I've lived in Texas on-and-off for about 12 years - in my opinion it IS easier to get a job down there. The Texas economy was slower to falter than some other states - just in the last few years has it been getting into budget trouble. It absolutely STINKS (in my opinion), but you might want to consider El Paso. First off, not a lot of takers on El Paso jobs - seems like companies are ALWAYS hiring over there. There is a HUGE trucking industry (what with the maquiladoras/sister plants b/t Mexico and the U.S.) - and the BRAC re-alignment has meant tremendous growth for the region (Ft. Bliss gained a bunch of soldiers, and building is still going pretty strong last time I was there).
I had a great job I loved in El Paso, but the environment (in my opinion) was not conducive to raising a younger child there. The violence in Juarez has brought a lot of folks to the U.S. with their kiddos (I SO don't blame them), and the school disticts are not equipped to assist so many children (many of whom have witnessed the violence and have special needs). If you have a special needs kiddo, I wouldn't recommend y'all following the hubby there if he finds something. (My sister-in-law has a special needs child - learning disability and some emotional problems - and she has a devil of a time finding good schools.) The other downside is, if he rents in El Paso, the landlords tend to be a bit sketchy (taking advantage of the military folks), and rent is fairly high for what you get (as many of the rental places still have swamp coolers instead of air conditioning).
When my husband was offered a job in Tennessee, we both jumped at it (even though I didn't have anything lined up). I can tell you, Tennessee is pretty thin all around in my opinion. I have two graduate degrees, and other than doing some (VERY) part time contact consulting work, I am coming up empty. Nissan and GM have been hiring assembly plant workers...and Amazon just moved in around Nashville...but there are thousands of applicants for just hundreds of jobs. Would not recommend TN (even though I love it here)...
I had a great job I loved in El Paso, but the environment (in my opinion) was not conducive to raising a younger child there. The violence in Juarez has brought a lot of folks to the U.S. with their kiddos (I SO don't blame them), and the school disticts are not equipped to assist so many children (many of whom have witnessed the violence and have special needs). If you have a special needs kiddo, I wouldn't recommend y'all following the hubby there if he finds something. (My sister-in-law has a special needs child - learning disability and some emotional problems - and she has a devil of a time finding good schools.) The other downside is, if he rents in El Paso, the landlords tend to be a bit sketchy (taking advantage of the military folks), and rent is fairly high for what you get (as many of the rental places still have swamp coolers instead of air conditioning).
When my husband was offered a job in Tennessee, we both jumped at it (even though I didn't have anything lined up). I can tell you, Tennessee is pretty thin all around in my opinion. I have two graduate degrees, and other than doing some (VERY) part time contact consulting work, I am coming up empty. Nissan and GM have been hiring assembly plant workers...and Amazon just moved in around Nashville...but there are thousands of applicants for just hundreds of jobs. Would not recommend TN (even though I love it here)...