Hill country small town with fishing, university, etc. (Dallas, San Antonio: house, square footage)

[diablogun]

This is one of those requests for someone who is considering the area North of San Antonio for early retirement. I am 42 with 2 young children and a wife, and want to move to a gorgeous Texas town with a close proximity to fishing and beautiful views around it. i would also like to have access to good healthcare and upper education, if that is possible.

I will need to sell the wife on it, so it needs to be very pretty and friendly to children. I will particularly like to be able to fish extensively and enjoy time at or on the water. My price range would be under 300 k (maybe a bit more) for a house of perhaps 3000 sf, either new or recently built. I will not be working, so no commuting needed.

This will be my last move, so I need something that is really nice :-)

Thanks to anyone in advance who would offer advice on this!

[rwr]

Wow retiring at 42! I thought I was ahead of the curve retiring at 62. Check out these towns ... Comfort, Bandera,
Kerrville. All pretty locations and within driving distance to UTSA in northwest San Antonio. Your $300 K for a 3K sq.ft.
home may have to bumped up if you want any acreage with it. Good luck.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by diablogun

This is one of those requests for someone who is considering the area North of San Antonio for early retirement. I am 42 with 2 young children and a wife, and want to move to a gorgeous Texas town with a close proximity to fishing and beautiful views around it. i would also like to have access to good healthcare and upper education, if that is possible.

I will need to sell the wife on it, so it needs to be very pretty and friendly to children. I will particularly like to be able to fish extensively and enjoy time at or on the water. My price range would be under 300 k (maybe a bit more) for a house of perhaps 3000 sf, either new or recently built. I will not be working, so no commuting needed.

This will be my last move, so I need something that is really nice :-)

Thanks to anyone in advance who would offer advice on this!

Check out Wimberley, close to San Marcos (Texas State) and plenty to do. About half-way between San Antone and Austin. Also check out Blanco... I won't judge you on the monstrous square footage but I *think* (not sure) you should be able to find a house at that price range, not sure if it will fit your square footage criteria...

OD

[DanielWayne]

Fredericksburg has some kind of university center where a few colleges bring their classes. Texas Tech also offers a few select degrees there. They have a really big hospital there for the size of the town. Scenic views abound. Especially in the spring when the wildflowers bloom. I'm really eyeballing that town for my retirement which will be much later than 42 haha

[joqua]

Originally Posted by diablogun

This is one of those requests for someone who is considering the area North of San Antonio...

You likely already know that the main campus of UTSA is located on the north side of the metro area, easily accessible from the several small communities/towns on the north side. Equally easy access to the many fishing lakes north of SA.

[diablogun]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think it sounds as if Fredericksburg, Kerrville, and Wimberley would be great to look at.

If I might ask, what would be the best time specifically for me to visit these towns which may elicit a very strong reaction from viewing their beauty?

I have to be smart about selling the notion of a move so I will plan our visit accordingly--she doesn't know I am on this forum :-)

Also, any fishing experts in the area would be great to hear from; I particularly like bass and crappie, but any good game fish is interesting for me :-)

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by diablogun

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think it sounds as if Fredericksburg, Kerrville, and Wimberley would be great to look at.

If I might ask, what would be the best time specifically for me to visit these towns which may elicit a very strong reaction from viewing their beauty?

I have to be smart about selling the notion of a move so I will plan our visit accordingly--she doesn't know I am on this forum :-)

Also, any fishing experts in the area would be great to hear from; I particularly like bass and crappie, but any good game fish is interesting for me :-)

I can speak specifically to the fishing only although I have reservations on The Hill Country based on water availability in the future for the area.

The best fishing is going to be south and SE of San Antonio. Falcon lake will be a 4 hour drive (better than my 8.5 hour drive) and was rated, by far, the best bass fishing lake in America. You'll also be 4 hours from Lake Amistad (near Laredo) which was #6 on this list. Choke Canyon on the SE side of SA about 45 minutes on the route to Corpus Christie is also rated highly for bass. Any of these bodies of water will be better than the local fishing holes and are very desirable fishing destinations. Top 100 bass lakes | Bassmaster

Local to the Hill Country would be the Highland Chain of lakes. Texas Highland Lakes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The most notable would be Town Lake in Austin which has had several Share a Lunker contributions. TPWD: Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center | ShareLunker Program Also a non-highland lake but considered Hill country is Canyon Lake with OK fishing too.

Bank fishing is available but boat fishing is the ticket, nothing like being mobile. I figure you'll have a boat looking at the price range domicile that you have named. The highland lakes get a lot of recreational boat traffic, always the bain of the fisherman (or woman). The Highland lakes are more nutrient poor thus fishing is not outstanding but can be good.

Fishing | Hill Country Outdoor Guide

Good eats with a fishing theme: The Lakehouse. Down-home cookin' in Kerrville, TX. (830) 895-3188

Hope all this helps. I love my fishing. Also would like to recommend trips to the coast. Coastal bay fishing can be awesome. You'll be 3-4 hours from the coast. The big 3 are redfish (red drum), speckled trout (spotted seatrout), and flounder!

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by diablogun

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think it sounds as if Fredericksburg, Kerrville, and Wimberley would be great to look at.

If I might ask, what would be the best time specifically for me to visit these towns which may elicit a very strong reaction from viewing their beauty?

I have to be smart about selling the notion of a move so I will plan our visit accordingly--she doesn't know I am on this forum :-)

Also, any fishing experts in the area would be great to hear from; I particularly like bass and crappie, but any good game fish is interesting for me :-)

Around mid April.

For Fredericksburg:
We haven't driven this specific road, but this is what it looks like (unless there is a drought):
Fredericksburg Texas Online - Willow City Loop

Stop by this place. They supply the state with wildflower seeds, and they are open to the public. We bought some seeds for ourselves from there. I strongly encourage a visit:
Wildflower Farm - Wildseed Farms© - Fredericksburg, Texas


Here's a neat drive near Wimberley, it's really impressive to see:
http://www.myscenicdrives.com/drives...evils-backbone


Kerrville is more of a small city with more amenities than the other 2 (although Wimberley is real close to San Marcos). It's a great place as well, but I think more scenic beauty is in the other 2.

I know people that have moved to Kerrville to retire because it is simply a great place to live.

[diablogun]

Originally Posted by BobTex

I can speak specifically to the fishing only although I have reservations on The Hill Country based on water availability in the future for the area.

The best fishing is going to be south and SE of San Antonio. Falcon lake will be a 4 hour drive (better than my 8.5 hour drive) and was rated, by far, the best bass fishing lake in America. You'll also be 4 hours from Lake Amistad (near Laredo) which was #6 on this list. Choke Canyon on the SE side of SA about 45 minutes on the route to Corpus Christie is also rated highly for bass. Any of these bodies of water will be better than the local fishing holes and are very desirable fishing destinations. Top 100 bass lakes | Bassmaster

Local to the Hill Country would be the Highland Chain of lakes. Texas Highland Lakes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The most notable would be Town Lake in Austin which has had several Share a Lunker contributions. TPWD: Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center | ShareLunker Program Also a non-highland lake but considered Hill country is Canyon Lake with OK fishing too.

Bank fishing is available but boat fishing is the ticket, nothing like being mobile. I figure you'll have a boat looking at the price range domicile that you have named. The highland lakes get a lot of recreational boat traffic, always the bain of the fisherman (or woman). The Highland lakes are more nutrient poor thus fishing is not outstanding but can be good.

Fishing | Hill Country Outdoor Guide

Good eats with a fishing theme: The Lakehouse. Down-home cookin' in Kerrville, TX. (830) 895-3188

Hope all this helps. I love my fishing. Also would like to recommend trips to the coast. Coastal bay fishing can be awesome. You'll be 3-4 hours from the coast. The big 3 are redfish (red drum), speckled trout (spotted seatrout), and flounder!

That is so nice of you to post all of that information. It looks as if I will have to find the best places to fish from people such as yourself. It is a shame that my wife would not allow us to look east of Dallas, because I have heard there are great fishing places there as well.

Thanks to everyone who has offered information, and I look forward to seeing these places firsthand :-)

[neddy]

Kerrville also has a liberal art college about 1400 kids I think. Nice place, river running through town