Questions for those in and around Smith County, Texas...
Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 25,718
Likes: 41
From: WIMBORNE,DORSET, GREATBRITAIN
Nice area lots of red sandy soil, pine trees, hills no mountains, more rainfall than Dallas probably 40 inches of rain a year, lots of small lakes, good deer hunting (if you can afford to lease land its nearly all private)
traffics busy in the small metro area lots of suvs and angry guys in dually pick up trucks that wear camouflage year round and drive 70mph in school zones Tyler actaully has a real Loop 6 lanes in most places
Bandidos chapter in nearby Longview some lesser M/Cs scattered around
dont live there dont know the job market but overall economy seems Ok, car dealers have been hit hard, still some oil field service, chemical, jobs (refinery burned up) some other industry, chicken plant (may go chapter 11) big hospital but there is a buyers market in real estate some good deals on rural properties too
city cops leave you alone pretty much but those Sheriffs?? woo hoo watch out for them!
see also: Longview smaller, less traffic still seems progressive enough to have a thriving retail mall and at least one Walmart!
traffics busy in the small metro area lots of suvs and angry guys in dually pick up trucks that wear camouflage year round and drive 70mph in school zones Tyler actaully has a real Loop 6 lanes in most places
Bandidos chapter in nearby Longview some lesser M/Cs scattered around
dont live there dont know the job market but overall economy seems Ok, car dealers have been hit hard, still some oil field service, chemical, jobs (refinery burned up) some other industry, chicken plant (may go chapter 11) big hospital but there is a buyers market in real estate some good deals on rural properties too
city cops leave you alone pretty much but those Sheriffs?? woo hoo watch out for them!
see also: Longview smaller, less traffic still seems progressive enough to have a thriving retail mall and at least one Walmart!
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: Elysian Fields Texas
Live in a very small town in east Texas and love it. Great roads in any direction, couple of hundred miles west - wide open spaces. go south beaches, north more hills, weather is good not to cold most winter days and not overly hot in the summer. no state taxes but you do have local property taxes. Would'nt live anywhere else. oil patch work is going strong everything else seems OK.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 767
Likes: 1
From: Longview,TX
I live in longview,about 35 miles from tyler,as others have said,lots of great farm to market roads,there is at least 15 lakes around the area within a one hour drive from here.Smith county is dry,but Gregg county is not.You get used to the heat in august.We are one hour from Shreveport and two hours from Dallas.There are a few mc rallys around here such as The party in the Pines here in longview and The boo benifit in Jefferson.By the way Longview has 3 Walmarts.You will love it down here.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 139
Likes: 10
From: Florida
Right now, I live in Florida simply because I make a good living here. But, I'm from Dallas & my wife is from the Tyler area. I lived in Tyler for 5 years. We love the area so much we have already purchased a retirement home on Lake Palestine. We're counting the days until we can return to East Texas (although the count is still at about 7 years to go!).
We love to fish and ride Harleys. East Texas has the lakes, the back roads to ride, its close to Dallas & Shreveport, close to the Texas Hill Country (our next most favorite place).
Yes, it gets hot in the summer. And yes, Smith County is dry. You can drink to your heart's content in most any restaurant, and you make your weekly run to the beer / liquor store. There's always plenty to drink at our house.
You'll love East Texas.
We love to fish and ride Harleys. East Texas has the lakes, the back roads to ride, its close to Dallas & Shreveport, close to the Texas Hill Country (our next most favorite place).
Yes, it gets hot in the summer. And yes, Smith County is dry. You can drink to your heart's content in most any restaurant, and you make your weekly run to the beer / liquor store. There's always plenty to drink at our house.
You'll love East Texas.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 527
Likes: 0
From: Eugene, Oregon
Hey, all y'all...
I have a few specific questions for you:
Weather: What are the usual/unusual extremes for east Texas? I've heard that there's nasty hail from time-to-time. What about sustained winds, like above 40-50 MPH? Is the area susceptible to flash flooding? Tornadoes? Insanely heavy thunder/lightning storms?
What are the most scary weather situations you've been through. (For me, so far the worst was the Mt. St. Helens eruption, back in 1981...)
Jobs:
Of course, we'll be looking for work. My wife works in an office environment (currently health insurance, as a "Marketing-Agent Coordinator), but has been in many different office environments almost all of her adult life. As for me, I'm a grunt with a bit of a bad back. currently (and for most of my life), I drive a large box-truck 300 miles per day, and a little warehouse work. I'd REALLY like to find another railroad conductor spot, if they're available. Anything you can tell us about the availability of good jobs in east Texas would be HIGHLY APPRECIATED!!!
I have a few specific questions for you:
Weather: What are the usual/unusual extremes for east Texas? I've heard that there's nasty hail from time-to-time. What about sustained winds, like above 40-50 MPH? Is the area susceptible to flash flooding? Tornadoes? Insanely heavy thunder/lightning storms?
What are the most scary weather situations you've been through. (For me, so far the worst was the Mt. St. Helens eruption, back in 1981...)
Jobs:
Of course, we'll be looking for work. My wife works in an office environment (currently health insurance, as a "Marketing-Agent Coordinator), but has been in many different office environments almost all of her adult life. As for me, I'm a grunt with a bit of a bad back. currently (and for most of my life), I drive a large box-truck 300 miles per day, and a little warehouse work. I'd REALLY like to find another railroad conductor spot, if they're available. Anything you can tell us about the availability of good jobs in east Texas would be HIGHLY APPRECIATED!!!
Last edited by Roadking Cal; Dec 9, 2008 at 07:36 PM. Reason: Had to capitalize the "T" in "Texas"...
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,803
Likes: 11
From: El Paso, Texas
+1 During the ten Years My Son lived in San Diego ( Rode there many times) and wasnt impressed with SD at all. Niether was My son, He just moved back here calling Texas God's Country
Last edited by Dionicio; Dec 9, 2008 at 07:58 PM. Reason: Misspellings
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
From: Republic of Texas
Great riding a couple hours North of there. The Ouchita "Mountains" in OK and AR are great. Check out the Talimena Parkway and Beaver's Bend State Park. I get out there every Fall for a cool, curvey ride.