Josie Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Please tell me about El Paso, TX. Looks like there is a big homeschool community there. Is this true? Do you like it there? Please list the pros and cons of living there. Is it safe to cross the border into Juarez? We love the oudoors. Will El Paso be a good fit for us? Tell me about Franklin Mountains State Park. How is the housing market there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josie Posted December 27, 2010 Author Share Posted December 27, 2010 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 I don't have any help - I haven't been there in years and years. Just another little bump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 I have never lived there but I think the proximity to the mountains and state parks would be great. Big Bend is awesome, you are right at the tip of a great mountain range, and right there at New Mexico where you can actually get to snow. TX homeschooling is easy, so that's a plus. I would say the housing market is pretty cheap, but I didn't see where you are coming from. West TX is not particularly attractive, so I wouldn't say EP is a "pretty" town. And hot, hoo boy! I would say right now it is NOT SAFE to cross the border. There is a lot of crime right now in the border towns and I wouldn't go down there right now for anything. Maybe to a tourist destination, yes, but not a border town. Hopefully someone who lives there will chime in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Please tell me about El Paso, TX. Looks like there is a big homeschool community there. Is this true? Do you like it there? Please list the pros and cons of living there. Is it safe to cross the border into Juarez? We love the oudoors. Will El Paso be a good fit for us? Tell me about Franklin Mountains State Park. How is the housing market there? I can't tell you specifics about El Paso. However, I can tell you about Juarez. It is considered the meanest and worst city on earth right now. I wouldn't go into Mexico on purpose for any reason. I have friends and missionaries who live there. I prefer not to go into details, but the area isn't one I'd consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josie Posted December 27, 2010 Author Share Posted December 27, 2010 I had heard that it wasn't safe, but I was hoping it was just news hype and that it wasn't really THAT bad. I will pray that Juarez finds peace soon. Any other info on El Paso? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Jaurez is definitely a no-go for Americans (and most sane people) right now--- it is not media hype--if anything the media has PLAYED DOWN the violence! I'd say clear of just about any US (Mexican) border town right now too-- Sure-- El Paso has some beautiful nature areas close by... but I would not want to move my family there permanently with all of the unrest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Both of my parents were raised there - most of my extended family still lives in the area. There is A LOT of auto theft. You really should plan to learn a good amount of Spanish - expecially if you or your kids expect to get a job there. I would NOT go across the border to Juarez. Years ago it used to be a really nice day trip. Many of my relatives would also go there for dentist visits, etc. and receive great care but it just isn't safe anymore. The pollution coming in from the Juarez area is really bad, too. You can see a great big brown cloud hanging over Juarez and working its way over. I did read a year or two ago that El Paso ranks high in the country's most livable cities list...not sure how they figured that. I'm really not trying to bash El Paso; I've had generations of family live there, both parents graduated from UTEP (back when their football team actually won games!) and everything has been fine for them. I guess I just keep comparing what it is today to what it used to be. :( The Mexican food is fantastic, of course! :) You can always get a great meal for cheap. Sorry, I can't really address your homeschool group questions - I don't know anyone who hs's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 We have friends who moved away from El Paso because they were afraid of kidnapping. The dh told me that children are kidnapped and taken into Mexico.:( I've not heard anything else about that, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeTea Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 El Paso, sadly, is not the elegant old border town it once was. The brown cloud of pollution coming over from the Coke, Levi, and Ford plants in Juarez is not a myth. The violence has, indeed, spilled across the border as well. That being said, I am a firm believer in making the best of any situation I am in, and looking for the positives. IF you are moving to El Paso, you don't have to be close to the border. My husband has family in the area, and if you ever need help with safer, affordable neighborhoods just PM me and I will get some information for you. One SIL manages property near Fort Hood, and she has definite opinions on where to live and drive! El Paso is huge, and there has to be a huge variety of homeschool groups. Same SIL was an unschooler and found several groups to choose from, for instance, that were made of all flavors. Cultural experiences would be rich and diverse in that old city, which would be a plus. El Paso is high and dry, weather-wise. Think mountainous desert. The winds in February and March are extremely...unpleasant. Winter weather is cold and dry. Summer is scorching and dry. You learn to work around it. Probably not great news. Hopefully I am not slamming the beloved town of any board members. I think I just miss how it once was, when we didn't think twice about hopping over to Juarez just for lunch, and back when El Paso wasn't so grown up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 I can't tell you specifics about El Paso. However, I can tell you about Juarez. It is considered the meanest and worst city on earth right now. I wouldn't go into Mexico on purpose for any reason. I have friends and missionaries who live there. I prefer not to go into details, but the area isn't one I'd consider. One of my best friends has an older son who lives there. He is working with the DEA, and it's not safe AT ALL. He originally thought he'd have to work a three year stint there, but now it looks like he's stuck for five years total. My friend (his mom) says he feels like it's a prison sentence. His wife hates it. No offense to anyone in or from El Paso, just passing on what I've heard about it. Also, the stories about the drug gangs are real, according to my friend. She said that she (personally) doesn't even want to visit her son there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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