Mason, Menard & Llano Texas (San Antonio, New Braunfels: home, job market, to buy)

[hound 109]

I've been thinking about moving to a small to medium sized (county seat) town in Texas. All really that has kept us from getting serious about the search is:

- Concern of the school quality.
- The level of the "Bubba" attitude.
- The quality of the tennis in the area (& on the HS team).

My kid is ethnic, bright & a crazy good (state ranked) 10 y/o tennis player (& tennis junkie). I figured I'd be stuck in suburbia for the next 8 years (since schools in general & tennis in particular are not a high priority in semi-rural Texas), but I'm always looking.

Thought about moving back to New Braunfels (but it's now & will continue to be suburbia). I thought about Fburg, Kerrville & Marble Falls...but they're all just too cool & urbane for my plebian & nostalgic tastes.

I've been thinking about Llano....but now Mason just hit my radar. Their tennis team took State in girls & boys singles, girls doubles & (i think) mixed doubles. I think 6 of the 8 players came home with the State Title (& the other 2 came home with the silver).

Tell me about Mason (or Llano or Menard).....what's in the water out there that delivers the tennis goods (out in Friday Night Lights country)? Is it (or are they) REAL towns.....or just Fburg wannabes with kitchy knick knack shops, $4 ice cream cones & tourist food instead of small town cafes.

How are the schools & the Tennis & Golf? Would a non-Bubba be run out town? Any other towns i should look at? (please don't say Fburg )

Thanks.

[Belle77]

Hi there! I LOVE Mason! It's definitely a real town with its own identity. My in-laws live there. I've spent months at a time with them. The people of Mason are very friendly, even to me, an outsider. My kids took tennis lessons over the summer. Their tennis program is amazing, as you know. The coaches are great. For a small town, the people seem especially open minded about children with special needs, mental health issues, politics, etc...

My husband graduated from MHS and went on to college to get his bachelors and then masters degree. He was a tennis state champ and played football in college. All of his friends are successful. They are still as close as they were back in high school. Having grown up in a much larger area, I find their relationships very special.

I'd love to raise my kids in Mason. It seems very safe. Unfortunately the job market isn't great for us... I'm just happy to go there and visit.

Feel free to send me a dm if you'd like.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Belle77

Hi there! I LOVE Mason! It's definitely a real town with its own identity. My in-laws live there. I've spent months at a time with them. The people of Mason are very friendly, even to me, an outsider. My kids took tennis lessons over the summer. Their tennis program is amazing, as you know. The coaches are great. For a small town, the people seem especially open minded about children with special needs, mental health issues, politics, etc...

My husband graduated from MHS and went on to college to get his bachelors and then masters degree. He was a tennis state champ and played football in college. All of his friends are successful. They are still as close as they were back in high school. Having grown up in a much larger area, I find their relationships very special.

I'd love to raise my kids in Mason. It seems very safe. Unfortunately the job market isn't great for us... I'm just happy to go there and visit.

Feel free to send me a dm if you'd like.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Wonderful post. Thanks so much.

I need to plan a weekend visit out there.

(& kiddo doesn't have special needs....pretty much a typical "more than a handful" red blooded 10 y/o boy ....but he's Asian....thus the "bubba" inquiry).

Thanks again.

[TexasNick]

Hey hound,
Don't tell anyone, but I think Mason is probably one of the last "true" small Texas towns left untouched by civilization. It's pretty far from any major city and there's really no reason why traffic would be passing through. I just love to drive up highway 87 from Fredericksburg to Mason - so much history there. My parents and I are looking to buy about 25 acres between Fredericksbrug/Mason and just the other day I found a stash of arrowheads on the property. There's no development in this area and it still looks the same as it did in the old cowboy stories written about the area.

Okay, aside from history, I don't have much experience with Mason - I just passed through twice. At first, believe it or not, I didn't care for it. However, the more I thought about it as days passed, I couldn't help but realize that there's something special about the area that no other Hill country town has. Can't put my finger on it yet, but I'm inclined to believe that it may be the fact that the town seems to be stuck in time from another era. That's a good thing for me, but some people dont' like that because they want to change the town. If you start mentioning "change" to the townsfolk, that's when things get ugly.

Fredericksburg is NOT a bad town. What you're disliking is the tourist-trap area of the town. But, most locals don't go there for their needs. The town is just for people out of town to shop and that brings in good money for hospitals, schools, etc--and yes, they got several nice tennis courts and matches. Last time I stopped at Denny's for a root bear float and the waitress told me they were out because a big tennis match was in town and all the kids wanted ice cream. Anyways, if you lived about 5-12 miles outside the town, then you'll love the area. No reason to go into town, but you get the benefit of a fantastic small-town hospital with a high degree of various specialties (no reason to go to San Antonio) and tons of events and festivals to attend. Good place for kids, too.

Oh, and Llano is great! I prefer Mason, then Fredericksburg (outlining areas) and then Llano. Mason is best bang for buck if you want to "get away from it all".

Pic I took from South West Mason/Doss:

[Canine*Castle]

TexasNick, every time I see that photo, I love it even more. )

[lonestar2007]

I'll second that!

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

TexasNick, every time I see that photo, I love it even more. )

[Belle77]

I have to say that I have never seen Asian people in Mason. They might be there though. Maybe you could start a trend? ) I'll get some info from my in-laws later regarding the "bubba attitude" and let you know what they say. You'll definitely have to visit. I hope you don't mind my asking, but how will you make a living there?

TexasNick, love the photo!!!

After typing my post, I thought many people who live in Mason will hate that I kind of "advertised" their town. Oh well, I just couldn't help myself.

[TexasNick]

True, I'm not sure of any Asians in the area, but I'm sure there are some, after all, they are more "Western" than most!*
There are Native Americans, hispanics and African American cowboys. Here's a pic I took of one with some of his dogs:




*They built the railroad system that is responsible for opening the American West.

[ChristieP]

My sister-in-law recently moved out of Menard, and she told us these things about living there:
1. Menard schools are AWFUL. My neices are several months behind now that they are in Del Rio schools.
2. There is a VERY serious methamphetamine problem in Menard. Many kids have learning disabilities from their parents' drug use.
3. The town has NO "real" grocery store. There is only the Super S, which is a step up form a convenience store, and their stuff is often past the expiration date. Everyone drives to the Wal-Marts in Brady or Junction to shop.
4. There is nothing for kids to do there besides go to the town pool. Her daughters were really bored in the summer.
5. The town has no "kitchy knick knack shops, $4 ice cream cones & tourist food". There is one decent cafe there, but that's it.

Good luck with your move.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by TexasNick

Hey hound,
Don't tell anyone, but I think Mason is probably one of the last "true" small Texas towns left untouched by civilization. It's pretty far from any major city and there's really no reason why traffic would be passing through. I just love to drive up highway 87 from Fredericksburg to Mason - so much history there. My parents and I are looking to buy about 25 acres between Fredericksbrug/Mason and just the other day I found a stash of arrowheads on the property. There's no development in this area and it still looks the same as it did in the old cowboy stories written about the area.

Okay, aside from history, I don't have much experience with Mason - I just passed through twice. At first, believe it or not, I didn't care for it. However, the more I thought about it as days passed, I couldn't help but realize that there's something special about the area that no other Hill country town has. Can't put my finger on it yet, but I'm inclined to believe that it may be the fact that the town seems to be stuck in time from another era. That's a good thing for me, but some people dont' like that because they want to change the town. If you start mentioning "change" to the townsfolk, that's when things get ugly.

Fredericksburg is NOT a bad town. What you're disliking is the tourist-trap area of the town. But, most locals don't go there for their needs. The town is just for people out of town to shop and that brings in good money for hospitals, schools, etc--and yes, they got several nice tennis courts and matches. Last time I stopped at Denny's for a root bear float and the waitress told me they were out because a big tennis match was in town and all the kids wanted ice cream. Anyways, if you lived about 5-12 miles outside the town, then you'll love the area. No reason to go into town, but you get the benefit of a fantastic small-town hospital with a high degree of various specialties (no reason to go to San Antonio) and tons of events and festivals to attend. Good place for kids, too.

Oh, and Llano is great! I prefer Mason, then Fredericksburg (outlining areas) and then Llano. Mason is best bang for buck if you want to "get away from it all".

Pic I took from South West Mason/Doss:

Thanks for all the info & your opinions Nick.

& those pictures.....are they examples of rush hour traffic in Mason?