still planning 3 months in texas

redranger · Jan 5, 2009

Why is the Valley area so bad?

Is it because of all the Illegal Aliens?

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jan 5, 2009

No, it's because of the legal ones.

redranger · Jan 5, 2009

No, it's because of the legal ones.

Could you please explain?

I hate cold winter, and thought about locating down there for the winter months.

I am born and raised in Texas, but I have very limited knowlege of the Valley area.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jan 5, 2009

I don't know that I can explain adequately. And within the rules of this forum regarding language. The place sucks. The people suck. The weather sucks.

At the hospitals, expect a 9 or 10 to 1 pt:nurse ratio. Expect 90% of your coworkers to be Filipino immigrants.

Expect 90% of your patients to speak nothing but Spanish.

Expect your car to be stolen (ours was stolen the very first day here, and 1000s of others are stolen every year and taken across the border into mexico).

Do not expect nice, clean stores or restaurants. The people here destroy everything in their paths. Brand new stores (JC Penny, for instance) are trashed within 3 months of opening.

Do not expect your waitress/waiter to be able to understand you if you speak anything other than Spanish. This includes the drive-thru windows at McDonalds, etc.

The cops and judges down here are regularly busted by the federal government aiding and abetting the Mexican drug cartels which operate here on the border.

If you're anything other than Hispanic, get ready to be treated as a 2nd or 3rd class citizen. You will be skipped over while waiting in lines, ignored by everyone, lost in a sea of people who do not speak the predominant language of your home country.

The small towns here are packed with people under the best of circumstances, and the traffic is terrible. Not only because of the massive amount of cars on the road, but also due to the fact that no one obeys traffic laws. If you're in their way, expect to get run over.

In addition to the too-many people here already (about 300k, I'd say, in McAllen/Ediburg/Pharr/Mission metroplex), expect another 200000+ elderly northerners to start rolling in around October....known as "winter Texans", they clog up the already clogged roads and make getting a table at a restaurant nigh impossible.

Add in to THAT the 1000s of cars that cross over from Mexico every day, and their uninsured and untrained drivers...

The worst thing, though, is the culture. You'll commonly hear "It's the valley way!" when you mention that something being done is illegal or contrary to policy (or good sense). Add to that, you'll also hear "We do things differently...we're Chicanos!". You'll literally get sick of hearing it.

When you see that pack of children running down the aisle at HEB grocery store, stealing candy (and anything else they want) or knocking bottles off of the shelves (and their parents simply walking through the mess as if they didn't see it), you'll think you've accidentally crossed over into the border region of Mexico.

Gang activity is rampant in these small towns. Primarily M-13. No building is safe from their graffiti (including, yesterday, the wall of my duplex and 3 or 4 vehicles in the area - a supposedly "safe" gated community), and no life is secure from their crime waves.

Days and days and days of 100+ degree weather, without a drop of precipitation. NO seasons. Hurricanes.

I could go on and on and on. It's very hard to be honest about the conditions here without sounding like a racist or bigot. Just ask anyone who has been here for any amount and time and they'll tell you.

Suffice it to say...I graduate from nursing school in May, and my wife's contract is up in June, and we'll be leaving this hell hole AS SOON AS we can get the moving van loaded. It's been the worst 4 years of our life.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2009

Wow, this is a very dark view of the valley. I have family there (we are not hispanic) and I find it is a nice place to visit. I really enjoy going there, but I have never lived or worked there, so I dunno. The traffic is WAY better than DFW, and while it is very hot it is always breezy and not too humid (compared to the deep South). Now I will say that the driving down there is enough to make you crazy, but that aside, I find the people there friendly and fun, even to us gringos.

sbyramRN · Jan 5, 2009

Yeah, visiting and living there are two different things.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jan 6, 2009

Yeah, visiting and living there are two different things.

Exactly.

redranger · Jan 6, 2009

I don't know that I can explain adequately. And within the rules of this forum regarding language. The place sucks. The people suck. The weather sucks.
At the hospitals, expect a 9 or 10 to 1 pt:nurse ratio. Expect 90% of your coworkers to be Filipino immigrants.
Expect 90% of your patients to speak nothing but Spanish.
Expect your car to be stolen (ours was stolen the very first day here, and 1000s of others are stolen every year and taken across the border into mexico).
Do not expect nice, clean stores or restaurants. The people here destroy everything in their paths. Brand new stores (JC Penny, for instance) are trashed within 3 months of opening.
Do not expect your waitress/waiter to be able to understand you if you speak anything other than Spanish. This includes the drive-thru windows at McDonalds, etc.
The cops and judges down here are regularly busted by the federal government aiding and abetting the Mexican drug cartels which operate here on the border.
If you're anything other than Hispanic, get ready to be treated as a 2nd or 3rd class citizen. You will be skipped over while waiting in lines, ignored by everyone, lost in a sea of people who do not speak the predominant language of your home country.
The small towns here are packed with people under the best of circumstances, and the traffic is terrible. Not only because of the massive amount of cars on the road, but also due to the fact that no one obeys traffic laws. If you're in their way, expect to get run over.
In addition to the too-many people here already (about 300k, I'd say, in McAllen/Ediburg/Pharr/Mission metroplex), expect another 200000+ elderly northerners to start rolling in around October....known as "winter Texans", they clog up the already clogged roads and make getting a table at a restaurant nigh impossible.
Add in to THAT the 1000s of cars that cross over from Mexico every day, and their uninsured and untrained drivers...
The worst thing, though, is the culture. You'll commonly hear "It's the valley way!" when you mention that something being done is illegal or contrary to policy (or good sense). Add to that, you'll also hear "We do things differently...we're Chicanos!". You'll literally get sick of hearing it.
When you see that pack of children running down the aisle at HEB grocery store, stealing candy (and anything else they want) or knocking bottles off of the shelves (and their parents simply walking through the mess as if they didn't see it), you'll think you've accidentally crossed over into the border region of Mexico.
Gang activity is rampant in these small towns. Primarily M-13. No building is safe from their graffiti (including, yesterday, the wall of my duplex and 3 or 4 vehicles in the area - a supposedly "safe" gated community), and no life is secure from their crime waves.
Days and days and days of 100+ degree weather, without a drop of precipitation. NO seasons. Hurricanes.
I could go on and on and on. It's very hard to be honest about the conditions here without sounding like a racist or bigot. Just ask anyone who has been here for any amount and time and they'll tell you.
Suffice it to say...I graduate from nursing school in May, and my wife's contract is up in June, and we'll be leaving this hell hole AS SOON AS we can get the moving van loaded. It's been the worst 4 years of our life.

That's Crazy stuff.

Worst part is probably over the next 20 to 50 years a lot more of Texas will be like you describe.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jan 6, 2009

You're probably right.

GOD1 · Jan 20, 2009

I don't know that I can explain adequately. And within the rules of this forum regarding language. The place sucks. The people suck. The weather sucks.

that's why "winter texans" and millions of toursists come year after year. because the place sucks, the people suck, and the weather sucks?

At the hospitals, expect a 9 or 10 to 1 pt:nurse ratio. Expect 90% of your coworkers to be Filipino immigrants.

havent seen 9 or 10:1 ratio. ever. what's wrong working with flips? where is your culture sensitivity as a nurse?

Expect 90% of your patients to speak nothing but Spanish.

what is wrong with speaking spanish? we are close to the border and the majority of the population is hispanic. imagine that?

Expect your car to be stolen (ours was stolen the very first day here, and 1000s of others are stolen every year and taken across the border into mexico).

id have to agree it is a problem, but in mcallen there is butt load of security which is why you see those survelliance units everywhere.

Do not expect nice, clean stores or restaurants. The people here destroy everything in their paths. Brand new stores (JC Penny, for instance) are trashed within 3 months of opening.

people shop it happens, that's why they have employees to clean it up. christmas season, yea its bad. cry me a river.

Do not expect your waitress/waiter to be able to understand you if you speak anything other than Spanish. This includes the drive-thru windows at McDonalds, etc.

havent had any language problems with the 16yo's taking my order in drive thru at mcdonalds.

The cops and judges down here are regularly busted by the federal government aiding and abetting the Mexican drug cartels which operate here on the border.

they're getting busted, so someones doing their job.

If you're anything other than Hispanic, get ready to be treated as a 2nd or 3rd class citizen. You will be skipped over while waiting in lines, ignored by everyone, lost in a sea of people who do not speak the predominant language of your home country.

false, false, and false on every count.

The small towns here are packed with people under the best of circumstances, and the traffic is terrible. Not only because of the massive amount of cars on the road, but also due to the fact that no one obeys traffic laws. If you're in their way, expect to get run over.

have you ever lived in a big city?

In addition to the too-many people here already (about 300k, I'd say, in McAllen/Ediburg/Pharr/Mission metroplex), expect another 200000+ elderly northerners to start rolling in around October....known as "winter Texans", they clog up the already clogged roads and make getting a table at a restaurant nigh impossible.

Add in to THAT the 1000s of cars that cross over from Mexico every day, and their uninsured and untrained drivers...

The worst thing, though, is the culture. You'll commonly hear "It's the valley way!" when you mention that something being done is illegal or contrary to policy (or good sense). Add to that, you'll also hear "We do things differently...we're Chicanos!". You'll literally get sick of hearing it.

very few times have i heard hispanics here consider themselves "chicanos" rofl that made me laugh. as far as politics...it cant be any worst than chicago. amirite?

When you see that pack of children running down the aisle at HEB grocery store, stealing candy (and anything else they want) or knocking bottles off of the shelves (and their parents simply walking through the mess as if they didn't see it), you'll think you've accidentally crossed over into the border region of Mexico.

kids running around a grocery store, now that's just bad parenting. believe it or not it happens with all races not just hispanics.

Gang activity is rampant in these small towns. Primarily M-13. No building is safe from their graffiti (including, yesterday, the wall of my duplex and 3 or 4 vehicles in the area - a supposedly "safe" gated community), and no life is secure from their crime waves.

Days and days and days of 100+ degree weather, without a drop of precipitation. NO seasons. Hurricanes.

I could go on and on and on. It's very hard to be honest about the conditions here without sounding like a racist or bigot. Just ask anyone who has been here for any amount and time and they'll tell you.

maybe that's your problem. your bigoted feelings have skewed your comments on this board. what's wrong with working with flips? what's wrong with people speaking another language?

Suffice it to say...I graduate from nursing school in May, and my wife's contract is up in June, and we'll be leaving this hell hole AS SOON AS we can get the moving van loaded. It's been the worst 4 years of our life.

good riddance

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jan 20, 2009

We're allowed to disagree on the place. That's one of life's great treats. You're welcome to it.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2009

I have to agree that the Valley is not as bad a place as some may make it out to be. You either love it or hate it I guess. My immediate family has lived there for 5+ years and I spend every summer there, (so yes I have lived there for short periods). I have NEVER witnessed or been subjected to crime, nor has my family. We are treated wonderfully by everyone. I prefer the weather to N. Texas (sure it is hot down there but always breezy so it feels nicer than Dallas). Bad parenting IS everywhere, DFW is no different. I also have never had trouble communicating as MOST people working in the public sector speak at least adequate English.

I also have to say that my family member who lives there is a nurse. She loves the Valley and never wants to leave. Nor do the many many nurses she works with. She is not hispanic, either.

If you are interested in the Valley, check it out. Don't believe everything you read on a message board, a lot of it is sour grapes. For every city in this nation you can find those who love it and those who hate it, you have to find a place that is right for you.