Killeen (travel, income, crime)

[jluke65780]

Originally Posted by Spade

Waco is becoming a real city but Killeen isn't? Waco isn't more spread out but Killeen is? I beg to differ. I don't care for either city but Waco is a bit more spread out than Killeen and their homes do not look any different than Killeen's as well.

That's your opinion,but I live in Waco and usually go to Killeen 5 times a month. Waco is definatly more of a city.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

That's your opinion,but I live in Waco and usually go to Killeen 5 times a month. Waco is definatly more of a city.

Well we have to agree to disagree. Neither are anything to write about. Both are basically blah type of cities.

[stugots32837]

I was stationed at Ft Hood 20 years ago for three years. I lived in Harker Heights. I liked the area. The one thing I remember most was the crickets. Do they still have cricket season there? There were so many crickets you could slide down the sidewalk on them. I can't believe nobody posted anything about this previously.

[eskape]

Central Texas is blah. I grew up here and moved back two years ago after more than 20 years. Big mistake. I cannot wait to leave again. I'm thinking about the midwest. It's still sane there. There are no real jobs in Central Texas except service-related and manufacturing jobs, and no one really wants those jobs unless they have no choice. There are not a lot of choices here in the area.

Killeen is not a great place to raise kids. Too big, too military, and too transient. People just don't care. The place is tacky. Get off the main highway in Killeen and all you will see are pawn shops, tattoo shops, bars, Army surplus stores, massage parlors, real el cheapo looking businesses. It's a sewer. The property taxes here are among the nations highest.

Too many illegals just like everywhere else in Texas. It's too hot here in the summer and the costs of utilities here is just grossly high. Water bills here can average over $200 a month if you are not careful.

Find another place to live. In all seriousness. Military towns are largely dumps that cater to the whims of bored military guys. And it shows. The schools here are not among the best the nation has to offer.

[bellestaroftexas]

i definitely understand and somewhat agree with the points you made. there definitely are "negatives" to living in a "military" town. i personally dont care for Killeen, but appreciate the fact that i can get just about everything i need and want in that town, without having to drive into a huge city with mega-highways etc.
however, Cen-Tex has many GREAT places to hang your hat. Lampasas, Gatesville, Pidcoke, Hamilton, Goldwaithe, Salado, Morgans Point, Belton, some parts of Copperas Cove, Briggs, Oakalla...the list goes on and on. it is a very large area with so many options.
i like being near a military post for many reasons-the jobs (for me, in my business, working on post is living a dream), the pride and patriotism, the sense of community-even though some areas are highly transient.
i have been told by MANY people that i have been in contact with and who work here, that this area near Ft Hood has been considered one of the lowest cost of living anywhere in the USA.
i rent a 4 bedroom house with fireplace and 2 car garage and HUGE yard in semi-country subdivision for under 800 bucks a month. i can buy a VERY nice house in Gatesville for under $120K and even under $70K if i want a small older house. i can buy land for relatively cheap. my utilities are under $200 so far and i keep my house very warm (very cold-natured). my water bill is between $40-60 a month.
i absolutely LOVE it here and i am from North Texas (between Wichita Falls and Ft Worth) and never thought i would find anything better than that. well I did. i love the landscape here-the beautiful rolling hills and countryside. friendly people. diverse...i have so many choices-whether it be good ole Texas bbq or any variety of asian foods, even Hawaiian plate lunches! and german bakeries and cafes.
life couldnt be better. it may not be for everyone, but it definitely suits me just fine. just like some folks love South Texas and i spent a year there (moved away from there in October) and hated it with a passion.

Originally Posted by eskape

Central Texas is blah. I grew up here and moved back two years ago after more than 20 years. Big mistake. I cannot wait to leave again. I'm thinking about the midwest. It's still sane there. There are no real jobs in Central Texas except service-related and manufacturing jobs, and no one really wants those jobs unless they have no choice. There are not a lot of choices here in the area.

Killeen is not a great place to raise kids. Too big, too military, and too transient. People just don't care. The place is tacky. Get off the main highway in Killeen and all you will see are pawn shops, tattoo shops, bars, Army surplus stores, massage parlors, real el cheapo looking businesses. It's a sewer. The property taxes here are among the nations highest.

Too many illegals just like everywhere else in Texas. It's too hot here in the summer and the costs of utilities here is just grossly high. Water bills here can average over $200 a month if you are not careful.

Find another place to live. In all seriousness. Military towns are largely dumps that cater to the whims of bored military guys. And it shows. The schools here are not among the best the nation has to offer.

[eskape]

bellestaroftexas,

I'm glad you're happy. I really am. Most people are not.

You and I obviously have different tastes. I don't like having myriad big-box stores within blocks of my home. I don't like being around military people overly much despite having been military myself and also growing up a military brat. I just don't like the lifestyle.

The midwest is looking better and better the more I see of Texas. The midwest is still largely free of illegal immigrants and tacky military towns.

Some of the areas you mentioned are downright seedy in places. Morgan's Point has a few nice areas, but half of it is trailer parks. Belton is falling apart at the seams. Drive through it. The only part of Belton worth living in is north of the tracks. Everything else is seedy and falling apart. People don't seem to care about their homes or don't have the money to maintain them.

Temple has become a dirt hole with a nice hospital. It offers nothing more than service jobs and strip malls. People here drive these big old trucks and they don't even farm or haul stuff. They then have the gaul to complain about the high costs of gasoline.

Texas has become poor and getting poorer. My taxes are insidious for the size of my house (smallish).

Again, I'm glad you are happy and enjoying yourself here. It's time for me to go. Living away from here for so long, I became used to a lifestyle other than the one everyone here seems to consider normal.

I'm not a fan of the country lifestyle, the overly-Republican politics, and the lack of decent-paying jobs.

[bellestaroftexas]

oh no-i dont like having big-box stores within blocks of my home and nor do i. like i said, i live waaaaaaaaaay out on the outskirts, almost in lampasas county.
i have not seen any people who look like illegal immigrants here, and after a year in South Texas being surrounded by nothing but, and treating them in the ER, and seeing Border Patrol every which way i turned, i would be able to spot them. matter of fact, it's very "white bread" here, from what i have seen, or at least in places where i "hang out".
i like the country lifestyle, rodeo's and all..and am a republican, so i fit right in!

Originally Posted by eskape

bellestaroftexas,

I'm glad you're happy. I really am. Most people are not.

You and I obviously have different tastes. I don't like having myriad big-box stores within blocks of my home. I don't like being around military people overly much despite having been military myself and also growing up a military brat. I just don't like the lifestyle.

The midwest is looking better and better the more I see of Texas. The midwest is still largely free of illegal immigrants and tacky military towns.

Some of the areas you mentioned are downright seedy in places. Morgan's Point has a few nice areas, but half of it is trailer parks. Belton is falling apart at the seams. Drive through it. The only part of Belton worth living in is north of the tracks. Everything else is seedy and falling apart. People don't seem to care about their homes or don't have the money to maintain them.

Temple has become a dirt hole with a nice hospital. It offers nothing more than service jobs and strip malls. People here drive these big old trucks and they don't even farm or haul stuff. They then have the gaul to complain about the high costs of gasoline.

Texas has become poor and getting poorer. My taxes are insidious for the size of my house (smallish).

Again, I'm glad you are happy and enjoying yourself here. It's time for me to go. Living away from here for so long, I became used to a lifestyle other than the one everyone here seems to consider normal.

I'm not a fan of the country lifestyle, the overly-Republican politics, and the lack of decent-paying jobs.

[OZByBirthTxnBy Choice]

Originally Posted by Centaury

too many psychos living in Killeen!!! do you remember the Luby's Cafeteria Massacre in 1991?
Harker Heights is much better..I used to live there.

Hey chillout on Killeen, the Luby's killer was not a local guy but from BELTON! Killeen doesn't any help in looking bad, Bro!

[arrow_keys]

Killeen is thugish in my opinion. I wouldn't live there. There are a lot of dudes there of all races with major attitude problems and I don't care if they are fighting for my freedom in Iraq or not. If you can afford the drive, live in Georgetown or Temple (preferably Georgetown).

[BigRoy39]

Killeen is a low-income dump..Lived there for four years after ETS-ing from the Army.Too many gansters,ganster wannabes,and toothless inbreds.If Ft.Hood left,then the scum will follow it.