moving to east texas this july (Houston, Dallas: chapel, house, colleges)

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by ericamb

Why are Tyler schools so bad?

The elementary schools in TISD are fine. Its the middle schools & high schools that are not very good.

[Quaght]

This thread has been entertaining! A couple of Tyler cheerleaders, and a couple of people who have obviously left this hick town forever, except to come back now and again to lord it over us small potatoes that we're still stuck here while they're livin' it up in Big D!

To the OP, I'll give you a point of view from someone born and raised in Tyler and, having lived here for over 40 years, can give you the straight dope.

The whole town is chock full of trees, bushes, trees, parks, trees and trees. Behind every tree is a tree. Tyler has its share of hicks, hoity toity and hobos. We have the most churches, gas stations and Mexican food restaurants per capita of any city in the world (this is true. It may not be a fact, but it is true nonetheless). South Tyler is the most affluent, North/NE Tyler is the least. Tyler is a nice city to raise your family IF you don't raise them in areas north of about Houston St. and west of...oh...I'd say Beckham Ave, the Azalea District notwithstanding. Anywhere else neighborhoods are OK to great.

There is crime in Tyler, though there is crime everywhere. Most of it is drug related (as everywhere), and most of it is petty. There is the occasional break-in/car theft/robbery, but crime here is not out of proportion to the rest of the country, though the area around East Texas is a MAJOR meth corridor. Keep that in mind. I'm serious.

Schools and their scores follow the money for the most part, though there are exceptions. Bell Elementary and Moore Middle are two exceptional schools in average neighborhoods. Moore is a magnet school for math, science and technology. John Tyler high school (where I graduated, thank you very much) is in NW Tyler. Robert E. Lee is in South Tyler. Each has its own unique sets of problems, especially considering one is full of poor people, one is full of rich people

Religion here is a big deal to people that it's a big deal to. Green Acres Fashion...er...Baptist Church is the biggest loaf of bread here. If you want to be seen, be seen at Green Acres. There is a Catholic church (along with a Catholic school), but Tyler and surrounding is overwhelmingly Protestant (Baptist), with Methodist being second, and Lutheran, Church of Christ, WWCOG, and smaller denominations trailing a far third. We even have a Jewish synagogue and an Islamic mosque.

Home prices in Tyler (in places you'd want to live) range from the mid-$80s to the millions. South of Tyler is growing because people with delusions of living in the country have moved there. Bullard and Whitehouse are the two with the largest growth. The both have decent schools, though Texas overall is being hit with budget corrections and, while both of these towns have historically had low teacher/student ratios, they can't do anything but get larger classrooms. Other towns around here, with the possible exception of Flint, are going to be your average redneck towns.

East Texas is beautiful country. As I mentioned I have lived here all of my life. Spring and Fall in East Texas are incomparable. I can say this as I have traveled pretty extensively for a small-town hick. Winter is mild (highs in the lower 50s/lows in the 30s) and wet with occasional white, cold tickly things falling from the sky. Summer is HOT and humid, but dry (as far as precipitation) with highs in the 90s-100s regularly and lows in the...90s-100s (not really but that's what it feels like!) We have several lakes, parks, and beautiful drives. Tyler has a wonderful zoo that I buy a season pass to every year.

We have sort of a night-life, with good restaurants, fancy shopping centers, a building that has 14 moving-pictures screens (with sound!) and, I don't care what the nay-sayers say, two GREAT hospitals. Business is good in Tyler, and people are hiring, though you need to stand out in your chosen field.

I could go on about the good and bad, but that should be a good, overall look of the area. If you have any specific questions I'll answer them as well as I can.

BTW: if you look at past posts of mine you'll see that I am looking to move out of Texas. Being here for 40+ years but traveling to other climes has given me and my family wanderlust. Mostly we're tired of Texas Summers. We love Texas and its people and its scenery but not the heat. 60 degree Winters and 100 degree Summers have taken their toll!

[Jimmy Isaac]

Tyler is A hub of East Texas, just like Longview is A hub of East Texas. Tyler is the bigger city, Longview has the bigger metro area, larger size in area and largest mall in area. Don't be fooled that Tyler is the only urban area in this region.

[kenshi]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Where might I have said that? I never even mentioned Rusk until you did.

Actually, you said that Longview's metropolitan area includes Rusk county. I guess he missed the "county" part (and the "Longview" part). You forgot that Longview includes Harrison county though.

But yeah, as Jimmy Isaac said, Tyler is not the hub of East Texas. It's about tied with Longview. And neither Tyler nor Longview are very conservative. I'm an atheist and didn't encounter any problems in Longview. The rural areas around the two get a bit more conservative, but only about as much as you'd expect them to be. There are more conservative areas in the country.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Isaac

Tyler is A hub of East Texas, just like Longview is A hub of East Texas. Tyler is the bigger city, Longview has the bigger metro area, larger size in area and largest mall in area. Don't be fooled that Tyler is the only urban area in this region.

Longview has Good Sheppard

Tyler has ETMC, Mother Frances, & UT Health/Science Center.

Tyler has an up & coming downtown with a few semi-tall historic & modern glass towers.


Longview has an old downtown with a few 4-6 story buildings.

Tyler has its new Pounds Regional Airport with daily flights to Dallas & Houston.

Longview has a small airport mainly used for private planes.

Tyler is over 100,000 people with a metro of 205,000.

Longview is less than 80,000 people with a metro of 207,000



Who's really the hub of East Texas...?

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by VonHuffenHausen

I find it funny to use to word metro (metropolitan) for places like Rusk. Ha Ha

Very true. While it makes sense to have metropolitian statistical areas for larger towns, it seems a bit silly to apply them to smaller towns. It sends the wrong (inflated) impression to those unfamiliar with the areas.

Everybody is different, but east Texas has always come across to me as more suited for retirement, rather than for family growing and/or middle age.

[CptnRn]

You can research the demographics information (income, poverty level, housing & rent costs, education levels, religious affiliation, employment, weather, crime rates, race, etc.) of any Texas city or town here //www.city-data.com/city/Texas.html

This can be very useful in comparing one place to another.

[lakehighlands]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Longview has Good Sheppard

Who's really the hub of East Texas...?

Is "Good Sheppard" the same hospital as Good Shepherd?

Did Longview Regional close down?

As was previously mentioned, the Longview-Marshall area is the largest MSA in the east texas region.

[ETex2]

Why is it when the subject of Tyler comes up, there is always a post or two that makes a desperate attempt at disparaging another town in order to promote their town and show how much better it is?

Longview and Tyler are both great cities. Good grief.

[Mark Senior]

Longview and Tyler are both "neat" places but really very different. Tyler white collar, Longview not. Longview"s city property tax rate three times Tyler, that's 300 per cent. The lowest of any town over 15,000 population in Texas. Tyler is the medical center of East Texas - Good Sheperd improving. Tyler has the only Level 1 Truma Center in ET. Fort Worth only has one. 7 Strory heart hospital being built now. Great zoo for Tyler none, in Longview, more restuarants, non-chain speciality type. Tyler better known - state and country wide. Longview with the Great Ballon Race is being better known. Now, the last three years Longview is catching up in sales tax receipts (oil economy) Tyler is stagnant. Tyler more higher end home, can't believe just the last two months construction has picked up in that price range, elsewise pretty much dead. Tyler is overbuilt twice the inventory of Longview, a bad thing sorta. Tyler is 20% larger in city pop. but is that a "good thing"?

All and I mean all that said, and there is more. I like Longview, just fine. But the cities are very different.