Questions about the Tyler area (Houston, Dallas: waterpark, insurance, job market)

[PaperclipGirl]

Hi! I am looking to move to Texas. I have been looking at the SA and Houston area, but lately Tyler has caught my eye.

I currently live in a really small rural town in Idaho (pop. 12,000). I want to move because there is nothing to do here for children, particularly teenagers - except get drunk or pregnant.

Is Tyler the same? Are there a lot of things to do on the weekends, like fairs, festivals, attractions? Are there a lot of school extra curriculars?

Also, for me (I'm a single mom) how is the job market? I have a BA degree, but I don't want to end up bagging at a supermarket, if you understand what I mean.

Any comments would be appreciated.

[soletaire]

I would be lying to you if I told you there are a ton of things for teenagers to do in the Tyler area. Most activities revolve heavily around extracurricular school activities (high school football rivalries/cheerleading/band), church, and the yearly fair or rose parade. There are movies, parks, a laser tag center, bowling ally (allies?), put-put golf, a mall, restaurants and pool halls, but it just depends on whether these types of things interest you or not.

[Nairobi]

And keep in mind that Tyler is also less than two hours from Dallas, so when you and the kids just have to get away, it's as easy as a short road trip.

Like soletaire mentioned, in a place the size of Tyler, I think the key is keeping the children involved in extracurricular activities at school.

[PaperclipGirl]

That is certainly more that what is offered here. The closest "city" is 45 minutes away with NOTHING in between.

Thanks for your answers!

[Mark Senior]

Outside Tyler is a small waterpark on I-20 going toward Dallas about 35 miles. On highway 155 going south just out of Tyler is a water park in the Silverleaf Resort open to the public. Also, a very small but kinda neat amusement part about 2-3 miles outside Tyler's Loop 323 on 155 South. Big enough to avertise on T.V.

Tyler Juinor College has a very nice planetarium, by the way, a very good school for the kids in a few years, 13,000 students, offer many courses. Don't know how old the kids are, but there is the Discovery Musem downtown., Brookshire Wildlife Musem on old Jacksonville highway, the Old Musem in Kilgore is top ranked. For you, the UT Tyler Cowen Center has "big city" plays, concerts etc. Very nice place. The East Texas Symphony is very good, I have the Houston Symphony as a comparison, lived there for 25 years.

Chucks Travel in Tyler offers $50 round trips to The State Fair in Dallas in October, but you would probably want to go by car with a family. You can get to any part of Dallas or Arlington for all the activties there in the two hours mentione before.

Yes, churches everywhere, but offer many summertime trips or camps for the kids. Pine Cove Camp on Lake Palestine but is closer to Tyler is a great place, thousands I mean thousands of kids from all over the state go there each year.

Now "a reality check", you need a job before you come to Tyler, for sure. Any skills in the medical field would be good. Other than that, ask The Tyler Economic Council at the Tyler Chamber of Commerce about a new medical related insurance company relocating now and building a new office building over the next year, 300 good paying jobs.

You just have to look very carefully for employment in Tyler. Express Personal is one of the better places, I'm told.

[KathrynAragon]

Express Employment Professionals has a terrific staff that will take your job search seriously. I highly recommend them.