Just looking into what type of town this? Pros/Cons. Anything that someone unfamiliar with the area needs to know?

What type of town it is? A tiny one.

Dying, dirty small town. Probably dying slower than similar towns. Not much there. Lots of huge ranches in the areas. Decent golf course. Really good fried chicken at the gas station at the stop light.

a town not afraid to leave the basketball court a little oily if a faster, better team is coming to town

Not anywhere I would ever want to live.

Go to Childress and commute.

Commuting would not be an option. So basically you guys are saying stay away?

It depends. Almost all the Panhandle/South Plains/Rolling Plains small towns are drying up, and have been since about 1960. Many of those counties had twice the population in 1930 as they do today.

So if you're a big city type, it's going to be culture shock. If you want a night life or a singles scene you're SOL. It's a slower pace of life, which is great if that's what you want.

If you already have a family, and it's like most of these small towns, it's going to be friendly and welcoming. If you're a coach, you'll get lots of attention, and probably lots of support. High School sports are one of the few community activities.

Everybody is going to know your business, but the positive of that is that they will look out for you, too.

I'm assuming you're looking at a teaching position. Are you single, or married? Kids? From a big town? Into hunting? A lot depends on all of that.

Lots of day-trip type of outdoors stuff within a reasonable drive. Also lots of medium to large cities within that range.

My comments weren't meant to steer you away. I don't know anything about the town.

The people in the general area are great people.

teacher/coach...married with family from a smallish town but nowhere near as small. Completely different area of the state then I have ever been in. Reason I was asking for some advice.

Double Post

[This message has been edited by coachallout (edited 2/19/2014 11:29a).]

As a transplant from SE Texas I can say that the small town folks out here are some of the best folks I've met. After 10 years out here I cannot imagine moving away. Don't miss out on an opportunity because it may be different. You may end up loving it before you know it.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Nothing is set in stone, just waiting on an interview but with it being such a move for myself and family I want to be prepared if the opportunity does in fact come to fruition.

I think you'll really like the people. If you are from a forested area, the landscape might be a shock. If you are an intensely private person, you might not like the attention of being a coach/teacher in a small town. But if you enjoy a sense of community, you'd probably thrive.

When you said "commuting is not an option" is that because the school district provides a house?

I have a friend who spent his teaching career in small oil community towns. They paid well, they often provided housing, and they often paid supplements for cheerleader or class sponsors or the like. If you don't mind the sometimes bleak landscapes of such places, it's a great way to make good money.

And it may be small and isolated, but you're only 30 minutes out from Childress, two hours from Abilene or Lubbok, three hours from Ft. Worth. Lots of small state parks in the area: Copper Breaks, Caprock Canyons, Palo Duro, Quartz Mountain, Wichita Wildlife refuge, etc. etc.

Not sure about school housing. Just if I was to get the job I would want to live in the community where I coached. Thanks for all the replies. This has helped a lot.

I grew up in a very similar small town. I second CanyonAg's take. Everybody is going to know your business, but that can be good. If I ever stepped over the line, my parents usually knew before I got home.

The best thing is, if you're an outdoor enthusiast, you'll probably have several open invitations to hunt just about wherever and whenever you want. My dad and I enjoyed near solitude on a great stock pond when I was a kid. Nobody but the two of us and some of the ranch hands were allowed on the place. We fished about 4 days a week year-round and usually caught more than we wanted to keep. I miss that place!

I don't have a lot of Paducah knowledge--it's not on the way to anywhere from where I live, so I don't even travel through there often. However, the last Paducah High School grad I met was rather interesting--she was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar who had spent a year studying in France. She spoke to our Rotary club, and after giving her presentation, I asked her how someone from Paducah ended up in her position. There was nothing real special in her background--her father was a farmer--so, I guess it says something that a small town like that doesn't limit the horizons of the kids.

Paducah has a rich athletic history both football and basketball. The town is very proud of it's heritage. But it is a very small place and a little bit isolated.

Childress is a great town and only a short drive north. If you are interested in the position I would definitely go. There are some really great people left in Paducah. The changes in agriculture killed the town. As almost all small towns out in that area.

Paducah has a rich athletic history both football and basketball. The town is very proud of it's heritage. But it is a very small place and a little bit isolated.

Childress is a great town and only a short drive north. If you are interested in the position I would definitely go. There are some really great people left in Paducah. The changes in agriculture killed the town. As almost all small towns out in that area.

Are you by chance looking at the basketball coaching opening. Well, I assume it will be open after what happened with the previous coach. Sad deal.

Was open and from what I understand is now closed. Sadly it was not I who got the job.

Good luck on finding your perfect job. Come on up on top of the Caprock, we've got some good schools here.

Good luck coachallout.

Thanks for the kind words. I am trying to get my foot in the door with my first head job and its been frustrating. Had a good in at Paducah but they ended up getting a guy they didn't think they could. When its meant to be it will happen even if the wait is as frustrating as they come.