hill country? (San Antonio, Austin, Kerrville: low crime, tornadoes, property taxes)

[lilypad]

Thanks for the info, all. I had just done a few day trips there, and found Kerrville to be very quiet, peaceful, nice. Will definitely keep it in mind.

[worldexplorer]

We are also considering a move to TX from MA. My husband would be retiring and I may work for a few more years. TX appeals to us for several reasons, but primarily weather. Hill Country is a major draw to us, but because we will both potentially living there in our senior years, accessibility is a major concern and we are looking for a smaller type city with culture, public transport, easy to walk, etc. We are also hoping for more liberal minded types than found in some parts of TX and cultural diversity. We are a biracial (black/white) couple and would want to live in a place we would be accepted. In MA this has never been an issue, but I'm concerned it could be in some parts of TX. Also my husband is Ethiopian, not black American, hence the desire for cultural diversity. We know the Hispanic population is high and enjoy Hispanic people, as long as it is not a high crime area. We love Mexico, another reason for moving to TX, because of it's close proximity. Schools are not a factor since we have no children, although the academic culture of a university/college would be good for us having lived in and around Boston most our lives and I also may consider teaching at the college level. I'm giving this detail because I'd like to know what towns/cities we should plan to visit this summer when we go to scope out a place to relocate. One city that sounds apealling is San Marcos. Can anyone offer an opinion on this since it hasn't been mentioned so far? Being in close proximity to both San Antonio and Austin is appealing to us for culture, medical care, travel links, but these cities themselves may be a bit big to set up roots. We are looking for a small city with cafes, parks, plazas, shopping you can walk to or some type of transit system, good medical facilities close by, not too crowded or too much traffic. I am researching the towns listed on this link so far, but knowing what we're looking for, am hoping for other suggestions.

[JRTexas55]

See the attached for Boerne:

Development in/near Boerne?


Moving from Florida to SA

Boerne to Austin is a drive.

[JRTexas55]

Originally Posted by JRTexas55

See the attached for Boerne:

Development in/near Boerne?


Moving from Florida to SA

Boerne to Austin is a drive.

Would someone please tell why links don't work....help.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by JRTexas55

Would someone please tell why links don't work....help.

Just copy from the www through the html and paste it into your browser. That should do it; it works for me.

[Yac]

Originally Posted by JRTexas55

Would someone please tell why links don't work....help.

Links are disabled here. You can find why in "about the forum" section

[texasborn]

Originally Posted by stargazer

My dad was the chief appraiser over in Kendall and his office was in Boerne over in the heart where all the antique shops were at, old town I beleive is what they called it. He really liked living there but for health reasons left to take a less demanding job which was teaching. He died a few months after leaving. He wanted to find a job within the town but there wasn't any teaching positions. Randy Travis went to his office once looking for his assistance. Dad missed it and wondered why everyone was in a joyous uproar when he got back from Wal Mart having his tire repaired. He use to laugh about that one.

The hill country is beautiful. I think you would love it very much!

My husband and I are considering moving to the San Antonio area from El Paso. I am from the area, but have been gone too long to probably recognize the place. I always loved the German Hill Country (as it was called 30+ years ago) and would like some feedback on the differences between Boerne, Kerrville, and Fredricksburg, if someone could articulate them. Any comparison-contrast (if there is a noticeable distinction) would be greatly appreciated. I will continue to work; my spouse is retired. By the way, schools are not a concern since we have no children. Thanking any and all in advance. Posting is the next best thing to actually going to each community and talking to them in person. This will be the LAST move for us and want it to be as informed as possible.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by worldexplorer

...we are looking for a smaller type city with culture, public transport, easy to walk, etc. We are also hoping for more liberal minded types than found in some parts of TX and cultural diversity.

A lot of people from all over are looking for what you describe, but unfortunately central Austin is by far the most progressive and walkable place and most of the small towns are fairly conservative, especially compared to New England. My brother lives in northern VT and I was blown away by the fact that most of the tiny rural communities there have food co-ops, lots of locally produced organic foods and a lot of well-educated people. You will NOT find ANYTHING like that in Texas! But you can find cute semi-artsy communities like Wimberley and Blanco.

I'm seeing more and more biracial couples here so I don't think that's an issue. The problem you'll have is that you might be bored to tears by small town Texas life. There are neighborhoods in central Austin that are like small towns, that's where I'd recommend you look. You can walk to hip coffeehouses and there are lots of big trees and parks. It's a beautiful city.

I'm not a fan of San Marcos, but you might like it. I just find it to be poorly planned and chaotic with respect to how traffic is directed through it. There's also a ton of really cheap development going on all around that area, sprawling in every direction and it's not going to attract the type of people you'd be interested in. But SM is a university town, no doubt about that. And it has a spring-fed river flowing through the center of town that's beautiful to swim in or go for a float on. And there's a nice older neighborhood to one side of downtown, which is where you'd most likely want to be if you chose that city.

[Insomniac]

Originally Posted by worldexplorer

We are looking for a small city with cafes, parks, plazas, shopping you can walk to or some type of transit system, good medical facilities close by, not too crowded or too much traffic.

What you\'re looking for is Boerne. I sincerely mean this.

[songinthewind7]

I live in Fredericksburg and have for almost 2 years now. It is a nice place to live unless the touristy thing bothers you. We have a lot of them. There is usually some kind of festival or something going on every weekend, especially in the summer months. Kind of quiet now.
On the negative side, some of the people that are from here seem to be unfriendly to newcomers and a little backward and closed minded in ways. Others I have talked to have thought this way also.
I think this is a good place to live being retired and staying to yourself or maybe starting your own business.
San Antonio and Austin are about 70 miles away if you like to shop or want any kind of entertainment or good places to eat. I hate to say this but hte restaurants here are not all that great and some of the business owners in town don't seem to care if they work or not.
Everybody's different and has different needs and wants, so depending on what you want, if you are a person between 16-60, Fredericksburg is probably not the place for you. I would try San Antonio or Austin.