Great small(er) town
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3/8/2008
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.
dana | Flint, TX