Progressive area east of Austin? (Houston, College Station: elementary schools, college, shops)

[littlewmn]

Hi there! I am looking for information about towns east of Austin which are not dogmatically Christian (I am Jewish (with an emphasis on the ish) and my husband is Agnostic. I don't want my son to think his parents are Hell-bound.
I am also hoping for good elementary schools, trees, and an older downtown area. Not just cookie-cutter beige mazes.
A few coffee shops and independent stores would be good too.
Thank you for any imput!
I would love to be in Austin proper, but we will be working closer to the College Station area, and I just can't swing that far a commute.

[love roses]

Georgetown, Salado, Taylor, Thrall, Rockdale, Bryan/College Station, Smithville, LaGrange, Brenham, Giddings, and there's one other town near Giddings and just now I forget the name. Some other towns that wouldn't be too bad of a drive but may not have all you are looking for...Elgin, Lexington, Bastrop, McDade

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by littlewmn

Hi there! I am looking for information about towns east of Austin which are not dogmatically Christian (I am Jewish (with an emphasis on the ish) and my husband is Agnostic. I don't want my son to think his parents are Hell-bound.
I am also hoping for good elementary schools, trees, and an older downtown area. Not just cookie-cutter beige mazes.
A few coffee shops and independent stores would be good too.
Thank you for any imput!
I would love to be in Austin proper, but we will be working closer to the College Station area, and I just can't swing that far a commute.

What town will you be working in?

The whole swath of Texas between Austin & Bryan is pretty conservative. But you might find most of what you're looking for in a county seat in that area. (of which there are many).

Cool towns that I've passed thru would include Caldwell, La Grange & possibly Smithville, Brenham & Giddings. All are older towns with a downtown & are somewhat historic.

I've also have always liked the little towns of Fayetteville & Round Top (near La Grange), but they are very small. But since quite a few urban folks are moving to these little towns, there might not be quite the "bubba" vibe as in the past.

Here's a map that shows the school scores which might be helpful. Keep in mind that small towns will never have the "superlative" scores that upper class urban/suburban areas have...because EVERYONE in town (from all socio-economic groups) attends. Which could be a good or not so good thing depending on one's perspective.

Texas School Performance Maps

Depending on where you work, you might also consider Montgomery...which is closer to Houston.

Good luck.

[love roses]

Bryan/College Station and Brenham are both College towns, which also means they wouldn't be totally conservative. B/CS has A&M and Brenham has Blinn. One of my Uncles just moved from Houston to Brenham, speaking of Urban folks moving to those little towns. Tomball is a nice little town also, closer to Houston though, and may be too conservative. But, being so close to Houston maybe it's gotten a little less so with all its recent growth. Georgetown also is a College town. I think it's SouthWestern or something that's there. It's a really nice campus.