Moving from NC already have job need area help (Dallas: house, job transfer)

[bynumces]

Hello.

I am looking for a family friendly area for my family (2 elementary school age kids). My husband works for Martin Marietta and could have the opportunity to transfer & my job is remote. The areas we are looking at are New Braunfels, Round Rock or Bridgeport. I know they are VERY different areas so we are looking for pros cons to each, any information as well as the ability to own several acres (5 minimum).

We originally came in June and stayed in Mart, TX close to Waco and loved the openness, and small town feel. So we are looking for something similar. We visited New Braunfels a few weeks ago and I'm not sure we loved it. It seemed all the schools were close to I-35 which concerned me. We took a drive up to Round Rock to eat at the Salt Lick and go into HEB and we were very happy with our experience.

Bridgeport and West Fort Worth is on our next trip, but i'd like some direction of places to visit near by.

Thank yall for all your help!

[supfromthesite]

Well, I've never been to Mart and I'm definitely biased towards NB and know the most about it but I'll still give my .02

New Braunfels area
pros: some of the most beautiful land in Texas near the hill country, as well as San Antonio, and Austin; lots of rivers, people are nice (everywhere in Texas), towns are nice
cons: area is rapidly growing and getting more expensive but if you live in a surrounding a town it isn't so bad. Traffic in town.
Possible towns similar to Mart: Luling, Wimberly, Blanco (most far but probably most similar)

Round Rock area
pros: near Texas hill country and Austin, rivers, lots of development
cons: area is more crowded than NB, traffic
Possible towns similar to Mart: Taylor, Elgin, Bertram, Burnet (most far but probably most similar)

Bridgeport area
pros: sort of near Dallas, probably most small town feel out of all of these options (could be a con), probably most options for land and towns similar to Mart
cons: further from the big city (for me this is a pro but for most people it's a con), other than that idk
Possible towns similar to Mart: Pretty much any town far enough outside of Fort Worth. Probably starts outside of Azle. Only town I know anything about is Weatherford which is a nice town but bigger than Mart and slowly growing into a suburb (it still has lots of time though)

If you want to be as close as possible to hill country activities like hiking and rivers, I would pick New Braunfels area.
If you want to be near Austin and more development, Round Rock area.
If you want to live a more peaceful life, Bridgeport area.

It sounds like Bridgeport is what you're after. If I was in your position I would pick either Bridgeport or New Braunfels. It sounds like you didn't like New Braunfels, so...

I would just check out all the small towns around unless anybody here can clue you in to the best ones.

[ChristieP]

If you don't want to live on I-35, then Bridgeport is your place. It's actually a decent-sized town with restaurants, a decent grocery store, a nice lake with parks, and a little shopping, etc. You will definitely be able to find a house and land at a reasonable price. Wise County has an excellent regional hospital system, too.

If Bridgeport is too small for you, Decatur is bigger and it is just 20 minutes away. The area along 114 towards Paradise is nice, too. I have a friend who lives up there, and there is a good community with lots of people who ride horses, etc.

[ashbeeigh]

I’m unsure what Martin Marietta is. If it’s an in person position do all these cities have posible job transfer opportunities? They’re all in very different areas and a commute could be an issue. I’m just thinking from a central Texas perspective, it could take an hour and a half to two hours to get from new braunfels to round rock on a Sunday morning if traffic was particularly sucky. I was a camp counselor for a camp in Bridgeport in 2007 and remember it being beautiful, but “out” compared to RR or NB.

[supfromthesite]

There appears to be a location in all of the cities mentioned. The one in NB is really between NB and SM.

[ChristieP]

Martin Marietta is an aggregate products company. https://www.martinmarietta.com/

[bynumces]

Yep Martin Marietta is an aggregates company, and there are jobs at all these locations that fit my husbands qualifications. Most people don't know what the company is even here in NC hahah. Basically his company provides the rock for the infamous I-35 road work LOL.

[Arkay66]

Originally Posted by bynumces

We visited New Braunfels a few weeks ago and I'm not sure we loved it. It seemed all the schools were close to I-35 which concerned me.

There is one high school on the I-35 access road in New Braunfels, and it's in the Comal ISD, not New Braunfels ISD. Don't want your kids going there, don't live in that school's district. The elementary and middle schools are not along the interstate in either ISD, but are quite far enough away that locals don't have an issue with school locations.

You don't have to live inside New Braunfels' city limits, and certainly don't have to live anywhere near I-35. It's a big county with good roads, so you can pick the school district(s), then look in that area for a house. Head north into Comal County and you'll find the county as a whole isn't about I-35 and what's along it.