I check on the progress of texarkana almost daily. I left for the army in 2003 and ive been back to Texarkana a couple of times and I must say it has really sprung to life since 2003, especially the I30 corridor. The only thing Im disapointed with is the lack of development downtown. And yes I know the effort going on to make it better but I still dont think the city (texas side) is 100% commited. Arkansas seems to care more about downtown than Texas does... and Texas side has all the cool venues... Perot theatre, Grim hotel, mccartney hotel, even Josh Morris is remodeling those old crumbling building on broad... Why wont Texas side embrace the buisness aspect that they seem to always outbid Arkansas for(convention center which I think belongs downtown), and start bringing some big buisness downtown? The area next to Wadley hospital where 82 and 67 intersect would be my focus as it does get some pretty decent traffic and is not filled with all the old landmarks that the city wants to save... That location is still very much downtown but has the room to expand. God I wish I had the money sometimes to get things started.. hats off to Josh Morris.

Yeah I'm proud of Texarkana as well. Have lived here most of my life and it has blossomed from being a small town to a small city. Plans are already moving forward to building the north loop from I-30 to U.S. Hwy 71 and I-69 is still in the planning stages. Work on the university is coming along nicely. It's in the second stage of construction which is the multipurpose library and school of engineering buildings. The last phase to be built will be the dorms. The school officially opens fall 2010. Once finished it will have the capacity to accomodate up to 10,000 students. The new frontage road and interchange projects are making major headway and will be completed in two years. Lots of new businesses and jobs have come into the city since you were last here. The area around the I-30 freeway is almost unrecognizable with all the new buildings going up. You should come back for a visit. You'd be surprised at how it's changed!

I am a 36-year-old mom of 2 and I need to move my family. I know Austin is a big city and so maybe it has what we need??? I didn't go to college and I'm trying to raise my kids alone without much money. Everyone talks on here a lot about the really super-rich neighbors and suburbs....is there anywhere that's just decent enough????? I mean like not the most awesome part of town ever but okay enough that I don't have to worry about my children and where they can get a good education??? Sometimes I feel like the whole world is just rich mansions and then like housing projects!!! Isn't there someplace I can work hard and take care of my kids??

Looking online, I found that before Temple Mall opened, there was another mall on I-35 near exit 299 (Dodgen Loop). From what I can tell, it's called Outdoor America Mall now, and it has RoomStore and a now closed RV dealer. I can't find a shred of information about it online, though, and would like to know its history. What anchor stores did it have, first of all? They almost look like maybe Woolco and a supermarket.

There's a term for those kind of balconies, but I can't remember what it is. Something to do with Romeo & Juliet. Basically allows you to open the big doors on the exterior of the unit without actually having a full balcony space.

The top-floor units and the corner units all have huge balconies, so I suppose it's also something of an incentive/bonus for people getting bigger apartments.

Hmmm, interesting thread (of course I'm discovering it probably a year too late). I've not been to Tyler in quite a long time, so I definitely don''t want to claim "expert status" on that city. But in reference to the other two, I know enough...

Texarkana... it's slowly becoming much more than the "bi-state rest stop" of the past. I went to college about an hour away from there in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and so I have a lot of friends from the area, and spent a fair amount of time there. The near completion of the full loop is pretty awesome, and I'm quite proud of how well the twin cities are cooperating to improve their infrastucture. It shouldn't just stop at I-30 though; hopefully a northern portion will be built with something that connects into US 71 towards Ashdown on the AR side, and OK on the Texas side (I-69 plans perhaps?). Aside from the roads, the biggest news is how awesome the job market is there... people are really starting to MOVE to Texarkana for decent work! My favorite project is the massive expansion of TAMU Texarkana, b/c this region NEEDS a powerhouse university, especially considering that the closest comprehensive schools (public) are 75 miles away!!

Longview... I've got a lot of love for this little Texas city. Beautiful setting in the east Texas woods, and lots of great people. Longview's growth is spurred by it's excellent location between Tyler and Shreveport also, and as the city continues to peel off industries that are unique from Shreveport's, it will keep growing from that metro's support. Again, another decent-sized university would spur Longview's development, but UT Tyler is serving as a great outlet for the Longview area.

I think I'd have to go with Texarkana (b/c it's twice as nice LOL), but I reserve my final opinion until I've gotten a chance to visit Tyler again.