Damn good fishing there in and around Port Arthur, if you like chasing reds. Whatever Marc is referring to as some kind of "oil exodus" is simply not true. Most of the fine folks who have left due to a decline in oil production had simply come to Texas in recent years due to job opportunity, which has obviously diminished considerably. If you're considering a move due to finding work in Beaumont this clearly doesn't apply to you. I also don't know where Marc has been that he would say is "dirty," we Texans are proud of our state, and it's natural beauty, and we work hard to preserve it. El Paso may be a different story, but as I'm sure you know, El Paso is a border town, so it goes without saying that there is a higher population of immigrants (legal and otherwise) as well as crime. Beaumont is a long way away from El Paso, as in 830 miles from El Paso, might as well be a different world.