South Texas VS West Texas (San Antonio, Corpus Christi: vacation, lease, work)

[Azzurri]

I know this is a very general question, but I was wondering what the major differences betweeen these to parts of the great state of Texas.

I am possibly moving shorlty and would like some information for the following. (Pros and Cons)

-Climate
-Schools
-Crime
-Quality of Life
-Cost of Living
-Taxes
-Missing anything else?

Some backround info. I am from Michigan. I am starting a new family, no kids yet, but hopefully soon!

(My other choice would be Southern Cal. but cost of living seems WAY out of hand!)

Thanks for any help!

[NOTAM]

Do NOT move to South Texas unless you are prepared to, and dont mind being a minority. I am a Texan, and was uprooted to Georgia for 3 years thanks to the Army, and finally got back to Texas and chose South Texas because of a high paying contract...thinking that Texas was Texas. IT AINT.
South Texas is a WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY. You can compare East, North, West-they have the "Texas" feel to them...but South Texas is MEXICO.
I am telling you right now-it is NOT Texas. I am a female blonde blue eyed Anglo and stand out everywhere and am stared at like I am a freak. I have ZERO social life-i am semi attractive (or so they say) and have not even been asked out on a date and i have been here 6 months, and have no real friends. In the workplace, i have "acquaintances" but i have nothing in common with them. oh by the way, they think i TALK FUNNY. they think i have an accent. Ya know why? cuz i guess i have somewhat a Texas drawl or twang...which DOES NOT EXIST HERE! so another reason i dont fit in.
they call every woman here "mami" or "mama" or something like that...its a mexican term of endearment. i cant get used to it. my terms of endearment for my patients are "sweet pea" or "sugarpie" or "honey" or "darlin"...i dont call anyone MOMMY except MY MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!
and they call all males even young ones "pappy"....
it's freakin wierd.
oh and top it all off with wimpy law enforcement. i am used to feeling secure and protected by TOUGH TEXAS LAWMEN...NOT HERE. they are a bunch of wimps and all they do is take part in corruption...those drug runners can just pay them off...you should see the deputy sheriffs who come in with inmates to my hospital-they look like they are not at all self-assured and look about 18 years old! i am tougher than they are!!
it's PATHETIC.
choose WEST TEXAS AT ALL COSTS. i will. i am outta here by Oct when my lease is up

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas

oh by the way, they think i TALK FUNNY. they think i have an accent. Ya know why? cuz i guess i have somewhat a Texas drawl or twang...which DOES NOT EXIST HERE! so another reason i dont fit in.

they call every woman here "mami" or "mama" or something like that...its a mexican term of endearment. i cant get used to it. my terms of endearment for my patients are "sweet pea" or "sugarpie" or "honey" or "darlin"...i dont call anyone MOMMY except MY MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!
and they call all males even young ones "pappy"....
it's freakin wierd.

Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, that does sound weird darlin'.

That's one of the things that appealled to me on tv or in the movies about Texas, that's it's mostly(stereotypically?) Southern. I honestly don't know if South Texas feeling like Mexico would bother me, I suppose I'd have to see for myself on vacation.

I've heard Florida is the only state where you can drive north the enter the South. Sounds like the same could be said for South Texas.

[spursfan]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, that does sound weird darlin'.

That's one of the things that appealled to me on tv or in the movies about Texas, that's it's mostly(stereotypically?) Southern. I honestly don't know if South Texas feeling like Mexico would bother me, I suppose I'd have to see for myself on vacation.

I've heard Florida is the only state where you can drive north the enter the South. Sounds like the same could be said for South Texas.

Anything south of San Antonio will feel like Mexico. However, San Antonio is considered South Texas and you wont feel like a minority. Its alot better than West Texas, IMO

[~dust~]

You can't beat West Texas. You can't beat it in terms of SAFETY, in terms of CLEAN WIDE STREETS, in terms of schools both private and public, in terms of SUNSHINE and more SUNSHINE, it terms of beautiful houses --

But you won't be happy if you expect to be embraced here, if you want to set yourself apart. Are you church-going? If not, you might be lonely. Are you conservative? If not, you might be lonely. Are you proud of Texas? If not, you aren't going to find many to cotton to you.

I think this is heaven on earth, but -- as is in other threads -- things are changing. Yes, changing. Housing is gone crazy, plumb crazy. Many many Hispanics are pouring into the area. Signs in Spanish are appearing, ads are demanding you be bilingual -- this does not sit well with many. I think West Texas is in for a big change. Meth is coming here. Gangs are coming. Whether it is to your taste or not depends on your mindset. I'm surprised, with all the sunshine, that we have been undiscovered as long as we have.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by spursfan

Anything south of San Antonio will feel like Mexico. However, San Antonio is considered South Texas and you wont feel like a minority. Its alot better than West Texas, IMO

Thanks.

Galveston is further south than San Antonio, how far east does South Texas go?

[Trainwreck20]

hmmm...I think of it as anything south of a line between SA and CC. But I don't know whether it is really defined anywhere......

[spursfan]

from Wikipedia:
South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas which lies roughly south of, or beginning at, San Antonio.

The region includes Alice, Beeville, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Eagle Pass, Edna, Laredo, Victoria, et cetera.


But there isnt really a definite border

[NOTAM]

yes i am church going.
yes i am very conservative republican
yes i am FIERCELY PROUD of Texas
i am a cowgirl type of woman. i like to ride, i go to every roping and rodeo there is. i hunt. i fish. i listen to only TEXAS country music (not Nashville country).
will i fit in, in West Texas?
if i dont, then at least i know i will fit in where i SPENT MOST of my adult life-in the rural counties betwee Ft Worth and Wichita Falls...i just dont want to go back there cuz i have way too many ex's in that part of Texas!!

Originally Posted by ~dust~

You can't beat West Texas. You can't beat it in terms of SAFETY, in terms of CLEAN WIDE STREETS, in terms of schools both private and public, in terms of SUNSHINE and more SUNSHINE, it terms of beautiful houses --

But you won't be happy if you expect to be embraced here, if you want to set yourself apart. Are you church-going? If not, you might be lonely. Are you conservative? If not, you might be lonely. Are you proud of Texas? If not, you aren't going to find many to cotton to you.

I think this is heaven on earth, but -- as is in other threads -- things are changing. Yes, changing. Housing is gone crazy, plumb crazy. Many many Hispanics are pouring into the area. Signs in Spanish are appearing, ads are demanding you be bilingual -- this does not sit well with many. I think West Texas is in for a big change. Meth is coming here. Gangs are coming. Whether it is to your taste or not depends on your mindset. I'm surprised, with all the sunshine, that we have been undiscovered as long as we have.

[NOTAM]

exactly, but at the same time, you might as well say it is also Northern Mexico...they must have moved the border up toward San Antonio.....

Originally Posted by spursfan

from Wikipedia:
South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas which lies roughly south of, or beginning at, San Antonio.

The region includes Alice, Beeville, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Eagle Pass, Edna, Laredo, Victoria, et cetera.


But there isnt really a definite border