CA Conservative family hoping to move to TX...help! (Dallas: renting, buying a home)

[usc619]

Originally Posted by aingersoll88

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I have two children. We want to leave California, but not really sure where to begin looking. Currently we live in Southern California in Julian, CA and Borrego Springs, CA. We drive an hour to get groceries now. We have lots of tourists which make us dislike living in these small towns. I’m a special Ed/transition teacher. My husband is a heavy equipment mechanic for the state/government now and hauls hay/does farming (I..e. Disking and tractor work) on the side.


This is what we’re looking for.
A house on on five acres or so. We’re seeking a small town in a country like setting with some amenities. We do not want it to be a tourist hub.

I’ve visited Covington and really liked it. My husband’s friend is moving to Magnolia TX and recommended Eastern Texas. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Check out Vidor

[asiatrails]

Both places you live in now are basically high desert, for a similar climate and environment I would suggest somewhere close to El Paso or Lubbock. El Paso city is Beto land so outside of it is better, maybe look at Chaparral

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by aingersoll88

Thank you Ronnie! I forgot to mention in my initial post we fell in love with the city of Lufkin, TX. We haven’t traveled there. Does anyone have any opinions. Ronnie, you bring up a good point about drugs. That’s also a factor We want to stay away from when looking for a small town

I live approximately 60 miles south of Lufkin. I work though in Beaumont which is an industrial hub, tons of jobs related to industry. It's not scenic though. I would say you would have no problem finding your requirements for land and its amenities. I love East Texas but I am going to list the negatives first.

Overall it is a poor ($$$$$) region.

It's pretty redneck (I'm kinda redneck although I'm a college educated critical care RN). Redneck is not necessarily bad ... sometimes narrow minded ... generally good hearted.

Weather is humid ( east of I-45 fits that description),

Humid means insects ... many kinds and sometimes in mass quantities.

Pay scales are lower than in CenTex and around your metro areas (50 miles or so within these areas).

The good of East Texas: (I'm calling East Texas south of I-20 and east of I-45 to the La. border)


I consider the area beautiful due to the heavy forestation.

Good outdoors opportunities with 2 huge lakes and many smaller.

Great medical facilities in Tyler and really good and complete in Lufkin area. Plus from Lufkin to The Medical Center in Houston (best in the World) is 1.5 hours.

Plenty of real estate in the area to fit your needs and more bang for the buck($).

Good sandy loamy soil in many areas for gardening and pasture land supports more head per acre here because of better grass.

No snow (Ky can be pretty cold).

Pretty good roads (US 69 from Beaumont to Lufkin is being converted into interstate type roadway as will US 190 from La to Huntsville).

Jobs shouldn't be a problem for either of you and to note the Texas economy is definitely stronger than Ky.

Feel free to PM me for specifics. My local upscale RE brokers but there is much more: East Texas Farm and Ranch | Homes on Land - M. Moffett & Company East Texas Land

[Skipito]

Originally Posted by BobTex

I live approximately 60 miles south of Lufkin. I work though in Beaumont which is an industrial hub, tons of jobs related to industry. It's not scenic though. I would say you would have no problem finding your requirements for land and its amenities. I love East Texas but I am going to list the negatives first.

Overall it is a poor ($$$$$) region.

It's pretty redneck (I'm kinda redneck although I'm a college educated critical care RN). Redneck is not necessarily bad ... sometimes narrow minded ... generally good hearted.

Weather is humid ( east of I-45 fits that description),

Humid means insects ... many kinds and sometimes in mass quantities.

Pay scales are lower than in CenTex and around your metro areas (50 miles or so within these areas).

The good of East Texas: (I'm calling East Texas south of I-20 and east of I-45 to the La. border)


I consider the area beautiful due to the heavy forestation.

Good outdoors opportunities with 2 huge lakes and many smaller.

Great medical facilities in Tyler and really good and complete in Lufkin area. Plus from Lufkin the The Medical Center in Houston (best in the World) is 1.5 hours.

Plenty of real estate in the area to fit your needs and more bang for the buck($).

Good sandy loamy soil in many areas for gardening and pasture land supports more head per acre here because of better grass.

No snow (Ky can be pretty cold).

Pretty good roads (US 69 from Beaumont to Lufkin is being converted into interstate type roadway as will US 190 from La to Huntsville).

Jobs shouldn't be a problem for either of you and to note the Texas economy is definitely stronger than Ky.

Feel free to PM me for specifics. My local upscale RE brokers but there is much more: East Texas Farm and Ranch | Homes on Land - M. Moffett & Company East Texas Land

This is a pretty good synopsis. Add in that you’re a day trip away from two major cities and a reasonable overnight trip from NOLA.

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by usc619

Check out Vidor

No, Vidor area flooded recently in Tropical Storm Imelda. Must stay 50-60 miles inland from the Gulf. Hurricane Ike almost as bad as was Hurricane Harvey.

Stay significantly inland or on stilts.

[aingersoll88]

Originally Posted by asiatrails

Both places you live in now are basically high desert, for a similar climate and environment I would suggest somewhere close to El Paso or Lubbock. El Paso city is Beto land so outside of it is better, maybe look at Chaparral

Yes, I dislike the desert. I was just born there and we have good jobs here. We love greenery...probably because we don’t see any. I just don’t think I’d do well in a lot of snow

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Foamposite

Maybe they're moving to Texas to help stave off the blue.
If Texas goes blue, there will be no path for the GOP to ever win the presidency again.

Also will happen if Texas loses population!

Originally Posted by BobTex

No, Vidor area flooded recently in Tropical Storm Imelda. Must stay 50-60 miles inland from the Gulf. Hurricane Ike almost as bad as was Hurricane Harvey.

Stay significantly inland or on stilts.

But the tornadoes!!!

Vidor is really famous as a haven for the KKK a century ago. It was a sundown town that became an inside joke for bigoted people. (Also a reference to its proximity to backwater Louisiana.)

[aingersoll88]

We’re redneck friendly so east Texas sounds ok, but tornadoes in Vidor sound scary. My husband and I aren’t used to that!

Thanks Skipito, would you recommend living closer to central Texas where pay is better. Maybe an eastern central town. I’d prefer a more scenic area with a little land.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by aingersoll88

We’re redneck friendly so east Texas sounds ok, but tornadoes in Vidor sound scary. My husband and I aren’t used to that!

Tornadoes are more prevalent in the inland parts of Texas (100 miles from the Gulf Coast). The Gulf climate inhibits the strong tornadoes seen inland.

[RobertoSaldana4]

I was born and raised in East Texas, grew up and now I'm living in San Antonio. I from Mineola, Texas, 30 min. north of Tyler, Texas.



East Texas:
A lot of county towns and small way living
Tyler, Longview, and Lufkin are known as the three major cities of East Texas.
Very Conservative
I would look into Lindale, Texas, due to the fact it has very good schools there and is only 15 min from Tyler. Many schools in the small towns aren't very good.

Tornadoes is a way of life in east texas and is something you just have to deal with in that area.

I would try to live somewhere near Tyler because Tyler has a good economy and is actually has some of the highest growing income growth in the nation. I know Longview has had some issues and I don't exactly know how Lufkin is on its economy.



Differences between East Texas & San Antonio small towns


Small towns around SA I feel are more compact and more centered around downtown. East Texas towns I feel have a very deserted downtown while having like shopping centers in one side of the town. East Texas towns I feel are more spread out compared to here.

Some of the small towns here are known to attract tourists
It's still green around SA but it depends on where you are located. West of SA, It becomes desert will quick while near Seguin on the other side of SA is very green.
Small towns around SA are still conservative but not as much as East Texas
SA doesn't deal with tornadoes that much compared to East Texas.



Main reason I love near SA or Austin is due to the Hill Country and the natural scenery is there is here. There's a lot of beautiful rivers and lakes that are good to tube or swim.


East Texas is known more as a good place to hunt and fish. A lot of my friends that I used to know in East Texas would go hunting or fishing after school.