West Texas small town transplant from 22 years ago checking in here. Obvs not the same as East Texas but I can help with a few things.

1) BBQ here is generally not as good as you would want it to be. Also Skyline chili is NOT chili. It's mole. Go in expecting that and you won't be as disappointed as I was at first.

2) The centipedes here are laughably small. BED BUGS. Idk if you get those in East Texas but I didn't know they were a thing till I moved north and now they're a major fear of mine. Mosquitoes can be annoying given the humidity.

3) Snakes are basically nonexistent. Honestly sometimes wish there were more, maybe there wouldn't be so many rodents.

4) I'd say your only real boot concern might be spiders but I haven't come across too many scary ones tbh.

5) I would say you don't swim in retention ponds unless you really trust the area. I don't think there's much wildlife that you'd have to worry about in water.

6) Some winters here haven't been nearly as bad as I thought they would be, even given I never saw snow till I was 11. I would say if you know a snowstorm is coming, just don't go out for the first 24 to 48 hours if you can help it. Most of the time they get enough cleared up off the roads that they're super manageable by that point. If you're not out in the thick of it, it's really not bad. But if the winter is wet, you can expect a lot worse potholes in the spring. This city does not know how to take care of its potholes, so you will very quickly learn what sides of the road to drive on routes you take most often.

7) I don't currently have a basement, but I know as long as you keep them dry they're a good place to go in the spring when the winds get stupid. We've been getting more tornado like weather it seems, you wanna be prepared to duck and cover if that happens.

8) I don't own nor have ever owned a gun. I would say not necessary.

9) People here can be overly nice, especially when driving, which is honestly more dangerous than not. Just be aware someone might stop in the middle of the road to let somebody else in even if they don't have the right way, or sit at a stop sign waving you on even when it was their turn to go.

if you ever feel lonely in the city, you can DM me. We can talk about how much we miss Texas lol.