SperlingViews - Tyler, Texas

It is hot, but nice for people who don't like long winters.[read more...]

I was born and raised in Tyler and have lived in many places across the country since I graduated high school. Tyler is a great place to raise a family. It has very little crime in comparison to other cities of similar size and jobs are pretty easy to come by. After living in Michigan, Washington, Oklahoma, California, Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah; Tyler is a dream compared to the rest of the country. People are very friendly granted not alot of nightlife and yes very conservative but would you rather have your children living in a crime ridden dirty slum or in Tyler where you are safe and not exposed to the lower rung of society? The public schools are wonderful however if you have the choice I would choose Robert E Lee high school system over John Tyler. I am a John Tyler graduate and trust me you would rather send your children to Lee. Just stay away from the northside of town anywhere north of hwy 31 avoid completely everywhere else is absolutely a dream. If you are looking at a suburb Bullard is a great place to live. Just try to stay south of 31 it isn't violent but the northside is where all the drugs and stuff is so stay away. I hope you all get to experience my hometown because if you do you wont ever want to leave.[read more...]

I don't understand what some of you people have against Conservative towns, and Christians?? Hypocracy exists to a certain extent, EVERYWHERE! For the most part Tyler is a lovely little city. As far as traffic, I must agree on the conjestion problem. I do not live in Tyler, but visit frequently. As far as having NO CULTURE, I don't agree with that either. There is also three universities. For a city it's size, and if you don't mind traffic, it's a nice town. The areas also has some of the loveliest countryside in Texas![read more...]

I have lived here for almost 3 years, and while I love Texas, I am very ready to get out of Tyler. It is very conservative and as a single mom in my 30's, I have had a difficult time meeting people I can relate to. If you do not belong to a church, you are out of luck. The Pentecostal and Baptist churches rule here. I don't care about the bar scene at all, but it would be nice if there were some options as far as a place to see some good music. Also, it is somewhat of a cultural void here. It is very pretty though. Pine trees and decent parks, and the Azalea District is beautiful. Definitely a great place to raise kids, particularly is you are conservative and go to church. I know Tyler is growing, so maybe that will be a positive?[read more...]

This town is ideal for people who are entering retirement. Despite having 2 institutions of higher education, it's not great for young people or college students. Tyler is very conservative, and entertainment is limited to a couple of movie theaters, and a few small bars that close by midnight. For the East Texas area, cost of living in Tyler is high, and the traffic can be slow and frustrating for people used to big cities or rural communities. Major roads become very congested at peak rush times. Retirees on a fixed income should be aware that energy costs are also much higher than neighboring areas with regulated utilities, such as Longview or Kilgore. People in Tyler are generally friendly, but the town has grown past small town comfort- but it has not grown into big city culture and convenience.[read more...]

>>the Good: sweet, friendly people, gorgeous azaleas in the "azalea district", wonderful restaurants and plenty of them, low taxes, great diversity and prices of homes that almost anyone can afford, incredible new Imax, a church on every corner, nice zoo, fabulous country clubs, great University with pool. >>the Possibly bad: Super Conservative (talking)attitudes, hypocrisy (dry county w/many drunk on the weekends), months of horribly hot and humid weather, lots of ticks and chiggers keep kids inside (or scratching for weeks), enormous influx of illegal aliens making traffic worse, corrupt local government that is NEVER WRONG regardless of the evidence, forever existent "snobby" attitudes regarding what kind of car you drive, what size dress you wear, what your husband does, what neighborhood you can afford all poorly concealed under the guise of Spirituality, huge pressure to attend church (Baptist preferred), summer glare that burns the eyes and the steering wheel. If you are Baptist, live in a lovely home and drive a great car and don't mind almost dying from humidity you may love Tyler, the City of Roses. Each year, the girl who wins the title Rose Queen, is the one whose parents have spent the most cash on her dress!! 5K is just average!![read more...]

I have lived in two foreign countries and practically every state in the union. I moved my family to Tyler in 1998 from Canada. It was difficult at first as Tylerites are slow to accept "outsiders" Once we established our children in the schools, ourselves in the business life of the city and became involved in a church, that changed rapidly.We couldn't be happier with a place to live....well maybe we could do with less heat/humidity, but compared to other places the people here make up for all that heat. Great people, great friends, decent schools(not great...decent),wonderful business opportunities, excellent hospitals,two universities and the best Jr. college in the U.S. Culture better than many bigger cities but needs more. Conservative, yeah but what's wrong with that? Do we have to accept some of the garbage that more "socially advanced" cities are forced to deal with? Sorry, nude beaches, open immorality,public drunkeness and other activities of that ilk are discouraged here. You want that stuff move to San Fran, believe me if you have any sense at all you'll be back in a flash.Been there done that. Bored? Why, with all of the opportunities available here for voluntary services, activities of all kinds,music,theatre,sports involvement,water skiing, fishing,hunting etc. why are you bored. Get outta the house and meet your neighbors!! No I don't work for the Chamber,I simply live in one of the nicest small city communities anywhere I've been. Phillip-Tyler[read more...]

I've had the opportunity to live at one time or another in practically every state and two foreign countries. Having found Tyler, I finally feel "Home". Yes it can be boring if you are easily bored by a quiet easy going lifestyle free of loud,busy traffic, drunks on every corner on Friday and Saturday nights etc. but if you have kids, what a great place. Take your choice, public or private, the schools are what you as a parent make them. Get involved, a sure cure for boredom! Like to hunt,fish, enjoy a sunset? well there you go...welcome to Tyler. Enjoy a good concert? Country, Rock or Classical? They are here. Movies? we get the same ones Dallas does without the jerks with cell phones. Want a good church? Yes, there are Baptist, but there also are Church of Christ, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic ...in short all the majors plus lot's of non-denominational to fill the need you have for God in your life, but if you want...it's o.k. here to be a non-believer too. Food. What do you want? Thai, got it, Chinese, who doesn't, Mexican,lots,steaks, seafood,pasta.I am too fat already but I never Don't enjoy dining out here! Do you want good neighbors who watch out for you and yours? Come to Tyler.Homes are moderately priced but careful...location, location,location. No, there isn't a lot of glamour to be had if you choose to sit at home and not become part of the community, but frankly,what community are you looking for. Every big town has bars..oops nightlife, but also all the stuff that comes with it.Want a good job...what skills do you have. Establish your own,we did and are happy as can be.This town will be behind you.I'm home.You will be too if to choose Tyler.[read more...]

We moved to Tyler from Los Angeles about 3 years ago. We are self-employed with a home-based biz so we could have moved anywhere and chose here. The reasons are many: housing is still somewhat reasonable, this is a nice family town, we are only 90 miles from Dallas, the airport in Tyler makes traveling convenient, no state income tax, public schools are above average (and many private schools to choose from), churches are active in the comunity, the weather is OK - yes it does get hot and humid in the summer but the winter is relatively mild (we do get to see a little snow) and the spring and fall seasons are nice, traffic is minimal, the modern medical community, and higher learning opportunities. This is a smaller town so shopping is limited, restaurants is rather limiting, if you are single this is not the town to be in (no real 'night-life'). This is a very conservative area - lots and lots of churches and most of them Baptist. Crime is low compared to other areas and punishments of crimes seems to be very high here - I am not sure if that is a statewide thing or regional. Growth is very evident on the southside of Tyler. What is there to do here? Well, for families there is a science center, the zoo is terrific, inflatable jumping places, kid-friendly restaurants, nice parks, sporting leagues, church activities, miniature golf, bowling, movie theaters, and there are some activities that are short distances away in neighboring communities. An indoor water park just opened up here, too. For adults, there is a museum of art, planetarium, annual azalea trail and other craft-type festivals, bowling, golfing, some fine-dining type restaurants, bars, water activites on the lakes, fishing and hunting, the Symphony, and being so close to Dallas you can catch a Mavericks or Cowboys game. One of the downsides to here is the property taxes are a bit higher than I thought they would be and seemed to creep up over the last year (but I guess they have everywhere, huh). The real estate market is sluggish here and there is a good amount of inventory available and homes can sit and sit on the market. There is a mix of brand new construction and existing homes available, in the country or city depending on what you are looking for. If you are looking for a small town with a few big city offerings, Tyler is definitely worth looking into. However, if you can't leave your big city conveniences behind, then go elsewhere. I would recommend investing in a pair of boots! This is Texas and you will see plenty of trucks, boots and cowboy hats here. But, something I failed to mention in my review - the people here are AMAZING - kind, friendly, and really make the area.[read more...]

If you do not like multiculturalism, want a good quality conservative community, beautiful old neighborhoods, beautiful countryside, and just want a good Texas way of life, then Tyler might be for you. I've heard people say it's too conservative and boring. I say that is nonsense. I am a native Texan if you want a quality life, regardless of whether you're single or married with a family, you might want to look into the area. I don't think you'll be disapointed. K. Mccain[read more...]

There is not a whole lot to do in Tyler, and it is VERY conservative. We've lived here almost two years and can't wait to leave. We are 30 years old (with no children)and bored out of our minds. Not to mention, we feel like we live in a retirement community. The only things we have found to do are either go out to eat (at mostly chain restaurants or fast food) or go to the movies...that's about it. No good museums, nightlife, shopping, eclectic restaurants, etc. - for these things we drive to Dallas (2 hours away). On the positive side...in the spring there are beautiful azaleas and dogwoods in bloom and you can buy a dozen roses for $2 from roadside stands almost year round. There is also a berry farm where you can buy fresh blueberries in the summer (yum!). Tyler is located about 45 minutes from Canton, where there is an awesome flea market the weekend before the first Monday of every month. But even with these few positives, unless you are of retirement age (or maybe looking to raise a family in a super conservative place)...I'd look somewhere else.[read more...]

I'm 33, single and I grew up in the Tyler area but have lived in Pensacola, DFW and Australia and unless you are either married with children or nearing retirement I'd definitely consider another location. Anyone single will find Tyler extremely conservative to the point of almost being backwards and beyond boring. There are no good night clubs or pubs and the majority of the restaurants are your basic chain restaurants. The area is growing and there are good colleges and universities locally but having lived in a number of other locations I wouldn't recommend Tyler. I'm presently working on relocating to Orlando, FL for work because I love FL.[read more...]

Cheap cost of living, cheap housing, warm in the winter, hot in the summer.[read more...]