How's the Kilgore / Longview area (Tyler, Marshall: for sale, real estate, rentals)

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

So is it fair to say that Longview is to Tyler as Fort Worth is to Dallas or Odessa is to Midland?

Yes, very good analogy. Longview has most of what Tyler has - it's just smaller and more blue collar. More laid back too. Not as much traffic. Not as much culture either. Tyler has more emphasis on the arts. Longview, however, is definitely picking up in that area. We have the Longview Museum of Art which is very active in the community and hosts many events, the ArtsView Theater which is also very active, and the unfortunately named Belcher Center which hosts a lot of events similar to those which come to the Cowan Center in Tyler (though it's very accurate that the Cowan Center does attract bigger events/stars). No biggie - if you live in Kilgore, you can easily drive to Tyler for such events (we do it all the time) without having to live every single day in Tyler and make that drive to Kilgore and back every Monday thru Friday. Sigh. It wore me out.

Tyler has excellent medical facilities, especially for heart and trauma stuff. Longview also has some very good medical facilities. My husband and I have both had to have surgeries in the past couple of years (torn achilles tendon for me and rupture appendix - true emergency - for him) and we were treated in Longview. We received excellent care. I have also received excellent medical care in Tyler. For the "really big stuff" (heart, trauma, that sort of thing) I'd prefer Tyler, but for everything else, I'd feel comfortable using Longview facilities.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

So is it fair to say that Longview is to Tyler as Fort Worth is to Dallas or Odessa is to Midland?

Longview and Tyler are alot more similar in what to offer and size and population then Dallas and Fort Worth. Dallas is a major city and Ft.Worth is a mid size city. While Ft.Worth is it's own city and has it's own identity Dallas is the center of DFW. Nobody would ever mistake Longview for Tyler's suburb. Kilgore is mistaken for Longviews suburb by outsiders every now and then due to short distance between the 2. Tyler is just 2 notches above Longview when it's come to amenities. Neither one are worlds apart at all. Of course Tyler is the more "cityfied" of the 2. But i don't think you would be in Tyler or think to yourself, wow Tyler is so ahead of Longview. You'll more likely end up saying ok, Longview has 5 Whataburgers and Tyler has 7. Longview has 3 movie theaters, Tyler has 4! You get my drift.

And Kathryn you don't like the Texas Great Ballon Race. I use to love seeing many Hot Air Ballons in the sky in my neigborhood like some friendly invasion. Never realize how special that was till I moved out of Longview and haven't seen a Hot Air Ballon in a cuty limits in like forever. Last time I saw one was when I went back to Longview. Just a random day nothing related to the Hot Air Ballon Race.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

Longview and Tyler are alot more similar in what to offer and size and population then Dallas and Fort Worth. Dallas is a major city and Ft.Worth is a mid size city. While Ft.Worth is it's own city and has it's own identity Dallas is the center of DFW. Nobody would ever mistake Longview for Tyler's suburb. Kilgore is mistaken for Longviews suburb by outsiders every now and then due to short distance between the 2. Tyler is just 2 notches above Longview when it's come to amenities. Neither one are worlds apart at all. Of course Tyler is the more "cityfied" of the 2. But i don't think you would be in Tyler or think to yourself, wow Tyler is so ahead of Longview. You'll more likely end up saying ok, Longview has 5 Whataburgers and Tyler has 7. Longview has 3 movie theaters, Tyler has 4! You get my drift.

And Kathryn you don't like the Texas Great Ballon Race. I use to love seeing many Hot Air Ballons in the sky in my neigborhood like some friendly invasion. Never realize how special that was till I moved out of Longview and haven't seen a Hot Air Ballon in a cuty limits in like forever. Last time I saw one was when I went back to Longview. Just a random day nothing related to the Hot Air Ballon Race.

LOL I should have made myself clearer. I don't have a problem with the balloons - in fact, I think they are lovely. I have worked as a volunteer (ONCE) with the balloon race, and was so appalled by the attitudes of those who organize it, that I vowed to never again get involved. Much like the Rose Festival, the Balloon Race is not put on with any philanthropic focus, other than tourism dollars. Now I know that's not a bad thing in itself, but what surprised me behind the scenes is how much butt kissing and kowtowing to the "rich and famous" goes on. The Balloon Race is a for-profit venture put on by some particular group (can't remember who exactly now but it's just a business, not a charitable organization). The tickets get more expensive each year, and not a dollar of that ticket price goes toward any philanthropic cause. I just thought that was odd. At least with the Rose Festival, "the little people" can line the streets and wave and see the floats without paying any sort of admission fee!

I guess what strikes me about both the Rose Festival and the Balloon Race is how both of them feed the egos of some extremely wealthy people, at the expense of the "little people." I just don't care for that sort of thing. But to each his own.

Oh, one more things about the Balloon Race. "Hey, let's have it in the heat of summer, and let's host the activities on an asphault tarmac!"

Now, the Longview Art Festival downtown is a terrific event to attend - it's along the lines of the Jazz Festival in Tyler (also great fun). Those events are more to my liking.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

LOL I should have made myself clearer. I don't have a problem with the balloons - in fact, I think they are lovely. I have worked as a volunteer (ONCE) with the balloon race, and was so appalled by the attitudes of those who organize it, that I vowed to never again get involved. Much like the Rose Festival, the Balloon Race is not put on with any philanthropic focus, other than tourism dollars. Now I know that's not a bad thing in itself, but what surprised me behind the scenes is how much butt kissing and kowtowing to the "rich and famous" goes on. The Balloon Race is a for-profit venture put on by some particular group (can't remember who exactly now but it's just a business, not a charitable organization). The tickets get more expensive each year, and not a dollar of that ticket price goes toward any philanthropic cause. I just thought that was odd. At least with the Rose Festival, "the little people" can line the streets and wave and see the floats without paying any sort of admission fee!

I guess what strikes me about both the Rose Festival and the Balloon Race is how both of them feed the egos of some extremely wealthy people, at the expense of the "little people." I just don't care for that sort of thing. But to each his own.

Oh, one more things about the Balloon Race. "Hey, let's have it in the heat of summer, and let's host the activities on an asphault tarmac!"

Now, the Longview Art Festival downtown is a terrific event to attend - it's along the lines of the Jazz Festival in Tyler (also great fun). Those events are more to my liking.

Oh never looked at it from that perspective,lol. I can understand your views on the event in that case. Rose Festival always came off to me as smugs basking in their own delusional achievements.

[soletaire]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

Oh never looked at it from that perspective,lol. I can understand your views on the event in that case. Rose Festival always came off to me as smugs basking in their own delusional achievements.

No 'came off' to it...thats really all it is...its Tyler's bourgoise getting together to rub shoulders and pat themselves on the back, and show off their 10,000 outfits with a token Shriner appearance to depict charitable intents. I remember you'd hear "Debutants" or however you spell it, bragging about how they were nominated for the "distinguished honor" (That no one outside of Tyler even acknowledges) of being the Rose Queen. Smh...looking back, it sure seems silly now. But I too used to be enchanted by the Balloon Race. And you're absolutely right, you move out of that area, and you see nary a hot air balloon at all, anywhere.

[KathrynAragon]

OMG the Rose Festival is such a ridiculous FARCE. I have a good friend who joins me most years for the Rose Parade -where we don ridiculous British style hats and do that stupid "queen wave" very irreverently. We used to go to the rehearsal for the "coronation" (how pathetic is THAT pretense?) at the Cowan Center, but after very nearly disrupting the entire event with our very raucous laughter, we decided that if we didn't want to be run out of town on a rail (after being tarred and feathered) we had best skip that event.

[Mark Senior]

Guys you are right about the Rose Festival, it used to mean much more to Tyler overall, a major parade with college bands from out of state as well as Texas. Rice, SMU, Vanderbelt among others would play football in the early afternoon after the parade.

But today, I would say, probably 97% don't care and don't attend anything.

The Spring Azalea Trail events have far passed the Rose Festival, in the (interest) catagory.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Mark Senior

Guys you are right about the Rose Festival, it used to mean much more to Tyler overall, a major parade with college bands from out of state as well as Texas. Rice, SMU, Vanderbelt among others would play football in the early afternoon after the parade.

But today, I would say, probably 97% don't care and don't attend anything.

The Spring Azalea Trail events have far passed the Rose Festival, in the (interest) catagory.

I agree and boy is it ever beautiful. I used to live in the Azalea District and I never even minded the traffic and tourists at this time of year. It's just gorgeous.

Much nicer than that stupid Rose Festival, which is low brow entertainment if ever there was any.

But then...so is the Chili Cookoff in Kilgore! The biggest difference is that it doesn't even TRY to PRETEND to be anything sophisticated! LOL

[soletaire]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I agree and boy is it ever beautiful. I used to live in the Azalea District and I never even minded the traffic and tourists at this time of year. It's just gorgeous.

Much nicer than that stupid Rose Festival, which is low brow entertainment if ever there was any.

But then...so is the Chili Cookoff in Kilgore! The biggest difference is that it doesn't even TRY to PRETEND to be anything sophisticated! LOL

HEY NOW!! You leave the Kilgore Chili Cookoff and the Jacksonville Tomato Fest OUTTA THIS! Both of which are FINE longstanding highly distinguished institutions of East Texas culinary excellence which should NEVER be dragged into the mud with the likes of the lowly Tyler Rose Parade.



J/K

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by soletaire

HEY NOW!! You leave the Kilgore Chili Cookoff and the Jacksonville Tomato Fest OUTTA THIS! Both of which are FINE longstanding highly distinguished institutions of East Texas culinary excellence which should NEVER be dragged into the mud with the likes of the lowly Tyler Rose Parade.



J/K

Well, you do have a point. I am appropriately shamed!