Waxahachie info? (Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth: real estate, renting, house)

[RWalls1006]

We are looking for a better place to raise my son, and Waxahachie is a town that my husband could possibly transfer to.


I was wondering what life is like in the town? Are there many events/festivals for families? From what I have found online it seems like it has a nice school district (we are from Reno Nv, one of the worst districts in the US.)


I was wondering what the outdoor life is like? Our favorite summer/spring activity is camping at Lake Pyramid or Lakes Basin, are there lakes you can camp at and hiking areas within an hour or 2 from town?

Is there just anything I should know that I might not find in my browsing of the forums about the town?


Our #1 priority is the schools. Right after would be safety (Here I can't walk with my son alone after dark, even in a store parking lot in many areas) and cost of living.

[C24L]

what is your budget for housing?I think a good family event/festival in Waxahachie is the Texas Country Reporter Festival in the fall.

[lonestar2007]

Bob Phillips (Country 4 reporter) does this event every year and it looks like so much fun. I've had friends who have gone and had a blast.

Festival | Texas Country Reporter

They have the Scarborough Renaissance Fair every year that draw people from all around.

https://www.srfestival.com/

It's an old town with a lot of old buildings and homes that are pretty neat. I'm sure they have quite a few activities going on in the summer in Waxahachie, since a lot of the smaller Texas towns do.

Arlington is not that far away and they have Six Flags over Texas and Hurricane Harbor. Actually, you're not that far from driving into Dallas (or even Fort Worth) with a galore of things to do.

There are a lot of lakes around (Cedar Hill is a state park). Joe Pool has nice camping facilities. Cedar Creek is a nice lake and White Rock Lake is very popular and not that far away. Ennis is nearby and they have the bluebonnet trails in the spring and probably a lot more things going on. I just haven't been over that way for some years although I always say I'm going to the country reporter festival every year.

Someone should be able to chime with with info about the schools and other things going on there.

[DanielWayne]

I live in the Houston area, and even here Waxahachie is known as a good place to live if you want to be near, but outside of DFW. I've gone to the Halloween festival there several times https://screamspark.com/

And there is a Renaissance festival, too https://www.srfestival.com/

I've been reading that bluebonnets are a big deal right now in nearby Ennis, Tx: Ennis Bluebonnet Trails | Festival

There is supposed to be an annual 'Gingerbread homes tour', too, and a haunted restaurant http://catfishplantation.com/history1.html.

This is a place I have actually considered moving to.

[Mark Senior]

It is near enough to Dallas, in the last five years, last three in particular, it is becoming a bedroom community for commuters to DFW for work. Maybe a good place for home appreciation because this comfy town is going to really boom.

I tried to cut and paste, don't know how to get the census data to cooperate with my limited technical knowledge of these matters "laugh".

Town has increasing annually from 500 per year, to 800 py, to 1,100 py to last reported 1,300. That is how the boom towns start to really grow. That's how most of the suburbs around Dallas, always grow. Sure starting at 3,000, 5,000, 8,000 per year, and so on, for Frisco and McKinney in particular right now.

Funny for me that you started this tread now. After 73 years in Texas I just made my first visit last Tuesday of the past week, to Ennis, not very impressed with the Bluebonnets, although the downtown is really be renovated and streets torn up now, the future looks bright, millions being spent. Not being impressed with Ennis we went on to Wax. to see the stupendous fabulous courthouse, fully restored or kept up, that I've heard about for several decades. Beautiful, impressive, and all of the downtown areas have been renovated, had a great coke float at a decades past soda fountain store, or whatever it is called with the black and white tiled floors. Many boutiques for the ladies.

Oh, but in Ennis we had a great pork chop lunch at the Fire House Grill. not chain FHG. Towns people were talking about the crowd, "never seen this many people here this early" This was the best part for us about Ennis, most people say the Hill Country is much better for Bluebonnets.

[RWalls1006]

Thank you everyone.


I have one question I forgot. It might seem silly but I wondered how the thunderstorms are?
One of my biggest pet peeve about where I am is our lack of them. I have family in OK and when we visit I love watching the lightening and the smell of storms.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by RWalls1006

Thank you everyone.


I have one question I forgot. It might seem silly but I wondered how the thunderstorms are?
One of my biggest pet peeve about where I am is our lack of them. I have family in OK and when we visit I love watching the lightening and the smell of storms.

I am sure there will be plenty of thunderstorms at times.North Texas is Tornado Alley so there will be storms to be had..

[lonestar2007]

I Understand what you're asking and I don't think it's silly at all. I never knew thunderstorms were not the norm everywhere until I was talking to this gal from CA who commented about the lightning and thunder she witnessed during a storm we had when she was here. She was amazed by it, so I asked her, you mean you don't have thunderstorms in CA. She said no, she had never seen lightning

I know I get amused by the weathermen we have now. They just get beside themselves if it's going to rain and God help, if there's the slightest chance of a storm. After I learned this (about thunderstorms) I say they must all be from CA (I guess now I should change that to include the region out there).

I love seeing lightning shooting across the skies and hearing the rolling claps of thunder. I've seen it on a small scale and on up to what I always call electrical storms. Now those are something to behold and yes, all here in Texas. Of course, I try to always say a little prayer no damage comes from these as they can create havoc and costly damage, even death. But some of them are sure something to see alright. I remember one time we were going up to Muenster (a small town close to the OK bordr0 and ran into a storm (what I call an electrical storm). I mean wow! Mother Nature put on one spectacular show. I will never forget that one. Just beautiful.

But Waxahachie is not what most of us consider being in tornado alley. That strip runs through further to the north, although a tornado can hit anywhere, it's more unlikely in Waxahachie. This will more than likely draw in comments about every tornado that ever appeared in the areas around there, but in my opinion, I wouldn't worry about severe weather in that area. But yes, you will get to see thunderstorms!

[deadwood]

You might check out the price of housing. Forget about cheap, those are few and far apart.

If you find yourself interested in Waxahachie I know of a house the owner is thinking about selling, tired of renting it out, needs a little work but 2 bedroom. bath. Built in 1895, on a little more than an acre with creek, interesting history. Located inside city limits, one of the largest lots in town. About a mile from Courthouse.

[KathrynAragon]

Waxahachie is a cool little town, and like others have said, it's really more of a bedroom community to Dallas now. Since our son's girlfriend lives there, and works at a family owned business there, we go there pretty often.

You would definitely get some thunderstorms in Waxahachie. I understand your feelings for them - I love a big, exciting storm and when I moved to Germany for several years I was like "what the heck, where are the storms?" I grew up loving big, blustery storms full of thunder and lightning!

I don't know enough about the school system or real estate there to comment on those.