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If I made a post where everything was coming up daisy's I would for good reason come across as fake, as would any one else. No where is ever perfect.
Rockdale has quirks about them. Anyone moving here should gather information and make there own decisions.
From Gill's to the tracks, down to Bell's Tavern and fourth, fifth etc.. streets is the area I referred too.
Also Sherewood Forest trailer park on the north end of town isn't a great place or the Bailey's on the south side of town.
Yes I know my post may have come across as cynical but it wasn't.
There are several key issue's any family moving here deserves to know.
1. we have pedifiles
2. we have a really "bad" section of town that even the cops avoid
*across the tracks*
3. There have been two documented sucides due to bulling in the past five years by our own teenagers and nothing was done.
4. Everything shuts down close to nine pm. We have no movies, no real hang outs, nothing. So the natural tendency then is for folks to populate the bars and back roads and for teen ager's and the like to run a muck.
5. You are known by the company you keep, and there are "old" family's that have there hands in everything here. If you want your kids to be somebody choose wisely.
Any one else who has grown up here will tell you same things.
Guess I should have titled the post the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
It is what it is. Yet it is also home. Their are valuable things here that I wouldn't trade for anything. One being the sense of family. We know everyone. Halloween is a huge block party. We all know that the best candy is over in Snob Hill. There is still some sense of small town america here.
My family goes back seven generations in Milam County. I have lived all across the country. Milam County will always be home. As with any town there are good things.
But when considering moving here, is that all you want to hear? How long do you want to live here before you finally here some of the history?
If you are the kind of person where you feel comfortable going to Scott and White and letting them practice on you. Fine , go ahead. But just about everyone in my circle of friends/family have had really bad experiences there.
And unless things have changed King's Daughter is no better. Go and ask the hosp administrator's for the mobid and morality report. Look at the number of post procedure infections and compare them with the national average. I am sorry, three times the national average is not a place I want to trust with my health.
As for doctor's in Rockdale. Go ahead go to Kings Daughter's Clinic, and see for yourself, once you are in a room waiting on the doc, you can hear EVERYTHING going on with the patient in the room next to you. YOu have no privacy. ANd if your aliment is something juicy, and some noisy person is in the room next door, don't think they won't get on the phone.... We will all know about your "personal" problem.
Its a SMALL TOWN... lol
It's a love hate relationship. lol
But most certaintley decide for yourself. Investigate and don't just take things at face value, what they appear to be.
Me personally? I send my elementary age children to Lexington Elementary School, and my teenager's to cameron and I have one in Milano. Best choice for my family, but it was an informed choice. Those schools have things to offer that Rockdale can't compete with.
How come other school's with half the tax base income that we have, can afford a brand new state of the art high school?
How can a town of only three hundred have a brand new top ranked elementary school? And Rockdale is so out of date?
hmmmm begs the question, especially since we get MILLION"S of dollars from Alcoa. Yet their is NO proof that a substantial amount of that money benifits the community of Rockdale.
Any time Alcoa wants to reduce their tax, first thing they threaten is to cut sports, and band programs out of the schools.
Every year for the past five years or so, we get a NEW band director. They stay one year and then leave.
They can't get one to stay and the one that was great and made a difference to our kids, they got rid of. Ran him out of town basically. Only thing missing was pitch forks. Why? Because he wouldn't play favorites with some local kids (old family's) . He wasn't willing to over look the no pass no play requirement. And boop out he went, and that was the last time we had an award winning band director.
Its silly and suspicious, but nothiing changes, it has been that way for ever.
Their are good things here, and not so good.
I come from here, and yes I do see how things in other part's of the country are different. I can compare and contrast very well, thanks.
But I always come back home to Rockdale. It's not a way of living for everyone, but for those who love it, there is no better place, despite our challenges.
When I was a kid my family moved from Houston to Milano which is just a few miles away from Rockdale and for the next 15 years it was nothing but HELL!!! If your family doesn't have money or doesn't rub elbows w/members of the local clique, then your family will pretty much be outcasts. As was mentioned previously in several earlier posts, Milam County has more than its fair share of peophiles, drug dealers/addicts, prostitutes, etc....and the frightening thing is that a county the size of Milam would probably have more per capita than a larger county such as Bell.
Growing up in Milano, as I mentioned, was pure hell. As with all schools there groups of kids that hang out together, and this is understandable, but the faculty at both Milano East Elementary and Milano High School show such favouritism towards select students that it's downright sickening. For example, when I was a freshman there was a boy in my class who I'll call C.B. and one day he brought a box of bullets to class and tried to take the lead part off the bullet. He succeeded in doing that to a couple of them, but the primer went off on one and scared the hell out of everyone in the class. The Algebra teacher at the time(and last time I was there which was in 2002, the teacher was still there) he did nothing to the C.B. as far as disciplinary action only because C.B was on not only the basketball team, but the football team as well and his parents were members of the school board. The faculty itself is as crooked as any criminal in jail. I remember when the school would get its yearly grants which were supposed to be put towards the school, it would instead pay for a lot of new cars and money towards their kids college funds instead of repairing holes in the roof(yes, there were times when it was rainin that you could find buckets in the hallway to catch the rain.
So all in all, Milam County, Milano in particular, is the worst place to live. After all, there are no jobs, unless you want to haul hay after you graduate from high school, or work at Alcoa, and this is why I moved to Lexington, Ky.
If you are moving to Rockdale. Buy land with a house or build a house in the country. Your taxes will be less and you can't find a nicer place to live in the country. It is a truly beautiful place and you can still buy at reasonable prices. You will also have privacy!!!!
When I came here to do business the Mayor, and his wife, who owns a competing business, harrassed me with phone calls and name calling and actually were able to interrupt a relationship with one of my wholesalers. Their harrassment, because I competed with them, and because they perceived that I was gay, was so bad I had to involve the police, who did not want to help me because of who they were, and I eventually had to sue them to make them leave me alone. I was able to find plenty of people with the same experience who could back me up in court.
The good part about all this is we broke the back of the power structure and this won't happen to you. So now anyone who wants to move here and do business is safe from "those people." The big jerk Mayor is no longer the mayor and the place seems much happier. Just don't expect the gossipy old hags in town to support you. Do not cater entirely to their business needs or you will fail. They will never be happy with what you have and will boycott you on a whim. The president of the chamber and commerce is entirely old school. But you can work around them.
All the negatives you read in the other postings are probably true. The town can be a real Texas hellhole. But, you can find these same stories in every small town. There's books and movies galore about the same thing everywhere you go. You choose your friends wisely no matter where you go. Just remember, the first person who wants to get to know your business in any small town is the town kook.
However, once again, the countryside and surrounding areas cannot be challenged for their beauty and cost. You have to come check it out, if you want to live in the country. I have lived all over the US and would not live anywhere else. There is really no other place like it in the world.
Yep lol I remember your shop! Beside the car wash.Had no clue all that drama was going on. But then again, what if any small business stick around started by local's, unless you are name branded.
Oh yea you were the talk of the town baby! "Don't buy from that place the guy is GAY" "Just look at those bouquets, no straight man could ever make one like that." lo
(and this was BEFORE the tv show quer eye for the straight guy and Carson)
But I loved your shop/flowers and hope you are finding peace and prosperity!
Loved the comment
"The first one who wants to know your business is the town kook!"
Right one Flower Farmer Right on!
Green acre's is the place for me, farm living is the life for me, land spread out so far and wide, screw the city just give me some of that good ol country side.
Last edited by Tx_Sweetheart; 12-21-2006 at 03:43 PM..
Reason: spelling
I am so grateful for TX Sweetheart and FlowerFarmer's responses here! I almost moved my family to Milano. I too found a good price on some land in Milano. Thanks for saving me from that disappointment. If I do relocate to Milano, it won't be inner city Milano. Not worth the hassle.
i started this thread back in october when i first moved to rockdale........i did not know the good areas from bad ones....i got lucky i guess, now that i have lived here since october i found out that the house that i bought (i picked it out on realtor .com) was in a very nice quiet neighborhood with lots of big oak shade trees (over 50 years old)....( my house is in the north west section) it was a shot in the dark, but it worked out good , i like rockdale very much.......the big trees will be nice and shady when the heat gets here this spring and summer....i was working with a limited amount to shop for a house with ($72,000)...and a 3br/2ba brick house on a 1/4 acre with 30 big oak trees in a nice neighborhood for that price made it worth while for me to buy in rockdale.....all things considered: you can get a lot of house in a nice neighborhood in ROCKDALE for not a lot of money...a good place to retire...
TX Sweetheart is right about rockdale. i have lived here for 21 years now trying to get out of here to go to college. i went through about 6 different band directors during high school. i failed some english classes because i wasnt in the popular group(which was the teachers pets). this town is a LIVING HELL HOLE.
well not only was a new school NOT mentioned until this post was started, now suddenly in the the council is talking about reving up the area out by the aycock (across the tracks), which has been mentioned several times on this post.
how funny. Now we have two things that were started on this post that suddenly have been mentioned by our councilmen.
GOOD, NOW if someone would do something about the repeat sex offender that is ALLOWED to live directly across from our ONLY elementary school, in full view of the play ground! We need laws preventing this from being allowed. If your a sex offender you should not be able to live miles from the school!!! We need LAWS.
Life In Rockdale would finally be making progress.
Goodness...well when I Googled Rockdale, TX this is what I found...and I can't believe what I'm reading about Rockdale!!!
I'm a Jr. in High School at the only HS we have here. I think it's GREAT. And that's not because of the "company I keep" or my "last name." The friends I have however, ARE the children of the well-known families in Rockdale. The owners kids of the major vehicle dealership we have here, the family of the former mayor, and then, I have friends who live "across the tracks." And they're all the same! No one will judge you on who you are. I come from an average family and by no means have the nicest house in Rockdale or the most money or the nicest car, and my friends range from the highest of the high to some of the very low-but they're still great people.
The only problems I see with RISD is none of us are challenged nearly enough, I'm learning things now my friends learned as Freshman at Bryan High.
And yes, another problem is bullying. But what the adults don't see is what WE see in here in school. So many times my friends and I have watched kids rant around showing them their "slit wrists" and telling everyone how hard they tried to OD. And OF COURSE, we go and tell our teachers...and what happens after that is out of our hands. But there's 2 typs of kids here-the ones that see it all happening, and tell or just don't say anything AT ALL, or the ones that see these "weird" kids and bully them. But what can you expect? I guess being goth and crazy like that and seeing who can "cut the deepest" is the in thing now. THIS IS A SMALL TOWN...we never see stuff like that, so of course when these kids act psycho in school for attention, SOME ONE WILL MAKE FUN OF THEM. We have a lot of cliques, but we move around and associate with *almost* everyone. Sometimes, you can't control everything...kids are so mean, sometimes. But at the same time, a lot of these kids who get "bullyed" bring it all upon themselves...
I know many disagree with this, but I think that if you hate this town so bad and you can't take what people dish out to you...don't give them a reason to. Everyone knows everybody elses business...so don't give them a reason to talk. Popularity isn't as big a thing as people think it is in this school...
And as for teenagers going out backroading and drinking ALLL the time? Ha. That's really funny. We usually pile up together in cars and go to Temple or Bryan iceskating or bowling. Catching a movie, shopping, going out somewhere to eat-we do it all. Usually sober. My most recent time out? Went to see a few graduates from last year in College Station, went bowling, out to eat, and in my own bed by 2. No drinking...but when it comes down to drinking? Yeah, we may hit up a backroad every once in a while. But it's not as hardcore as you think. When we drink we mainly meet up at someone's house whose parents are out of town, and crash there. It's all fun and games-and no one ever gets hurt.
Teams and what-not aren't chosen by who you are. It's how good you are. And even if you're super-good and have a bad attitude and can't follow directions-you can kiss that team goodbye.
Favorites got mentioned a lot. And that's crap. I do not play sports, but so many of my friends do. And they're the ones you'd call the "favorites." But every time a progess report comes out, they're hoping and praying they passed b/c the "No pass, No play" rule IS STILL in effect no matter WHO you are. The "teacher's pets" are so overrated and if you fail, you fail. Everything that was said about that is crap. Wether your Dad's on the school board or Dad is a janitor, you're usually always treated the same. Granted you might get a few tardies and absenses erased.
******
Hospitals here could be so much better, seriously...so if you're not in horrible pain or about to die...just freaking suck it up and go to any clinic here. They'll fix your allergies, cold, sprains, ANYTHING right on up. Check it out.
Sex offenders-TONS, YEAH...but c'mon. You know where they live, you know who they are. Stay away, duh. And across the tracks? It's not THAT bad. But after-dark it would be safe to steer clear. But I always take my friends home over there after-school, some people just LIVE there, don't play there.
And "Snob Hill?" That's the funniest thing I ever heard. Why is it Snob Hill? B/c the houses are nicer? Duh-they work hard for what they have. Most people do. You either don't work and don't have crap, or work hard and have a lot. Double-income, ya know? It helps. Well go over there and knock on a few doors. The people are nicer, too.
KC Hall never has dances anymore. Not unless they're private. That's so old.
SO WHAT IF THERE'S MEXICAN'S HERE WITH BUSINESSES? Get over it...they're trying to make a living like everyone else. They're not hurting anyone. They're feeding us. And I'm sure that all of you who talk crap about them eat at their restaurants, eh?
"Its a great place to own a house to sleep in, if you work in Austin."
Stupidest qoute ever. My parents work at RMH and Onyx...we live great and I get what I want.
There's so much more I want to say, I can't even explain how mad I am people think this crap...but 6th period Algebra is calling my name! =)
texas sweetheart, you are somewhat accurate, yet harsh, do you still live there? I would move if I were you. I lived there in the 70's, and many of my relatives still live there. I once lived on Bowser street, I do not know the house you are refering to. I have some good memories, but also, it sounds like it is the same place it was in the 1970's. I heard the Jr. high on Bowser burned down.
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Milam county in general
