WannabeeTexan (Dallas, Austin, Longview: homes, buying, tornadoes)

[glocklin]

My husband is 61 and I am 57. We want to move to the Paris, Cooper area. Feels more small town. My husband needs to find a machinist job. Our kids live in Forney. Want a job but don't want to live in big city where homes are so exspensive to buy. Can you help me. My parents are from Paris.

[KewGee]

I don't know where you're from, but it's hotter than blazes in Texas from about May to October. If I had it to do over again, I would not live here and hopefully will be leaving this place when I retire.

I'm sure too since your children live here they have warned you about the tornadoes and other severe weather. That's something else I don't like.

I know the towns of which you speak but don't know anything about them.

Good luck, and I hope you get some answers to your posted questions.

[glocklin]

My husband and I are from Salem, Oregon. His children live in Forney, Texas. They are trying to talk us into selling our home here and making quite a bit on it and then buying a cheaper place in Texas. My husband is a machinist and we still have to work. Seems to me the cheaper places are in small places with not much work and quite a commute. Is this true? I keep hearing that the heat is quite intense? Is this true? What about snakes and lots of bugs? Is there alot of racial tension? I will readily admit I am pretty liberal. Also my stepson says that it is more the norm that people attend church. I attend a Unity church which some people refer to as new age. I haven't seen any when I explore towns in Texas and inquire through their chamber of commerce sites. I am afraid of being a fish out of the water so to speak. Can any kind soul give me some feedback on this? My stepson is ready to tell me anything to get me to move and I don't quite trust his judgement.

[LastDallasNative]

I have lived in Dallas for almost 5 decades and never seen a tornado. Never seen large bugs. Never seen a snake. Yes, it gets hot. Does it get cold in Minnesota? Does it rain in Seattle? Yes.

The secular Californians who come to Texas complain a lot. They don't like living in the Bible Belt as they expect everyone to see the government as the solution to all problems. Therefore, if you see the government as the solution to most problems, then you won't like living in Texas.

[glocklin]

What do you mean by secular? Do I think the government should solve our problems? No I think they should stay out of most of them. Is Texas a Bible Belt? Exactly what is the definition for that?
Can you tell me what Longview Texas is like?

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by glocklin

What do you mean by secular? Do I think the government should solve our problems? No I think they should stay out of most of them. Is Texas a Bible Belt? Exactly what is the definition for that?
Can you tell me what Longview Texas is like?

The Bible Belt's name is derived from a heavy emphasis on literal interpretations of the Bible in the local denominations. Although exact boundaries do not exist, it is generally considered to cover much of the area stretching from Texas in the southwest, northwest to Kansas, northeast to part of Virginia, and southeast to northern Florida.

I found this information below interesting. It was dated in 1999 from something I found on a web site:

Aside from the quickie-divorce Mecca of Nevada, no region of the United States has a higher divorce rate than the Bible Belt. Nearly half of all marriages break up, but the divorce rates in these southern states are roughly 50 percent above the national average.

I don't know exactly what the poster means by secular because I live in Texas and there are tons of people who are very secular and although they may attend church, they are definitely not regarded as religious. Their secular lifestyles, needs, and wants far surpass their need to make God the center of their life.

I am a Californian and do not regard myself as a secular person. Let's be honest and not give such a bad rap to the people in CA. People everywhere are bizarre and don't live for the most important things in life but for materialistic things and what can I do to make myself feel better, many me, me attitudes.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by glocklin

My husband and I are from Salem, Oregon. His children live in Forney, Texas. They are trying to talk us into selling our home here and making quite a bit on it and then buying a cheaper place in Texas. My husband is a machinist and we still have to work. Seems to me the cheaper places are in small places with not much work and quite a commute. Is this true? I keep hearing that the heat is quite intense? Is this true? What about snakes and lots of bugs? Is there alot of racial tension? I will readily admit I am pretty liberal. Also my stepson says that it is more the norm that people attend church. I attend a Unity church which some people refer to as new age. I haven't seen any when I explore towns in Texas and inquire through their chamber of commerce sites. I am afraid of being a fish out of the water so to speak. Can any kind soul give me some feedback on this? My stepson is ready to tell me anything to get me to move and I don't quite trust his judgement.

Salem, Oregon. I love Oregon; it's beautiful.

I don't know much about the area of Longview either and probably you're right about living in smaller places and having to commute. Many people do that though.

Yes, the heat is very intense; there is just no way to say it isn't. It is downright miserable.

There are tons of bugs. Read the post started by wallstreet1986 entitled, How Bad Are The Bugs? That will give you an idea that Texas is full of them.
I'm sure there are other "bug posts" somewhere in this forum as many people are concerned about them.

I remember when I lived in CA and my aunt and uncle had visited friends in Texas. When they came back, they couldn't stop talking about all the bugs. They were mortified. This was about 50 years ago.

I have lived here 28 years and have seen two rattle snakes, one in my yard and the other on my front porch. I've seen other good-sized snakes as well that apparently aren't poisonous so say the native Texans. We have many copperheads and they are very dangerous. I've never seen any in my yard, but I've seen many at my sister's.

I don't have a clue about New Age churches around the area at which you're looking. I'm Baptist and that all began when I lived in California and attended a Southern Baptist Church.

Racial tension ~ I'm not sure about that either. I don't think it's bad, but don't really know.

Tornadoes ~ I've never seen one but one came very close to my home in 2000. Had I looked out my front door toward the lake, I would have seen it but I was "bunkered" down in my storm cellar with about 15 other people. That storm killed one man. My son actually saw that one and my daughter has seen on while driving back from Austin. It scared her to death. In the spring time, we always get many days when the conditions are favorable for them to form.

Sorry that I don't know anything about Longview either.

[glocklin]

Thanks for the reply on my questions. I had the feeling that the remarks about secular californians must have hit a sore spot. I attend Unity church. They believe in science and religion. Not to big on the literal interpretation of the bible. I respect what anyone believes. I don't think some people understand the basic beliefs of a Unity or Religious Science church. We believe in a divine creator much greater than us. We believe that creator resides in everyone and everything. To harm another is to harm oneself. To disrespect our earth is to disrespect oneself and our creator. Well enough of that. I used to visit relatives in Paris when I was a child. Literally would stand still and sweat. I am a person that likes to camp and hike. Don't think I could do either without succumbing to the heat you and others speak of. My grandmothers homestead blew away in Paris several years ago during a tornado. I also remember seeing snakes as a child when I would visit. I guess I will just have to visit the kiddies in Texas but keep my hacienda here in cool and green Oregon. Tonight is very clear and cool. Have a fire going. Again thanks for your thoughts.

[cleoboa]

I am a native Texan and other than 9 years that I lived in Phoenix Arizona, I have lived in and around the Dallas area. East of Dallas are many very wonderful ‘smaller towns’, per se. I did a quick search and although this is not a recommendation for this realtor, it was one of the search results and just seemed to have a lot of helpful information, it could be a place for you to start.
Moderator cut: Sorry, no realtor links (PM if you want link)
As for the heat, there is a saying in Texas “If you don’t like the weather, give it a minute”. Rarely do we have lengthy extremes either way, hot or cold, but yes as with everywhere, we have had heat waves but this is also usually while other states are experiencing the same. There are many online job sites for this area and there are quite a number of large manufacturing plants in Dallas and the surrounding areas. Unless you live out in a more rural area, snakes are not a problem and as for bugs, well I guess I have never heard of anywhere that there are not bugs of some sort, but this would also depend on the area on how plentiful they would be. If you are around new developments then you would be more likely to be bothered by various pests. On finding a Church home, I do not feel you would have any problem at all on this.

[KewGee]

I'm sorry, but I must disagree with cleoboa. We do have extreme temperatures in the summer time that last and last. If it cools off at all, it may be during a summer storm when the wind blows and it actually feels decent. Decent that is until the storm is over and then the humidity will make you as miserable as can be which may be in a matter of minutes or a few hours.

This past summer was the 2nd in recorded history when the temperature was in the triple digits for over 40 days only. The record heat was in 1980 when the triples digits were upon us for over 2 months. Yes, the weatherman will say a cool front is expected to bring the temperature to around 98 degrees. Duh!

The weather begins in May becoming hot and humid and remains that way until October. When we are in a drought, the humidity may be less but the heat is terrible. Yes, if you like it outdoors, you might succumb to the heat. I'm a year older than you and I can't stand it. One literally can succumb when standing still in this overwhelming heat.

In May and October, we may get a few breaks between the heat but believe me, they're short lived. We don't stay cold for too long, which is nice I guess and the fall months are usually very nice. That's when the weather fluctuates. Spring is pretty but it can be humid although like fall, we can get some breaks in the humidity until mid or late May. Fall is my favorite time of year in Texas.

That saying that Texas has about the weather (actually I've heard it said about many other states as well) is pretty exaggerated. When my daughter was born in Burbank, California in June of 1973 it was 112 degrees, but that was short lived. We were wearing coats a few weeks later. Yes, the weather in TX can change dramatically such as about a week ago when it was nearly 80 degrees, a norther blew through a day or so later and then the wind chill was in the teens. In the summer when it's still 98 degrees at 11 p.m. and 82 degrees at 5 a.m., that's hot to me. True, it may not always be that warm but as far as the heat changing in the summer, it does not fluctuate much for 6 months.

I'm wanting to move to a cooler climate when I retire and am looking into the mountains of VA or NC (maybe even TN, KY, or WV). I just don't know yet.

If I had it to do over again, I would not have moved to TX, one of the many mistakes I've made in this life. I'm used to the bugs, I'm careful pertaining to the snakes, but the heat and severe storms I will never get used to.

You must remember though that it doesn't bother a lot of people or they don't pay much attention to it. If you do decide to leave your palace in OR, you can plan on nice weather for outdoor activity many times in the year but summer is not one of them. That's my opinion because I can feel it. Ugh!!