Retire to Woodville, Texas (Houston, Dallas: house, to buy, high school)

[Hillister]

If you are planning to retire, you need to move to Woodville, Texas. It's about 50 miles north of Beaumont, Texas and is one of the cheapest places to buy land. It is near beautiful lakes and national forests and offers great country living. I know because I retired and moved to this area in 1999.

[BobTex]

Hillister, why are you telling people to come here? With only 17K folks here do you want it more crowded? I agree with your assessment of the area but what is your goal here?

[Jaybee]

Thanks for the tip Hillster. My wife and I will retire to TX. We've been focusing on the area north of Beaumont anyway. We were looking at Lumberton/Silsbee, but I'll look into Woodville now.

[BobTex]

Jaybee.......I was only pulling Hillister's leg. Woodville is a great place......nice clean little town of 3,000 (also the county seat ). Lumberton is nice but getting pricey and more suburban feel to it (population has almost doubled in last 10 years). But it is closer in to Beaumont if you have any medical issues. Wodville has a small county hospital but is rated as a Level 4 trauma center (they can't handle really serious/acute problems). I moved back here 8 years ago from Maine after going to high school in Tyler County (Warren). Check out some of the pics on this site: (search)M. Moffett & Company Properties as they have some nice stuff.

As far as Silsbee goes......be careful as they are close to Evadale which has a massive paper mill.....and well....if you've never smelled a paper mill it'll be an eye opening event!

One more word on Tyler County......it's higher and more rolling so there is less likelyhood of getting flooded or flooded in here. Hardin County (Silsbee and Lumberton) are relatively flat and occasionally have mild flooding issues. They are closer to the Gulf and thus flatter. And if your not familiar with this side of Texas we can get a lot of rain. Good luck!


What are you looking for as far as property?

[Jaybee]

BobTex,
Thanks for the info. My wife and I are just fed up with CA. This state is bordering on looney-toons. If we could leave today we would. Unfortunately, economics demands that we finish our working years here. So, I've still got a few years to work; probably 8 actually except if we win the lottery.

I spent about 2 years in TX in the 70's while in the military and just loved it there. There seemed to be a true sense of community in that state.

Two years ago we traveled back to the south and on our way home, visited some dear friends who retired in the Killeen area. My wife had never been to TX before. She liked it enough to agree too retire there so long as we go somewhere with a "different feel about it".

Now, I would actually prepfer the Hill Country, but she says the reason I like it is because its so much like our home here in far northern CA. There's some truth to that. So, the compromise is East TX. We'd like to be near the coast (hour's drive or so) and in the vicinity of LA for the centrality and culture. We'd like to be within easy driving distance to NO, Dallas and Houston.

We will look at Woodville. Thanks again BobTex.
Jaybee

[TGM]

I live in Houston, but the Picket House resturant in Woodville has such good food, I fly my little plane up there every once in a while just to eat a great lunch. They come pick me up at the town's airstrip, and drop me back off when we are done.

Woodville seems to be a great little community. If I wasn't moving to Wyoming early next year, I would be looking into Woodville myself.

[BobTex]

We ate lunch there (Picket House) after church on Sunday. It is good food, my kids get after the chicken like there is no tomorrow!

I like the Killeen area....more specifically Temple.

Driving time to Galveston is approximately 2 hours but this doesn't count waiting on the Bolivar ferry though! Other Boliver *****ula beaches are as close as 1.5 hours. New Orleans is 4.5-5 hours. I can be at Bush Intercontinental Airport in 1.5 hours and inside the loop in another 15 minutes. Dallas is about 4 hours away.

[cad2]

I'm thinking about taking a job in Evadale Texas can anyone tell me the names of towns within 30 miles of Evadale. Thanks for your help.

[Kurt]

I would have bought my land on the Texas side of Toledo Bend Lake if I had not gotten what I wanted on the other side in Louisiana. No state income tax in Texas. The Piney Woods area has really been overlooked by a lot of retirees. Now it is being discovered. As BobTex says, you do have to be careful not to be in a flood plain. Otherwise if you like water--lakes--and woods--and critters you are in the right place.

Just be sure you are far enough inland not to take the brunt of a big hurricane. T-bend Lake had 60 mile an hour winds with Rita--that is liveable for me as I experienced 120 mile an hour winds with Ivan here in Pensacola.

People who don't like humidity should stay away. But for me, I will take the warmth and the water and the green stuff over a drier climate. Most important to me is the warmth and the fresh water. I grew up in Minnesnowta! Nice country but just too cold for me, now.

There are many younger Baby Boomers who are going for that trout stream in Montana or Wyoming. But when they get a bit older they will want to sit in an ole' bass boat and warm their bones in the sun. Mark my words.

[laurasuezq]

What is the climate and special holidays like there?