What about Beaumont? (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: fit in, house, neighborhoods)

[veganwriter]

I see there is no forum for Beaumont. I drove through there about two years ago and recently discovered that a friend of the family is moving there.

We live in the California Bay Area. I'm REALLY sick and tired of all this traffic, of housing prices that are out of reach, of city government's hands constantly in my pockets (you get a ticket for EVERYTHING here ... you literally have to pay to stop driving your car because there are parking meters and metermaids everywhere ... etc...)

I'm 52 and I don't have to have a lot of excitement. I want to grow a garden and spend the rest of my time reading, writing, and working on art and business projects. I've worked most of my life in the Social Service trenches so I've given more than my "pound of flesh" to others. Now I just want to chill.

I am African American so while I yearn to be a "Country Boy" ... I worry that I may not ... um ... "fit in" everywhere. I don't want to change anybody's reality ... I just want a small house on about 5 acres of land to live quietly.

If Beaumont doesn’t sound like such a place, can anyone suggest another?

[lifertexan]

As strange as it may sound,you will encounter more overt racism in far east and southeast Texas areas such as Beaumont where AA's are more numerous than in central or west Texas.Where I live and went to school in the 60-70's we didn't even bus kids because there was no all white or all black schools.The blacks went to school with the white and Mexican kids,and even though there were 2 high schools they both were integrated naturally.If you want a quieter life look around inside a circle from Dallas to Austin to San Antonio to San Angelo and back to Dallas by way of Abilene,staying out of the big cities themselves,of course,if you are looking for a slower pace.

[veganwriter]

Big thanks LiferTexan.

Love it when people talk real.


fred

[patxpeep]

How u doing i am new 2 this so my post may be a littl late i will like 2 comment on the question u posted before unlike what lifertexan say there are many AA's and the people in southeast texas/east texas are some of the nicest least racist people u will ever meet me knowing that bcus im a fellow southeast texan from port arthur wich is like the fort worth to beaumont being dallas however beamount is not a town where u can easily find 5 acres to live off quietly for that u can look 4 a place in the port arthur neighborhoods of port acres, el vista, are montrose

[Steel Man]

Although San Angelo is nice, I read on the front page someone complaining about KKK activity there....definitely a place to stay away from. Your best bet is I35 between San Antonio and Dallas. There are lots of acres between these two cities.

[Trainwreck20]

I was employeed by the state for many years with work that involved small towns all over. The towns in East and Southeast Texas definitely had the most issues with racism, not limited to AA, but any non-caucasian. Quite disturbing, really, when you live in central Texas and don't see this 'group' of people everyday. That said, large cities typically are better off than small towns, and racism exists almost everywhere.

However, that said, some of East Texas is really nice, especially for growing things. Of course, that means lots of rain, but the area is generally heavily wooded and green throughout the year. Lufkin and Longview have some nice communities that are more of the retirement crowd, though not exculsively.

I live in Port Arthur (just south of Beaumont) for a short while many years ago. You better like the smell of chemicals and oil. Also, while I was there, a report came out indicating that the cancer rate for the area was 40% higher than the national average. Not sure if it was a reliable report, but I would tend to believe it, based on my experience.

[lifertexan]

Although San Angelo is nice, I read on the front page someone complaining about KKK activity there....definitely a place to stay away from.

There is no KKK activity in San Angelo.SA is one of the least racist places you will ever see.Anyone who claims this knows nothing at all about the city.There is a guy who stages KKK rallies around Texas who claims to be from San Angelo,but there is no one by the name he uses in town (the police have checked) and has NEVER been a hint of it in San Angelo.I live near there,so I know.A member of a civil rights leader's entourage tried to start some trouble a few years ago over supposed racism she experienced,and even the AA leadership here told her to shut up and leave because what she was claiming was bogus and there wasn't any serious racism in SA.Every town has a few racists,but SA has far less than most.

[i am just me]

Wow.

I have been browsing these threads for a minute and some of the things I am reading are really beginning to irritate me.

For all you people who are so bent on bad-mouthing southeast Texas, I would just like to know when was the last time you were in the area?

They only thing that I will cosign on is that the area is still pretty segregated. I recall people talking about the so called "white flight" to places like Lumberton when many blacks attempted to integrate. Lumberton even fought being annexed to Beaumont (I wonder why?).

I LOVE where I'm from; my only issue is that very few of the "successful" Beaumonters ever put much effort into bettering the area. They'd rather just run away and bad-mouth it. I have no respect for people like that.

I'd say that education and cultural issues are where the Beaumont area could really use some help.

[lifertexan]

For all you people who are so bent on bad-mouthing southeast Texas, I would just like to know when was the last time you were in the area?

For myself,I know a number of people who have lived there,including my mother,who,coming from west Texas where there were few AA's thought that an area with more AA's would be more integrated,was astounded at the level of racism she saw.She said the only place worse she ever saw was Arkansas,but then she never worked in the Deep South.I have relatives who live in southeast Texas as well.And I have known a number of preachers that served churches in east Texas who have told me stories about the racism there.There are stories in the news that have shown the racism there.You can simply do a search on city data and find that a number of towns smack in the middle of an area (east Texas) with a large percentage of AA's have almost 100% white population.Why and how would that happen?No one has said that everyone there is a racist,only that it will be encountered more there than in other places around Texas,especially if you are black.

If you wish to argue this point,start with answering the question about the all-white towns there,instead of just posting that you've never seen any racism.

[TootsieWootsie]

Used to work with two gals from Vidor, Texas, which is on I-10 and next to Beaumont. From these ladies I was told Vidor was the Southern headquarters of the KKK. Check that out before moving into that area for your own safety.
I'm surprised nobody on this board has mentioned that yet.
I should think there are "friendlier" areas for you than Beaumont, which is about 1-1/2 driving time from Houston.
How about some of the smaller towns outside Houston? You would have NO problems there, I 'm pretty sure.
Good luck! Sorry we still have to deal with crap like this in our lifetimes....

TootsieWootsie