Panhandle questions

[shady12]

I think you responded in that thread where I had posted pictures of San Angelo. Have you looked here? It is kind of the medical hub for the region, always lots of ads for RN's in the paper signing bonuses and all that. Probably that way everywhere though. Not sure how pay compares. I like Amarillo, just TOO flat for me. Something about total flatness freaks me out. And too windy. It's not the Hill Country here, maybe an hour out of it, but not as flat.

I'm actually moving to the Hill Country from San Angelo myself though to Fredericksburg. I was there yesterday, I was surprised at how big the hospital looked for a town of 9,000. If I was going to move from another area to an area in TX it would be the Hill Country. Just my 2 cents. I know pay is a factor for you though and I can't speak on that at all.

[cobolt]

I was always under the impression that the Hill Country has a higher cost of living. If you are in Amarillo or Canyon and the wind is blowing (which it usually is) you can smell the feedlots off of I40 just west of town---believe me! Canyon is really nice, and you can write your ticket there---live on the outskirts---it still has a small town atmosphere---own land, watch the storms roll in from the horizon. Happy, Tx, where my best friend lives, is another 15 miles south of Canyon---so it would be about a 30 minute commute to Amarillo. He LOVES it there---very secluded, small population, you'd have to go into Canyon to do shopping. Don't know about the cow smells and stuff.

[NOTAM]

will check out Happy and Canyon............
in terms of cost of living, all i can say is that my pay would be CONSIDERABLY more in Hill Country, and my rents would be MUCH less (i have looked at all the rental prices and Killeen/Lampasas area rents are way way lower than Amarillo area...i dont get it, the only thing i can think of is, cuz of surplus housing due to military transients and so many divorces and deployments, keeping a big open market there)

Originally Posted by cobolt

I was always under the impression that the Hill Country has a higher cost of living. If you are in Amarillo or Canyon and the wind is blowing (which it usually is) you can smell the feedlots off of I40 just west of town---believe me! Canyon is really nice, and you can write your ticket there---live on the outskirts---it still has a small town atmosphere---own land, watch the storms roll in from the horizon. Happy, Tx, where my best friend lives, is another 15 miles south of Canyon---so it would be about a 30 minute commute to Amarillo. He LOVES it there---very secluded, small population, you'd have to go into Canyon to do shopping. Don't know about the cow smells and stuff.

[GayleTX]

We lived in Panhandle TX for 5 years, just moved back home a few months ago. It is a 20 min. drive to Clements/Neal Units...on the same highway, in fact. Panhandle is a very nice little town, very safe, vey quiet....we never locked our house or cars the whole time we lived there. You'd want to live in the west part of town...a number of newer homes, some lovely older homes . The wind and snow pile up on the north end of town (open fields) so I was always glad my home was on the south end and was protected from the wind and snow drifts. (Don't judge the town by the appearance as you drive thru on the highway.....drive in and circle thru town). There is a large Catholic population; most of the rest are Methodists. The school has good ratings. The Baptist St Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo is consistently rated one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation.

Panhandle is more accepting of outsiders than most small towns there.....there is quite a lot of mobility because of the Pantex facility about 10 mi down the highway - 3500 govt employees that do quite a lot of transferring. Also one reason the income level in the town is much higher than most small towns there as well as a younger population than most.

There is are a number of feedlots out in the country.....when the wind is from the north you get a wonderful odor that smells just like money!! But it's not pervasive like it is in some of the areas there....just now and then. Didn't bother me at all....I love cows. Hereford smells like feedlot 24/7 and you don't dare go out after dark and you pray for your child when you send them off to school each morning.

The only disadvantage to living in Panhandle is that you have to go clear thru Amarillo to the far west side to shop....that's where the malls, shopping, restaurants, doctors/hospitals are. But being close to work was more important to us.

Hope you find what you're seeking..........

[bg3075]

Originally Posted by GayleTX

We lived in Panhandle TX for 5 years, just moved back home a few months ago. It is a 20 min. drive to Clements/Neal Units...on the same highway, in fact. Panhandle is a very nice little town, very safe, vey quiet....we never locked our house or cars the whole time we lived there. You'd want to live in the west part of town...a number of newer homes, some lovely older homes . The wind and snow pile up on the north end of town (open fields) so I was always glad my home was on the south end and was protected from the wind and snow drifts. (Don't judge the town by the appearance as you drive thru on the highway.....drive in and circle thru town). There is a large Catholic population; most of the rest are Methodists. The school has good ratings. The Baptist St Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo is consistently rated one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation.

Panhandle is more accepting of outsiders than most small towns there.....there is quite a lot of mobility because of the Pantex facility about 10 mi down the highway - 3500 govt employees that do quite a lot of transferring. Also one reason the income level in the town is much higher than most small towns there as well as a younger population than most.

There is are a number of feedlots out in the country.....when the wind is from the north you get a wonderful odor that smells just like money!! But it's not pervasive like it is in some of the areas there....just now and then. Didn't bother me at all....I love cows. Hereford smells like feedlot 24/7 and you don't dare go out after dark and you pray for your child when you send them off to school each morning.

The only disadvantage to living in Panhandle is that you have to go clear thru Amarillo to the far west side to shop....that's where the malls, shopping, restaurants, doctors/hospitals are. But being close to work was more important to us.

Hope you find what you're seeking..........

I am possibly moving to the Amarillo area soon. I don't like large cities, though. So, I was looking for smaller towns outside of Amarillo to live. But, my wife demands that the town have some stores, good schools, etc. I have already read in one of the posts in this thread that Panhandle has good schools. What about stores, such as grocery stores, restaurants, department stores, etc? And, are there any recreational facilities for children in Panhandle?

[Jim Finn]

Have you considered Lubbock? IT is a bit warmer than Amarillo and is also growing like mad!

[NOTAM]

dear jim...i have seriously considered it. i think i would love Lubbuck. but this ER nurse is ready to go back to corretional health, and Lubbock only has the Montford Unit, which is strictly a psychiatric prison. i want to work at a regular prison (though even there, i know many are suffering from psychiatric disorders too......but not as severe) i was a psych nurse and prison nurse for years, so i would be a shoe-in for jobs at the Montford Unit......

Originally Posted by Jim Finn

Have you considered Lubbock? IT is a bit warmer than Amarillo and is also growing like mad!

[shady12]

Ok, then move to San Angelo and work at the prison in Eden. As you've read the reports of San Angelo have been pretty glowing compared to the other West Texas cities.

[NOTAM]

that prison was hiring an RN a few months ago-but i couldnt move at the time. at the current time they have no openings. however, that will change. prison nurses have high turn over. so as soon as i move to and settle in Ft Hood or Amarillo, then the opening will come up-just watch.

Originally Posted by shady12

Ok, then move to San Angelo and work at the prison in Eden. As you've read the reports of San Angelo have been pretty glowing compared to the other West Texas cities.

[StuckInTexas]

As other posters have said, much of Amarillo smells like cow poop. This smell can be overwhelming and so strong that you feel your nose is sticking right in it. Be careful where you go so you aren't too close or downwind to a poop ranch

Amarillo winters are worse than most people think, not because of the snow but because of the damn wind. I have been in Amarillo many times, it is the windiest city in the US after cold fronts. Google "windiest cities" and you will see it is ranked # 1 in the entire US for average wind speed. The problem is it's VERY windy when it gets cold, and I mean blistering wind... Yes not all the time, but VERY often.

Furthermore, even though in the city it averages 12 inches, there are some outskirts that average more, but yes snow is not a big problem except maybe once or twice a year for one day... Every now and then you get a huge blizzard that socks the place in for a few days.

The wind chill factor in Amarillo is brutal, the air temperature at night feels the same as much of Colorado, even worse then some parts of Colorado. To me, I'd rather be in -5 with no wind, then 10 degrees with a 30mph wind. For instance, I was there in November, it was 20 outside with a 40+ mph wind gusting to 50+ mph wind, it felt like -10. I was there in January once, it was 9 degrees with a 35 mph wind, it felt like -20 or worse. I'm sure the wind even exceeds 60mph at times in some places there. There are places that are more protected from the wind if you can find them...

Overall, the weather isn't too bad, it cools down at night in the summer a lot more than most other places in Texas, but the wind combined with cold dry air really hurts your skin if you like to be outdoors in the morning or evening during fall throuhg spring.