I notice a lot of you would never return to live/raise a family in your hometown. Why is this so?

I am from the big city and have always thought the grass looked greener in a small town, so I'd love to know what y'all think.

I would poll ages and then look at answers. As a younger single guy there is no way I would return to Longview.

However, as a soon to be married guy I would at least entertain the idea because cost of living is so low and I have several connections for potential job.

Plus, I still have several friends that live there.

That being said my fiance would never agree to that.

I'm originally from Paris, TX. I have no intention of returning other than for visits. It is a stagnant town with no future other than the status quo.

But I lived in Marshall for nine years before coming to CS. I would love to go back, but my degree is not in demand there.

Opportunities in smaller towns are very limited for people with little experience in their field (unless there is an arrangement made in advance - like a family business).
Most people have to start where more opportunities exist to gain that valuable experience. Then they can be more selective about where to go from there.




padding my post numbers to attain the credibility of a 'Pro'

I would never go back because there are too many family members in my little hometown, and they tend to stay in each other's business too much. Longview might be doable - it's far enough away from where I'm from that they wouldn't be in my hair all the time and it's a much bigger town. Tyler might work too.

But other than family (and job opportunities), small towns have a much homier feel, schools are generally good - some better than others, of course. If you have a kid that wants to participate in athletics, they have more opportunity to play more than one sport plus could do more school activities. Here (metroplex - 5A schools) they are pretty much limited to one varsity sport and that leaves little opportunity to be involved in other activities (band, drama, student govt, etc).

Mostly - a great place for a family - not so much for single nightlife.

Thanks for your responses, I'd love to hear more. My parents were born and raised in Clarksville and Paris, but left after high school. It always makes me sad to go back to Clarksville because it seems like my dad's generation left it to rot. Paris seems like an ok place.

I would never go back to Longview. I grew up in Pine Tree and that place is turning into a dump. I'd never let my kids attend LHS either. I'd end up sending them to Trinity most likely.

However, I would consider returning to Tyler if there was a job paying enough to raise my family in. Luckily I have 10 years till that happens.

i wouldn't hesitate to return to live in Tyler for me it's perfect, small enough for things like traffic and big enough in other ways as well such as commercialism, plus you can live on the edge in the rural areas and still be able to get things that you need when you go into town

Maybe I would return one day once I am married and have kids. I would love for my kids to be raised in the country. But as a single guy in my 20's not a chance that I would live there now.

Its boring living in a small town. After graduating I went to a small town to work and I moved 7 months later cause I was so bored and I found a better job.

Ok, I've lived in both. I now live outside Tyler. Tyler is small enough to avoid most of the traffic of Houston or Dallas. No, there's not the entertainment offered in Austin or San Antonio, but there's exceptional medical services, adequate shopping and it's quiet, and my kids are not exposed to as much of the nasty side of life that they will get to face soon enough. The schools are good with more opportunities than I had at their age. Now given, most of the advantages are related to my kids and that's just where I am right now. My job happens to be here and I can give my kids a quiet, safe place to grow up. If I hit the lottery, I'd be on a beach most of the year anyway.....

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I would poll ages and then look at answers. As a younger single guy there is no way I would return to Longview.

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exactly how i felt when i left Longview. but i would certainly go back there for a good job. raising our family in a small-town environment is one of the big reasons we left Dallas for B/CS.

how long have you two been engaged, YouBet?

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Pine Tree...is turning into a dump.

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well, that is disheartening. perhaps it is because we never produced a lot of D-1 athletes. it shouldn't be a money factor, unless PTHS is no longer the 'rich boy school' that it was back in the day, causing tax revenue to drop off?

-T

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well, that is disheartening. perhaps it is because we never produced a lot of D-1 athletes. it shouldn't be a money factor, unless PTHS is no longer the 'rich boy school' that it was back in the day, causing tax revenue to drop off?

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It's not longer that school at all. When I graduated (2000) it was probably well above 80% white. Now it's dropping into the 60% range. The hispanics are taking over from what a former teacher told me. Thus tax revenue is dropping and the school is going to the crapper. It's hard to attract money to the school so people are living in LHS and sending their kids to Trinity.

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so people are living in LHS and sending their kids to Trinity

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not sure i remember Trinity...for some reason, "Trinity Episcopal" sounds familiar.

i just found this site and saw that the PTHS soccer team continued to do well even after i left .

was there any truth to the rumor that the former soccer coach (Manning) got busted for dipping his pen in some high school ink at some point?

-T

most coaches there dipped their pens.

i dont remember him specifically, but it woudln't surprise me.

i think he was before your time, Macks.

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how long have you two been engaged, YouBet?

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Since New Year's Eve.

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unless PTHS is no longer the 'rich boy school' that it was back in the day, causing tax revenue to drop off?

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My observation about this is that PTHS wasn't a rich boy school at least in the years I attended. It was always much more middle class with a handful of upper class.

If you look at the whites that did attend LHS (probably around 40% of student body) they seemed to be well off. It was a have and have not school district. It may still be. The vast majority of the premiere neighborhoods were in LHS school district.

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was there any truth to the rumor that the former soccer coach (Manning) got busted for dipping his pen in some high school ink at some point?

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This was never confirmed. It all started with some note that supposedly he wrote but I'm highly skeptical.

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Since New Year's Eve.

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congrats, K! wishing y'all the best.

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...but I'm highly skeptical.

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it wouldn't surprise me if it were true. but i had a personal dislike for that man.

-T

on manning: yes that is the story that got out, but like youbet said: i'm skeptical on what all really went on, i've heard everything from he was and it was all made up depending on who you talked to, personally i like the man a hell of a lot better than the two coaches since, we really screwed up by letting jim go to longview...

soccer and basketball were the only things that were ever good...

yes pine tree is going into the crapper, my parents are still there and they have told me just that, my dad has even said that if he had more kids he would seriously think of moving into LISD, my sister just graduated and it is amazing how bad it was compared to when i was there, tax base is moving and with stroh's closing during my year's, pine tree lost a bunch of money...

on LISD: it is a great school if you happen to get caught early as "smart", everyone i know and have talked to said that the "smarter" kids get a great education but the "dumber" students struggle to get by even if they have the drive to try

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we really screwed up by letting jim go to longview...

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bill manning was the soccer coach when i was at PTHS (86-88), and his twin brother jim was the soccer coach at Marshall.

did you get the names confused or did jim coach for Pine Tree at some point after i left?

-T

I grew up in North Houston (Oak Ridge North) for half of my childhood and always thought that after graduating from UT that I'd be off to the big city to live my life.

It never happened and it never will. I've been living in the New London/Arp/Overton area ever since graduating and love it. I did the singles scene in Longview (and sometimes Tyler) for 10 years and now I'm married with a baby arriving soon. I wouldn't want to raise a family anywhere else - we are 20 minutes from Tyler and 25 from Longview so anything we need is right there. I've said for years now that all either of those towns needs is a Pappadeaux and a Texadelphia and life will be complete!

My opinion is I can always visit any city in Texas for a weekend and enjoy what it offers entertainment-wise, but I always seem to have the biggest smile on my face when I'm driving home to peaceful, easy-going East Texas knowing that I won't have to face the rat-race BS of the big city all week long.

When our city friends visit us and have to head back home, they don't have that smile...



Hook 'em Horns!
God Bless TEXAS!!

no, i wasn't referring to jim manning ,though i always thought he was just as good as the pine tree one just never had as much talent.

i was referring to the british jim who last i know was the coach at longview. jim was the girls coach a couple of seasons and would have been a great guys coach for us but at the time, coach wait was doing a good enough job that his tactics, i.e. berating players and questioning their manhood and families was just pushed under the table, even though there was a huge swell of criticism from parents, some soccer some from other sports.

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his tactics, i.e. berating players and questioning their manhood and families was just pushed under the table

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this must be a requirement for coaching soccer in that area. typical exchange with bill manning...

player: coach, my [foot/stomach/whatever] hurts.
manning: well, your face is hurting me. get back out there!

-T

wow, manning must have chilled some over the years, my tryouts was his last year to pick as he was gone after that, but most of the stuff like that i heard was more in a joking manner more than serious, he was actually loved by the end and there were plenty of players who gave up soccer when he left and coach wait was hired on,

in wait's first playoff game as coach, they told wait in the locker room that they were playing for manning and not him so he could just leave, then the next year all but 2 of the seniors ended up quitting a week after school, and told the people in charge that they wouldn't play unless manning was rehired.

Compared to Coaches Flannigan and Friday, you soccer guys had it easy

i'll raise my kids in a small town, just not an east texas one.

Yeah, but coach Walter Causey was one of the best football coaches this state has ever produced.

I grew up in Kilgore, and it's a good size little town. For me Longview and Tyler (and College Station) are almost perfect sized. Since leaving K-town I've spent a lot time living in bigger cities. It's mainly just a job issue. The things that I want to do just aren't available in most small towns. I'd love to go back and live in a smaller town to raise a family though. I definitely think that provides one of the best atmosphere for raising kids. At this stage in life though, raising a family is about as far removed from my life as can possibly be, so it's a non-issue.

After leaving longview and living in CS for 5 years, longview seems to be dirtier and more white trash than I remember. I have a mixed opinion of going back in the future. I most definitely wouldnt go back as young and single.

I played for Flannigan for 4 years. One of the sorriest human beings I've ever personally known.

He was a good coach and has the record to prove it but man he was a sorry person.

Grew up in Diboll. Not going back because it is boring there and I've come to the conclusion that pine trees pretty much suck.

You can imagine my joy at now living in close proximity to Bastrop.

Grew up in Jasper. I won't return to live there b/c:

1) there aren't any real job opportunities outside of teacher, preacher, banker, and something log/wood related

2) culturally limiting. When I first went to A&M I was in a major culture shock and we're talking about friggin' College Station. I was prepared for the classwork but I wasn't prepared for the "big city" environment.

3) Activities for kids are nearly non-existent. Not that city kids can't get in trouble, but country kids got nothing on Friday and Saturday nights when football/basketball season is over. There are too many dark, unlit streets and CR roads to find for late night trouble.

I spent the first 12 years of my life in Nederland. Maybe that explains my dislike for the town I went to high school in: Kountze.

I don't so much dislike the town as I do feel sorry for it. There is no future there, the people are, for the most part, trashy and poor, and they're all so wrapped up in their own little bubble there's no chance for it ever changing.

I'm married and live in Humble.

I do agree with what people said about small schools affording you more opportunity to participate in multiple extracurricular activities, at Kountze I was in band, student government, pals, ffa, and uil debate.

[This message has been edited by AngelAggie06 (edited 3/8/2007 6:44p).]

YouBet, Flannigan moved on from PT after my junior year. He did not inform any of us that he was leaving. We came out of the showers after practice one day, and he was in the process of trying to pack all of his stuff into his suburban before anyone noticed he was leaving. I even remember him taking crap loads of bottled water and anything he could get his hands on.

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I'm originally from Paris, TX. I have no intention of returning other than for visits. It is a stagnant town with no future other than the status quo.

But I lived in Marshall for nine years before coming to CS. I would love to go back, but my degree is not in demand there.

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funny...as i was reading your first sentence, it sounded like you were describing Marshall to me. now i know to stay away from Paris. i love me some Neely's. mom is from there.

I always told myself that I'd never move back to my old stomping grounds of east texas. However, after I retired from the military, we moved back here to help the old folks (parents and in-laws) in their old age. Believe me, at some point in time will again move out of east texas hillbillyland to someplace thats a little more progressive. I dont remember this place being so run down back when I was growing up nor being infested with lowlifes. Trying to find a job that pays more than minimum wage and dealing with all the illegials that have migrated here is more than I want to deal with.