Is Texas the place for us? (Houston, San Antonio: low crime, house, neighborhood)

[whatalady]

(I also posted this on South Carolina's and Tennessee's thread)

Okay, first let me say I have read alot of threads from people asking the same question. However, I am now more confused!
I have never lived out of state as an adult. So I am nervous and excited. Please give me suggestions on areas to settle down in. Please be direct and understand I am not familiar with this part of the country.
Info: married with 4 biracial children.
I like most all music
I am very much a homebody, but I do like to get out with the family
We like going to the movies and restaurants
Good schools are super important to us
low crime rate, that's why we're moving
low cost of living, we'll be living off DH retirement income
I like the country feel but close to the city
I don't want to drive more than 20 mins to shopping (grocery, target, wal mart)
I don't want to live in an area that is overrun with ghettoness or intolerance.
I like the water, but just don't want to live too close to it.
A place where I can feel safe to let my children play out front.
Easy access to medical facilities
A lot to ask but I want to be as specific as possible.
Weather is important, but not the end all and be all. No frequent tornadoes please.
Also, my son wants to join the reserves, Air Force reserves so being within an hours drive of a base would be good.
Thanks

[JoninATX]

I would look into San Antonio, it has low cost of living, inexpensive grocery markets, and you will be close to your son since Lackland Airforce Base is located in San Antonio.

[augiedogie]

I know you think you gave a lot of info, but what you want is very common for most families. There's lots of places in Texas that would fit your order. Most large cities have areas that have low cost of living, but it depends on what you call low. Weather varies greatly in Texas. Windier and drier in the west. Much more humid close to Houston and Corpus Christi. There are some great public schools in Texas. The more information you can give the better. It would help if we knew where you were coming from. Good health care is available in most cities in Texas. The one thing that you might have to compromise on was driving. There are about 1000 people moving to Texas every day, from what I've heard. Most large cities have a fair amount of traffic. And Texas is spread out, so you may have to get used to driving some. Our cities are not bunched up like in the east, but tend to be more spread out.

[whatalady]

I'd be coming from Sacramento, California. We would like to purchase our home outright, no mortgage. So our price point is $100,000 max. A light fixer is okay. We are not opposed to living in a manufactured house that is on its own land not in a park.
Summers here in the valley average high 90s to low 100s.

[ChristieP]

$100k max will most likely mean living in a rural area, and most likely in a manufactured home. The fact that you will need either a 4 or 5 bedroom home makes this even more certain. You just aren't going to find many homes within a town that fit your space needs and are within your price range, even a fixer-upper, especially in areas with good schools and low crime rates. If you were able to increase your budget to $150k, that would open up more possibilities.

Also, keep in mind that Air Force Reserves don't necessarily meet at a base. Here in Texas, they are known as the Air National Guard, too, and they drill in many different locations. San Antonio does have two USAF bases: Lackland and Randolph, but I am not sure if there are Reserve/Guard units there or not.

You might also consider Arkansas and Oklahoma. Both of these states have lower property cost than Texas, conservative politics, and at least one Air Force base.

Good luck with your search!

[DSL_PWR]

NO.. Texas is not for you.

[JoninATX]

Yes! your more than welcome to come to Texas.

[BobTex]

Trying to recommend to someone such as whatalady is hard for me. I, being the friendly Texan that I am want to tell her to come on down. But I know there are times when some will crank their eyes all crooked looking at her bi-racial children. I think it would be similar in SC and Tenn too. As Grandma used to say: "You just gotta let that krap roll right off of you like water off of a duck's back". The more rural the more likely you'll get those looks. I say just blow that crap off and get on with enjoying life.

I live in manufactured housing and most folks wouldn't recognize it as such ... and got 50 acres surrounding it ... all paid for. Mine has 60' porches front and back with decks.

I would recommend either the Hill Country (drier and not as supporting to vegetation) or maybe East Texas around Lufkin , Nacogdoches, Tyler, Palestine areas. East Texas land can be had for around $2k-$3k an acre and locally 4BR double wides are selling for around $60K. You must consider getting a Wind Zone II rating. If you are rural and no water service budget for a well of $6k-$7k and a septic system about the same .... there's another $15K. This can be much less if one is handy and can do some of this themselves. I put in my own septic (and several more) for under $1K. I also built my own electric service and ran all my own water connections. Another consideration is that at 10 acres of land there is no regulation or inspection of sewer systems.

Hope y'all can find a place you feel safe and welcome.

[whatalady]

BobTex,
Do you pay property taxes on the land only or land and manufactured home together?

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by whatalady

I'd be coming from Sacramento, California. We would like to purchase our home outright, no mortgage. So our price point is $100,000 max. A light fixer is okay. We are not opposed to living in a manufactured house that is on its own land not in a park.
Summers here in the valley average high 90s to low 100s.

Keep in mind that even in a $100K house, you will need to fork over $3K in property taxes every year. You should probably look at some of the rural areas south of San Antonio. If you get get too close to the city on that budget, you might end up in an undesirable neighborhood.