So, how shocking would an L.A. to Waco move be? (Houston: fit in, transplants)

[annagrl775]

My husband is interviewing at Baylor, and we will be visiting the area mid-September. This is likely the only visit we will make before we have to decide whether to accpet (assuming he's offered the job). We visited Austin last spring for a conference, and I went to Dallas once, but otherwise I'm fairly unfamiliar with TX. So, here's some questions I have:

1) How humid does Waco feel? Is it anything like Dallas? What months are the worst and how long does it last?

2) Are there alot of racial problems in Waco? Southern California is certainly no model of racial harmony, but overall, how would you describe racial interactions in Waco? Are there any good, ethnically-diverse, non-denominational churches in the area?

3) I know Texas is a big football state, but are there non-sports things to do? We love hiking and our family usually hikes every weekend in our local mountains. Are there any good hiking trails near the Waco area?

4) This probably sounds really silly, but will our kids have southern accents if they grow up in Waco? Everyone we've talked to in the area are Baylor employees and transplants to Waco, so they don't have noticeable southern accents. Our extended family would find it hilarious if our boys end up with southern accents.

5) Is there a cool historic district in Waco with old homes? If so, is it a high crime area or would it be a good place to raise kids?

6) We were really intrigued with the Rapoport charter school, at least from what we could see online. Are there any good neigborhoods nearby?

7) If we move to Waco, we hope our family will eventually follow. Anyone know how much teachers and nurses (RN's) make in the local area? Our sisters are single moms and would need to support themselves on their incomes. They have about ten years experience each.

Thank you for your time and advice. Any other insight would be greatly welcome!

[houstoner]

To answer your title question, very. I couldn't imagine moving to Waco and I live in Houston.

[Jaipur]

Thank you for your time and advice. Any other insight would be greatly welcome!

I am just going to say, that my father and all of his family moved to Waco from South Borough, Mass. long ago and it was an absolute shock to them. Now I understand Waco has changed and it is different from Mass. Some people will fit in great and others will not stand it. My Aunt met her husband in Waco and moved away just a few years after she got married she could not stand it. She ended up moving to Reno and that is where she lives. They moved back a few years ago and again my Aunt hated it. So I know it has changed but again I am just warning you. As far as your questions go I can't really answer them as I do not know that much about Waco but I have and do go visit at least 3 times a year.

[atxcio]

The answers to your individual questions will probably not tell you if you will be able to stand the change... plus, I don't know all the answers myself. Someone local to Waco should be able to provide the those answers.

What will be a HUGE shock is how small it is, how far it is from Oceans or Mountains, and the heat (which is basically the same as Dallas). There are outdoor activities and nice hikes in the Hill Country, but it's nothing like hiking in the mountains.

Also, I wouldn't really expect your family to follow. Waco isn't the kind of place you migrate to for the city/area. The only reason you would move there is if there is a unique employment opportunity that is only available there, such as the Baylor gig. RNs who can work anywhere probably would go to a place with more appeal.

Of course, you never know -- and life is an adventure. You shouldn't let fear dictate your moving or not, you can always move again (although it's admittedly harder once the kids have settled in).. Who knows, you might discover you love the country living and people. I mean, whatever you think of our current president, he could pretty much make his home anywhere... and he chose the Waco area. It wouldn't be my pick, but there are some that like it.

[NOTAM]

I am 45 min south of Waco. dont know Waco at all, though fixin' to know cuz one of my docs has privileges at Providence Hospital so i will be needing to go there for some things....
I am a Emergency Room Registered Nurse. I dont know what the average hourly rates are for civilian hospitals-I work for Dubbya and have 17 years experience in Trauma so my salary might not compare to others, and there are too many factors that influence salary since there are multitude of specialties and packages for nurses. Of course it will be considerably lower than L.A. I think hourly rates in L.A. (non-agency) are 45-65/hour. In Central Texas, remember LOW cost of living, $28-32/hour maybe, guessing?
Waco has Hillcrest Hospital and Providence Hospital, one is a Level I Trauma Center and the other is Level II. I have heard Providence has a very loyal satisfied nursing staff. Dont forget Scott & White Hospital in Temple, just south, very renowned Level I Trauma Center...500-600 beds maybe.
Let me know if I can help or answer anything else. oh and uh yeah. yall will be in for a major culture shock. before ya know it, yall be sayin' "fixin' to" and "yall" ha ha

[tstone]

Originally Posted by houstoner

To answer your title question, very. I couldn't imagine moving to Waco and I live in Houston.

I'm with you there. People get shocked moving from LA to Houston. I could only imagine what it's going to feel like.

Who knows, you might like it though? If you have a good job, can afford to buy in a neighborhood the regular townies are priced out of, and don't care about big city features & perks... it might be great.

[lonestar2007]

To each his own and you might very well like it, but you are going to be in for some major adjustments in just about all areas. The weather is just about the same as it is in Dallas, the two cities are not that far apart.

[Canine*Castle]

I moved from southern California to about 45 miles north of Waco. Of course, I live in a rural town.

Waco is an okay town, but too big from me even though I was from the L.A. area and had never lived in a small town in my entire life. My daughter went to Baylor and loved it as I'm sure your husband would should he be offered the job. Personally, I don't think it would be shocking per se; There would just some changes you'd have to get used to. It's hard to tell how one will react to a different part of the country unless one "gives it a try." As someone else said, you can always move again if you don't like it here.

The people in Texas are different and in some ways better but many ways, they're not. It takes time to get used to them and their ways and I must admit there are some things about certain attitudes and boastful natures I will never get used to.

Overall, Waco does have a pretty high crime rate.

Hiking...well, there are walking/biking trails in Cameron Park, but that is nothing like the mountains in southern CA. The area isn't pretty as far as scenery goes, but there are some nice neighborhoods in Waco.

Waco gets very humid and as one poster said, it's very similar to Dallas. Tornado possibilities are here too, but you'd be leaving the potential of earthquakes behind.

Good luck should you become a part of living in Texas.

[GayleTX]

You are aware, I assume, that the Baylor campus is extremely conservative, quite possibly much different than most of California, especially if you are coming from another campus....but then maybe I just have a stereotype of Cali. in my mind. You might want to scroll on down to pg 2 of this forum and find 'why is waco hated so much'.

[WillysB]

My husband is interviewing at Baylor, and we will be visiting the area mid-September. This is likely the only visit we will make before we have to decide whether to accpet (assuming he's offered the job). We visited Austin last spring for a conference, and I went to Dallas once, but otherwise I'm fairly unfamiliar with TX.

Well, it's kind of sad that your husband would pass up an opportunity based on some hearsay, whether somewhat accurate or not.

Waco is not a destination place, excepting for Baylor U. I think a major consideration for you would be that Waco is almost centrally located to Austin/San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston/Galveston. That puts you within a two or three hour drive of the state's major attractions, sports, museums, arts, restaurants. I would think the only draw back is that it's not L.A.

You would have access to the same home amenities that you enjoy today, running water, electricity, air conditioning, cable/dish TV, communications... you get the picture. From what I can determine, recent residential developments are towards the south and west. I've been through the area just along and south of the lake which is nice. Further out towards Hewitt are newer subdivisions. SpaceX is out that way also.

About half an hour south on I35 is Temple w/Scott White Hospital. The Hospital has had excellent repute throughout the state for not less than forty years. Your sisters might have interest in work there. I've recently done some work at a branch of a national call center near Waco where one of the medical coverages was the 'Scott White' coverage. Realizing that many of those employees would never leave their home areas, the coverage is both free and popular. Near Temple is Fort Hood, which I think is referred to as the largest active mechanized Army post in the U.S. Might also be of interest to your sisters....

Not far from Waco is Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Possum Kingdom Lake, the Texas Hill Country, Wineries (http://www.texaswinetrail.com/index.html - broken link)... well, lots more. Be sure to get your free Texas Travel Guide chock full of 200 glossy pages of facts, figures, sights and places to go.

You probly don't need to worry about the kids developing a 'southern' accent. If anything, it would be more distinctly 'Texan' but there are so many native transplants here that they'll probly develop their own accents.

Think of it as an adventure. If you don't like Texas just think, the east coast is two hours closer by air.

A couple of job look ups...
USA Jobs, search by city. Waco, Temple, wherever...
Work In Texas, the state job board, not necessarily state jobs.