West Texas ... Considering a move. (San Antonio, El Paso: for sale, how much, home)

[Capt_Brown]

I live in San Antonio and recently took a trip out to the West Texas Town of Terlingua. We visited Terlingua, the Ghost Town and both the Big Bend State and National Parks. We fell in love with the area and how reasonable some of the land is for sale.

I am just wondering if there is another area we should consider? We don't care about schools but we would like to live near an area with some character like Terlingua. I hear great things about Marfa, but I hear it has gotten expensive recently. What about the Davis Mountian area?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Capt_Brown

I live in San Antonio and recently took a trip out to the West Texas Town of Terlingua. We visited Terlingua, the Ghost Town and both the Big Bend State and National Parks. We fell in love with the area and how reasonable some of the land is for sale.

I am just wondering if there is another area we should consider? We don't care about schools but we would like to live near an area with some character like Terlingua. I hear great things about Marfa, but I hear it has gotten expensive recently. What about the Davis Mountian area?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Well, it just depends on what you want. Remember that Terlingua and vicinity get very, very hot in the summer, but if you're used to that in San Antonio, this might not be an issue.

I've always loved the area, but am only now just considering actually buying a place down there. I just got back from a trip to Alpine/Ft Davis/Big Bend after having been away for many years.

Isolation and having to drive everywhere for almost everything are BIG issues. Land may be available, but how much do you want to invest to make it livable? Water is another huge issue, and drilling a well and getting good water is no guarantee.

You're most likely used to big-city services, good restaurants, convenient medical care and everyday services (mechanics, home repair, et al) in SA. Would you be willing to drive to Alpine (80+ miles) Midland (250+) or El Paso (300+) for many of these? You don't take these for granted in an area like the Big Bend!

Terlingua isn't on my list, but Alpine and possibly Fort Davis are. I didn't get over to Marfa myself this last trip. The entire area has gotten a lot more expensive recently, because people are discovering it and what a gem it can be.

In Alpine, you'd have many of the services I mentioned available, much more so than Terlingua. But if that sort of isolation appeals to y'all, then I say go for it!

But I would take more trips down and look at properties in all four places (Alpine, Marfa, Fort Davis, Terlingua)...and maybe even Marathon.

[lonestar2007]

100% correct Cathy. Far better to consider these things now rather than on down the road and be faced with the delimma of 'what in the world were we thinking of'!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

100% correct Cathy. Far better to consider these things now rather than on down the road and be faced with the delimma of 'what in the world were we thinking of'!

LOL!! That whole area can have a very strong pull, and it's just magic!

But there are so many considerations, and I'm struggling with some of them right now.

I'll DM you in a bit!

[Capt_Brown]

Yes all of the problems that come with a remote area are not lost on me. And I suppose you don't really know what you will miss and won't miss until you actually live it for a while. Alpine was a nice little town, but it did not have the beauty that I found in the Big Bend Area. I'm guessing that for all the problems one might face around Big Bend there is no beating it's beauty and affordability of land.

[catman]

Alpine has a much more palatable climate. You might actually enjoy the climate there. My favorite part of Texas is north of Alpine, up around McDonald Observatory. It's beautiful up there! You'll be scorched in a Terlingua summer.