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I am currently living in los angeles and am really considering moving back to Texas where I am originally from (North Texas). I am thinking about south Texas, either Corpus or San Antonio. My criteria are warm weather, relatively low cost of living, decent paying jobs (wife is a nurse would she have any problems getting a job in Corpus?) I really like how Corpus sounds. I am concerned about the wind. I hear its always windy, does it take away from the nice weather? Which city would be best according to what I am looking for? Any help would be much appreciated, sorry for such a long series of questions.
I am currently living in los angeles and am really considering moving back to Texas where I am originally from (North Texas). I am thinking about south Texas, either Corpus or San Antonio. My criteria are warm weather, relatively low cost of living, decent paying jobs (wife is a nurse would she have any problems getting a job in Corpus?) I really like how Corpus sounds. I am concerned about the wind. I hear its always windy, does it take away from the nice weather? Which city would be best according to what I am looking for? Any help would be much appreciated, sorry for such a long series of questions.
For starters, let me answer your wind question.
CC averages as one of the windiest cities in the world. More so than Chicago. It definetly is nice during summer to have the wind. It can get annoying sometimes. But for the most part its nice. The only time it could ever take away from it being a nice day is if there were every a hurricane. Thats all I can think of. Wind should be the least of your concerns here.
Here in CC, you will find that it is so very slow paced, especially compared to LA. There is very little growth here and the local economy is stagnant. Several businesses have recently left or are planning on leaving the area. Whataburger's national HQ is the largest of them, which is relocating to SA in June. Also, the city leaders here are horrible. CC is starting to feel the impacts of the recession more so than most other TX cities.
Now for the positives.
I dont think your wife would have a hard time finding a job here at all. CC is in need of any profession in the medical field currently. CC is a very laid back city. You have plenty of time to relax and the bay front/downtown is nice. (Even though it can be so much better.) There is a lot of professional sports in this city. AA baseball, AF2, and the CHL. TAMUCC is a great university. Traffic is light in this city except during the morning and afternoon rush hours on Crowstown and SPID. CC is the second most drivable city in the US. Also crime is relatively low, especially compared to LA. There are also a couple of good school districts in/around the city if you have children. Padre Island is a nice beach.
Now, here is my honest opinion. I like CC, I really do. But I would rather move to SA than CC. There is so much more to do and offered up there. Plus CC is only 1 hour and 45 minutes away from a visit to the beach. I really don't think CC is going anywhere any time soon and nothing positive has, or is going on around here. This town is kind of backwards compared to the rest of TX. The quality of life would just be so much better in SA. But what I would recommend, especially with you coming from LA, would be to also look into Houston. It is a great, diverse, international city with so many positives. It is very similar to LA, and has a very urban feel and fast pace to it. Whichever you decide, both SA and Houston would be excellent choices. However, CC wouldn't be a bad choice either, but not even comparable to SA or Houston. If you still are interested in CC feel free to ask. I will give you an honest, straight forward opinion.
I really hope I helped out, and if you have anymore questions feel free to ask here or pm me.
I agree with gabetx. I have lived here since 1992. The city has not significantly grown in that time. I am a nurse here so I can tell you that your wife would not have a problem getting a job here or in San Antonio. The economy is much better up there however. The pay is about the same in both cities. It may be a little higher up in SA. Flights are chepaer, dining is better, shopping is better and overall quality of life is better up in SA. I do think that the wind here in CC is a little bothersome. You can PM me if your wife has any RN related questions or if you want to know a little more.
I suppose it just kind of depends on exactly what you are looking for. I read your criteria, but you need to be a bit more direct than that. What kinds of things are you looking to do once you move? Do you like a fast paced lifestyle, or a slower paced? Are you wanting to be really near a beach, or within a 2 1/2 hours? Do you like a big city life, or something about 1/4 the size (SA has 1.3 million, where as Corpus proper has about 280,000). Both cities offer lower cost of living (WAY lower than LA for sure), with San Antonio being a bit higher in real estate (depending on if you live in SA, or just outside the city in a suburb).
You really need to be honest with yourself, make a list of things that you would really like to get out of moving, and go from there. Your wife can easily find a job just about anywhere in Texas. Nursing shortages are rampant statewide, as well as countrywide. Don't forget, she will have to get here Texas license upon arriving, but she shouldn't have a problem with that as any employer will help her out there.
What do you do for a living? Although I am quite satisified with Corpus Christi (I have only been here 2 weeks now), I do agree there is alot more opportunity in SA, but I also believe it is what you make of it. Here in CC, I am making MUCH more money than I was in N. Texas. In fact, I was offered a job about a month before coming here to CC in San Antonio (SA), doing the same exact thing, but would be making $15k less per year than here. So, you really need to examine what you are wanting to do here too. My brother is a nurse (LVN) here in CC, working at Christus Spohn on Shoreline. He makes about $5/hour more than he was in N. Texas.
Anyhow, that is my .02. Also, be sure to read through the many, many threads on here about moving to Corpus Christi, as well as San Antonio, as well as any other city that may appeal to you. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained by doing so!
If you were to draw a line on the map from San Antonio to CC,,, then draw another line from SA in a westerly direction towards El Paso, all of the area within the outlines will have a predominately Hispanic/Mexican flavor. This is what makes south Texas different from the rest of Texas. More laid back people, less cowboy attitude, much more diverse, and I think more friendly.
Compared to Dallas/Ft Worth; CC is paradise. Traffic is manageable no matter the time of day, I can be anywhere in town in 20 minutes.
Weather-wise, CC is more acceptable, IMHO, than SA. We get the sea breeze and we stay about 10-15 degrees cooler than SA during the hot summer months. CC has been in a drought for several years, I can remember a time when Mother Nature watered my lawn more frequently. We are a little windy right now, but the winds will lay down during the summer and the beach will be wonderful once the sea weed is cleaned up.
Fishing in Laguna Madre is excellent.
Shopping is good enough. Everything I need or want is in a store somewhere in CC.
The drawbacks are; smaller city, less employment opportunities, (however a nurse will find work here without too much trouble), worse schools, poorer city services, less travel ability from CC airport, (you cannot fly anywhere from CC without changing planes somewhere), and if the wind is from the wrong direction, (easterly), you get to smell the refineries.
You have to decide what is important to you and make some choices, either way, I hope you'll visit CC and we'll keep the welcome mat out for you just in case.
San Antonio is just Corpus Christi repeated several times over. It's strip mall after strip mall. The only things they have that CC lacks are a theme park and good shopping. And the shopping scene in Corpus Christi is currently changing drastically. The only businesses closing down in CC seem to be the ones that are closing nationwide. With the exception of Whataburger HQ leaving, there have been several major projects announced like the pipe manufacturing company from China, the Las Brisas project at the Port of CC and a handful of windfarm projects. Pretty good, quality jobs and investments in such a bad economy if you ask me.
Basically, with CC you get all the ameneties and culture of a larger city without all the bad things (traffic, crime, high cost of living) that come with it. I'd pick CC anyday over SA but you may want to experience it first. It's not for everyone, but everyone is always welcome.
Once you have absorbed, mentally, the differences in costs (tangible and intangible), Corpus Christi is a very easy place to live. Businesses close on weekends, people go home at night (compared to Dallas, Houston, Austin, SA where the freeways are still crowded at 10 pm), and the friendliness quotient is far higher than those cities. The economy might be better (the real one, not that of the big boys), but you'll find that people have learned to make the most of what they have, and they take pleasure in it. This is a working class town compared to those big cities, so expect the good and the bad of that (willingness to help others directly offset by the willfully ignorant).
That said, the outlying "suburban towns" (Portland, et. al.) offer nothing in comparison by way of cultural amenities or shopping; crime or school districts (they're all in poor shape [but no school district in Texas besides Highland Park is exceptional]). You'll be in your car for no reason other than living in the wrong place, IMO. Taxes may be lower, but you'll more than pay it back in transportation costs.
This is one of the few civilized cities in Texas where alternatives to cars could be possible if we ever get some decent leadership. (And Austin is not the other one, the sprawl is impossible). The abundant, productive farmland being swallowed by expansion is on our doorstep, and if locally-grown food comes into demand, then our climate can be our best asset (beyond drought years). Distances to the bay or the Gulf are short (local marathons start on the Island; much of which is in the city limits), the fishing is reputed near best for the Gulf, and there is no shortage of beef cattle. In other words, what is impossibly expensive in California could be easily done here as to the food supply. Having the produce of the Rio Grande Valley is another benefit.
Port cities need government dollars, no way around it. The political pull of this region has suffered, and if our current air pollution isn't increased, expect our port to grow as Houston, New Orleans and the rest run up against limits. Smart Republicans (not a misnomer) are in favor of strict environmental standards being upheld, it's good business for an underutilized port that can install the latest and greatest.
I moved from CC to LA and moved back to CC after about 5 years. I personally have a love-hate relationship with CC....miss it when I'm gone (I've moved away 4 times, always move back), get frustrated at times when I'm here, but also have intense moments of "God, I love this place!".
While LA is certainly huge and sprawling and full of things to do, it does have a laid-back feel to it. It's also on the water. So, in some ways LA is more like CC than any other city in Texas. I do *not* see LA and Houston as being at all similar. Maybe I haven't given Houston a chance, but it strikes me as a city to visit, shop, and leave!
If you like the funky/cool/trendy aspects of LA, you might want to consider Austin.
As far as wind goes, yes it is windy here, but that is a blessing in my opinion. There is nothing worse that *still* humidity. At least with the wind and the humidity you are constantly being cooled via a sweat/wind cycle!
I saw Lyle Lovett at Concrete Street a few years ago. The wind was pretty bad that night, and he deadpanned between two songs:
"I think they....misnamed...Chicago. I think it should be called....A windy city...."
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. Thats all I can think of. Wind should be the least of your concerns here.
