desert living (San Antonio, San Angelo, Del Rio: crime, houses, buying) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

shootertoo · 02-13-2011, 09:53 AM

I'm an old guy and a semi-retired professional artist. I would like to move from the DFW mess to a quiet little place in the desert where it's warm and the sun shines a lot. I can't afford Marfa or Alpine and was thinking about maybe Del Rio. Do any of you have any thoughts on that? I love the border culture as I used to spend half my time in South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. I liked that area but now it's too crowded just like DFW. Thanks.

Westerntraveler · 02-13-2011, 10:21 AM

Del Rio would be too close to the mess in Mexico for me

ChristieP · 02-13-2011, 11:08 AM

My in-laws have lived in Del Rio for over 50 years, and my husband was born & raised there. I can give you some ingisht...

1. Medical care in Del Rio is AWFUL! I mean REALLY AWFUL! Yes, the town has a hospital, but the care there is not good. It is a "medically underserved area" and doesn't get very good doctors. MIL and FIL have both had some pretty major health issues, and they both ended up having to be sent to San Antonio or San Angelo to have the procedures done because Del Rio's hospital didn't have the equipment, didn't have a doctor on staff who was trained on how to do it, etc. FIL used to go to Mexico for dental work, but it's too dangerous now. He does still go across to the pharmacies, but he only goes with a couple of other old guys in a beat-up pickup so they don't get carjacked, and they come straight back across when they are done.

2. If you like nice restaurants, good food, etc. then you will be out of luck. There are a couple of decent steak houses but the rest is just so-so Mexican food and a few burger joints. They do have a Chili's, McDonald's and an Applebee's, but NO Starbucks!

3. There is ONE good grocery store in town (a big HEB), a Super Wal-Mart, a JCPenney, and a Home Depot. Eagle Pass has a Kohl's, but that is an hour away. If you need anything beyond that for shopping, you will have to drive to San Antonio or San Angelo.

4. Property values are going up due to the number of wealthy Mexicans fleeing the violence and buying houses in Del Rio. You used to be able to get a nice house for under $100k, but that has gone up to about $150k in the last 2 years, and it is still rising. There is a lot of new construction out by Lake Amistad as a result, too. Also, a lot of the wealthier residents/ranchers have moved away to San Antonio area to escape the crime. (Most of my parents' friends have moved to San Antonio.)

5. The violence and drug trade in Mexico HAS increased crime in Del Rio. It's not shootings in the streets, but the murder rate has gone up and so has petty theft, car break ins, etc. DO NOT buy a house in the subdivision near Fisherman's HQ (intersection of 90 and 377) because a lot of illegals come through this area when they sneak across, and anything outside your house that isn't nailed down will end up stolen, and things that are nailed down will be vandalized!

Honestly, I can't recommend moving there as a retiree. I would look at San Antonio. The climate and property values are basically the same, but it is a much safer area and has more to offer.

Good luck!

Rapunzll · 02-13-2011, 01:29 PM

Why not look at San Angelo? I am new to the area, but it seems to have a decent arts scene considering the size of the town, which is only about 100K.

San Angelo Cultural Affairs Council

Westerntraveler · 02-13-2011, 02:44 PM

San Antonio and San Angelo are both good towns but San Antone may be too crowded for the OP

Two4damoney · 02-13-2011, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

Why not look at San Angelo? I am new to the area, but it seems to have a decent arts scene considering the size of the town, which is only about 100K.

San Angelo Cultural Affairs Council

I agree. Plus if the op is trying to get away from the big city then San Antonio wouldn't be for him.

Two4damoney · 02-13-2011, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westerntraveler

San Antonio and San Angelo are both good towns but San Antone may be too crowded for the OP

This.^^

ChristieP · 02-13-2011, 04:53 PM

San Angelo is GREAT for retirees!! DH and I are both Angelo State alumni, and we really enjoyed living there. San Angelo has excellent medical care, lots of good restaurants and shopping, and is pretty much a safe place to live!

As others have said, San Angelo also has an excellent arts comminuty, too. Del Rio has very little arts; it's just not what the majority of the locals are interested in...

shootertoo · 02-13-2011, 07:04 PM

Thanks to you all. I hadn't thought about San Angelo. I'll check it out. I was in San Angelo about 35 years ago and I remember it to be a pretty nice place then.
Thanks again.

joqua · 02-14-2011, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shootertoo

Thanks to you all. I hadn't thought about San Angelo. I'll check it out.

While in that area you might want to check out a few of the other smaller towns that have fairly easy access to larger cities. Menard and Mason come to mind as two, with Mason having seen something of a renaissance and Menard sort of holding its own. Llano, Brady, and other small towns around the area might meet your needs too. These aren't true "desert" towns - tied more to the Hill Country culture, but still quite a bit nicer than places like Eagle Pass and Del Rio.