Is Marshall a good area to move to? (Tyler, Longview: fit in, house) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

countrybabe · 08-28-2007, 01:50 PM

My husband grew up in the Waskom area. He was in the military for 15 years and lived MANY different places. We have small children and just moved from the Atlanta area to a sub outside of Nashville. We don't like it here because the people tend to keep you at arms length if you did not grow up here with them. I just want a nice quiet, calm area where we can be happy as a family and make some friends BUT also not have to drive 45 minutes to get places. We were thinking of Marshall because it is smaller but yet you have Longview and Shrieveport for shopping BUT..someone said something about "if you don't mind the state of mind of the people" and I would like to know what that means.
Thanks for anyone's help to direct us to small towns that are not stuck in the 1970's!!

jobezee1 · 08-28-2007, 02:00 PM

Marshall is a pretty nice, sleepy place and I'd say it's a good spot to raise a family. Lots of family values in East Texas. Close to Longview and Tyler for shopping and Shreveport if you and your husband are into the casino thing.

The people are salt of the earth, and you know small town gossip. It's going to happen if you're the new family in town. That's anywhere. However, you have a much better shot considering your husband is ex-career military and those folks there REALLY appreciate and RESPECT that. Therefore, you'd probably fit in. They are pretty conservative, so if you're not, you might want to really think about it. If you are though, you'll fit right in.

Also, the scenery is gorgeous. I love that part of the state. Lots of trees and Lake O' the Pines. Very good fishing if your husband or yourself enjoy that. Also, since he is already from the area, he might still know a few people there.

countrybabe · 08-28-2007, 02:07 PM

Thank you for your response. We are outgoing but I guess we are considered fairly conservative. We both quit drinking a couple years ago before our kids were born and don't do that anymore... but we like friendly people that WON'T treat you like "outsiders" like they do here in TN.

jobezee1 · 08-28-2007, 02:13 PM

Well, I know that have VFW's all over there. Granted, it probably won't be people in your age bracket, but most of those older fellas know the other younger vets in town. Also, it wouldn't be a far commute to Longview or Tyler or Shreveport if your husband has to commute.

Tyler is over 100,000 now so they have everything you'd expect in a town that size, shopping, restaurants, ect. Also, if you want to go to school, there's always Kilgore College. My mother is an alumnus from way back when. There's also UT-Tyler. I'm not sure what work your husband does now but the economy is fairly diversified in Tyler-Longview. My grandparents lived on a farm outside Gilmer for decades, about 20 miles from Longview.

Poltracker · 08-28-2007, 04:29 PM

Marshall is a nice area to live in but though it has grown, it is still rather small. Back when I lived in between Marshall and Waskom (ask your husband about Scotsville) people were a bit standoffish (like you describe in TN) at first but warmed up pretty quickly. Alot has changed since then and when I visit, folks are not so standoffish anymore. Since you have kids, know that the 4-H clubs and scouts are very active in the area and there is always sports.
Longview has gotten a lot more outgoing and has a lot more shopping than Marshall. Jefferson is great for antique shopping. Shreveport has gambling (not my thing) and there are Lake O the Pines and Caddo Lakes for fishing and watersports. Marshall also has a wonderful Christmas light display that people drive from all over to see.

jobezee1 · 08-28-2007, 04:44 PM

I remember those Christmas light displays. Though I must admit, I prefered the parade in Nacogdoches while I was a student there. Always very exciting. I miss Christmas' in East Texas.

countrybabe · 08-31-2007, 08:09 AM

I have been doing alittle research since we are coming to visit the area...Have one question for anyone who may know alittle bit about the Marshall area. Is it mostly an older community or are there alot of families there? I do understand it is small (my husband wants to be out in the country and this is our compromise) but 24K is better than 2K (Waskom where he grew up but has been gone for many years serving in the Military).
Thanks to everyone for your help!!!!

Poltracker · 08-31-2007, 10:52 AM

I lived in Marshall in the 70's and still have many friends there. I also have a house on Lake o the Pines and frequently go into Marshall to shop, go to church, and visit when I'm up that way. Judging from what I've seena t church and in town, I would say that there is a pretty good distribution of age groups with plenty of kids.

left4tx · 09-19-2007, 10:44 PM

Moving here from NJ 2 years ago I was a little apprehensive. I had heard so many stories about people not being welcoming or accepting - especially of "yankees". I can't tell you how wrong those perceptions were! Within a week my daughter made many friends at the high school. The neighbors were welcoming and wonderful. My husband is now retired and we can move anywhere in the US we want to but we are staying here. Sometimes the town seems like it is stuck in the 1970's but that isn't such a bad thing. People here are genuine. It's rare to find such a place in the world today.

TMattox · 09-20-2007, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrybabe

My husband grew up in the Waskom area. He was in the military for 15 years and lived MANY different places. We have small children and just moved from the Atlanta area to a sub outside of Nashville. We don't like it here because the people tend to keep you at arms length if you did not grow up here with them. I just want a nice quiet, calm area where we can be happy as a family and make some friends BUT also not have to drive 45 minutes to get places. We were thinking of Marshall because it is smaller but yet you have Longview and Shrieveport for shopping BUT..someone said something about "if you don't mind the state of mind of the people" and I would like to know what that means.
Thanks for anyone's help to direct us to small towns that are not stuck in the 1970's!!

No. Marshall is polarized, there are excellent colleges (but if you don't major in medicine or the oil/gas/automotive industry you cannot find a job), marginal public schools, and the only decent salaries are in the petroleum, enginering, rail road industry. Yes people are very unfriendly to outsiders, they keep you at arms length (notice the term polarized) unless you grew up with them (or drink/party with them, even a lot of the families) it's a LONG way to get to anything useful or interesting. I am only here until I get out of college and can locate a better place to live, preferably Shreveport, Bossier City, Haugton area.

It's been compared to Mayberry on several occassions, except Mayberry didn't have meth.