf course, a roller-skating rink, a large central children's park (aside from smaller community parks), a floral park, there are small taverns and a large multi-genre club.

4. The "vibe" varies. We have Angelo State University in the city which recently signed on as part of the Texas Tech system, so there is a younger cadre here, but to be honest, other than the one large club, there's not much for college students here. There is a large contingent of older/retired people in the city, and there is also a military base (Goodfellow Air Force Base). Overall, I think the city is very friendly, you can always get a "hello."

5. There are 3 golf courses here (I think). I have not played at any, so I cannot speak to them. I have heard that most people go to Quicksands, but there is a country club exclusive and the other two are public (I believe).

6. Real estate is fairly hot here, especially in the summer months (when many military families transfer from duty stations when school is out. But prices vary for where you live. Prices have increased dramatically, (I bought my house brand new in 1999 for $83.5k, and an exact layout of my house is currently on the market for $147k. There are larger houses (mine is 4 bedrrom, 1600 sqft), and run up into the $400k range (and some higher). You can get more affordable houses, but (as is common) it depends on the area in which you choose to live. The same size and type of house can vary from the north side of town to the south side by approx $50k.

The link to the city newspaper is gosanangelo.com : San Angelo, Texas News, Business, Homes, Jobs, Cars & Information.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I currently live in the city and can easily gather any other information you might need.

~Rath

[JaLaWagner]

My Husband and I are moving to San Angelo in 3 months, from NW Fl. We have 2 small children, and are looking to purchase a home. What are the best neighborhoods near a good elementary school, and Preschool. We won't have much time to check out the town, only one weekend actually, so I want to be looking in the right places. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks