How is living in Waco? (Post, Reno: houses, schools, cost of living)

[RenoViking]

Posting this here, because it looks like this is the closest to the Waco area.

We are looking at moving our family from Reno, Nv to Texas fairly soon. DFW, and Waco are at the top of the list of where we want to put down roots. Admittedly, most of my knowledge of the area is the infamous standoff many years ago. From what research I have been able to do from here, it looks like cost of living is fairly low, seems like there is plenty of work, but the schools aren't the greatest (our son will be in the 7th grade by the time we move there, and he has a couple learning disabilities).
Can anyone give us a little insight?
How are the locals attitudes towards "outsiders"?
Am I reading into the school ranking too much?
Are there things to do there for small families?

[bluescreen73]

DFW over Waco 100% of the time - even if it is more expensive. Worked for a company with an HQ in Waco. Had to go down there a handful of times. Was not impressed. There are some nice areas on the periphery, but Waco proper is a dump.

[ChristieP]

Waco is currently in the middle of a surge in popularity due to the "Fixer Upper" TV show where Chip & Joanna Gaines redo houses in the area. They've built a store called Magnolia Silos, complete with a fancy cupcake bakery, where they sell their "shiplap" home décor products. I say there are good reasons that there are so many cheap, old, dilapidated houses in Waco for them to fix up...