Small Texas Town (Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth: home, movies, high school)

[stewarthaas]

Hello, I know its been asked before on the forums but I wanted to ask with what I am looking for vs what some other seek from Texas.

I am going to be graduating high school and want to look into moving somewhere with more friendly folks and a better pace/atmosphere vs the CT suburb I live in now. I won't be moving just yet, but will visit some places I narrow down my options to.

What I am looking for (which is very detailed but just letting everyone know specifics, to help narrow the towns/areas down).....

Maybe movies and shows like Texas Ranger are just playing with my mind, but I am picturing this small Texas town where everyone is very friendly, knows eachother, wears cowboy hats, rodeos and lifted trucks are the thing, etc. I know I am probably just stereo typing Texas, but thats what I am picturing as paradise for me lol. I would hope to find a town away from the growth of the big cities and hopefully a town with a decent elevation to stay cool.

I noticed, obviously, many towns in Texas have high hispanic rates. I do not mind hispanics, but I would like to live in an area that I can get my coffee or tea in the morning speaking to an english speaking person lol, just to get that idea across. I mean I have seen it in movies where the Texas towns have high hispanic population and their culture is pretty interesting and it makes it feel like the real Texas, i dont know how to explain it and probably sounded pretty confusing in this hole post. Sorry to confuse anyone, just not sure how to word it....basically what I mean is up here in CT you see way too many hispanics and ghettos roaming around, that bothers me, but the real Mexican culture doesnt. I basically just dont like low lifes of any kind.

I would imagine the town I want to have around 5,000 people, maybe more or less depending on the town. I would love a picture perfect historic Texas looking town.

[doctorjef]

If you want to get your coffee or tea in the morning "speaking to an English person" why don't you move to a small village in England! Don't go to the cities, however, because you will encounter all sorts of non-English accents and complexions that might disturb you. Hispanics are all over Texas, so I don't think Texas is the place for you.

[Willsson]

Anywhere between Sweetwater and Big Spring will give you what you seek. But I must warn you... Be SURE you want to move to Texas before you come here looking for something. Be sure you can fall back on plan B.

[doctorjef]

Sweetwater and Big Spring are both terribly ugly places. To be serious, good picturesque Texas towns include Bandera, Kerrville, even San Angelo for a place a bit larger (San Angelo isn't entirely picturesque, but it has a nice river, an old fort - Fort Concho - built during the Indian wars, and some cool old buildings. It also has Angelo State University, a smallish school and a small air force base. However, the surrounding countryside is awfully ugly. Alpine would be another picturesque place that is in truly lovely country, the Davis Mountains; also Fort Davis, for a much smaller place. Stephenville is another good small town with a cowboy feel to it and is also home of a small state school, Tarleton State University, which is affiliated with Texas A&M. In South-Central Texas, Goliad and Gonzales are both picturesque towns with a lot of history.

[doss1]

Hi there stewart. Any small town outside of Dallas/ForthWorth or in the Pan Handle would be ideal for you. Even though, the small towns outside of San Antonio (Hondo, Del Rio, etc) have a high percentage of Hispanics, but Spanish is not spoken as much anymore as it used to be.

[SloopJohnZ]

When I accidentally took a longer route from Marfa, Texas to Fort Worth I drove through a lot of towns like you're describing. From San Angelo through Stephenville all along 67 there seem to be lots of small, historic Texas towns like that.

Speaking of which, if you don't mind me asking, why does someone your age want a sleepy little Texas town? Most kids graduating from high school in these towns are fighting to get out.

[stewarthaas]

Ok thanks for the tips, Ill check those towns out on google, city data, etc. Yeah I will be just visiting the area to check out the towns, not moving yet. I am just posting in numerous states/areas and going to narrow it down to a few areas i like and check them out.

Hispanics are fine and I guess I dont mind them speaking it, I just dont like their culture in the city. But the culture I see (which may just be stereotyping in movies) is sort of like Texas attitude but Mexican style. Hard to explain....

[moodyblues]

Originally Posted by stewarthaas

Ok thanks for the tips, Ill check those towns out on google, city data, etc. Yeah I will be just visiting the area to check out the towns, not moving yet. I am just posting in numerous states/areas and going to narrow it down to a few areas i like and check them out.

Hispanics are fine and I guess I dont mind them speaking it, I just dont like their culture in the city. But the culture I see (which may just be stereotyping in movies) is sort of like Texas attitude but Mexican style. Hard to explain....

You might try NW Florida they have the small town atmosphere you are looking for plus they even have rodeos. Granted it is not Texas but people are pretty friendly and open. The coast is nearby when you want to go salt water fishing or to the beach. You can even spot cowboy boots and hats regularly....It is a good second best to Texas.

[doctorjef]

A small Western city that I like a lot (used to live there) is Grand Junction, Colorado.

[stewarthaas]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

A small Western city that I like a lot (used to live there) is Grand Junction, Colorado.

Oh ok, never thought about the west. I guess the south pretty much had me hooked from experiencing their hospitality, but I have never been out west so I guess I cant rule out Colorado lol. Ill look into it though, thanks