Go East Young Lady (Houston, Laredo: appointed, for sale, apartments)

[CA2TX]

Good 'nuf, rototillers instead is a winner. I hear ya', I hear ya' respecting the rights to bears
I'd like to think I wouldn't become a screaming ninny at the sight of a teeny, weeny, skeeny snake not chasing me, but... well... thanks for the reminder though, I forgot about that little Texas fact of life.
Thanks much!

[Just Lookin]

Can we get back to snakes? I want to live in the Country so what kind of critters will I find there? WE just saw a sidewinder the other day. Deadly snake for us. I don't mind them being there as long as I know they are there.

[BobTex]

Snakes! A bunch of different kinds of snakes in East Texas.....most are beneficial. We have all the major poisonous brands as well. Probably the most common and the most frequent biter (of the poisonous varieties)is the copperhead. Our little local county hospital keeps a supply of anti-venom and probably get 2-3 bite victims / year. I usually run across 2-3 timber rattlers a year, but I am out in the bush quite a bit. Water moccasins will be around continous water supply......usually backwaters (no current.....ponds and marshes). I find moccasins to be the most aggressive followed closely by copperheads. Also have the occasional coral snake.....they have no fangs and must "chew' to inflict one with their poison.......but it is a neuro-toxin vs the tissue destructive agent of the pit-vipers.

You will most likely see the coachwhips / racers, kingsnakes, hognose adders (non-poisonous), and various "rat snakes". These are all desirous (unless you have chickens then they'll eat the eggs.....a lot of eggs). Especially kingsnakes (several varieties) are good.......they will tackle a rattlesnake and eat it.

Also if you live far enough out in the country to have wild / feral pigs around they also like snakes. As a kid we kept guinea fowl and cats because they were anti-snake also. I am 52, I've spent most of my life running the woods of East Texas, barefooted as a kid, and I've never been bitten or had a really close call. I am always cognizant of the critters and usually armed with a sidearm with snakeshot in it. I also carry a machete anytime out in the bush (most handy tool known to man ). Awareness is your best ally when staying safe....never stick your hands where you can't see, don't walk outside after dark without light, and always shake out your shoes / boots before putting them on......common sense is your friend!

One other note......get a pest control contract with a local trusted company and spray at least bi-annually for centipedes, scorpions(rare), and spiders....all these critters bite and can be kept at bay with regular spraying. And you'll have wasp nests on the porches / eves of the house. Cheap wasp killer..... a glass of soapy water thrown on the buggers (in the AM when they are a bit more sluggish) ....it'll drop 'em like the most exspesive wasp sprays. I keep the spray handy but only use it in thew hard to reach areas.

That's it for Critters 101! email if you have any specifics.

Bob

[Just Lookin]

Wow, Bob thank you. That pretty much covered it all. How about fleas? Here in Califonia Desert we don't get fleas and I heard that Texas has terrible fleas. Oh I hope not. My poor dogs.

Someone said you all have a mix of Lemon Juice and something else and you spray your dog every day with it. Have you heard of this?

A lot of houses I am looking at are very inviting because they either have a pool or a pond in the yard. I want the dogs to have a good swim each summer day and I am sure that is going to be wonderful for them. Should I keep my eyes out for snakes in the ponds.

Thanks for all that great info.
Carol

[CA2TX]

Originally Posted by CA2TX

Hi y'all, I used to live in El Paso ....
I pay rent on time, even early sometimes, and I'm real quiet. I want to feel welcomed and looked out for, know what I mean? As in a neighborly fashion, friendly, kind... over fresh cake from sparkingly clean kitchens, to share on a Sunday evening over wickedly witty clean jokes.

All I hear is the whistling wind... ok, I'm taking my jacks and moving to a different thread...

[Kurt]

I am new to this messaging thing so am not sure I am in the right place to start my own search. So I will address the young lady who is considering East Texas first. I have done a considerable search of real estate prices and resort areas and Toledo Bend/Rayburn Lake comes up on top for lower price and prospects for more growth. In other words, it is an area where you could find employment if needed and a writer may be suprised to note that the boomers are discovering the lakes and many have artistic-type tastes--they are not all fisher folk and hunters--nothing wrong with that, but don't be suprised to see a Starbucks pop up in the South Toledo Bend area.

Anyone out there want to discuss Toledo Bend Lake--North to South--water clarity, future of lake levels, new development. It is one of the few non-corps lakes that lets you own down to the water and have a dock. I presently have a place on Grand Lake in Oklahoma that is river authority and lets you own to the lake. Rayburn does not, but still a great area.

I am presently in Pensacola. Toledo Bend is far enough inland to blunt the blow of a hurricane. Oh, maybe 60-70 mile an hour wind from a Rita--but I went through 120 mile an hour with Ivan here in Pensacola. And I have had enough of it. That' why I am looking a Toledo Bend for a lakeplace and retirement haven. Not as cold as Oklahoma. I will sell the place there and have enough to live more cheaply in no income tax state Texas.

Anyone following my train of thought? Let me know.

[CA2TX]

Originally Posted by Kurt

I am new to this messaging thing so am not sure I am in the right place to start my own search. So I will address the young lady who is considering East Texas first.
....
Anyone following my train of thought? Let me know.

Hi Kurt!

Well it's a done deal, I moved to Mt Pleasant. I wasn't ready to buy a house straight away, so I'm renting. Apparently, rentals are in short supply in Mt Pleasant itself. I ended up in an apartment that has been called the "best in town." Um... the standards are, shall we say, different from cosmopolitan California. It's a good thing the rent is half as much for twice as much square footage. The quality of the footage is just "ok." The construction quality is uneven; the electrician they hired basically stole their money and the cable installers put an outlet in the hallway, you know, where everyone would put a TV.

Just FYI, the property management acts like they are used to dealing with lower income renters. I believe the property manager never had a maid clean the place. I complained twice and all she said was I could make a list and she'll put it in the file. In other words, tough toenails. They did, however, replace the carpet and blinds. Which was appropriate, but, I think they think it makes up for not having the place cleaned. *sigh* I've let it go.

I'm going to try to buy soon, but I understand the property taxes are very high. That is based on the few comments I've heard from the locals.

The town is growing but the locals I've come in contact with are a little xenophobic (please folks, look it up before getting upset, because it is not an insult, it's merely a fact). My neighbor though came by and introduced herself to me shortly after I moved in. So, it's a mixed bag thus far.

I will say this though: Texas has a number of weird laws. But they are clearly in response to its religious constituents. However, they don't care about enforcing the immigration laws, so the place is over-run with illegals. There is a huge chicken processing plant nearby where apparently many work. The locals I met had were very unhappy about it but seem to feel defeated. What?! Where's the don't mess with Texas attitude on this? I'm baffled. They've forgotten the Alamo!

Big advice: don't forget to compare the laws between TX and FL. Texas is very strict about prescription drugs. I can only guess that there has been some prescription drug fraud. (Well, if you tolerate millions of immigration law breakers, people who come from where corruption is common and being honest is considered foolish, then what do you expect.) Texas has many interesting laws concerning driving.

Texas has liquor "wet", "moist", and "dry" counties. Again, the result of being in the Bible belt. Texas is still a Blue law state, which means most places are closed Sundays. Again, religious influence. The separation of church and state here is still considered a suggestion.

These are a number of the reasons why living in outer Texas should be cheaper than living elsewhere. If you speak just English, get ready to deal with people who speak only Spanish.

I wish I could say that moving here has been a totally happy experience but, well, it hasn't been totally unhappy either. We'll see how the job hunting goes.

I wish I wanted to be a nurse, because they are begging for doctors and nurses out here. But since the standards have been dropping here, just like in CA, be careful when going to the doctor.

Oh, almost forgot: Dish Network, owned by EchoStar, is popular in Texas. However, it has been ordered by a judge (on appeal) to stop because their DVRs use patented technology by TiVO, without TiVO's permission. So, anyone with Dish service might suddenly find themselves without signal. I doubt it, but you never know.

The few restaurants I've eaten at have so-so cleanliness (immigrants from poor countries consider washing your hands weird). The prices are about what I paid in CA, which is not good. How can you pay CA prices for food when you make TX wages? For those reasons, I eat out less often.

The prices of durable goods, here, are still a little lower but the cost of groceries and pharmaceuticals is nearly the same as in California, which is not a happy development.

I'll post more, maybe at another string, in the coming days as I settle in. I'm hoping I don't feel like I made a huge mistake. I knew I'd have to make some concessions in order to pay less in housing, but I'm being cautious.

Perhaps City-Data forum could provide more down to earth information. Like a top 100 FAQs. FAQ#1: Which parts of town have the lowest crime? #2: What do groceries cost? #3: What is the property tax rate? #4 When was the last time the city exercised eminent domain? And so on.

It's the little things. Not the small stuff, the little things.

[Trainwreck20]

The crime data can usually be found online somewhere, although I have not looked it up in a while and can't say whether is covers the smaller towns or how it divides it up. It is useful information, but it is relatively easy to find out while you are living in an area, too (good idea to rent for a while).

Can't help you on groceries. I assume that they are relatively cheaper in ETX than CA, but don't know. For most people these days without kids, groceries form a very small percent of the cost, anyway, I suspect.

Property Taxes can be found online, usually with CAD.org as part of the web site name (Travis county is TRAVISCAD.org, hays county is HAYCAD.org, etc.). These usually break out the property tax by each authority - school district, county, city, etc. You can almost always county on county and school district, the others depend on where you live, and all will vary from one taxing disrict to the next. Basically, it makes up for the lack of income taxes.

Eminent domain is a semi-hot topic right now, but the state gov't is essentially trying to prevent local gov'ts from exercising ED for private use. we'll see if that happens. ED is VERY unpopular, in general, in most of the state, so not usually a common occurence.

As far as your observations re: Mt. Pleasant, they all sound like they are about what I would expect for the area. The Blue Laws are gone on a state wide basis (except for no liquor sales on sunday) so the others are local. You are in the middle of the bible belt, you may want to check further south. The Toledo bend area IS a good possiblity. Most of E.TX is very conservative, but Mt. Pleasant more so than some other areas.

Re: the illegal aliens, you might be surprised how many are legally working with green cards or other work visas. Not that there aren't a lot of illegals in the area, but there are quite a few legal ones. The xenophobia in the area is generally directed at all aliens, legal or not (I have had some indirect contact with some of the locals when a new processing plant was being built - maybe the one you are referring to - and it was eye-opening).

Anyway, if you are not completely fixed on that area, you may want to check out the hill county (mentioned elsewhere) or further south towards Houston (but don't go that far!).

Good luck, I know it is a bit of a cultural shock, but there are lots of good people and places to live out there.

EDIT: The Titus county site (TITUSCAd.com) does not appear to work.

[Just Lookin]

Wow, say it like it is . That is what I like. Thanks CA2TX. That is what we want to know.

Let us know about getting your license. I hear there is no DMV. How that goes. Insurance, Car.

It is scary to hear you talk this way. I guess I would have to hear it from more than one person first to decide. Sorry you are not too happy right now. I hope it changes.

[lifertexan]

I wish I could say that moving here has been a totally happy experience but, well, it hasn't been totally unhappy either. We'll see how the job hunting goes.

I have to wonder how someone from CA ends up in MP looking for a job?Why move there without a good reason?Not knocking MP,but it is not somewhere you would pick out of the blue like Austin,DFW, or SA.And all the complaints are things that could have been known before moving.You know,visit in person,look at a few apts.,eat at the restaraunts,check out the cost of living,etc,etc.Nothing that a little first hand research wouldn't have answered.This is one reason local people get a little xenophobic,because people move in from out of state for whatever reason and then start to gripe and talk about how much better it was back home.Why did you leave then?We put up with this kind of crap in the '80's when all the Rust Belt folks moved here and immediately started in on how much better things were back home,and many people have little tolerance for a repeat performance in 2006.