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Old 10-23-2019, 10:42 AM
 
3,309 posts, read 5,738,485 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aab7855 View Post
This just isn´t true. There are large segments of the city that are poor, yes, but the crime rates are more on par with Austin and El Paso (also safe!) and not the other big cities of Texas. I notice a huge amount of hate on the RGV in general in this forum, and it often comes from people who don´t understand the true dynamic of the place. North Brownsville has seen a lot of growth recently, and it´s the positive kind.

OP, you certainly laid out what you wanted/expected and maybe Brownsville isn´t it. Nearby Port Isabel or even Harlingen might be a community that is more receptive of your brewery idea. HOWEVER, downtown Brownsville is trying to make a comeback, and you might find a lot of love from the Chamber of Commerce and/or the city if you make plans to put a new business in a place that really needs it. There´s also McAllen, which has more amenities and just enough diversity to make it a little easier to land there.

The Valley in general is very unique. Anglos who know no Spanish and think they´re moving to Dallas South might hate it because, well, it´s a heavily Hispanic area and the people there kind of don´t understand why outsiders who can´t connect with their culture would want to move there. It´s easy for outsiders who can´t see the subtle differences in different Hispanic subcultures to easily say, "This place is exactly like Mexico", but rich families from Monterrey who have moved there and helped to fuel positive growth in the region can easily see that the local culture is very much Americanized and that the locals often speak more Spanglish and love many things that can be found elsewhere in Texas (think chain stores, etc.) If you check the place out with an open mind and don´t expect that it will be like any other place in Texas, or any other place in Mexico, maybe you could make it work. Brownsville schools have improved a lot recently, they do amazing things with what they have:

https://www.the74million.org/article...ing-heres-why/
I was struggling with what to say about Brownsville without sounding totally negative and I didn't think that was a true overall picture. So I thought I'd better stay quiet since I'm actually not that familiar with it and I just didn't know what to say.

Brownsville was always just a gateway to Matamoros for us and since we haven't been there in so any years I know everything has had to have changed. I do remember the last time we went to SPI we went over one day to Matamoros (still safe to visit) and also spent some time looking around Brownsville and yes, there were areas where (like you said) I would have fallen into the category of "This place is exactly like Mexico".

OP Google your food options. I was curious about the Cajun food and gave a quick search. Here's one: Dirty Al's Cajun Kitchen & Seafood Market | When You Need to Feed That Cravin For Cajun and there were quite a few oher places listed as well.

Best thing about it IMO is (if you like the beach) SPI is right there and I really like it.

aab7855, kudos to you for an excellent post.
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Old 10-24-2019, 01:15 AM
 
3,950 posts, read 2,943,562 times
Reputation: 3796
Quote:
Anglos who know no Spanish and think they´re moving to Dallas South might hate it because, well, it´s a heavily Hispanic area and the people there kind of don´t understand why outsiders who can´t connect with their culture would want to move there.
And as long as non Spanish speakers are looked down upon (and referred to as Anglos regardless if they actually are or not), non Spanish speakers will look down upon Brownsville
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Old 10-24-2019, 03:00 PM
 
Location: McAllen, TX
5,947 posts, read 5,402,218 times
Reputation: 6741
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristieP View Post
Historically, the Rio Grande Valley has the highest unemployment rate in the State. As of today, Texas' state rate is 3.7%, RGV is 6.4%. That's not bad, but it's still a lot higher than DFW, where it is 3.4%. Historically, the Rio Grande Valley is also lower income than the rest of Texas. 25% of the population in the RGV lives below the poverty line, and the median household income is $45k. If you're looking to open a business that's going to be dependent on people's discretionary income, I'm not sure that's the demographics you're looking for.
They just announced new numbers yesterday, I heard it on the radio.

Mcallen was at 4%, not too bad.

Rio Grande Valley Sees More Jobs In September – 710am KURV

Unemployment numbers can be deceiving, only people looking for jobs and not finding them are counted. That goes for everywhere. This is often overlooked.
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Old 10-24-2019, 03:05 PM
 
Location: New Orleans
1,546 posts, read 3,003,784 times
Reputation: 1957
Yes, McAllen is doing better with the jobs situation for sure, and I see that growth continuing.

Brownsville is supposed to add more jobs with their port expanding and these controversial LNG projects, but for now govt jobs are some of the only goog gigs in town...let´s hope that changes one day.
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Old 12-31-2019, 06:47 AM
 
Location: American West
1,082 posts, read 826,307 times
Reputation: 2090
I too was curious about Brownsville. We have been exploring ideas about living down there and thought Corpus might be a good place, but I would also like to be near South Padre being a surfer and a waterman. Hopefully this thread might revive with some more input.
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Old 12-31-2019, 11:00 AM
 
Location: New Orleans
1,546 posts, read 3,003,784 times
Reputation: 1957
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBslider001 View Post
I too was curious about Brownsville. We have been exploring ideas about living down there and thought Corpus might be a good place, but I would also like to be near South Padre being a surfer and a waterman. Hopefully this thread might revive with some more input.
What is your cultural background, if I may ask? If you´re an Anglo who doesn´t speak much Spanish, Corpus would probably be a better fit. The city is more diverse in that regard, and many of the Hispanics don´t even speak Spanish. Mustang Island and all that is nice enough; if you´re happy with the beaches on South Padre you´ll be fine with North Padre as well.

Some people rag on Corpus Christi, but I think it´s a cool city.
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Old 12-31-2019, 02:10 PM
 
Location: American West
1,082 posts, read 826,307 times
Reputation: 2090
Quote:
Originally Posted by aab7855 View Post
What is your cultural background, if I may ask? If you´re an Anglo who doesn´t speak much Spanish, Corpus would probably be a better fit. The city is more diverse in that regard, and many of the Hispanics don´t even speak Spanish. Mustang Island and all that is nice enough; if you´re happy with the beaches on South Padre you´ll be fine with North Padre as well.

Some people rag on Corpus Christi, but I think it´s a cool city.
Born and raised in Southern California, which is very similar sounding to what is described here. If you don't speak any Espanol there, it's hard to survive in some ways. Honestly this is what got me thinking about Brownsville over CC. The water and wave quality seem to be a bit better while still remaining affordable. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. My wife is a native Texan from the Hill Country.
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Old 12-31-2019, 07:59 PM
 
Location: New Orleans
1,546 posts, read 3,003,784 times
Reputation: 1957
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBslider001 View Post
Born and raised in Southern California, which is very similar sounding to what is described here. If you don't speak any Espanol there, it's hard to survive in some ways. Honestly this is what got me thinking about Brownsville over CC. The water and wave quality seem to be a bit better while still remaining affordable. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. My wife is a native Texan from the Hill Country.
I say go for it, pull the trigger. In a year my family will be relocating to either San Antonio, El Paso or McAllen (in that order of preference). I think you´ll do great there, hope you enjoy the tropical weather and low cost of living. Brownsville may not be possible for us (we´re teachers) because their ISD for some reason isn´t really hiring and is actually trying to pay veteran teachers to retire early...not sure why.
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Old 01-01-2020, 06:57 AM
 
Location: American West
1,082 posts, read 826,307 times
Reputation: 2090
Quote:
Originally Posted by aab7855 View Post
I say go for it, pull the trigger. In a year my family will be relocating to either San Antonio, El Paso or McAllen (in that order of preference). I think you´ll do great there, hope you enjoy the tropical weather and low cost of living. Brownsville may not be possible for us (we´re teachers) because their ISD for some reason isn´t really hiring and is actually trying to pay veteran teachers to retire early...not sure why.
Really? Well that's a bummer to hear. I am going to start applying for teaching jobs this month. I was going to start looking down there, but it sounds like this might be the decision maker unless some other form of a job comes available. I just finished grad school and have to look at paths to certification, but if there are no jobs in this area, CC might be what I have to focus on anyways. Remember it said it sounds kinda like CA? The teaching scene out there is very similar to what you described here...yikes.
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Old 01-01-2020, 11:16 AM
 
Location: New Orleans
1,546 posts, read 3,003,784 times
Reputation: 1957
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBslider001 View Post
Really? Well that's a bummer to hear. I am going to start applying for teaching jobs this month. I was going to start looking down there, but it sounds like this might be the decision maker unless some other form of a job comes available. I just finished grad school and have to look at paths to certification, but if there are no jobs in this area, CC might be what I have to focus on anyways. Remember it said it sounds kinda like CA? The teaching scene out there is very similar to what you described here...yikes.
It´s not like there are no opportunities in Brownsville though...plenty of charter schools, other ISDs in nearby places. Check out Harlingen or San Benito.
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