Retirement in DFW?

[billmarland]

Originally Posted by loves2read

Lake Lewisville usually has stories in the summer on tv about boating accidents or people boating and drinking--it is one of the busiest lakes for traffic---probably because there are so many homes in the area so people have access very easily...

Eagle Mtn Lake has been victim past decade or so of the drought in this area--when other lakes were above their release zones this spring/summer due to the heavy rains, Eagle Mtn was still below normal--
so I would definitely make sure that if I bought house on it that the lot was at the deep part of the lake vs shallow part....

Most of lakes in this area does not allow building to water line for those that are Corps of Engineers lakes--Lake Grapevine is one and Lewisville is another I think--there is buffer zone around it where you lease the land from the Corp on long-term lease--usually can't build a dock there without special permit and some areas are closed for new docks--so I would certainly check status of that if you really want water-front with dock

Google corps of engineer lakes Texas and you will get a list
most lakes in this area also serve as water catchments for city water sources for Dallas and Fort Worth
the draw down for city's needs can have big impact on water quality during dry spells...

good site for checking specifically for lake homes is
Lakehouse.com Home Page real estate, lakefront properties, lake property, lake homes for sale, waterfront properties, lakefront, waterfront
you can search advanced and get any homes for sale within certain mileage--covers all areas of the US--not just TX--
most listings have photos but maps of locations are more iffy

just remember that depending on when the photos were taken, if the lake was up--it may not stay that way--
99% of lakes in TX are man-made and most of them are fairly shallow compared to lakes in other states like Minnesota or New York
water quality can vary as well--if you see yourself swimming off your dock--some lakes are VERY murky--
Possum Kingdom lake west of FTW probably has some of the clearest water in the state
Lake Grapevine is not a clear lake for the most part

I have been doing some research on lake living in the DFW and Northeastern Texas area....Lake Palestine came up as a nice lake, albeit 2 hrs from DFW. Any thoughts about the Tyler area or the lake itself?

[loves2read]

we have friends who live in Tyler and have been there several times--it is pretty town but kind of insular (small town cliquish and definitely a class society)--has good medical facilities and not so good public schools
there is satellite campus for UT there and couple of community colleges--which usually means there are "arts" opportunities--it depends on the O/G industry for certain % of its income but also has some mfg/shipping/medical/education which helps stabilize the economy

housing is expensive --not cheap like many people think a small town would be--althought Tyler is not so small anymore and I think the lake lots would be as expensive or more than anything around Dallas area
Lake Tyler is not that deep from what I remember--but it has lots of natural foliage around it and there are some nice neighborhoods around the lake

the HGTV channel built their designer home at Lake Tyler couple of years ago--you might could Google up some info about it
Lake Palestine is larger lake and the area around it is more rural/agricultural/small-town and not what I would consider to be "Tyler"--