Place to live between Austin and San Antonio, TX (New Braunfels: sale, apartments)

[hoffdano]

I like New Braunfels - but it has its shortcomings - such as medical care. If you need anything special - you are off to San Antonio.

I haven't spent enough time in San Marcos to say much about it. It has always been a pass through for me.

[eepstein]

I would recommend San Marcos if you wanted to live between SA and Austin. This is a fairly nice town with a good size university and fairly picturesque in spots (especially west). Stay away from little dump towns like Buda and Kyle unless you like miles of treeless tracthomes that give you a nice big 5 foot gap between you and your neighbor. Dont know much about New Braunfels.

Originally Posted by jemato

Hi,

My husband and I are moving to Texas. My job is in San Antonio and his in Austin. We would like to live between this two cities...any recommendations?

[tibbar]

New Braunfels also has Lake McQueeney a few miles east of town. Many people drive to work in the cities from the houses around this small lake.

[jobert]

When you get that far south on 35, the hills pop up on either side so you're in hill country regardless. I wouldn't live too far from 35 though. There's nothing like driving 15 minutes just to get to the freeway, then spending at least an hour to each city. I am sure there are backroads for each city to get into, but if you want to get into Austin, you don't want anything to do with the freeways on the SW side. Both the 71/290 merge aka "the Y" in Oak Hill and the 967 to 1626 (through Hays)to brodie to Mopac commutes are truly soul-crushing.. 35 has traffic, but it's pretty much "how the crow flies" (fastest way from point 'A' to point 'B' is a straight line - even with the traffic)

[jobert]

In all seriousness, do you want to treat the symptoms, or the problem? I would highly recommend you both get a job in the same city. Even if you move to SM, both of you will be facing 80-100 miles a day in a car each. Are you ready for that? that's upwards of 4 hours a day in a car. This isn't like living between Dallas and Ft. Worth - this is about 100 miles between downtowns

Have you been in a situation like that before? It can cause serious strain on any relationship. If you have kids, this obstacle could be insurmountable even.

[antennaball]

I've lived in both New Braunfels (for the first 21 years of my life) and San Marcos (for 6 years). Now I live in Kyle, so I know a little bit about places between Austin and San Antonio!

I absolutely love Kyle (I certainly wouldn't categorize it as a little 'dump town'). I live in Plum Creek, which is a really cool old-style subdivision. It's a lot of fun out here, but it definitely doesn't meet the criteria of being a good halfway point.

San Marcos was fun, but the University really does seem to be choking the life out of the town. After a few years there, you'll really start to breathe a sigh of relief when summer rolls around and the students go home. It can get really obnoxious there. The river is pretty, but has become overrun with vegetation to the point that it's getting harder and harder to have fun on it. There's some really nice areas out Hunter Rd though, that would serve as a really nice place and put you closer to a halfway point.

New Braunfels is a beautiful town. With many subdivisions coming up in recent years, you get more out-of-towners moving in, and I think that has eased the hostility to outsiders. Plus, and this sounds bad, a lot of that was from the older folks and I don't think it's as big a problem among younger residents. In NB you have two rivers (the Comal and Guadalupe) and both are very pictureesque. However, if you live close to them, you're going to have to deal with some pretty obnoxious tourists every summer.

[imaterry78259]

Wimberley

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by antennaball

I've lived in both New Braunfels (for the first 21 years of my life) and San Marcos (for 6 years). Now I live in Kyle, so I know a little bit about places between Austin and San Antonio!

I absolutely love Kyle (I certainly wouldn't categorize it as a little 'dump town'). I live in Plum Creek, which is a really cool old-style subdivision. It's a lot of fun out here, but it definitely doesn't meet the criteria of being a good halfway point.

San Marcos was fun, but the University really does seem to be choking the life out of the town. After a few years there, you'll really start to breathe a sigh of relief when summer rolls around and the students go home. It can get really obnoxious there. The river is pretty, but has become overrun with vegetation to the point that it's getting harder and harder to have fun on it. There's some really nice areas out Hunter Rd though, that would serve as a really nice place and put you closer to a halfway point.

New Braunfels is a beautiful town. With many subdivisions coming up in recent years, you get more out-of-towners moving in, and I think that has eased the hostility to outsiders. Plus, and this sounds bad, a lot of that was from the older folks and I don't think it's as big a problem among younger residents. In NB you have two rivers (the Comal and Guadalupe) and both are very pictureesque. However, if you live close to them, you're going to have to deal with some pretty obnoxious tourists every summer.

Good post. I agree with virtually every point.


& fwiw....Wurstfest crowds don't affect folks living there...heck more people attend Friday night football games.

& the rivers (& Schliterbahn fwiw) are great in the summer..... just avoid the weekend rowdies & enjoy the rivers & Gruene during the week. Easy to do if you live there.

[Southern Phoenician]

I lived in San Marcos and commuted to North Austin for 2 years. San Marcos is a nice town and is definately a good half-way spot to live in. As another poster mentioned a good poing-- you need to consider WHERE in Austin and San Antonio you are driving to before deciding where to narrow your search. For example, if you chose New Braunfels and your husband had to commute to North Austin, he would easily be in the car 1 1/2 each way during peak traffic. South austin or Downtown wouldn't be so bad. Same goes for San Antonio. Both cities have a lot of traffic.

I would live in either New Braunfels or San Marcos. I have a couple of recommendations for you for both areas. Check out Willow Creek in San Marcos; its at the Wonder World exit. We built a custom home there and loved that neighborhood. It's a nice mix of older and newer homes and very nice! Lots of trees and hills. Some lots back to the ridge (ours did) offering nice views and privacy. For an older home, I would look at Spring Lake Hills subdivision. I love that neighborhood! The historic district is an option; a lot of pretty homes but not many renovated ones come up for sale too often.

River Chase is really nice which is much closer to San Antonio; really nice homes/lots but you might spend 20 minutes getting to your house once in the neighborhood (a big drawback).

Another really good choice is Havenwood; it's really close to I-35 on Hunter Road and in between San Marcos and New Braunfels. I love this neighborhood. It's not for someone who wants convenience though; you are not walking distance from anything. The location might be a good option for you though.
Rural Community | Country Living | New Braunfels, Texas

Something else to consider is schools if you have kids. San Marcos schools are not all that great; I know many people who put their kids in private school there. New Braunfels schools are better.

Having done the commute thing, I agree with the PP who suggested getting a job in the same town. If that is not an option, perhaps renting would be a good suggestion to start.

If you decide to go with San Marcos, feel free to send me a message. I can give you lots of good info and contacts (real estate agents, doctors, etc).

[ricco]

San Marcos, without a doubt! Beautiful town, nice river, and close to the Hill Country.