Question About the Leonard/Trenton/Celeste/Blue Ridge Areas (Dallas: real estate, crime)

[dukemontrose]

Hi,

My wife and I are near retirement, and we are looking to buy a small farm (30-40 acres) in the Leonard/Trenton/Celeste/Blue Ridge (in Fannin County) area to retire to. Can someone please let us know what these areas are like? Are they considered suburbs of the great DFW area? Are the folks there mostly farmers or suburbanites? How far are they from the DFW metropolis and is there any danger of the area being "absorbed" into the DFW metropolis in the foreseeable future (we are from LA and have had enough of city living)? Also, is it possible for commute from this area into Plano if I decide to do some part-time work?

Thanks very much for your help

Duke

[austinnetx]

The area is split 50/50 between farmers and commuters and is gradually changing over to commuters. The nearest tract homes are in Melissa off 121. Most homes are on acreage and that will not change in the foreseeable future - there is no water or sewage infrastructure to support it.

Most of the development over the next 20 years will center on the 121 and 380 corridors.

The TTC will be going through that area and you are advised to look at the detailed TTC strip maps before you buy. The TTC will not affect development, but you do not want to buy your retirement home and then have it condemned. If you draw a line from Floyd to Frognot then that is the general route.

Its a nice area. IMHO it will be one of the last areas to be developed if it ever is.

[nsumner]

A friend of mine lives in Blue Ridge on a farm and she has commuted to downtown Dallas on a daily basis for several years. It takes her about 90 minutes each way. She doesn't even take the DART. She loves living out there. It takes her about 40 minutes to Plano she says.

Naima

[GayleTX]

None of those towns are considered suburbs....they are just little towns - a nice mix of farm people (altho very few people farm any more, that's just their background) and 'escapees' from the Dallas area who commute. McKinney, which is the northernmost Dallas suburb is over 100,000 people and there is lots of good shopping/dining/medical care there. Lots of people in all these towns (and even farther north) commute to the Dallas area to work.

Blue Ridge area has some nice hills and places with good views of valleys...not much in town except a little cafe and a school. Most of the nicer homes are in the rural area, not in town. It's in Collin Co and would expect the taxes are higher there than Fannin Co but don't know for sure.

Trenton is right on Hwy 121 so even tho it's farther out, it's an easy commute. Very nice people, very safe place and an excellent school system that is a draw for young families. There is a grocery store and a lot of nice homes.....the newer ones are out in a couple of subdivisons in the country or on acreages like you mentioned - 10-20 acres. I believe there is a small part-time clinic there now, too, but most people go to Sherman/Deison for medical care. There is only a convenience store there, no place to eat....Trenton people mostly shop in Bonham/Sherman/Denison - you can get to any of them in 20 min. and find about anything you need.

Leonard is a little larger, has 3-4 pretty good local places to eat, a good grocery store, a couple of 'dollar stores' , quite a few 'new people' but not as many Dallas commuters as Blue Ridge and Trenton. Good people there, but a little more crime than the other towns but certainly nothing that would keep anyone from wanting to live there. Like all of Fannin County, there are more nice homes in the rural areas than in town but it's a nice clean town. Leonard people tend to shop in Bonham and Greenville.....there is a branch of Presbyterian Hospital in Greenville....nice large facility and quite a few doctors, clinics.

All of Fannin Co. has a pretty good paved roads and good community water systems that go right to your door even miles from a town. Some of the more remote acreages have to depend on water wells, but that's not something I'd recommend. When you are looking at properties, be sure check their source of water.

I can't tell you much about Celeste....it's in Hunt Co. and the people there go to Greenville for shopping and medical care. It has a convenience store, no place to eat that I'm aware of.

The social life in all these towns centers around church and school and family. They would all be nice, quiet, peaceful places to retire.....lots of big shade trees to sit under, for sure! Lots of oak, pecan trees, quite a few lakes in the area for fishing /boating (google Lake Texoma). When you are looking at property, you will notice that if the place has a pond on it the price goes way up...people love their water and fishing here!

There are lots of Californians moving to this area, especially to the North Dallas/McKinney area. Best wishes to you!!

BTW......when people in Texas (at least in the rural areas) talk to you about distance, they tend to talk in minutes/hours, not miles. So when I said that shopping is 20 min. away, that means it's about 30 miles away. Not much traffic in our area and you can do the speed limit most everywhere you go.

[dukemontrose]

Thank you all for the great information! I really appreciate it.

Duke

[austinnetx]

Hunt and Fannin County will be a lot less on your property taxes.

[rosscountry]

Originally Posted by dukemontrose

Hi,

My wife and I are near retirement, and we are looking to buy a small farm (30-40 acres) in the Leonard/Trenton/Celeste/Blue Ridge (in Fannin County) area to retire to. Can someone please let us know what these areas are like? Are they considered suburbs of the great DFW area? Are the folks there mostly farmers or suburbanites? How far are they from the DFW metropolis and is there any danger of the area being "absorbed" into the DFW metropolis in the foreseeable future (we are from LA and have had enough of city living)? Also, is it possible for commute from this area into Plano if I decide to do some part-time work?

Thanks very much for your help

Duke

There is a new development starting in Blue Ridge called the trails of Blue Ridge. The developer is also working on buying more land from farmers looking to "cash in."
They are supposed to be lux homes for retirees or telecommuters.
Trails of Blue Ridge

so to answer part of your question. Yes there is already interest of making it into something a little different than what it is today.

If they are successful I could see other developers trying to get in on the action.

[austinnetx]

Originally Posted by rosscountry

There is a new development starting in Blue Ridge called the trails of Blue Ridge. The developer is also working on buying more land from farmers looking to "cash in."
They are supposed to be lux homes for retirees or telecommuters.
Trails of Blue Ridge

so to answer part of your question. Yes there is already interest of making it into something a little different than what it is today.

If they are successful I could see other developers trying to get in on the action.

Yah-yah. Like you can't just go buy 10 acres or 40 acres by yourself and then build a home. I don't see how this is any different from anything else.

I recall about 10 years ago "Big Sky" out near Denton was doing this - but they cratered. A neighbor out near Leonard tried to do this at that time as well and he ended up taking our offer after he sold no lots.

As far as "cashing in" - anyone can sell their land at any time. REITs are very busy along the 380 corridor right now - buying land thousands of acres at a time.

Moderator cut: real estate website

[NativeSprings]

Leonard is a good retirement city but I would not suggest raising kids there.

[GutenTag]

Duke, did you find something?