PCS'ing to Ft Bliss with lot of questions (El Paso, Howe: fit in, to rent)

[rainydayz79]

My husband is being transferred to Ft Bliss later this year. Neither of us are happy about it, but figure it's only temporary so we'll make the best of it. I am freaked out about the critters down there and am afraid to go outside, let alone let my children play outside. Is it bad there with critters? Do we really need to worry about playing outside? Or them getting into our house?
I've heard that El Paso is very high in crime. Is our safety going to be that big of an issue? And how do we know what areas are good to live in? Should we live in Bliss housing, or rent on our own?
So many things to consider...I wish we didn't have to go...
Any information or advice is appreciated

[mistabinks]

Originally Posted by rainydayz79

I am freaked out about the critters down there and am afraid to go outside, let alone let my children play outside. Is it bad there with critters?

What type of critters are you talking about?

Originally Posted by rainydayz79

Do we really need to worry about playing outside? Or them getting into our house?

Probably not.

//www.city-data.com/forum/el-pa...s-el-paso.html

Originally Posted by rainydayz79

I've heard that El Paso is very high in crime. Is our safety going to be that big of an issue?

No. You heard wrong. El Paso is the second safest city in the United States. I am surprised you were able to find this forum but yet were not able to find the tons of data online regarding how safe El Paso is. Maybe the people you were talking to heard the words "El" and "Paso" and assumed crime was very high here. It is not. They were wrong.

Originally Posted by rainydayz79

And how do we know what areas are good to live in? Should we live in Bliss housing, or rent on our own?
So many things to consider...I wish we didn't have to go...
Any information or advice is appreciated

You found this forum. Just go page by page and you will find your answers. People register and post questions exactly like yours all the time. If you have that many concerns you should have no problems taking an hour and going through this forum to find your answers.

Welcome to El Paso. Enjoy the beautiful weather and friendly people. Hopefully you will not hole yourself up the first time you hear people speaking Spanish. Oh yeah, go to a Miner game in September!

[bree~]

We have been stationed here for going on three years. Other than black widows all over our patio (in new housing), we have never had a run in with a "critter." ELP is the second safest large city in the US, so you definitely received erroneous information.

How old are your kids? I let mine play outside supervised, but my oldest is only 8. In housing there are regs which prohibit you from allowing a child under the age of 9 (I think, it could be 10) to play out of "line of sight." That just seems like common sense to me though.

We live in base housing and love it. Depending upon rank and number of dependents, you are looking at a 1yr + wait. I doubt you will have any choice but to rent.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by rainydayz79

My husband is being transferred to Ft Bliss later this year. Neither of us are happy about it, but figure it's only temporary so we'll make the best of it. I am freaked out about the critters down there and am afraid to go outside, let alone let my children play outside. Is it bad there with critters? Do we really need to worry about playing outside? Or them getting into our house?
I've heard that El Paso is very high in crime. Is our safety going to be that big of an issue? And how do we know what areas are good to live in? Should we live in Bliss housing, or rent on our own?
So many things to consider...I wish we didn't have to go...
Any information or advice is appreciated

The critters here aren't any worse than anywhere. If you live near or on the mountain, you might find an occasional scorpion but the ones here aren't any worse than a wasp if they sting. You almost have to go looking for a rattlesnake, you can hike hundreds of miles before you'll actually see one. Spiders here are the same as everywhere - black widows are plentiful but don't look for trouble.

El Paso is great for the outdoors, the weather here is excellent, kids can play outdoors every day.

As for crime, you'll see many neighborhoods with iron bars over every window and door and high fences so it's not likely anyone will be breaking in. Now some people insist that's just prison chic look or because peope like to spend their money on iron bars because they think they look real cool - maybe so but I suspect it's got more to do with home break-ins, even though some will say there are no robberies or burglaries here - there are likely solid statistics somewhere on that kind of crime. Kids have burned to death because of the window bars - so I think they're not worth it. I'd rather have a television gone than the danger to my family.

I do leave my windows and doors open - and have never had a problem so I think at least in some neighborhoods there's very little crime.

I think with little children, you should check the sex offender registry sites - at least be aware of that problem in a neighborhood. For some reason El Paso has quite a few child predators.

I really don't see why you would be dreading coming here. The weather here is about the best weather anywhere unless you really like humidity. There's a mountain right in the middle of town, the sunsets and sunrises are spectacular. It's a laid back kind of town, friendly enough people. A lot of really cool places to visit for day or weekend trips.

I would suggest looking at all the cools things you can try to fit in - your kids will love Carlsbad caverns, you can take them camping in the mountains, there's the Gila Cliff Dwellings, the Smokey the Bear museum and lots of really neat things. You can take them skiing in the winter - or sledding. There's all kinds of bike trails, hiking. It's a great place for the outdoors.

[rainydayz79]

Thanks for all the great advice, it does help. I've actually researched on here and other sites to find my information. I researched the web for the crime rates and it was really high, but wanted to know from people that live there. The "critters" came from this site and from what people said is why I was worried. So there are different opinions and I guess we'll see for ourselves, but hopefully it's not as bad as others have said.
As for the weather it's going to be hot compared to here. We live in the Pacific Northwest. I grew up here and love it. But I've travelled all over and experienced different weather conditions. Lived in the mid-west and my husband is from Florida. So the weather really isn't a problem. We're looking forward to dry warm weather
We've been researching all the things around El Paso and are looking forward to the different places we can travel and see. And as for people speaking spanish, that's everywhere so that's not a big deal. The only thing that gets irritating is that we live in America so I hate when people expect us to speak spanish. I guess I should have kept up on it from High School, Lol.
Honestly I think the crime and "critters" were my biggest worries. We'll stay positive and look forward to our time there. Thanks again for the responses

[mistabinks]

Originally Posted by rainydayz79

Honestly I think the crime and "critters" were my biggest worries. We'll stay positive and look forward to our time there. Thanks again for the responses

Then you have no actual worries

[Enmity]

I'd go with bliss housing. And yes, it is hot, Ft. Bliss is middle east acclimation.

[edjumacator]

If crime you mean by property crime, well then, yes we have a high rate of auto thefts. Other than that according to the FBI's crime statistics we are the 2nd safest city in the country. Violent crime rarely happens outside of family disputes or unless you are a teenager looking for trouble. As for "critters", My neighbors and I have geckoes that come out on the walls at night, which is great as they eat the less pleasant "critters".
El Paso has great weather, but it can get very hot for long stretches of time. However, the Fall is about as pleasant as it can get.
Just so you know, there have been times I have left for work and come home and realized I never shut the garage door. Nothing entered my garage during that time span more dangerous than dust and dry weeds. Hope your stay is a pleasant one!

[mistabinks]

Auto thefts have gone down over the years.