Hi Judith - I'm about 10 miles North of Tyler TX and have lived here a little over 13 years. We love it here. We moved here from a small town in southeast AR so this is like a big city to us.

There are lots of pine trees and the countryside is rolling hills. A lot of roses are grown around here (this is the rose capitol), the summers are hot and usually dry, the winters are unpredictable. This winter has not been bad. We've had some cold days, but we've also had a lot of days that you didn't need a jacket outside. Our seasons here are pretty much the same as they are in southeast Ar where we came from. I've never lived any further north, so don't have other places to compare it to. Tyler has plenty of shopping with all the popular chains like Wal Mart (there are two regular Wal Marts and a super center here), Target, KMart, a big Mall with the JC Penney, Sears, and most all other stores you see in malls. There are probably more restaurants and fast food places here than anything. The polulation is probably in the neighborhood of 90,000 to 100,000. Tyler has a Rose Garden where you can find all varieties of roses growing (they bloom in May and again in October) and there is also an Azalea trail in the spring when the azaleas are blooming. There are plenty of schools and medical facilities. We moved to a small town suburb since our daughter was in school when we moved here and she was accustomed to a smaller school and we didn't want to overwhelm her.

If you need any other information, feel free to email me at
MawMawX2@aol.com

Thank you for the information, Kathy. It sounds good so far. I like rolling terrain and pine trees. I love roses and azaleas. I like all kinds of flowers. I would like to live somewhere near a body of water. I am wondering how hot it gets in the summer. Are there a lot of days where it gets near or above 100 degrees? I have heard that Texas gets very hot in the summer. The reason I ask is, I have lived in TN for 42 years. It gets hot and humid in the summer but temperatures usually are only in the upper to mid 90s. In the winter it can get as low as 15 below zero or we can have a mild winter where the ground only freezes for a couple of weeks. I am in agricultural zone 6 and would like to relocate in zone 7 or 8. I like gardening and growing flowers and roses. Anything else you can tell me about the weather and what is available for seniors will be appreciated. A few weeks ago I corresponded with a lady living near the bayou area of Texas and she said the mosquitos are awful there. I wouldn't like that very much.

Thanks again. Judith

Judith - the summers get hot and humid here also. It varies depending on the year. Last summer was what I would consider mild and we didn't have temps over 100 more than maybe just a few days. The summer of 2000 was hotter than that. There are many, many lakes and rivers in this area of Texas. I don't think the mosquitoes are bad here, but I did come here from southeast Arkansas where there is lots of crops especially rice growing, which attracts mosquitos. I don't see snakes here either, but I don't go to the lakes or rivers much, we have never seen one here on our place. I'm not familiar with what they have for seniors around Tyler. I don't work, but dh does, so I'm not looking for senior things until dh retires too. I'm sure they have what other cities have for the seniors.

Let me know if I can be of further help to you.

Greetings from East Texas........

I will get the 1/ 800 numbers for Tyler area info and post it. We never wore Our coats last year. This year we have seen several artic fronts. Only 1 year in the last 40 have we had a bad winter, it went to freezing in 83 for I think 3 weeks. We had one or two years of days of 90-92 summer days. As my husband states the older (72 years young)he gets the hotter the summers and the colder the winters. He enjoys the seniors center. We use to fish, but I have developed old age back problems and am limited to the outdoor activities. I still try to garden some. I do like the "seniors college" That Tyler Junior College holds for the senior members of Tyler Area. You pay so much and you can go to all the clasess. They are held in the day time.
Shopping is great and the Medical Needs are Met with well trained Drs. VA people go to Longview or Dallas. University of Texas Hospital has a research staff I see a Dr there for my Arthritis. We have lived in several countries and states but came home to Tyler.
I wanted to live in North West Washington but Hubby did not like the rainy days. We were there for 2 years in the 60tys.
Golf people have several Golf Communities to chose from.
Gamblers go to Shreveport.
Lindale area has many Christian Ministries, like Mercy Ships. Canton just west of Tyler has the famous trade days!