Impressions of West Texas

Last week, I made my way to Plainview, Texas for a job interview. Plainview is a small town in the Texas panhandle, between Amarillo and Lubbock. Although I have driven through the area before, I haven't spent much time there. I don't necessarily know what I expected to find when I visited, but here were my first impressions of the region.

• The sun is always shining! Apparently after I left, a major storm rolled through the area. While I was in town though, I was struck by how late the sun set. From what I understand, this area is on the western border of the Central Time Zone. That means that the sky was still bright as dusk approached around 8:30pm! I quickly appreciated the importance of black-out drapes in my hotel room.
• Things are very flat in Texas. I don't think there was a single hill in sight. It wasn't a desert either.....although everyone I met commented on how lucky I was to come after the rains had made things look so green. In a lot of ways, the topography reminded me of home.
• History is important to the community. I thought it was charming to observe how the old town co-existed next to the modern. The historic downtown was actively being developed. It was nice to see businesses succeeding in this part of town.
• Texans are really friendly and welcoming. I've spent lots of time in the Houston area throughout my life, but I was really impressed with the general spirit of the people I encountered in Plainview. People were warm and it seemed as though an attitude of "live and let live" was practiced by the majority of the citizens.
• City and country can co-exist. Plainview is not a bustling metropolis by any means. It's not just a spot-on-the-map either. The city had a nice, relaxed feel that you would find in small town America while still offering some of the conveniences of the city. And to make life even better, it's comforting to know that both Lubbock (population 239,000) and Amarillo (population 196,000) are relatively short drives away.

It looks as though I'll have some exploring to do as I begin the next chapter of my life as a resident of Plainview, Texas! There's a lot of work to be done in the next month preparing for my move, but I'm certain I'll have plenty of stories to tell as I continue Livin' Life.