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Old 06-16-2007, 08:09 PM
 
122 posts, read 391,532 times
Reputation: 60

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I've (finally) decided which towns in Texas to visit!

Definitely: Portland, Port Lavaca, Austin, and Denison.
Plus (90% sure): Either Fredericksburg or New Braunfels. Of the two, I'm leaning towards Fredericksburg because it has less crime and is farther from S.A./Austin, and so is likely to have fewer commuters moving to it (which would result in rapid growth and astronomical prices before I'm ready to buy).

My plan is going to be either:
5 days apiece for Portland, Port Lavaca, Austin, and Denison.
OR:
4 days apiece for Portland, Port Lavaca, Austin, and Denison, plus 4 days for *either* New Braunfels or Fredericksburg.

Right now, I'm comparing the two cities and am deciding whether to "rule them in" or "rule them out". I'm going to call the chambers of commerce, plus do a little web searching, and of course anything you guys want to say about the two, or particularly informative threads you could link to would be great.

My big worries are:

-What if I go to Texas, and don't like any of the towns?
-What if I go there, and can't find out enough about the towns to decide whether I want to live there?
-What if I like more than one? How do I pick the "best one"?

It seems like as time passes each move gets harder. I'm hoping to find one city I can be happy with enough to settle down in on a permanent basis. I would stay in Anchorage, but I can't tolerate the winter weather for the rest of my life (or even another season). I've literally got a one-way ticket out of here.

What can I do while I'm in each town to get the best "feel" for it, and the most information, etc., to decide if it's someplace I want to live? Besides the visitors center and chamber of commerce, what else should I do? What questions should I ask? What routes would give the best tour of town? How do I dig up the details that are important to my decision? How much can I learn just by looking at the town? Is there anything I should keep an eye out for? What things will I not be able to learn in a short visit, no matter how well planned my trip, and will only find out after living there a period of time, perhaps years?

Then, after I visit, how do I best weigh the choices? Once I'm done visiting, I'm gonna spend a couple days in a motel room to go over things and decide which I like best. Two days is not a lot of time to make such a big decision. Any tips?

Heck, I'm having a hard time deciding which to rank first pre-visit. I'm having a hard time finding enough info to make decision, I'm sooo stressed about moving that what info I do find I'm having a hard time absorbing, and the amount of things I need to consider is overwhelming. Then, on top of that, I'm having a hard time being honest with myself about what means the most to me in a town (Can I live without the beach? Are bats better, or a lake?).

How would you compare those six towns? How would you describe these towns? If you had to choose one to live in, which would you pick, and why?

Is there much difference, weather-wise, or are they about the same for heat, hail, rain, and thunder? How do they compare price-wise? People-wise? Other-wise?

"What are you looking for?" you ask? Someplace where I'll be happy, my kid will be happy, it's cheaper to live than Anchorage, and some day I can afford a house. Let me know if you need more detail.

Besides that, I have some big concerns about some of the towns.

Since I'll be renting, I'm not too worried about the house being destroyed in a hurricane (that's the landlord's problem ... until I decide to buy a house ... but there's always insurance for that, right? ), but I am concerned about how to evacuate, as I won't own a car. I've e-mailed a few "official sites", and am waiting for a response, but if someone would like to chime in on the subject that would be great.

My other concern is about the nuclear research reactor in Austin. I'm a bit leery of nuclear stuff. I emailed the university (probably picked the wrong address- hope they forward it) and am going to call about it (the Austin visitor's center gave me the phone #), but I'd like to hear any comments about it. If it was a power plant, I wouldn't move near it, but a "research reactor" (less radioactive material/danger I assume)?... I don't know.
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Old 06-16-2007, 08:18 PM
 
Location: Texas
3,494 posts, read 14,322,498 times
Reputation: 1413
always make sure you make a trip to the local Walmart. had i JUST done that ONE thing when i took this contract down here, i would have NEVER EVER EVER taken this job and moved here. Walmart shows the town's true colors-good and bad........
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Old 06-16-2007, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Allen, Texas
670 posts, read 2,988,273 times
Reputation: 203
Quote:
Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas View Post
always make sure you make a trip to the local Walmart. had i JUST done that ONE thing when i took this contract down here, i would have NEVER EVER EVER taken this job and moved here. Walmart shows the town's true colors-good and bad........
You know that really isn't a bad suggestion, had I done that here (we're in Columbus but moving back to Texas ASAP) I would have NEVER EVER moved here.

Also in my experience you are not really going to know if you like a place until you leave there a year. I would NEVER buy right away, so I defintely agree with your plan to rent to be sure you like the exact neighborhoods and what not. Out of those cities I've only been to Austin and I really liked it a lot. I have friends in Port Lavaca who lived there since kids (so 30-40 years) and love it too.

We lived near a nuclear power plant for gosh 15 years in California and I didn't have worries...but I was a kid
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Old 06-16-2007, 10:03 PM
 
Location: College Station, TX
364 posts, read 1,414,007 times
Reputation: 317
Yes, visit Fredericksburg. I'd add Victoria to your list since it is right beside Port Lavaca.

No car?!?! You might want to rethink that. I would strongly recommend one. Public transportation is not a priority in most of Texas.

Best of luck to you.

Rick
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Old 06-17-2007, 01:25 AM
 
122 posts, read 391,532 times
Reputation: 60
What happened/what did you see at Walmart that would have stopped you from moving there? Dirty store? Rude service people? Is it a good showing of character because there's a lot of people from town that go there, and you see "everyone" at once? Or something else?

Well, as far as no car- I'm planning to ride my bike everywhere. Bus service seems pretty good in Austin, so there I could use that in addition to my bike, and the other towns seem small enough to get around just on bike. Do you see many people biking in those towns? Does it seem bike friendly or unfriendly? From what I've heard they seem alright, bike-wise, but more opinions are welcome.
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Old 06-17-2007, 05:25 AM
 
Location: Texas
3,494 posts, read 14,322,498 times
Reputation: 1413
walmart just gave me a good idea of the demographics in the town, the culture in the town..just simply the type of people in the town...........
and i think back to the walmart of my small North Texas town where it was quiet, friendly, and everyone was talking to each other, smiling, "thank you ma'am" or "excuse me" etc..........where as at the walmart here, very few smiling faces, and alot of other negatives...........

Quote:
Originally Posted by CandyApple View Post
What happened/what did you see at Walmart that would have stopped you from moving there? Dirty store? Rude service people? Is it a good showing of character because there's a lot of people from town that go there, and you see "everyone" at once? Or something else?

Well, as far as no car- I'm planning to ride my bike everywhere. Bus service seems pretty good in Austin, so there I could use that in addition to my bike, and the other towns seem small enough to get around just on bike. Do you see many people biking in those towns? Does it seem bike friendly or unfriendly? From what I've heard they seem alright, bike-wise, but more opinions are welcome.
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Old 06-17-2007, 11:08 AM
 
16 posts, read 66,168 times
Reputation: 22
Default I share your dilemma

I know EXACTLY how you feel! I have been through the same process many many times all the way from the east coast to the west coast. Something that I learned through my hard earned experiences is that it is best to visit your choices at different times of the year each time for a period of one to two weeks (I know that may not always be an option though). That way you get a feel for the climate of the place at different times of the year.
Also, do your research. Learn about the city. What events do they hold annually and if you are visiting during those times, that will give you an indication of the traffic conditions in the city. TALK to the locals. DO NOT take word from recruiters, real estate agents and other professionals like them. If you are relocating for your job, I strongly suggest you temporarily relocate to your new location. Test the waters, get a feel for the place and the job!! You may decide that you dont care enough for the new job to move there (that was a personal and painful experience). Research the job market if you are in a volatile field like engineering and medicine. There is a lot more I can tell you, but I'll stop right here. You let me know if you want to hear more.
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Old 06-17-2007, 09:35 PM
 
16,579 posts, read 20,598,688 times
Reputation: 26859
All I can say for sure is that if you live in Portland, you're most likely going to want a car if you're ever going to leave town. To get to Corpus Christi you'd have a harrowing ride over the harbor bridge. It's only about 6-8 miles but the bridge itself is quite steep. Your alternative would be a 40-mile trip, including a fairy ride, to take the long way around.

Although I wish it weren't true, if you're going to live just about anywhere in Texas, you're going to need a car.
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Old 06-17-2007, 10:03 PM
 
Location: Houston
657 posts, read 2,534,293 times
Reputation: 240
San Angelo is not a bad smaller city to check out.
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Old 06-18-2007, 01:04 AM
 
Location: Metromess
11,798 posts, read 25,075,985 times
Reputation: 5219
CandyApple: Your list really cuts a wide swath, doesn't it? Lots of those places are almost completely different from one another (location, size, climate, etc.). My choices in Texas from your list would probably be Denton and Fredericksburg, but I think you're going to have to figure it out for yourself, since no one but you knows what you really want from a town. No offense, but do you know? The wide variety makes me wonder. Narrow it down by making a list of categories and see how it boils down.
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