Moving to Midland (San Antonio, Lubbock, Odessa: relocation, estate, income)

[Ankhharu]

Wow, I can't imagine living in Midland if I wasn't born there. It's drastically different and much like El Paso, ugly. Not alot to do. All I can say is, spend a few days there before moving, I think you would change your mind.

[Lucidus]

Don't let these folks scare you Keefinlake. Anytime Midland or Odessa is mentioned some people seem to have an emotional need to attack, or defend, as the case may be.

But I will give the unemotional skinny on the situation.

Coming from Southern Cal, Midland will seem ugly to you. There is quite simply not alot natural beauty in West Texas. You may also find the weather unpleasant. Spring is windy, really windy. Summers are hot and dry(but summer thunderstorms put on a spectacular show) and winter can be very cold at times. The autumn is usually ok though.

As for entertainment, Midland/Odessa has all the stuff you would expect of a small metro. It has minor legue baseball, icehockey, and arena football. And yes highschool football is a big deal because people in Midland/Odessa love to win and often have one of the best teams in the state. There are several museums including the Commemorative Airforce which puts on a great air show every year. Iceskating is available year round and there are several theatre groups including the Globe of the Southwest one of only two Globe replicas in the U.S. The other one is in southern California.

Midland/Odessa has all of the usual resturants, bars(even the adult clubs if thats what you're into), etc. so there is little need to elaborate on that. As far as retail goes, it is pretty much anytown USA.

There is a lack of water and mountains. If you want to go to the lake or go snow skiing be ready to drive for a while. Or better yet fly. Midland/Odessa has a nice small international airport. Its the type of airport where you can still show up 10 minutes before your flight leaves. There is rarely any traffic or lines. And it has direct flights to Las Vegas baby!

Coming from California, the real estate will seem riduculously cheap, but the housing market is tight. If you are interested in "urban" living, there are two downtown office buildings in Midland that are being converted into condos right now. By March of 2008 they should be ready.

[conanS]

I grewup in Andrew, about 40 miles from Midland. My wife and I have talked about moving back, but there is NO way I will live in Odessa or Midland. If you got to deal with the hot and flat, then might as well live in a small city IMO.

[lilypad]

Is Midland worse or better than Lubbock? When I have gone through there, the smell of the oilfields is intolerable!

[Lucidus]

Originally Posted by lilypad

Is Midland worse or better than Lubbock?

Based on what criteria?

Originally Posted by lilypad

When I have gone through there, the smell of the oilfields is intolerable!

Yeah the oilfield smells really bad when you are not accustomed to it. But after a day or so, you don't even smell it anymore.

[lilypad]

Traffic
Wind and Dirt
Demographics compared to Lubbock
Lack of culture, education of citizens
Lack of shopping
Etc. etc.

Thanks for any info.

[Lucidus]

Originally Posted by lilypad

Traffic
Wind and Dirt
Demographics compared to Lubbock
Lack of culture, education of citizens
Lack of shopping
Etc. etc.

Thanks for any info.

1. Traffic is probably heavier in Lubbock than Midland. Traffic is really not an issue in Midland most the time. It can get a little heavy around 5 to 6 pm. But thats about it.

2. Wind is probably about the same in both cities but Lubbock will have much more dirt, since more of surrounding area around Lubbock is plowed.

3. Not sure which demographics you mean but I think they are comparable. Lubbock probably has a slight edge here with more upper-class demographics overall.

4. As for education, Lubbock wins hands down. Lubbock has a more educated population and a major university. Midlanders must leave town to attend a major university and many will simply never return. Lubbock has more culture than Midland also.

5. Lubbock probably has the edge with shopping as well. Last time I was in Lubbock there were a number of retailers that were not in Midland yet.

Based on these criteria I would say Lubbock is better or conversely, that Midland is worse.

[lilypad]

Thanks for the info Lucidus.

[houstonrelo]

Midland is very different but I am returning there from Houston and prefer it. People are very nice, there are great local resturants, a surprising amount of sporting activities, child care is cheaper ~100 per week (infant), good schools, NO traffic to speak of, and the evening are great once the sun goes down, cool and dry. You have to be proactive in finding things to do but I have found that to be true in all cities. Lubbock is 2 hours away and it has a pretty good mall and Dallas, SA, Austin are all 5 hours away. Areas of town that are nice are Greathouse, Briarwood, Polo Park, Greentree, and some others. House prices are expensive for TX new about 110/sq ft and older 90/sq ft, but there are some really nice builders out there. Good luck and remember Midland is what you make it, if you want to hate then you will, but if not I think you will find its charm.

Have fun!

[pammybear]

I totally agree. When you have children, you spend the week consumed by home work, after school activities--piano, swimming, sports etc. The weekends are generally used for relaxing and going out. I just received a relocation guide to Midland from the Chamber of Commerce and there are many things for children to do (That's what interested me the most anyway) I also know there are many fun things to do within a days drive if we want something different. ( Big Bend, Guadalupe NP, New Mexico, San Angelo etc etc) We're already planning to visit San Antonio for Thanksgiving.

When I lived in FL, I never got to the beach. I now live near the Blue Ridge Parkway but certainly don't go to the mountains every day. So going to Midland won't bother me at all (except for being far away from my family) but now I get to plan all these trips and things to do on the weekend and exploring new areas. Midland employment opportunites especially in the health care field seem to offer very generous salaries and benefits compared to some other places where we have checked and with relatively speaking lower cost of living. Now, I didn't know it smelled funny. Is it as pervasive as the smell in a paper mill town for example? Also, why would the water taste funny? I'm just curious. We usually buy bottled water anyway but I am curious why it would taste funny. Thanks,

Pam