Why Tyler, TX is Giving the Next Generation Room to Build a Life They Love
Ask Casey Foster why he lives in Tyler, Texas, and he’ll take you back to a moment that looks and sounds a lot like destiny.
“When I was 8 months old, my family happened to be in Tyler when I got sick,” Casey says. “It turned out to be bacterial meningitis. A young pediatrician diagnosed it quickly and correctly and gave me the care I needed to survive. If we hadn’t been in Tyler that day, I very likely wouldn’t be here.”
After that fateful experience, Casey’s family moved to different cities around the country for his father’s Air Force career, but Tyler, he says, “just kept pulling me back.”
Today, Casey, 39, and his wife Candace, 38, are raising their four kids in Tyler and exemplifying the full, fun lives more young people are flocking here to build. “The people I’ve met here are what make it so special,” he says. “I found myself surrounded by people who believed in me before I fully believed in myself.”
Toasting to Opportunities
Siblings Sydney and Mason Dacus grew up in Tyler and moved away for college and grad school. They enjoyed spreading their wings, but according to Mason, “we both missed the community spirit and culture of East Texas.”
Building on her dreams of owning a winery, Sydney earned a certification in enology and a minor in agricultural entrepreneurship at Texas A&M before transitioning into the medical field to pursue her graduate degree in physical therapy.
In 2023, the family had a chance to buy a vineyard, and Rio Neches Estate Winery was born. Mason now works full time running the ranch, vineyard and winery, while Sydney balances her job as a physical therapist with building the business and winemaking.
The Tyler community has embraced the venture.
“We have been genuinely floored with the local support. People from across the community have been eager to visit the winery and support our business,” Mason says.
Making Connections
That enthusiastic support Mason describes extends to anyone building a career in Tyler.
“The real opportunity in Tyler is access,” says Casey, a business broker. “In a bigger city, you’re a number. You might spend years trying to get in front of the right people. In Tyler, if you show up and take initiative, you can be sitting across from the mayor, a county commissioner, a university president or a successful business owner in a short time frame.”
Candace, a client development manager, agrees. “If you put forth the effort, you will find connection,” she says.
Sydney and Mason have seen this in action as young business owners.
“Tyler has a wealth of resources to help grow our young business,” Mason says. “From marketing assistance to business advice to enthusiastic support from the hospitality industry, we have been overwhelmed by the support we have received.”
Living at Your Own Pace
With a median age of just over 33, Tyler has a youthful energy that’s palpable to visitors and residents alike. Young professionals are growing careers here, raising families and enjoying everything the region has to offer during their downtime, from restaurants to cultural events and outdoor recreation.
“If the sun is out, I will be outside,” says Sydney, 26. “That may mean going for a walk on the square downtown, attending a local festival or visiting a new place in the Tyler area that I’ve been wanting to check out.”
Her brother Mason, 28, echoes the sentiment: “Tyler is a growing and vibrant city, but it maintains its small-town feel.”
For the Fosters, weekend itineraries vary, but a sense of ease is the through-line.
“My dream Saturday is doing the things we each love, but doing them together at our own pace,” Casey says. “Tyler makes that possible because nothing is far, nothing is frantic, and the city doesn’t demand anything from your Saturday that you haven’t already chosen to give it.”
It’s been almost four decades since Casey’s life was saved in Tyler, and the future in East Texas looks brighter than ever.
“If there’s one thing I’d want someone to take away from my story, it’s this: Tyler gave me room to fail, reinvent and try again,” Casey says. “It gave me room to build a career, a family, a faith community, a life that actually fits together – and to become someone I’m proud of being.”
Get to Know Tyler
Want to learn more about living and working in Tyler, TX? Check out the latest edition of Livability Tyler, Texas.