Hey everyone, I would like to start out by giving a little background on DW and I. We were born and raised in small town USA. Lived in big city during military years. Never really cared for big city life or even passing through them. Being from small towns, large hoards of people are something we try to avoid. In 35 yrs of rving we generally seek out quite campgrounds and rural areas. We are fulltimers and have worked in private campgrounds and state parks as camp hosts. The largest of these being 150 sites. We have been offered work for site jobs at several rv parks in the McAllen and Mission area. These are 55 plus parks (which we have never stayed in) with 250-500 sites or more. :o My questions are for those of you that have worked/ wintered in the Rio Grande Valley. The metropolitan area for here is nearly 1 million people. Do you confine most all your time to the park where you stay/work? Is there any lets say getting up and walking the dog without being part of a daily parade? :lol: Any back road trips one can take to just get away? (without driving first hour to find back roads) Do you feel safe when away from the park? Is this truly big city atmosphere? Most parks we have worked/stayed in have ample space between neighbors, are these the same? :? Please don't get me wrong in that we don't enjoy people because we do, just not in cramped quarters. Any comments and or advise will be highly appreciated. Would love to hear about what its like where you stay or work. Thanks for reading and thank you in advance for any response.

Are you by chance referring to McAllen instead of McAllister? Good luck on finding a park with space between sites. Winter the population increases quite a bit. It has been a number of years since we were there, but crowds are common, didn't notice being unsafe, but you will find there are places you shouldn't go as any large city(s)Jim

My folks live down there year around in Mission. Personally I wish they lived somewhere else because I really hate going down there. Make sure you protect yourselves well from thieves, be extra careful driving down there with uninsured motorist, and make sure you're packing when you leave the park. It used to be better but unfortunately it's getting worse every year... This is all IMHO and from conversations with people that live down there year around and winters.

Mission has lots of places to explore...Bentsen Palm State Park, World Birding Center, World Butterfly Center. You can bike or walk all over the park.As for the RV parks, most of the sites will be close together and as someone else stated, pretty full during the winter season.We own at Retama Village in the Bentsen Palm Development and like the fact that it is off the main drag...US 83, and closer to the state park.As for safety, have never felt unsafe anywhere in the area...as anywhere in the US, there are places you know to stay away from, especially after dark...use common sense and you'll have no issues.

Yes, Mission and McAllen are huge cities with the normal big-city problems including lots of traffic. However, I wouldn't say that the whole area is unsafe. It's just like any other large city would be. You'll get to know the surroundings.Without knowing what parks you were offered work, it's hard to say about the immediate area and how crammed the RV sites are. Perhaps you can view them on Google Earth and see if they would fit your requirements.There are many 'natural areas' to explore but you'd probably have to drive to them. Good luck!

Mission Tx area | Good Sam Community

Jim-Linda
Explorer II
Jun 04, 2014
Are you by chance referring to McAllen instead of McAllister? Good luck on finding a park with space between sites. Winter the population increases quite a bit. It has been a number of years since we were there, but crowds are common, didn't notice being unsafe, but you will find there are places you shouldn't go as any large city(s)

Jim
Wingnusa
Explorer
Jun 05, 2014
My folks live down there year around in Mission. Personally I wish they lived somewhere else because I really hate going down there. Make sure you protect yourselves well from thieves, be extra careful driving down there with uninsured motorist, and make sure you're packing when you leave the park. It used to be better but unfortunately it's getting worse every year... This is all IMHO and from conversations with people that live down there year around and winters.
TechWriter
Explorer
Jun 05, 2014
Start using www.city-data.com.
kakampers
Explorer
Jun 05, 2014
Mission has lots of places to explore...Bentsen Palm State Park, World Birding Center, World Butterfly Center. You can bike or walk all over the park.

As for the RV parks, most of the sites will be close together and as someone else stated, pretty full during the winter season.

We own at Retama Village in the Bentsen Palm Development and like the fact that it is off the main drag...US 83, and closer to the state park.

As for safety, have never felt unsafe anywhere in the area...as anywhere in the US, there are places you know to stay away from, especially after dark...use common sense and you'll have no issues.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Jun 06, 2014
Yes, Mission and McAllen are huge cities with the normal big-city problems including lots of traffic. However, I wouldn't say that the whole area is unsafe. It's just like any other large city would be. You'll get to know the surroundings.

Without knowing what parks you were offered work, it's hard to say about the immediate area and how crammed the RV sites are. Perhaps you can view them on Google Earth and see if they would fit your requirements.

There are many 'natural areas' to explore but you'd probably have to drive to them. Good luck!
DustyR
Explorer
Jun 06, 2014
2gypsies wrote:
Yes, Mission and McAllen are huge cities with the normal big-city problems including lots of traffic. However, I wouldn't say that the whole area is unsafe. It's just like any other large city would be. You'll get to know the surroundings.

Without knowing what parks you were offered work, it's hard to say about the immediate area and how crammed the RV sites are. Perhaps you can view them on Google Earth and see if they would fit your requirements.

There are many 'natural areas' to explore but you'd probably have to drive to them. Good luck!

I have spent the last two winters near Harlingen, TX. I serve as a chaplain (Workamper)in a resort that has apx 185 sites. The parks in this area were designed for the standard 8' wide trailers and some sites may be a little tight when slides are extended on both sides. Simply advise the park what size unit you have during initial contact and they will set you up with the best available site to accommodate your needs.

This area has a lot of things to do. Birding is at the top of the list as this area is adjacent to a major flyway of migrating birds of all types. I would begin with a visit to the Texas Tourism site and get literature of things to do.

Safety: I talked to a police officer when I first arrived in the RGV about safety issues, his response 'safe as any major metropolitan area'. I do not go into areas that I don't belong in after dark, just common sense things.
Sez_Hoo_
Explorer
Jun 11, 2014
My DW and I workamped at a park called Sleepy Valley RV resort in Mission. It was a nice park. They closed the gate at night. Everyone had a remote to open and close the gate after hours. Most of the guest at that park were from the Provinces of Canada. Also most of the Parks down there are 55 and older. Since we were just 50 yrs old when we were there, we felt like we were kids in an adults only park. We did however make some good friends while there. We never had any bad experiences while in Mission or McAllen. Most of the parks are empty out by the end of March. While down in that area you should check out Big Bend National Park.
adrain
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
Stayed this pasted winter in Mission TX, Will never go agin
TechWriter
Explorer
Jun 25, 2014
adrain wrote:
Stayed this pasted winter in Mission TX, Will never go agin

Why? How about some detail.
dreamon
Explorer
Jun 25, 2014
Adrain, could you please tell me why you would never return>

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