Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think west Texas is great. It has many solid towns such as San Angelo, Abilene and Midland. Of those three I would prefer San Angelo because I like the way the Concho river looks as it runs through the town. Very beautiful.
However, Midland seems the more prosperous with more to do because of the oil business.
Both Amarillo and Lubbock are solid towns, kind of too flat though.
Although I am most familiar with Midland, having lived there for 30 years, I have also lived in Lubbock, and like it as well.
I had never been to Amarillo until last year--I went through it on my way to NE New Mexico.
The Valley is pretty, but I couldn't handle the extremely hot summers and the high humidity. The winters are great!
omg. for five dollars more there. NOT worth it. i just spent a year there. it was the worst place i have lived in my life. i hate to badmouth it, because there are so many here who get upset when anyone talks negatively about South Texas.
i was suckered in to moving there to make more money and live cheaper. after one year, i got out of there as soon as i could. i took a pay cut and am paying almost double in rent today but I could care less, i am so much happier. there aint enough money in the world to have kept me there.
in terms of crime-at age 42 i had never in my whole life been victim of crime until i moved there (and i have lived in Ft Worth and Savannah, much bigger cities). i saw my neighbors lose their motorcycles, cars, overnight....only to be told by cops, "you wont see it again, they are already in mexico by now, sold".
good restaurants? ha! that was the hard thing for me, i like dining out. there aint many restaurants, period. you best like eating mexican 7 days a week.
no farmers market of any kind in town.
in terms of things to do, it was like living in a barren wasteland. and i am from a small country hick town in North Texas population 500 and loved it there, so it's not like i am a city slicker who needs city stuff to keep me entertained!
if you really decide to move there, email me and i will tell you what is the best neighborhood-i actually lived in the "best" neighborhood there (and still had problems)
oh and the worst part of living there, for me, was being anglo in a majority (and i mean BIG majority) hispanic town. before i moved there, i had a good attitude, i had remembered how appreciative and kind and family-oriented hispanic culture was (from my experiences in Ft Worth etc), but then i moved to Kingsville-and i hate to say it, my whole attitude changed-i dont know if it is the town or what, but most of them gave nasty looks towards me (i am a longhaired blonde, blue eyed tall female)....and without even doing anything, they would be hateful towards me at work-some would be downright rude (more so if they were with their husbands) they were very distrustful of outsiders.
i did find that the elderly population were the ONLY ones who were kind, respectful, appreciative. had no problem with them.
gang violence i didnt experience too much, nor see. however i am sure it is in the barrios. however, the town is a corrider for drug running to and from Mexico-lots of narcotics task force vehicles everywhere. the city police and sheriffs dept are corrupt. the never made me feel safe. there is alot of property crime there.
and weather-the spring and summer and part of fall are brutal-very hot and humid-and lots of mosquitos. you will be in for a major adjustment coming from arid albuquerque. the only good thing is the gentle breezes that come from the Gulf of Mexico, but they dont bring much relief.
you have to drive to Corpus for alot of things, and i was personally disappointed by the whole city itself anyway, so i didnt even go there much either.
when i moved there, the first week, my coworkers asked "what the heck brought you down here? you must be married to a navy pilot or something"...they said surely i didnt move there by my own will. they couldnt understand why someone would VOLUNTARILY move there. it didnt take a month before i realized why.
i was embarrassed that this town was part of the state that i absolutely love, Texas. this was not Texas. this wasnt the small Town texas i knew-not the warm friendly down home hospitality that i have experienced in other parts of Texas. i was so let down, its not even funny.
and the town was so dirty-people littered everywhere. no pride in their town. lots of indigents there. very poor economy. very poor people.
make sure you have VERY good car insurance. there are lots of folks driving around uninsured. i was hit by one without insurance or a drivers license and had to pay a deductible to fix my truck because the person who hit me had no insurance.
the bottom line is, that NO place else in my whole 42 years ever sucked the life and spirit and out of my soul, like this place did. after one year there, i felt like all the passion in my life had been gone. it was as if the place alone caused me to be seriously depressed! and i knew it wasnt actual "depression"-because as soon as i moved out of there, my spirit lifted and my passion for life returned and i am back to normal once again (i escaped early last month). i dont even know how to describe the feeling of being stuck there for a year. i often told my family "i might as well have gone to prison, this is like doing time-like sitting in a cellblock and wasting my life away, i am wasting away". gosh it was horrible. what a nightmare in so many ways. i cant believe i even survived a whole year. there aint enough money in the world to get me to go back. and i am serious. i could have stayed another year and been debt free. really. but to have stayed, i would have been debt free, and probably lost my whole soul. i felt like i had sold my soul to the devil at the crossroads. i cannot stress enough how miserable i was. it actually made my three years in Georgia look good. and that is saying ALOT.
Well from what the cost of living comparison - making 22 dollars (to start) an hour is like making 29 dollars an hour.
Kingsville only caters to that big king ranche machine and all that culture and from my understanding shoot down any progressive growth anywhere else. They like to keep things simple and oldschool.
Im a better person having come out of there. I have tough skin. If you cant hack it in kingsville you're a big joke.
Ah that's what you mean by culture. I was thinking theatre and stuffs.
We're an older couple - late thirties -so our idea of fun might be different then yours!
[quote=artemis432;2105932]Kingsville only caters to that big king ranche machine and all that culture and from my understanding shoot down any progressive growth anywhere else. They like to keep things simple and oldschool.
This was supposed to show up in my post as a quote from Jabbit!
the restaurants are mostly crap.......you can only eat at Chili's and Taiwan and Bua Thai and Big House Burgers so many times. there!
We're an older couple so saving money is important to us, se we would only go to these restaraunts "so many times" anyway. As much as we like eating out, it eats into our budget. We have to be able to visit my mom in OH a few times a year as she has a Non-Hodgekins Lymphoma in her intenstines and a large tumour in her uterus (she's 73), plus we have school loans and other bills - and a one year old baby. So the restaruraunts there or the supposed lack of won't mean of. Ocassionally going to a Thai or Taiwanese (my husband is Taiwanese, we should like that one) or a Chinese buffet will be a treat. Not that we ever were, but certainly being older, we're not partiers or drinkers so if there are lack of bars or clubs, it won't mean anything to us.
Now, lack of a movie theatre would suck - but we can rent videos for a year. We'd only go to a few movies a year anyway. Like going to out to eat and soda, its an uneccessary luxury with so much to save. Its lucky we don't drink or smoke - because we'll save a whole lot each year.
So in a way, you're sharing the restaraunts there is a positive for us!
We're an older couple so saving money is important to us, se we would only go to these restaraunts "so many times" anyway. As much as we like eating out, it eats into our budget. We have to be able to visit my mom in OH a few times a year as she has a Non-Hodgekins Lymphoma in her intenstines and a large tumour in her uterus (she's 73), plus we have school loans and other bills - and a one year old baby. So the restaruraunts there or the supposed lack of won't mean of. Ocassionally going to a Thai or Taiwanese (my husband is Taiwanese, we should like that one) or a Chinese buffet will be a treat. Not that we ever were, but certainly being older, we're not partiers or drinkers so if there are lack of bars or clubs, it won't mean anything to us.
Now, lack of a movie theatre would suck - but we can rent videos for a year. We'd only go to a few movies a year anyway. Like going to out to eat and soda, its an uneccessary luxury with so much to save. Its lucky we don't drink or smoke - because we'll save a whole lot each year.
So in a way, you're sharing the restaraunts there is a positive for us!
there's one regular movie theater there called "rio 7" off of highway 77.
it shows the reg. blockbusters they would show at tinseltown or any movie cinema... but there are only maybe 5 or 7 screens? not sure how much. its small but its a reg theater none the less.
really everyone just goes to corpus for a helluv a lot more options... just 30min drive.
kingsville sounds fine for u all. its a very quite place, not much happening but that can be a good thing to some people. there;s a cowboy/tex mex culture there that not understood and highlighted/groomed very well so its a little flat in its possibilites but its very implied even without people grooming it. you can notice quickly if you're respondent.
also... if u end up living in kingsvile and drive to corpus... ALWAYS take the 77 thru robstown like u are going to san antonio but turn for corpus route. never take the chapman ranch or driscoll to corpus country road routes ... especially at night.
lots of accidents and people being killed. its a very dangerous route... im telling u the truth. high fatality rates. my sister was killed by drunk driver on farm road 667 going from driscoll to corpus... past petronilla.
i know this may be more information then u needed but i want to make sure you are clear if you ever end up in kingsville... or anyone on this board for that matter.
artemis432-
After lurking around here for a while, I had to register in order to reply to you.
If you are considering a move to Kingsville or the surrounding area, might I suggest that you look at it as temporarily living in another country? I don't mean that in a disrespectful way at all - I only mean that the culture, climate, cuisine, lifestyle will all be different than most other places, even within Texas. You may have heard the "Texas is a whole other country" marketing slogan. More appropriately, Texas is like SEVERAL other countries.
I grew up in South Texas. Yes, it's extremely different from other areas. Does that make it bad? No. You would have the opportunity to learn other customs, traditions, possibly a language, and would give your little one some invaluable experience. If you move there expecting the worst, you will find it. If you move there expecting that people will be different and may act differently than what you are used to, you will probably enjoy it.
There is little "natural" beauty in the area for most. However, there are people who think the South Texas brush country has a majestic beauty all its own. It's flat, there aren't many real trees to speak of, and water (be it creeks, rivers, or "tanks") are usually small, slow, muddy streams.
I'll take my soapbox home now. Best of luck to you and your family, wherever you end up!
Kingsville texas isn't that bad actually i think it's GOOD
We moved to Kingsville over 20 years ago, although it has it's problems (mostly the heat) it's not as bad as bellestar(?) makes it out to be. Oh maybe if your single and on the prowl it is very boring. We have a Naval Air station and a University in town. If you are going to live in an apartment yes there are complexes I would stay away from. There are many nice neighborhoods. We raised two children here. Both received a good eduaction from the Kingsville schools. The bottom line is if you want something to do you can find plenty of family activities, TYRA rodeos , livestock show in January ( This is for the 4H and FFA kids who raise different projects. ) the university has plays and we have a pretty nice movie theater. There are plenty of churches to choose from and everyone of them has clubs and organizations to choose from. Prejudice , no I don't think so, as we are a Navy town, who appreciate the Navy , we are very welcoming. I hope if you do choose Kingsville you will contact me, I would be glad to share any info I can with you. Take care, Char
thanks. yes, believe me, it was not my attitude. i longed for, LONGED for coming "home" to Texas after 3 years stationed at Ft Stewart Georgia. i WANTED to feel at home, belong, enjoy it. i tried. but it was like putting a square peg in a round hole-it just wasnt gonna work. it was hell. my year there felt like a year in solitary confinement. i might as well have done time in prison.
amazing how LOCATION can make or break your life. i moved here to Ft Hood area in October, and my life is full and happy. i am PROUD of where i live and love showing it off to family and friends who visit. i love living somewhere where people actually LIKE living and dont constantly complain. where there are things to do and just generally more positive.
Kingsville was so so depressing. it is just so run down, so much poverty. like a third world country. glad my nightmare is over. it's hard to believe i am the same person-it's like my whole life had a major facelift/overhaul and my spirit is renewed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by turkeylurkey
I can relate to what you are saying. I am in the process of getting out of a city I consider hell! I am leaving for the exact same reasons you left your town. I have been told by many that I am the problem. That my bad attitude and despair will just follow me. I know this is not the case and it is good to see someone who got out of their hell and are thriving. It was very brave of you to share this story!
Last edited by NOTAM; 12-06-2007 at 10:47 PM..
Reason: add
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Kingsville and area
Kingsville texas isn't that bad actually i think it's GOOD
