Moving to Beaumont TX (Houston, Dallas: rental, houses, school district)

[Shaunarhea]

Hello!

My husband recently got a job offer in Beaumont TX and we were wondering what its like there? I get that every city has its bad side, but were really excited about moving there. My family will be following in about 2 years and we just want some insight.

Any rental agencies there? We're looking for a 3 bedroom House if possible.

Whats the night life like? Can hubby and I go on a nice date? Whats it like for kids? We have a 2 year old and one on the way. The schools? Doctos? that kinda stuff!

I'd love to get some input!!

[NYer75]

Good luck. Hope the job is a very good one. Beaumont seems very depressing to me.

[v2four]

I dont know what city you are currently living in, but Beaumont, which is the largest city in the golden triangle (Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange) is a still a lil sleepy country town that lacks big time city amenities.....if you have kids in school, good luck..the school district in Beaumont, Beaumont ISD, is one of the worst in southeast texas......the city is split along racial lines, with most of the middle and upper class living on the west side of town, and the working class living on the east and south sides..

downtown Beaumont, if you call it that, is about five or six blocks.......people who were born and raised there dont know any better...Beaumont is their dream city....but I wish you luck while you are there, and hopefully, the next job will be the exit out of there.

[badhornet]

Beaumont or Jump off a cliff

I vote cliff

[cBach]

Don't do it, you'll regret it.

[Oildog]

When I lived there a friend who had moved away and then back said 'Beaumont is a nice community, except its about 20 years behind socially.' She was right.

[crone]

DH grew up there. Two of my children were born there. If I were to give them millions of dollars to return they would tell me to keep my money. DH's family would have given him the business. In order to have it, meant returning to Bmt. He said he would rather work at Walmart or Home Depot and pass on the 6 figure pay check. They come to Houston or Dallas to shop. His reunion was in Houston.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by Oildog

When I lived there a friend who had moved away and then back said 'Beaumont is a nice community, except its about 20 years behind socially.' She was right.

That whole area may be stuck even further behind. Quite possibly the most jacked up area of Texas, but lots of oil money if you get lucky enough. There are some very nice people there though, generous to a fault IMO.

If you live in Seabrook the commute is about the same time it takes to the Galleria during the worst peak, maybe 1:10 each way. The biggest difference is it's about 80 very boring miles to Beaumont each way.

[crone]

At the risk of offending everyone on this forum, I'm going to tell you why we would never move back. You could pick up Beaumont and drop it in the middle of 1965 Plaquemine Parish, La. and no one would know they had moved. It is a sleepy southern town. Vidor, a few miles east, did not allow blacks in their town. The Klu Klux Klan openly operated a business there. My FIL loved it. Jasper, a little timber town to the northeast, had an incident that shocked the thinking world a few years back when some drunk fools dragged a black man down the road tied to the back of their pickup.
I fully know that not everybody in Beaumont is like that, but I'd bet the rent money 95% of the population is.
Ten years after graduating a bunch of DH class mates had been arrested or shot. One was married to the college president's daughter. Was shot in a robbery. A judge's son knew when and where the dinner parties were. It gave him an opportunity to rob their houses. The day I moved there one of the founding father's (old money) grown daughter was arrested in the new Yankee dime store with a raw chicken in her purse. She had shop lifted it at the grocery store. Every one just billed her daddy for what she picked up. The yankees didn't know the drill. It went down hill from there.
I hope you love the job. You can come to Houston on the weekends.
There are some wonderful people in Beaumont. I hope you can find them.

[Brandon168]

I hate for my first post to be on the negative side but ..

I'm lived in the area (Nederland -> Silsbee -> Lumberton -> Beaumont) for the past 17 years. I've been trying to escape the area since just before I could drive (legally).

There's a strange vibe here. It's the kind of area that you miss because of family when coming back from vacation but otherwise driving in is just plain depressing.

If you can be 100% content with food and beverage, you'll be just fine. There are a few nice restaurants, such as the chains and Suga's. Though most of the other niche spots have shut down in time (eg. Easy's).

And there is some strong racial tension in the area. Beaumont is indeed split in half and many of the surrounding towns are one race or the other, for the most part.

But best of luck, if you have a strong family take to the outdoors and you'll be fine.