Beaumont / Orange area - HELP please!

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by katydid88

The climate and outdoor recreation opportunities are terrible, but we're doing OK here.

-Kathy

I have really enjoyed the last coupla days (3-4 actually) and even weeks, but I do live quite a bit north of Beaumont (about 50 miles). I'd actually say our humidity has been quite less than 50% and no temps over 72 the last 3 days. Lows in the mornings around 40. Purty awesome. I've lived in Mich, Maine, Tn, and Fla. and I'd say this area has its advantages.


So, Kathy, what outdoor rec activities are you and DH wanting to participate in?
I live outdoors except in the hot summer (June thru mid Sept.) If the temp is less than 90 I am well acclimated. And all "winter" I stay out. But I do live out in the country and am drawn into nature by its siren's song!

The only thing I think you'd be prohibited from doing locally would be rock/mountain climbing, snow skiing, and whitewater rafting/kayaking. Are these your more preferred activities? Maybe you could adapt to some of the more local opportunities??????? I'd love to help y'all get out and enjoy some things if I could!

[jread]

Originally Posted by eja

I lived in Beaumont for 57 years. I raised my two daughter there from 1971-1993. I taught in Lumberton for five years and Port Neches for 15 years. In the early 90's it really started going down. There was a huge mass of White flight into the little country towns. Vidor, Bridge City, Lumberton, Nederland and Port Neches are all white school districts. There is no ethnic balances to speak of anymore. Unless it was the last place that God had put for people to live I would not tell any of my friends or enemies to move there. It is the empitome of hickville. After Hurricane Kartrina Beamont was flooded with the New Orleans refugees and they never left. I would not even go and shop at the mall for gangs and the thugs who roamed there. Crime rate is high even in the what used to be "elite West End". The air stinks, the humidity is unbearable and the mosquitoes are as large as helicopters. If you have allergies plan on being sick at least six times a year with upper respiratory infections. The cancer rate is the highest in the nation there because of the refineries. Check the school districts to see what the ratios are in ethnic populations. If you are looking for backwards this is the place to move. If you are looking to stay home for fear of your safety at night this is your place to move. Entertainment is eating out and two movie theatres but you cannot go at night because of the folks who are frequenting there are so socially rude and dangerous that you decide it is easier to stay home and rent a movie. If you need an abundance of car lots, banks or churches this would be a great place for you to move. The hurricanes are what you see now that speaks for itself. My friends that are there now are looking to move as soon as they can. They have not recovered from Rita still after four years and now they are looking at Ike who destroyed the area. The only redeeming quality that I can give Beaumont, Orange and Port Arthur is they have great seafood restaurants.Other than that we did a lot of vacations and then finally found jobs and relocated to Grapevine, Texas. We love it in North Texas and wouldn't go back to the Golden Triangle as they call it (why it is Golden I do not know now) for all the tea in China. That is my view after having lived there as a third generation family member. We left and have never looked back.

You are spot-on with this entire post! I was also born and raised there, but got out as soon as I could (moved to Austin 8-years ago). My parents still live there but will be retiring soon and looking for somewhere else to live. I think that once they leave the area I will probably never go there again.

[southeasttexas]

Originally Posted by centexguy

Looks like eja has an axe to grind.

These school districts were always mostly white but now they are more diversified than before. The Beaumont and Port Arthur school districts used to have mostly white and mostly black schools up until the 1980s. For someone who live in the area for so long you seem ignorant of those facts.

That's not true. When Hurricane Rita was heading towards the area most of the Katrina refugees left for Houston and other areas because of evacuations.

For someone complaining about lack of diversity, you don't seem to like minorities too much. You can deny it but that's exactly what you meant by "gangs and thugs". That's probably why you moved to Grapevine, it's so diversified it's 82% white and only about 2% black.

That's completely false. There's no factual data anywhere to back that claim up. There have been studies that prove the opposite. Here's one here: An updated mortality study of workers at a petrole...[Am J Ind Med. 1998] - PubMed Result

Ike did not destroy the area, it did devastate a few areas such as Bridge City and LaBelle.

I can understand no liking someplace, but why did you live there for 57 years if you hated it so bad?

You are spot-on with this entire post!

[texdav]

Well as far as Bridge City Unfortunately it flooded very badly in Ike and has few homes not heavily effected. But again those north of I10 had litle efect as well as thiose within the levy portection like PT neches;groves;nederalnd and port arthur. Even those to the east like Fannett and labells were hard hit.Beaumon was also spared.