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Possibly relocating


Turkey Flats Jack

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So my job has me working in West Texas starting the end of the month. Not excited about it at all. But my kids are all grown and out of the house so the thought of just moving there has crossed my mind. It beats flying back and forth every 2 weeks. Anyone want to take a shot at making it seem like a good idea? Where I'm at in Ohio I can catch a match both days every weekend that I'm home with less than a 2 hour drive from the house. Often it's under an hour. 

 

T.F. Jack

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Jack, what part of West Texas?  :)

 

"West Texas" is probably at least as big as all of Ohio....   :rolleyes:

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45 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Jack, what part of West Texas?  :)

 

"West Texas" is probably at least as big as all of Ohio....   :rolleyes:

Right on the New Mexico border somewhere between Kermit TX and Jal NM. 

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No SNOW!

No HUMIDITY!

 

You’re welcome.

 

Of course, like a friend told me when I reminisced about a lack of humidity in the West when I lived in North Carolina, “Turkeys are cooked in a dry heat”... :P:lol:

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2 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

No SNOW!

No HUMIDITY!

 

And 140 degree summers. :D

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TFJ

I used to live, generally, in those areas.

 By now, you probably already know all of the following: 

 

YOU SHOULD GO OUT THERE TO VISIT FIRST.m

 

The people should be friendly and very easy to get along with.

 

Distances are long to very long between CITIES and towns compared to where you live now.

 

I’m talking about Texas below.  Generally, towns in New Mexico are also some distance apart.

 

Odessa, TX is maybe 50 miles/1 hr away from the Kermit area.

Midland (the larger city) is about 60mi/1hr away from Kermit area.

These cities of Midland/Odessa are where you’ll find major services.  AND, you may wish to consider buying your home in that area. So, I’d check home prices there, 

(Usually, “MidlandOdessa” comes out in one breath.)

 

El Paso = BIG now.  250miles/4 hrs away, On US/MEX border.  So, El Paso, TX and Juarez, Mexico are a single, large major metropolitan are.

 

(Other NM and TX towns may be closer to the Kermit area. 

Dallas/Fort Worth is another 5hrs & 350 miles east of MIDLAND.

(......usually, “DallasFort Worth” also comes out in one breath.

Dallas/Fort Worth are “big city Texas”...a single large, TX major metro area.

 

I’m not sure what life is like where you are now, but where you may be headed (Kermit) is (IN MY VIEW) a place you’d have to be born to for it to be comfortable to an Easterner “outsider,” at least in the beginning.   It will seem to be GoodOldBoy, blindingly-bleak (to an outsider) farm/ranch country.  SASS clubs?  You’d have to look them up and see if there are any in the vicinity.  Search from the SASS home page.

 

I hope this is of some value.  

Summers CAN be very hot, so virtually everywhere indoors is air conditioned.  Winter can be very cold at times.

 

P.S.   Bring your hat!   :-)

 

Cat Brules

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Check the tax rates in both New Mexico and Texas.  I think Texas is more favorable.  There is a decent CAS club in Hobbs, NM.  I've shot their annual and look forward to shooting there again.  Roswell also has a club.  You shoot at alien heads.  If you dress cowboy no one will notice - lots of cattle ranches in the area.  The area is not as hot as East Texas.  It has low humidity and temps drop sharply after sundown.  Air conditioning costs are low because they use evaporative coolers.  The area is very flat but there are lots of mountains to the west.  

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Roswell is a fun place.. but is also the dairy capital of NM, and smells like it.
We were there as tourists, not as shooters.

Marfa, TX is not that close to NM, but we most certainly enjoyed our time there.
Best steaks we have had in decades.

Half a tank of gas in West Texas is "out of gas".  No foolin' about this, no foolin' at all.
Every truck has a huge critter deflector bumper. 
You WILL need this sooner or later, guaranteed.

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5 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

No SNOW!

No HUMIDITY!

 

You’re welcome.

 

Of course, like a friend told me when I reminisced about a lack of humidity in the West when I lived in North Carolina, “Turkeys are cooked in a dry heat”... :P:lol:

Don't count on the no snow part, but at least it's not like the North, and it usually doesn't last long. We live in a transition area, lots of time snow to the north, rain to the south, and we get $%$^% ice!

JHC

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3 hours ago, Shotgun Willie Nelson said:

 

And 140 degree summers. :D

 

The benefits of hot dry weather...You dry off quick after showering or sweating.

I may think of others but my  brain got fried...

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Blizzards can happen in the southern plains - see this article.  However they are rare.  In the Southwest we don't stop shooting in the winter months.  Ranges operate all year long.  If June is too hot for you drive to Ruidoso and shoot at 6,900 feet - its cooler in the mountains.  While distances between settlements are long, traffic is light and there are few stops.  One can just set the cruise control at the speed limit, relax and let the miles slip by.  BTW, there is good pronghorn hunting on the southern plains if that appeals to you.

 

Monument Springs Bushwhackers

 

Permian Basin Housing

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Check out the price of housing and everything else In the Midland area as a place to live comes at several premiums to non-existent at this time.  It may be the most expensive place to live in several states.  Lots of people commute long distance to work there so be prepared.

Its going to be a cultural and environmental shock to you as there are no trees (erst the town by the same name), terribly hot and dusty (but its a dry heat LOL)!

 

The Mexican food is out of the world and BBQ not far behind.   Visit first.

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I am from that area , and can tell you for sure , be prepared for ridiculous prices for housing in both Odessa and Midland. I just moved back here to Utah after living in Crane , TX for 10 1/2 years. The small towns around the area will not be as bad price-wise , but it will be an adjustment in lifestyle. I have also lived in New Mexico , (Farmington) , and for sure the Texas tax structure is more favorable.

Actually I grew up in that area , lived and worked around West Texas for my first 35 years. Work brought me here to Utah , and also to Farmington N.M. Retirement brought me back here.

 

The Comanche Trail Shootists club is out of Midland, great bunch of guys. The range is about 20 miles from Midland proper , towards Garden City.

Sorry to say , but all the time I lived there I never got over to the Hobbs or Roswell shoots.

I think you would be wise to consider flying back and forth for a bit while you check out the area. Andrews , Kermit , and Wink will probably be the closest towns to your work-site.

Good luck , Rex

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5 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

 

The benefits of hot dry weather...You dry off quick after showering or sweating.

I may think of others but my  brain got fried...

I worked on an oil servicing rig one summer around 1973 and the only sweat marks I had were under my arms. I remember sitting in a pickup truck because that was the only shade temp on dashboard thermometer read 105. The humidity was about 2%.

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Part of my "formative years" were spent near Snyder, 'bout two and a half hours drive northeast of Kermit.

 

Interesting times; good stuff for a young man to keep busy with ranging from sports, fishing, "hunting," finding arrowheads...

 

But the most impressive memories are of the weather.  Thunderstorms that were awesome.  Be prepared to break out in singing "Ghost Riders!"  I spent many youthful nights in a storm cellar, reading boxes of Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, and Boy's Life magazines by kerosene lantern. 

 

That old saw about Texas weather, "if ya don't like it just wait an hour or two - it'll change" probably originated in that area.  Drier'n a popcorn fart in summer (and HOT), sometimes flooding in winter (I've seen snow), and amazingly quick changes.  I recall one day when the temp went from high 20°'s the night before to over 100° in the afternoon.  I once saw a mid-winter "heat wave" that brought the rattlesnakes out of hibernation.  Then a week later, a snap freeze and Zowee!  Rattlesnake shortage for the next year or so!

 

And the dust storms.  Literally "red-out" conditions; visibility down to a few yards.  Drivers had to pull off the road.  Red dust so fine that no matter how tightly you though your car or house was, there would be dust almost anywhere.  One afternoon right in the middle of such a dusty storm - we had a sudden downpour.  The skies literally rained red mudballs.  Crops were leveled... the entire landscape was coated in red mud.  Didn't matter what color your car was s'posed to be - it was red.  So was livestock!

 

One summer, stock tanks (livestock watering ponds) were low.  One I'd visit while on my youthful jaunts got lower and lower and greener as summer progressed.  Finally, the resident crawdads abandoned the water; covered with green slime, they'd set out overland.  After a few yards they'd bake under the sun.  Preferable to their recent home environment.  And when the water finally vanished, there was a cow skeleton in the middle.  Next spring we had torrential rains; frogs/toads literally carpeting the landscape.  When the weather calmed, I hiked out to visit this tank - it was full, clear, and teeming with life - frogs, turtles, fish, and snakes a-plenty.  No idea where they came from, but there they were!

 

Oh - and as Cat Brules suggested, be sure to bring a hat!  ^_^

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7 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Stay here!!! ;)

Wish I could. Every other time a company has told me they're sending me to Texas I've refused and went job hunting. I like the people I'm working with, the insurance is the best I've had in a long time, and the pay is way above average. Also after looking around I'd lose money by changing companies and staying local even after figuring in travel expenses. 

3 hours ago, Rex M Rugers #6621 said:

I am from that area , and can tell you for sure , be prepared for ridiculous prices for housing in both Odessa and Midland

That's what I've been hearing. TX doesn't have state income tax which is a plus but I think we're leaning towards Carlsbad NM if we decide to move. 

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3 minutes ago, Turkey Flats Jack said:

Wish I could. Every other time a company has told me they're sending me to Texas I've refused and went job hunting. I like the people I'm working with, the insurance is the best I've had in a long time, and the pay is way above average. Also after looking around I'd lose money by changing companies and staying local even after figuring in travel expenses. 

That's what I've been hearing. TX doesn't have state income tax which is a plus but I think we're leaning towards Carlsbad NM if we decide to move. 

Good choice , TFJ.  I spent about three months there one time on a drilling rig. That was a while back , 1969 , but it was a nice town.

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4 hours ago, Rex M Rugers #6621 said:

I am from that area , and can tell you for sure , be prepared for ridiculous prices for housing in both Odessa and Midland.

 

What the heck's that all about??  :huh:

 

I just looked online and was really surprised - California prices for middle-of-nowhere Texas real estate?  confused.gif

 

Long way from mountains or ocean ~ but guess they could say they have a lot of beach!  ^_^

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16 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

What the heck's that all about??  :huh:

 

I just looked online and was really surprised - California prices for middle-of-nowhere Texas real estate?  confused.gif

 

Long way from mountains or ocean ~ but guess they could say they have a lot of beach!  ^_^

It's the oil field. Lots of money from it so the real estate folks want their cut too. I work on a drilling rig which is the entire reason I'm in this pickle to begin with lol 

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1 hour ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Rattlesnake shortage for the next year or so!

 

 

Never quite heard it put that way...Huh! Rattlesnake shortage. What did they get up to a piece? Thirty, forty dollars? :D

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If you are in petroleum production, look for job opportunities near Farmington, New Mexico.  Big gas and oil field in that region,   scenery and climate more enjoyable.  West Texas geography is quite uninteresting.  I had a summer job while in college in Farmington, loved it.  I have driven through west Texas.  As fast as possible.

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52 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

If you are in petroleum production, look for job opportunities near Farmington, New Mexico.  Big gas and oil field in that region,   scenery and climate more enjoyable.  West Texas geography is quite uninteresting.  I had a summer job while in college in Farmington, loved it.  I have driven through west Texas.  As fast as possible.

I'm on the drilling side of it. If I job hunt it'll be to stay where I am. Thank you for the info though

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4 minutes ago, Turkey Flats Jack said:

I'm on the drilling side of it. If I job hunt it'll be to stay where I am. Thank you for the info though

 

I understand.  If you can’t find anything suitable, check out northern Arkansas.  Lots of drilling around Guy, Quitman, and Greenbrier.

 

And Arkansas is green.  And Outlaw Camp and Mountain Valley Vigilantes are an easy drive.

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Spent 2 years in North Dakota when it was booming up there. All my hands flew in and out. They real liked doing that. If your on a drilling rig in the Permian Basin, you’ll probably live on location during your hitch. So you basically can live anywhere you want. Have spent time in W TX. it’s an acquired taste. N.M. , AZ, Utah and CO have a lot of great places to live. For what it’s worth, I’d take my time and look things over on my time off. Good luck 

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6 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

What the heck's that all about??  :huh:

 

I just looked online and was really surprised - California prices for middle-of-nowhere Texas real estate?  confused.gif

 

Long way from mountains or ocean ~ but guess they could say they have a lot of beach!  ^_^

 

High real estate in The Midland/Odessa are is all about oil exploration in the Permian Basin. No different than what happened in North Dakota with the Bakken Shale fields. Tens of thousands of workers move in virtually overnight into an area with little or no housing to support them.

 

At first it is just the workers but when it become apparent that the work will last then along come the families. Families want schools, and shopping without driving hours to get there so they gravitate to the few cities in the area. As the cities expand even more jobs are created. 

It would be a safe bet to say the the populations of Midland, Odessa and the surrounding areas have more than doubled in the last 10 years. And as long as the oil holds, the growth is unlikely to slow down.

 

They come because the money is way better than what they can make elsewhere. Besides the obvious, drilling for oil creates lots of jobs for machinists, welders, construction workers, chemists, mechanics, engineers, tool and die makers, and a whole lot of other skilled labor jobs that you wouldn't think of at first. 

 

The sad part is that the few financially savvy ones can save a lot of money and enjoy the possibility of early retirement. The rest spend it just as fast as they make it and when the boom goes bust they loose everything.

 

Something to consider

The DFW metroplex is estimated to have grown by over 1.5 million people in the last 18 months. That's about 83,000 people a month. :o Housing prices are skyrocketing. Land is outrageously expensive. and the traffic gets worse every day. In the 10 years I have lived here the suburbs have easily moved 15 miles closer and most of that has been in the last 3-5 years. Seems like strip malls are popping up like weeds.       

 

To rent a 26 ft Uhaul truck from LA CA to Midland TX costs $3185.00  The same truck Midland to LA is $955.00. Better than 3 times the cost for the same number of days and miles.

Midland Tx to Chicago is $628.00  Chicago to Midland is $2409.00. Almost 4 times the price. 

 

Oil makes the world go round but here in in Texas; there is a lot more than oil driving the economy.

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40 minutes ago, Arkansas Jim 107095 said:

Spent 2 years in North Dakota when it was booming up there. All my hands flew in and out. They real liked doing that. If your on a drilling rig in the Permian Basin, you’ll probably live on location during your hitch. So you basically can live anywhere you want. Have spent time in W TX. it’s an acquired taste. N.M. , AZ, Utah and CO have a lot of great places to live. For what it’s worth, I’d take my time and look things over on my time off. Good luck 

I have 17 years in the oilfield. I've refused to go to Texas several times lol. But the kids are grown and gone so uprooting and moving isn't such a terrible idea now. I don't like spending my days off traveling just to get home. As it is I stay on site but I'm close enough I run home for a night every 3-4 days just to help out around the house. I don't know how much time I have with the Mrs so those exta couple days of travel doesn't sit well for me. The plan is to travel until the 1st of the year and look into the surrounding area and then make the decision.

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Sounds like you have a good plan. I didn’t have the option to not live in ND. It was a interesting experience.  You’ll see some of what I think is the best parts of our country, while looking around. Enjoy and good luck 

Jim

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Did anyone actually read his posts? The OP has good pay and insurance but doesn't want to waste travel time that he could be spent with his wife. The just quit and get another job idea is silly so he can be low man in the pole! Why not help him out instead of the beat down? I checked real estate in Odessa and Midland  it's certainly comparable to central ohio.

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