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Old 12-02-2006, 11:30 AM
 
21 posts, read 97,889 times
Reputation: 15

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Hi. I agree, the worst people in the valley are the winter texan french canadians. They try and take over everything and are very pushy. Give me the locals any time. We have made a lot of friends down there, some are locals and some from the northern states. Looking forward to being there again next week. Scotty
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Old 12-02-2006, 04:26 PM
 
130 posts, read 870,548 times
Reputation: 47
Well the weather should be nice for your arrival!! Going to be 60's most of the week and getting back to mid-70's by next weekend!
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Old 12-05-2006, 02:21 PM
 
3,049 posts, read 8,882,674 times
Reputation: 1174
i went to university at Pan American in Edinburgh in the RGV and i loved it. The people were very friendly and open to me, my family was welcomed at an all spanish speaking church. I made friends with both Mexican Americans and Whites who were very conservative and never had a problem--met my first love there and she and i never had a problem.

and I am a black american male and didnt play basketball. Its how you act and react, expect and think that gets you into trouble. sure there is crime, but there are good areas too
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Old 12-08-2006, 04:58 PM
 
14 posts, read 109,765 times
Reputation: 24
Wink Welcome to McAllen, Texas!

Dear MGreen,

I wanted to be one of the first to welcome you to McAllen! If you are coming regardless due to your husband’s job, I wanted to make sure you had all the positives.

Please keep in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That goes for pro's and con's. In all of my 32 years, I have never had a shopping cart stolen from under my nose.......of course I keep it close by.

We have one of the best malls for shopping with excellent stores. We just had an outlet mall with stores like Coach, Guess, etc open in Mercedes. Notice the first thing I mention is shopping.

North McAllen would be an excellent place to relocate. It really depends on your house hunting budget.....$150K will go a long ways here.

There are excellent schools and private schools if you have children! I wrote up all the different places you should visit in an earlier e-mail. Go to www.mcallenchamberofcommerce.com!

Many blessings!

Last edited by Valleyborn&raised; 12-08-2006 at 04:59 PM.. Reason: left word out!
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Old 05-18-2007, 09:37 AM
 
1 posts, read 7,084 times
Reputation: 10
Thumbs up mcallen

McAllen is not as laidback anymore...we are 1 hr away from Padre Island...waterpark resorts...white sand & all...we are even close to a NEWLY OPENED outlet store in Mercedes...we have nice & safe malls, very good Sharyland schools & private (Catholic)schools like Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Joseph Catholic school...etc. I would say that compared to Houston, TX...where I lived my first 2 years in the U.S. ,I'd rather settle here & raise my 2 kids.

Crime rate & motor vehicular accidents are rare COMPARED TO THE CITY of Houston. Here, the culture is not as diversified...we Filipino-Americans adjust pretty well...people are warm & sweet in general...even opens the door for you...esp. if you have small kids or preggy and they see that your hands are full... cost of living adjusts to salary & vice-versa....So, if u are already here...how is it?...hopefully, u & ur entire family are finding it interesting to stay......
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Old 05-18-2007, 10:39 AM
 
130 posts, read 870,548 times
Reputation: 47
Gandah, I have never seen the politeness you speak of. ot that people go out of their way to be rude. But, just in general from my exerience, people here lack just common courtesy.

It could be because I am white, but who knows!!
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Old 06-02-2007, 08:57 AM
 
1 posts, read 7,008 times
Reputation: 11
The RGV has evolved over the last 30 years. A new middle income class from bordering city of Reynosa has seemed to take a lot of the current low paying jobs in Mcallen; esp. restaraunt, dept. stores etc. The growth spurt, fueled by reasonable costs of living and temperatures has brought in a lot of big business. A CNN factoid in the early 90's posted that over 90% of valleites eat out 90% of the time. It shows, as stated in a previous post of obesity. My sister in law taught school in Sharyland and has since moved to Houston. Sold their house in a week, but did not profit from the sale. Temperatures are usually 10-15 degrees warmer than most of Texas excluding Dallas. Traffic is bad during winter months due to influx of Snowbirds. People are friendly, but can state that is dependant on your own attitude. Custom homes in the valley are fantastic. You can buy a house 1800-2500 sq.ft that would cost you $275k and up anywhere else for less than 150k. Tract homes with a lot of custom homes amenities are now dotting the landscape and are very affordable. Crime is there but the local news does not blow it out of proportion as with most big cities. The traffic light in McAllen are way out of synch with the flow. People from Mexico come in droves during the their holidays which seem to outnumber ours here in the U.S. A good number of them are pushy and rude as you would find in Beverly Hills or Palm Springs, a whole lot of attitude to go with their big bucks. A whole lotta cash to be made in the valley. You make more, you spend more. I live in San Antonio currently and have family in the valley. I have grown tired of the Beach and going into Mexico to shop. 4 hours to everything norhtward from the valley. San Antonio is kind of dog eat dog, lot of military and hispanics here as well. The RGV is a 2 year area. If in 2 years, you can withstand the cons of the area you will probably stay; if not you will chew through a very large ball of rubber bands to get far away and quick!!!!
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Old 12-24-2007, 02:59 PM
 
8 posts, read 26,929 times
Reputation: 14
Default McAllen is great!

I HAVE to respond because some of the responses you have received are TOTALLY false and ignorant! I'm young (26) and GREW up in McAllen...and loved it! I have lived almost 10 years now away from the Valley (San Antonio) while going to college, Dental school, and now doing my second residency while specializing. I enjoy going back to McAllen to visit and am amazed how fast its growing. Its no secret to INTELLIGENT people, especially doctors/dentists in San Antonio, that the Valley is BOOMING...the economy is strong...and one of the reasons why its population growth rate is the fastest in the state (one of the fastest in the country). People are moving down there from all over the country. I did NOT grow up there speaking Spanish, in fact--most of my friends only knew English and were fine! The schools were great...many people went on to top universities, Medical/Dental/Law schools etc....I was in the Valley Youth Symphony orchestra--played the piano and cello. Culture WAS emphasized in schools, despite what people may think.

I have been all over...and lived elsewhere...and would MOST definitely go back to McAllen to live/work and raise children. The crime is NOT higher, but in fact lower than most cities (look up ACTUAL statistics...don't speculate). Crime and gang violence is MUCH higher in cities like Dallas, Houston...even San Antonio/Austin, etc.... Its a large metropolitan area (almost 700,000) but still have a small-town atmosphere (McAllen--110,000). It is the fastest growing area in the state...and expected to be the size of Austin in less than 10 years (NOT a sign that crime is high...or that people do not want to move there). The economy is booming for a reason...and many of my colleagues are moving to work there despite not being from there. Its proximity to a beautiful beach, South Padre Island, is nice--nicest beach in Texas...and being able to travel easily along the whole Valley (McAllen-Harlingen-Brownsville-S. Padre Island) makes it feel like just one big town...but can be small if you chose not to. McAllen is by far the most modern (NOTHING like Laredo, or Corpus, or Brownsville). It has museums, an Arena for concerts, minor league hockey, arena football, and now even a basketball team. Minor league baseball is played in Edinburg.

North McAllen is nice, feels like a suburb of Dallas (quote from a friend who lives in Plano--ACTUAL suburb of Dallas) or San Antonio/Austin. In fact, McAllen just got its first P.F. Chang's (something Laredo or Corpus Christi do NOT have). It is getting a Ruth's Chris steak house and now has several Barne's and Nobles, Starbucks', Macaroni Grill, etc....Chains are moving down there because the economy is the best in the State...and it is ONLY GETTING BETTER. The roads are wider, cleaner, and often feels newer/nicer than larger Texas cities up north.

Yes it is warm and humid at times, but its TEXAS! Visit Houston...where is Warm, MUCH MORE HUMID, and also the most pollute city in America...at least in the Valley you're not STUCK in traffic...and you don't SEE the air like you would in Houston. Also, the humidity is welcomed at times since it just means you are in close proximity to a NICE beach/coast...unlike other coastal areas in Texas. Yes, the Mexican nationals that come to the Valley to shop CAN BE RUDE...but they're also rude when they shop in San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. Do not blame the Valley for this...they actually bring alot of $ (rich Mexicans from like Monterrey) to the economy...and politely correct them when necessary...SHOW them how to be courteous.

Forbes Magazine has recently ranked McAllen as #1 in the nation for job-growth and #2 for cost-of-living. Even celebrities and famous politicians visit the Valley routinely! The Clintons are actually very good friends with a few people in McAllen, will remain nameless, and visit often (grew up with them often in my neighborhood). I'm not a FAN of them, but the point is this area is important and growing. People do not always agree on things...there are pros and cons to EVERY city. You need to judge an area for yourself OBJECTIVELY and not listen to alot of poor statements/biased opinions out there.

I grew up in the Valley with a GREAT upbringing...its a GREAT place to raise your family (more so than alot of larger or congested cities...I can give more pros about family life in the Valley if you're interested)...my education was GREAT...I was WAY more prepared for College, Graduate school (DENTAL) and all the specialties/residencies I'm doing than many of my counterparts who are from "nicer" or "cleaner/safer" places. Big cities up north don't always = happiness or a nice family upbringing or education. There are lots of poor people in parts of the Valley, less in McAllen, but you can find this ANYWHERE...drive around South Side San Antonio or East side Austin or East Houston, or South Dallas. Every area its problems! Drive around North McAllen and you'll also see WEALTH...mansions...BEAUTIFUL subdivisions, parks, schools--etc, all for much cheaper too! And S. Padre is land now has TONS of nice condos, and many wealthy from around the country moving there. Also, being in the Valley makes it easier to visit exotic Mexican beaches and vacation (Cozumel, Mazatlan, etc...).

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...safety and crime are in every location (just different types). One should see for themselves, objectively, and see that the Valley is changing for the better! I was happy with it to begin with...I turned out okay...and am excited to see it only get better. I can live/work anywhere I wish...and I definitely am considering going back to the Valley. It just may have more to offer than alot of other places in Texas. I have had many friends who judged the Valley, only to completely amazed when they moved and lived there for sometime and realize they were wrong...most people don't "get it" until they live here. The people are nice...there is intelligence and happiness.

Good luck with your research...do not believe everything people tell you either.
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Old 12-24-2007, 03:15 PM
RGV
 
570 posts, read 3,212,156 times
Reputation: 535
I hear you, but when you start putting down Brownsville and other South Texas cities you'll lose support from other South Texans.

Quote:
McAllen is by far the most modern (NOTHING like Laredo, or Corpus, or Brownsville).
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Old 12-25-2007, 01:12 AM
 
Location: Texas
2,703 posts, read 3,387,279 times
Reputation: 206
How is McAllen's economy the best in the state?
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