If your looking for a safe place to live stay north of Highway 80 and most areas are pretty safe. Good school districts include Spring Hill and Hallsville. I went to Longview High and it is pretty ghetto, I'd stay away from LISD. Another good option is private schools, there is several in the area and I went to trinity in middleschool, which is pretty good. Don't listen to the naysayers, its not a bad place to live. There is alot of trash there, but there is also alot of good people. The economy there is backed by old oil money and is still booming compared to alot of areas. I'll probably be moving back to the area in the next couple of years. Low cost of living, plenty of outdoor activities, and it's really a pretty area to live in.