Retiring in the Tyler area (Houston, Dallas: house, buy, scorpion)

[frizlefrak]

Howdy folks....a couple or three questions, apologies in advance for a long winded post.

I should be more specific....semi retiring. The company I work for has a location in Tyler, and I would likely carry on in a part time capacity if / when we move there.

OK, with that out of the way, we've lived in El Paso for 30 years, but we're looking to get out of the big city and the desert for the home stretch. The area we're interested in knowing more about is the Tyler / Longview / Kilgore area. I know they're separated by 30 miles or so, but I'm used to driving 25 miles each way to work and still being in the city, so anywhere in the area is fine. We'd likely buy outside of the city limits and get a couple of acres as well.

First question; We're used to heat (lots of it). I prefer humidity, the dryness here drives me nuts, so I'm good there....but how bad are the mosquitos, bugs etc in the area during the summer? We have them here in the desert too, and they attack the wife badly. I would screen in porches, etc.

Second question; Recreation. We're outdoorsy, and enjoy camping, hiking, cycling, etc. Are there any areas within 3-4 hour drive that are mountainous? I know it won't be the Rocky Mountains like we're accustomed to, but looking for suggestions where we could head to higher elevations to camp. We have an RV, because my aging back refuses to do the tent thing any more....

I know there are lots of lakes in the area....are they all private, or are their public areas for kayaking, etc? How about cycling? I do both mountain biking and road biking.

Finally, how about scenic byways? We love to drop the top on the convertible and do day trips. I've never driven east of San Antonio, so don't really know what to expect in East Texas.

Thanks for any advice, suggestions, etc.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by frizlefrak

Howdy folks....a couple or three questions, apologies in advance for a long winded post.

I should be more specific....semi retiring. The company I work for has a location in Tyler, and I would likely carry on in a part time capacity if / when we move there.

OK, with that out of the way, we've lived in El Paso for 30 years, but we're looking to get out of the big city and the desert for the home stretch. The area we're interested in knowing more about is the Tyler / Longview / Kilgore area. I know they're separated by 30 miles or so, but I'm used to driving 25 miles each way to work and still being in the city, so anywhere in the area is fine. We'd likely buy outside of the city limits and get a couple of acres as well.

First question; We're used to heat (lots of it). I prefer humidity, the dryness here drives me nuts, so I'm good there....but how bad are the mosquitos, bugs etc in the area during the summer? We have them here in the desert too, and they attack the wife badly. I would screen in porches, etc.

Second question; Recreation. We're outdoorsy, and enjoy camping, hiking, cycling, etc. Are there any areas within 3-4 hour drive that are mountainous? I know it won't be the Rocky Mountains like we're accustomed to, but looking for suggestions where we could head to higher elevations to camp. We have an RV, because my aging back refuses to do the tent thing any more....

I know there are lots of lakes in the area....are they all private, or are their public areas for kayaking, etc? How about cycling? I do both mountain biking and road biking.

Finally, how about scenic byways? We love to drop the top on the convertible and do day trips. I've never driven east of San Antonio, so don't really know what to expect in East Texas.

Thanks for any advice, suggestions, etc.

Sorry, just now seeing this.

I have lived in NE Texas now for nearly 30 years - 8 of those years in the Longview/Kilgore area and the rest in the Tyler area. I hate to bash any place, but I absolutely HATED the Longview/Kilgore area. It is not nearly as healthy economically as the Tyler area. It's also a lot closer to Shreveport than Dallas, and I prefer Dallas over Shreveport if I need to go to a bigger metro area.

As for mountains, I love the Ozarks most of all in this area - about a four hour drive from Tyler, maybe five hours.

East Texas is beautiful so you should get plenty of good times out of that convertible, especially in the spring.

Bugs - well, I never had any sort of serious issue with mosquitos except for when I lived right across the street from a creek and sort of in a low lying area. Otherwise, no problems. I discontinued my mosquito treatment stuff when we moved to the Flint area a bit over a year ago. I have a pest control company treat my house and yard occasionally but that's preemptive so to speak - I have simply never had a bug problem around here.

We have lots of lakes around here and people use all sorts of watercraft on them, so kayaking should be fine. My three favorite lakes around here are Caddo Lake, Lake Tyler and Lake Palestine. They all have boat ramps that are inexpensive.

There's also Tyler State Park, and numerous walking and biking trails in this area.

Good luck and please keep us posted!

[frizlefrak]

Thanks Kathryn.

I had a feeling that Tyler was the preferred area. After the holidays we're going to do a little road trip out to the area and scout it out. I don't think I can take another Spring in the desert....the dust storms are awful here.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by frizlefrak

Thanks Kathryn.

I had a feeling that Tyler was the preferred area. After the holidays we're going to do a little road trip out to the area and scout it out. I don't think I can take another Spring in the desert....the dust storms are awful here.

My pleasure, and yes, I agree about the dust storms. AUGH!

[Mark Senior]

Tyler, everything Kathryn said plus Tyler area for everything, DFW for the rest. Tyler for East Symphony, after virus shutdown, Tyler for shopping, the Cowan Performing Arts Center with major shows, plays that perform in DFW and Houston, stop here, maybe a fill-in weeknight show while performing in DFW and Houston on weekends, not always the case though.

Many non-franchise restaurants in Tyler, the type normally found in much larger metros of Texas. Yes, some mountains in Southeast Oklahoma, Beavers Bend area, yep, about 3-5 hours away, which would include Arkansas. OH, mountain bike trails at Tyler State Park and other areas, I haven't heard the specifics.

Simply, Tyler, and areas very close by.

[Watchful]

This is a beautiful scenic drive that runs between the southeastern corner of Oklahoma and the southwestern corner of Arkansas - fairly close to east Texas. (It looks like it is 3.5 hours from Tyler to Talihina, Oklahoma - where the scenic drive begins!)

Just don't do what we once did (inadvertently) and try to drive it on a foggy day! (It was too late to turn back haha!)

Talimena National Scenic Byway Home - Talimena National Scenic Byway

[jcp123]

Lakes Tyler and Palestine are nominally public, but fairly devoid of recreational areas except for boat ramps. I was a little shocked that almost no parkland was reserved for the public, though there’s a nice park on lake Tyler and a kind of odd boat ramp/marina thing as well right in the doorstep of Whitehouse. Public land in general isn’t bountiful in Texas, but if you’re willing to pay the day use fee, Tyler State Park has nice trails, as do Rose Rudman/Southside Park in Tyler.

Bugs? They aren’t horrible, though you do get the odd scorpion here and there (ask me how I know). Mosquitos aren’t the thickest I’ve ever seen, but they are certainly present and accounted for.

Overton and Kilgore are not badly located. For what you want, I definitely suggest having some land.

For scenic drives, you either hit the Hill Country west of Austin/San Antonio, or head north. I see a few suggestions, but perhaps my fav was AR-7 from the Interstate 30 exit up to and through Hot Springs, Arkansas. That’s a bit further than others have suggested, but really gorgeous and a fun, curvy drive. I reserve the right to find the really nice road I was on while trucking, though, in Southern Oklahoma. Shame I was in a rig.

Otherwise, I find picking a random road will take you through nice scenery. It can get a bit monotonous, unless you like stopping at random junk shops or antique stores though

[KathrynAragon]

Overton and Kilgore are east of Tyler (and west of Longview) and the land is cheaper there because it's not as desirable. So if it's land you want, it may be a good choice but don't expect it to appreciate like land, for instance, south and west of Tyler.

[frizlefrak]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Overton and Kilgore are east of Tyler (and west of Longview) and the land is cheaper there because it's not as desirable. So if it's land you want, it may be a good choice but don't expect it to appreciate like land, for instance, south and west of Tyler.

Hi Kathryn....OK, so two weeks ago, we drove out to the area. Looked at a house near Kilgore on some acreage, and almost put an offer on it....but the house just fell slightly short of our needs. But we loved the area. We stayed in Tyler, but drove through Longview and Kilgore as well. We want 1-2 acres, so living in the cities is out, but the surrounding areas are excellent. People were friendly, and the area feels laid back. Traffic is Tyler was actually heavier than I expected, but nowhere near as bad as El Paso, where 5 lanes of freeway at a dead stop is common. And no smog....

BTW....with lunch stop in Big Spring, it was a 12 hour drive....about the same as El Paso to Los Angeles LOL. We drove it straight, but pulling a trailer next time, I'll have to split it in 2.

At any rate, we're working with a realtor, so hopefully something comes on the market soon. We won't be out of here in time to avoid the dust storms in the Spring, but maybe in time to avoid 110+ degree heat. Keeping our fingers crossed.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by frizlefrak

Hi Kathryn....OK, so two weeks ago, we drove out to the area. Looked at a house near Kilgore on some acreage, and almost put an offer on it....but the house just fell slightly short of our needs. But we loved the area. We stayed in Tyler, but drove through Longview and Kilgore as well. We want 1-2 acres, so living in the cities is out, but the surrounding areas are excellent. People were friendly, and the area feels laid back. Traffic is Tyler was actually heavier than I expected, but nowhere near as bad as El Paso, where 5 lanes of freeway at a dead stop is common. And no smog....

BTW....with lunch stop in Big Spring, it was a 12 hour drive....about the same as El Paso to Los Angeles LOL. We drove it straight, but pulling a trailer next time, I'll have to split it in 2.

At any rate, we're working with a realtor, so hopefully something comes on the market soon. We won't be out of here in time to avoid the dust storms in the Spring, but maybe in time to avoid 110+ degree heat. Keeping our fingers crossed.

As far as the traffic goes, it’s fairly recent news that Tyler will soon be retiming the lights (urgently needed!) though it is possible to time the lights quite well on loop 323 if you are just transiting through.

Another note: you don’t really have to be that far out of town at all to find fairly large lots. When my parents first came here, they lived in a nearly 8 acre spread about 15 min outside the recognizable city part of the city and probably 20-30 min to just about anything in the city you could want. There are plenty of large lots closer to any of the cities here in East Texas if you so desire, too.