Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 06-21-2007, 06:12 AM
 
Location: Daleville, VA
2,282 posts, read 4,061,509 times
Reputation: 2423

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marlow View Post
Your alternative would be a 40-mile trip, including a fairy ride, to take the long way around.
Actually that "fairy ride" is something the kids might LOVE!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-21-2007, 07:46 AM
 
16,579 posts, read 20,709,696 times
Reputation: 26860
Actually that "fairy ride" is something the kids might LOVE!!

Oooops! I really do know how to spell that word....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-21-2007, 10:56 PM
 
122 posts, read 393,209 times
Reputation: 60
Regarding the bridge: Hmm... 250 feet tall. I can't visualize that. How long would it take to walk up it? Five minutes, or even a little more, I can do, but if it takes 1/2 an hour like at UAF, that indeed would be a pain in the rear. Oh, and how long is the bridge itself? How far to get to the highest point on the bridge? How wide is the sidewalk? Would it be ok to bike downhill on the sidewalk?

I suppose if it's too much of a pain to bike I could always take a cab when I wanted to go to Corpus Christi. Are the cabs there reliable? I just e-mailed the C.C. chamber of commerce about bus service. Judging from their website, I *think* they have service to Portland, but I'm not sure...

I figure I might go to C.C. about once a week or so.

What's wrong with the beach? Broken glass? Polluted water that's not safe to swim in? Or is it just full of seaweed? I like seaweed.

Well, I found out something about hurricanes. There's a number you can call, 211, if you don't have a car, and they'll evacuate you if there's a hurricane. I also got another number, to find out more info, and that lady didn't know all the answers to my questions, but she had me e-mail her and she'll find out the information. I'll post what she says when I get the info.

Also, there's these things called weather radios that are supposed to alert you when some kind of disaster is happening without having to watch tv/listen to the radio all day. NOAA Weather Radio

So, that's a help. I'd say it relieves my worries about 50%. Let's hope the lady can knock off the other half enough for me to live comfortably, rather than fearfully, on the coast.

Did I mention it gets to 89-91 degrees in my house, sometimes all day, and about 40-50% humidity? Can't turn off the heat, no matter how low I set the thermostat. I'd ask the landlord about it, but my house is messy. I'd be so embarrassed. Gotta get cleaning. Well, since I seem to be surviving that, I'm guessing I'll do ok camping at night in Texas during the summer. And my daughter insisted on wearing her winter jacket outside yesterday, and she did just fine. I kept reminding her that if she got hot, I could take it off for her, but she didn't want to stop wearing it. I guess she's ready for Texas, too...

I'd write more, but my post is already getting long...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2007, 07:49 AM
 
16,579 posts, read 20,709,696 times
Reputation: 26860
CandyApple--I appreciate your spirit, but you've got to stop thinking you're going to walk or bike across the bridge on a regular basis. There's the bridge itself, which is steep and it would be foolish to try and bike down it with a kid trailer. Then there's the causeway which you would also have to cross and which is about .... I don't know--at least 3-4 miles long. Every year they have a 10k race which includes the bridge and part of the causeway. I've done it twice and it's a bear.

Yes, you could take a cab back and forth. And I'm glad you're finding out about the bus service. Still, I would never consider moving to Portland without a car, especially with a child.

I'm not familiar with the beach in Portland. Generally though, the bay beaches are not as nice as the Gulf beaches. All the runoff from the city ends up there. The water's not as clear and the sand is coarse.

I've been to Fairbanks in August and let me assure you that any "warm" temperature you're feeling there is nothing like a Texas summer. I'm not saying it's so hot that you can't survive it but I imagine it's like an Alaska winter--you can't really believe how uncomfortable it can be til you spend some time in it.

I'm glad you're coming down to spend a few days. It's really hard to get a feel for a place over the internet.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2007, 11:16 AM
 
434 posts, read 1,737,119 times
Reputation: 487
There isn't really a beach in Portland. There is sort of a marshy runoff area (as in full of snakes and trash) where you occasionally see people by the side of the road fishing but I don't think they eat them. The plants and chemical factories in the bay pollute the water and there is no sand like you picture a normal beach. The part of the ocean Portland is on is the bay and it is shallow and nasty which is why they never bothered with a beach. Portland as a town is great, they have a nice community center etc but there is no reliable public trans and a taxi would be very expensive to shopping in Corpus. However Portland has an HEB grocery and a super Wal-mart so you might not ever need to go to Corpus. I would never live there without a car and I would not try to cross the bridge in anything other than a car or perhaps a tank. I lived there for a couple of years and drove it every day and I never saw anyone even walk across it much less try to bike pulling children. REALLY BAD IDEA. I only stress this because if you move to Texas I want you to have a happy experience there and not wind up smushed on the bridge your first day in our lovely state!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2007, 02:00 PM
 
Location: Dallas
808 posts, read 3,648,078 times
Reputation: 305
About the beach in Portland...think of what a "duck hunting paradise" might look like. William Howard Taft duck hunted in Portland when he was President. That should give you an idea of how the Portland shoreline looks. It's definetely not a "beach resort" type area.

The Harbor Bridge sidewalks aren't wide at all. Just enough to walk up. Plus, there's also the causeway.

Causeway:


Harbor Bridge:
http://www.harborhalf.com/images/HH2005bridge.jpg (broken link)
More photos: TexasFreeway > Corpus Christi > Photo Gallery > US 181
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2007, 03:22 PM
 
16,579 posts, read 20,709,696 times
Reputation: 26860
Great pics! That one of the race brings back some painful memories....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2007, 08:26 PM
 
Location: Corpus Christi, TX
304 posts, read 1,127,271 times
Reputation: 77
Default changeofpace

We were considering either Flour Bluff or Portland neighborhoods of Corpus for our relocatiion from MN. We are semi-retiring and we are walkers and bikers and want to go from 2 cars to 1 car when we relocate. Its to far and to dangerous to walk or bike the bridges from Portland and Flour Bluff. Coprus has a bus system and is expanding and upgrading its public transit entirely, (my new employer and my position with them). We decided on CalAllen, to far from SPID shoping and downtown but Calallen has all the shoping right there. If you move to Corpus you would want to get a system map of the bus system and find a residence and job near or on bus routes. The bus routes will be added more than changed and non eliminated. One of our criteria for our new home (was considering McAllen, Harlingen, San Marcos and Corpus (Portland included), was that when we dont want to or cant drive, can we get to stores, clinics, banks, post office, etc without a car. We chose the calallen area of Corpus because even now we could do that and the way it is growing and with the current and proposed bus routes it will work the best.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2007, 09:46 PM
 
122 posts, read 393,209 times
Reputation: 60
*btw, I wrote this before I saw your post, changeofpace (yeah, I take that long)*
Quote:
CandyApple--I appreciate your spirit, but you've got to stop thinking you're going to walk or bike across the bridge on a regular basis.
I will think so until I've decided otherwise.

I rode my bike 18 miles once, most of it alongside the highway, from Fairbanks to North Pole on the shoulder of the road. I think I could do 6-8 miles...

However, judging from the pictures, the harbor bridge does indeed look like a pain in the rear. Yeah, I wouldn't try to walk/bike over that. And where is this sidewalk you speak of? Under the bridge? I don't see it in any of the pics.

Is the causeway connected to the harbor bridge? Or is it a separate way to get across to Corpus Christi? The causeway looks like it might be doable.

The beach is supposed to make up for the possibility of hurricanes. I don't understand the part about there not being any good sand, because some of the pictures I've seen that are supposed to be of Portland have sand in them. If it's not good for swimming or sand castles or both, what's the point of being by the beach? Is Corpus Christi any better? How about Port Lavaca, is the beach there any good?

Hmm... Between cruddy beaches and polluting refineries, Portland's starting to sound less appealing. Do the plants give off a smell? Is there an official site somewhere that I can read about the pollution from the plants? Where are the plants located?

Well, right now it's a toss up between seeing the town anyway and trying to find someplace better to check out. And I've still gotta pack, clean, sell/give away stuff, make reservations, ugh!
----
This is not what I want! I want every place I've picked to be paradise, just waiting for me to pick which version of paradise I find most charming, though I would be eternally blissful in any of them. Argh!

Ok, maybe I can't expect paradise, but please tell me at least one or two of the cities I picked doesn't have something intolerably wrong with it.

Since I still want to visit five cities, I might need to find a replacement for Portland. Something with a nice lake or something to swim in, at least in biking distance from town. Small enough to bike around town. Cheaper than Anchorage. Less crime than Fairbanks (according to the city-data stats). Nice scenery, shade from trees. Parks for the kid. Some social/other activities that aren't religious based. Nothing horribly wrong with the town. Adequate job market/not a one company town. Need to be able to get to it from Austin without a car- via Greyhound, train, anything, doesn't matter what (I'm going to have to return the rental car in Austin). Stable population size preferred.
----
It's cooler outside than in my house. Like I said, I can't turn the heat off. I'm just thinking out loud that if I can sleep inside at 89-91 degrees just fine (I checked the thermometer), I should be able to sleep outside at night in Texas. (We'll be camping to save $).

Yeah, I won't know it until I live it. I lived in Virginia for nearly 14 years, I survived the summers there, heat never stopped me from being outside. I just needed shade is all. I expect it'll be warmer in Texas, though. I just don't know how much warmer...
----
Ok, anybody, if there's ANY reason I SHOULD NOT move to Port Lavaca, tell me now! It's number one on my list of possibilities, so if it turns out I'm gonna have to cross that off my list, too, I'm gonna need to find a replacement. Refineries, mobs of serial killers, daily tidal waves flooding the city, anything...

Last edited by CandyApple; 06-22-2007 at 10:34 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2007, 10:28 PM
 
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,683,905 times
Reputation: 1974
Texas isn't warm. It's hot.

From Port Lavaca to Denison to Austin... What exactly is it you're looking for? I see you've listed pros and cons to different towns, but I'm unclear as to what it is exactly YOU want out of a city and what your circumstances are. This state is L A R G E. When choosing cities in Texas, it helps to be as specific as possible so that you can get useful recommendations. Anything else will be based on people's own preferences. From what I'm seeing you're all over the place. How did you narrow down your list to these cities? There are plenty of nice towns. Doesn't mean they're right for you. What exactly are you looking for besides parks for your kid and a place to be happy? If you can articulate that, it could make all the difference between enjoying your new life in Texas and being completely miserable here. Bullet points would be helpful.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:07 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top