Moving to Texas....any advice?....

[bob.e]

I lived in Big Springs close to that area you'll be in, we drove 100 miles to Big Lake past the boat and bait shops and found the lake had dried up (so much for fishing) LOL that area of the country is way different than anywhere I've ever been (socially and topographicly) in general the people were pretty nice but where I was in Big Spring I learned real quickly the difference between a goat roper and a red neck- simply put a goat roper is a red neck to a red neck. But as I said in general the people were pretty nice even to this ex-pat New Yorker

Expect some weather extreems I've seen those dust storms roll in great red clouds zero visibility and dust over everything even with closed windows.

You should find some outstanding BBQ there, but I never found a decent Steak

 

[Prince]

All I can recommend is to bring sunscreen and buy house with central a/c. You'll turn on the a/c in March/April and if you are lucky, turn it off by Sept/Oct. Then again, we've hit 90 in Dallas during the winter. Hope you enjoy Tex/Mex. That is still one of the top reasons I have yet to move out of the state. Oh, since we have alot of sunshine, a pair of polarized sunglasses would be a necessity. As far as Midland goes, very few trees. Quite to contrast to the lush, green Portland area.

 

[richmondesi]

Yeah, I'm having a hard time figuring out what could be behind this move, but I sure hope it's something positive

 

[texbilly]

Yeah, I'm having a hard time figuring out what could be behind this move, but I sure hope it's something positive

kopio, what's driving your move, oil?

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Hey Guys,

So...it looks like I'm going to be moving to Texas. I will be about an hour south of the Odessa/Midland area in a little town called Rankin.

So my question is...any advise? For the record, I love to fish, but this is the middle of the friggin desert! What I want to know is....what kind of odd things do I need to prepare myself for. I love BBQ and southern food. So I'm really looking forward to that. I've lived in the Portland Oregon area since about 1980, so I am really used to the people, climate, and other things here.

Anyhow...any advise would be greatly appreciated. One thing I have noticed, is that there seems to be a TON of members from Texas...so I'm guessing I can get a little good advise.

Howdy and an early welcome to the Lone Star State.

1) Lose the Yankees avatar and any clothing with the same logo.
2) Learn to hunt dove and quail and deer.
3) Dry heat is good heat. Drink lots of water even if you don't feel thirsty.
4) Buy a pair of Lucchese's
5) Don't forget to give the Lucchese's a good upside down shake in the morning before you put them on (scorpions)

I think you'll like it.

 

[JECIII]

This is an 89 lb. rattle snake.

 

[flylot]

Just remember a few things:
1. Texans are always "fixin' to do" somethin'
2. The reason everyone is so friendly is because everyone is carrying a gun!
3. On the back roads, the reason the guy in front of you is pulling over is not because he has a problem, he's letting you by.......

Welcome to Texas. I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could!

 

[richmondesi]

huge +1 on the Lucchese boots. Or you could do one better and get our very own Dustinl to make you some customs. That would be a good start. BTW, you can keep the Yankees gear, this isn't Mass.

 

[texbilly]

5) Don't forget to give the Lucchese's a good upside down shake in the morning before you put them on (scorpions)

...and shake out your sheets before getting in bed. Trust me.

 

[Bertilak]

5) Don't forget to give the Lucchese's a good upside down shake in the morning before you put them on (scorpions)

Plenty of those in Liberty Hill also.

One morning at 2:00 AM I was rudely awakened by a sudden sharp electric shock to the back of my hand. Scorpion! Similar to hornet sting.

Exactly one week later, to the hour, my wife had the same thing happen! Also in the back of the hand!

Now when I got stung there were no "consequences". When The wife got stung the very next day (only hours later) the pest control people were all over the house, in and out, with special scorpion chemicals. And my wife is one of those people who happily pays 50% extra for "organic" food!

 

[flatstick96]

Yeah, I'm having a hard time figuring out what could be behind this move...

My sentiments exactly. I've traveled around the state of Texas a fair bit in the ten or so years that I've lived here, and I haven't seen a single place outside of the Austin metro area where I'd want to live for any length of time.

Big Bend is great to visit - if I lived closer, I'd go often.

Coming from somewhere that actually has water and vegetation (and a reasonable climate), you're in for a rude awakening...

 

[chfair]

echo a few things. if you like to fish i am sure you could learn to like hunting, pretty well accepted hobby in most of texas especially when you get out of the bigger cities. the desert like areas of texas keep an eye out of rattle snakes, scorpions, black widows and if it is a bit farther south killer bees (note that last one is not all that prevalent in most areas). if you get a chance to get on a hunting lease even if you do not want to hunt it is a great experience to see the local wildlife, bring a camera because no one will believe some of the stuff you will see.

buy a BBQ pit then learn to relax and enjoy the views.

 

[my19]

I've lived north, south, east and west in the U.S. and I have to say that folks in Texas are about the nicest and most welcoming I've found. And they're proud of the place, which, for a kid raised on the Jersey Shore, really did make this "a whole other country."

So, nice people, great food (assuming there's a restaurant in Rankin), summers hotter than I ever thought possible and the sort of geographical diversity you'd expect in a state so big that El Paso is roughly the same distance from San Diego as it is from Houston.

That said, I've never been within 200 miles of Rankin. Never been to Midland, for that matter, and never heard anything that made me want to go. But if it's like most of small-town Texas, you'll find good people and a great sense of community, and a whole lot of empty sky and wide-open spaces. Heck, that sounds pretty good.

 

[RoyalKooparillo]

Some beautiful land out there. Great stars too. Definitely take the time to wander down to Big Bend. Best of luck!

 

[texbilly]

Just remember a few things:
1. Texans are always "fixin' to do" somethin'
2. The reason everyone is so friendly is because everyone is carrying a gun!
3. On the back roads, the reason the guy in front of you is pulling over is not because he has a problem, he's letting you by.......

Welcome to Texas. I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could!

And it's "ya'll", not "you all". And the plural of ya'll? "All ya'll".

 

[Robxcarlson]

Bring a picture of a tree and brush up on your spanish.

This is the best advice I've seen... really applies to me to down here, too.

 

[kopio]

Ok...the reason I will be moving is the First Baptist Church in Rankin is calling me to be their next pastor. So...it's a really good thing. They have a parsonage for us to live in, and yes it has gas forced air...so I'm covered.

There have been a ton of awesome replies in this thread...so I'm gonna go back and reply to a few.

 

[kopio]

There's a good bit of advise. Get used to the idea of rattlesnakes because they are all over the place in that area...

I used to live in central Washington and there were lots and lots of rattlesnakes there. You just get kind of used to always watching where you are walking.

I've never ate them though....but I'd definitely be willing to try....

 

[richmondesi]

This is the best advice I've seen... really applies to me to down here, too.

you should head north east. There are a lot of trees, but being fluent in Spanish is still helpful. BTW, do you know Ambrose? I'm assuming you do since you're right next to each other... Just curious

 

[kopio]

huge +1 on the Lucchese boots. Or you could do one better and get our very own Dustinl to make you some customs. That would be a good start. BTW, you can keep the Yankees gear, this isn't Mass.

I just checked out the Lucchese...look like really nice boots. I've been fixin to get me some (did that sound right?), but I'll have to get them really wide...cowboy boots kill my feet if they aren't wide enough.

As far as the Yankee gear.....I'd sooner loose my eyeteeth than my Yankee gear!