Questions for those in and around Smith County, Texas...
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 547
Likes: 1
From: Republic Of Texas
yeah Texas aint for everyone
summers can be hot 100F + and the high humidity runs most of the yankees out
but winters are mild and we ride year round, sleets/snows once a year maybe in Jan-Feb
mosquitos are bad in some places (got eaten alive at Tyler State Park one high school summer date and no repellent)
its not nearly as scenic as Oregon etc and I prefer the desert to the piney woods now
summers can be hot 100F + and the high humidity runs most of the yankees out
but winters are mild and we ride year round, sleets/snows once a year maybe in Jan-Feb
mosquitos are bad in some places (got eaten alive at Tyler State Park one high school summer date and no repellent)
its not nearly as scenic as Oregon etc and I prefer the desert to the piney woods now
You might want to be careful going to Tyler to chase the sun. Eugene, Oregon averages 50.9 inches of rain per year. Tyler averages 43.1. Tyler averages 245 days of sunshine, Eugene has 294. However, there are many other reasons to go to Texas and get out of Oregon. I travel a great deal, especially to Texas, and the people in Texas are about as good as it gets.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 177
Likes: 0
From: Spring, Tx
As somewhat of an outsider (Houston) looking in, I would say the Tyler area is a decent place but as mentioned by someone earlier the Austin area is much better for riding as well as diverse entertainment, drier climate, hotter women, etc... I had in-laws in Palestine we visited quite often and to me it looks like Tyler has become the place to go for medical treatment if you are in central east Texas. As such the medical industry appears to be growing like crazy there. It also appears to me to be an aging population but that's just my opinion.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,068
Likes: 1,473
From: Texas! Ya mean there's someplace else?
Romey covered it pretty well. Energy industry is booming, even with oil prices dropping. There are way more great riding roads in this area than most imagine. The Farm Roads (marked FM on maps) are mostly 2 lane blacktops that wind through the hills and forests. The humidity isn't nearly as bad as some would lead you to believe. Land and housing is relatively inexpensive, especially away from the small cities of Tyler and Longview (24 acres of pasture & woods, 9 y/o house we designed and had built, shop & carport = $108,000.) Close enough to Shreveport, LA & to DFW for any big city foolishness every now and then.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 10,788
Likes: 2,222
From: Texas
I and the wife lived in Mineola (Wood county) in 1973 and 74, just north of Smith county. Loved the area and the people!
Most likely would have still been there, except had to move back to home county (Comanche) to take over the family farms after my Dad died at age 42.
East Texas is a GREAT place to live and work, or it surely was back in those days!!!
Most likely would have still been there, except had to move back to home county (Comanche) to take over the family farms after my Dad died at age 42. East Texas is a GREAT place to live and work, or it surely was back in those days!!!
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 258
Likes: 0
Born and raised in Austin.
Hard to leave a place that everyone loves.
Seventy degrees today.
It gets hot in the summer for about three months but we have lots of lakes and swimming holes to cool off in.
We evan have a legal skinny-dipping place (Hippy Hallow)
No other part of TX, is this liberal.
Fantastic riding areas and, oh , oh yeah Austin sucks its really hot don't move here.
Hard to leave a place that everyone loves.
Seventy degrees today.
It gets hot in the summer for about three months but we have lots of lakes and swimming holes to cool off in.
We evan have a legal skinny-dipping place (Hippy Hallow)
No other part of TX, is this liberal.
Fantastic riding areas and, oh , oh yeah Austin sucks its really hot don't move here.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,068
Likes: 1,473
From: Texas! Ya mean there's someplace else?
Normal high in July & August is 95F. Don't think my house even hit 100F but 2 or 3 times this year. And once you're here for a couple years, the temps don't bother you. OTOH, an interloper dropping in during an August scorcher can't handle it. Works OK 'cause it keeps the girly-men from settling. 
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 439
Likes: 5
From: Austin Texas
Austin used to be cool, remember the Armadillo, Skyline Tavern, Split Rail where you could hear great Texas music music, but it got cemented over.
Yea, come on over to Austin and sit for a while in the traffic. No problem, just kick back & tune in some cool sounds on the radio while sitting in the rush hour freeway parking lot, let's see: hiphop,hiphop,hiphop,tejano,tejano,hiphop....
Oh, here's an idea, get an F'n Toll Road Pass and cruise around on an endless loop for fun.
Don't let your $28.50 inspection sticker expire on you truck or they'll slap you with a $150.00 fine in Pfluggerville. ***** !
Thank the Lord for puttin' in the hill country.
Yea, come on over to Austin and sit for a while in the traffic. No problem, just kick back & tune in some cool sounds on the radio while sitting in the rush hour freeway parking lot, let's see: hiphop,hiphop,hiphop,tejano,tejano,hiphop....
Oh, here's an idea, get an F'n Toll Road Pass and cruise around on an endless loop for fun.
Don't let your $28.50 inspection sticker expire on you truck or they'll slap you with a $150.00 fine in Pfluggerville. ***** !
Thank the Lord for puttin' in the hill country.
Last edited by deni; Dec 9, 2008 at 11:39 AM.
