Thinking about moving to Tyler (Houston, Dallas: real estate, crime rate, home)

[citygirl50]

Hi There,
Can anyone out there tell me a little about Tyler Texas? My husband and I are thinking about moving there, we now live in Olympia WA. (can't stand the rain). We are looking for a small town but, big enough to find a job. I have only been the the Dallas area once. We have horses and love to ride, also love to country dance.
Thanks
Donna

[case44]

You'll like it there. Tyler is big enough and also small enough. It's big city and small town wrapped up in a nice package. It is surrounded by and filled with pine trees in the Piney Woods. East Texas is definitely a beautiful, scenic place, and Tyler will have what you're after. And I hope you like roses --- Tyler is the Rose City.

[Mel87413]

We are thinking about moving to Tyler as well. Currently I am living in Bloomfield , NM and the crime and schools around here have become... Well I will not send my girls to an elementary school where they could possibly be shot during recess because of a gang fight in the street. Anyway, I want to know what it is like there, for kids, for my disabled father, for my husband and brother that are in corrections. I am looking for decent schools, lower gang and drug problems. What is it like in Tyler, Texas? Give me the worst becasue from everthing that I have read so far it sounds lovely, and I want to know the worst so I can decided if it would be better than here.

LOL keep in mind that where I live is a tiny hole in the earth compared to Tyler.

How is the police force in Tyler?

Will my kids actually learn something in school, because I know they won't here?

I am just looking for some kind of hope. I loved Texas when I was through there a couple of years ago and would very much like to live there. I guess I just want to know if it will be worth it for my family.

[destin04]

Hello,
We just got transferred to Tyler from the DFW area in August 07. We love it here. We actually live in Lindale which is 10 miles north of Tyler at the intersection of I-20 and Hwy 69. The Lindale schools are top rated in the state of Texas. The crime rate is almost nothing and yet we are only a little over an hour to Dallas. Real Estate prices are some of the best in the country. If you are in the oil, medical or customer service fields there are jobs to be had. The piney woods are beautiful.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by Mel87413

What is it like in Tyler, Texas? Give me the worst becasue from everthing that I have read so far it sounds lovely, and I want to know the worst so I can decided if it would be better than here.

1. Its located in the "wettest" dry county in the nation

2. JB Smith has been our sheriff for 30+ years which some including myself deem to be "questionable" to say the least.

3. Its mostly ran by ultra conservative Southern Baptists.

4. There is not much to do for young people, the whole city seems like one big retirement home with golf courses & assisted living facilities sprouting up like crazy.

5. The city seems to shut down after 9 pm & bars/clubs usually don't stay open past 12 am which is odd considering the state wide last call is at 2 am.

6. Traffic is horrible for a city this size & people simply can't drive.

I could go on, but over all its one of the best places to raise a family. I guess growing up here the past 28 years has kinda made me more aware of the negatives when the positives far out weigh. I've lived in both Dallas & Houston, now in my older years I find myself liking Tyler a lot more than I used to because its grown so much.

[Alatex]

Having passed through Tyler several times, I will add that the city has a very "Southern" feel to it. If you like Alabama (and I do), you'll probably like Tyler, but if the very thought of "places like Alabama" makes your skin curdle, then Tyler probably isn't your best choice.

[SusanG_O]

It is a very nice place to live and raise a family. It's clean, bazillions of restaurants. real estate is reasonable, friendly people. On the other hand, 4.5 months of the year are hot and humid (you burn your hand on the steering wheel), the traffic is getting so much worse as is the crime, you'd best be a church goer and as long as I can remember you're judged by your home, car and job. If you can't compete, don't. So many social climbers there and they look down their nose at you if you try and infiltrate yourself into "society" such as Cattle Baron's, Junior League, the Rose stuff that goes on each year. If you hang out with people within your income range you'll be fine. MILLIONS are made in Tyler each year by people who own an expensive boutique. If you go to these places and buy, people actually talk about it !! I knew a lady who was married to a doctor. When he left her the entire town talked about it and said, "she doesn't have money anymore." It was just awful. Then they all drink like fish and go to church on Sunday. I had a friend from Michigan who moved there and she said she felt like she was choking to death it seemed so rigid to her.
With the enormous influx of nice families from New Orleans and Mexico , which was very noticeable to me when we were last there, it may loosen up a bit. Before that,
women would dress up to go to the mall. I really have mixed feelings about Tyler.
I like central Arkansas more; it is so casual and people don't stare and gossip so much. Plus, I'm hooked on mountains and a little snowfall.