Is Georgetown right for us?

[TexasHorseLady]

Really? I'm an old hippy, neither conservative nor liberal (feel there's precious little to choose between the two when you get right down to the rock bottom, "we know what's best and you shouldn't bother your pretty little head thinking about it, we'll decide which civil liberties you should have and which you shouldn't" motivation, and I prefer to use my brain, thank you very much!), and feel quite comfortable in Georgetown. But, then, politics not being the entire point of life for me, as it seems to be for some, and caring more about whether someone is a good neighbor than their personal politics, that might be the answer right there.

[10scoachrick]

THL and I actually agree on this one...there are plenty of places in Georgetown where you might not have any idea of the political leanings of your neighbors(unless you make a point to). There are spread out neighborhoods to the west of IH-35 that bear no relation to the more 'urban' areas of G-town or some of the newer higher-density developments. There are retirement communities and universities all calling G-town 'home'. Pretty difficult to dismiss an entire city by 'painting with that very broad brush'.

[zdg]

Cool, then it's clearly changed a lot in the last 10 years.

When we left there, it was freakishly conservative. Very religious and very republican.

[justanothercalifornian]

I lived in Sonoma and also Healdsburg for years and I feel like G-Town could be a good fit. However, you will not find the intense beauty and overall vibe of those small, wine country towns there. G-Town is beautiful, and has a lovely little downtown and a good historic district but there are many places in the US that have that and are a lot less HOT. You should definitely come for a visit and feel it out for yourself. Summers here are very, very long.
I love TX and I'm here for awhile but if it were time for me to make a move again I'd likely choose somewhere like Raleigh or Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Do a little research on those places. I think they fit your criteria well.

[macalan]

We are not liberal nor overly conservative. Fiscally conservative and socially liberal I guess - we are independents.

Anyway - Justanothercalifornian - any other places you can think of that have what we are looking for and are not so hot? To be honest, we would prefer to be on the coast - either one. But I think our budget prevents us from being on the West Coast.

We did check out Chapel Hill and Raleigh early on in our search. We didn't like the downtown of Chapel Hill at all - the college pretty much IS the town - lots of pizza joints and t-shirt shops. It just didn't have the "vibe" we were looking for with a good mix of restaurants and shops for everyone, not just college kids. Not to mention HOT.

We also were really turned off by the crime, which we are finding to be a problem anywhere we look in the South. We're currently considering Mount Pleasant, SC just outside of Charleston, SC also, but that's hot AND humid, and we are not used to home invasions, shootings and the like where we are from. It's unheard of, except in Boston and some "bad" towns.

Ideally, we'd like to find that "intense beauty", low crime, reasonable housing costs, vibrant community, and 4-seasons without intense heat and humidity, but I think we are seeking the Holy Grail.

Williamsburg actually seems to be a fairly good fit, but no ocean nearby and still hot and humid.... I guess you can't have it all unless you have a big budget.

If you have any suggestions, please pass them along!!

[Trainwreck20]

Looking forward to hearing![/quote]
I lived in Georgetown for many years, although that was decades ago . OTOH, Georgetown has definitely managed to grow/change a little more slowly than Austin/RR.

You needs list is easy, everything is there that you will need. As for you wants:

An esthetically pleasing place

I loved G'town, but most people that came from the NE or the West will have a hard time appreciating the more 'subtle' appeal of the various oaks and the extensive rock (west of G'town) or farmland (east of G'town). Although it borders the hill country, it is still pretty durn flat. Lake G'town is a nice lake in that there are few (if any?) homes along the shores and the development has been very limited (corps of engineers property/lake), but it is not really a destination lake.

A place with a sense of history

Well, this isn't the NE, so the history is much shorter . G'town was originally a quarry town some 150-175 years ago, and it still has a damn big active quarry (Texas Crushed Stone). The 'book' history is somewhat limited, but you will find that the downtown area still has quite a few older homes and the square has been pretty well protected against over-modernization (if that is a word). And, as of about 10 years ago, you could definitely feel a bit of the pride in not being sucked wholesale into Austin's sphere, as had happened in RR, Pflugerville, and Cedar Park. So there is a bit of community history there. Oh, and Southwestern claims to be the oldest university west of the Mississippi or something. It is a small, picturesque campus and adds a bit of historical weight.

Things to do [...]

I have not lived there in too long to weigh in. It will still be more limited than a big town/city, and G'town is not a powerhouse in the tourist industry so there are not many of the boutique type spots (for better or worse). The chain stores were non-existent when I lived there, and I have to say it is the most depressing change since I left. I do not dislike chain stores, per se, but aesthetically, they just disrupt the feel of what the town used to be.

Friendly people

They are friendly, but the roots of G'town have been farmers and ranchers for some time, so it is more of a reserved friendliness than a 'run up and introduce myself' thing. There are a lot of other people than the farmer/rancher crowd - used to be, assume there still is, a significant IBM group and the university staff - but I still find the town a bit more reserved than Austin.

Would love to be close to downtown
Walkable downtown

Close to downtown G'town? It is very walkable, although groceries and the chain stores will be off toward the interstate and difficult to walk to easily, especially in the summer. My understanding, though, is that the cost can be pretty significant (compared to the non-downtown areas) to live right near the square.

Mild climate[...]

No, it isn't, at least not in the summer. There are whole threads on humidity/heat etc., but statistically G'town is hot but not near as humid (percentage-wise) as a lot of the country; it is not, however, the SW where humidity is insanely low.

[AustinTraveler]

I've been to most of the cities you listed and I think I understand what you're looking for. I honestly don't think Georgetown fits your criteria. It simply does not have the vibe, beauty, or weather of the other places you listed.

Have you considered the Central Coast of California? Your budget is low but you could get a house in areas near San Luis Obispo (a great city, by the way, but out of your price range) like Atascadero, Templeton, or Paso Robles. The one thing you would be giving up is a major airport. SLO has a small airport but LAX, San Jose, and SFO are all 3+ hours away.

[bridgebats]

I don't think G-town or Texas is for you at all. It is HOT here, not mild. I think you should check out the Asheville, North Carolina area.

The historical areas towards the east coast are beautiful and there seem to be many more small towns. Live more inland to keep the humidity down.

[buffettjr]

You're escaping high cost of living, but you're coming to a place with a high cost to retire. We have no state income tax. We get a lot of our tax dollars from property taxes and sales taxes. As a retiree, this is exactly the opposite of what you'd want, so it's something for you to consider. Don't just look at the cost of living, but the cost of living for a retired person.

[macalan]

What's the property tax rate in Georgetown?