Best places in Texas to move? (Houston, Dallas: real estate, low crime, credit)

[koryosiveness]

So i am going to give some details of my situation I am a 32 year old RN nurse and was given custody of my sisters kids (she was involved with drugs and well you know how that goes) who are 16 and 14 and both girls. My fiancée,who is a teacher, and the girls have decided it would be a good thing to moved and give the girls a fresh start.

Were looking for nice places in the south and decided to give a look at Texas:

1. my income right now is about 53,000 my fiancée's is around 46,000
2. are price range would be a maximum of 360k but if needed wed go to 400k
3. a big city isnt something were interested in but somewhere close to a city would be wonderful.
4. i do not want a tiny town i just cant stand them! This sounds very picky but i just want somewhere in the middle you know?
5. obviously near a hospital it can be 30 min a way if necessary
6. safe or at least a lower crime-rate, nowhere is perfectly safe but somewhere to raise teenagers

and also its not too important but to be near the beach would be lovely, we live on the CT shoreline right now and i love it. But if there arent any then well deal.

thank you so much

[HtownLove]

Victoria, TX

[Willsson]

Scott & White Memorial Hospital

in Bell County, Texas, was founded in 1897, when Dr. Arthur C. Scott and Dr. Raleigh R. White, Jr., opened the Temple Sanitarium in Temple, Texas. Caring for the heart of Texas between Dallas and Austin, Scott & White, with more than 800 physicians and scientists, is a large multi-specialty group practice. The primary clinical teaching campus of Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Scott & White is ranked as one of the top 100 hospitals and one of the top 15 teaching hospitals in the United States by Thomson Reuters. Scott & White's has 31 accredited residency and fellowship programs, including programs in emergency medicine, radiology and one of the nation's preeminent pastoral care residencies.

[Westerner92]

You might want to check out Lubbock. It has about 250,000 residents, and its main insutries are healthcare and education. Jobs are tight here as they are everywhere else, but it's weathered the recession very well. The high schools are top-notch as well.

[TurtleCreek80]

I would canvas the state with job applications and see what you get. Also, don't assume you're taking your same salary to TX from CT. It may be less...or more...just depends.

Also, it's unlikely you'll need to go up to $360-400k since you don't want to live in a big city.

Check out:
The good suburbs 20-35 miles north of Dallas are Plano, Frisco, Prosper, Allen, Parker, Murphy. All have good schools and there are quite a few hospitals in Plano with smaller satellites in the other burbs.

To the south & east of Dallas are more good suburbs: Rockwall, Heath, Forney, Sunnyvale- major medical centers in Rockwall but also within a 30-40 minute drive to all the major Dallas hospitals.

You may also check out Mansfield and Cedar Hill to the south / southwest of Dallas. You'd be commuting into the city for work, approx 20-30 minutes.

Same thing with the other major cities- good suburbs of Houston are The Woodlands, Sugarland, Spring, Humble, League City, Friendswood, Pearland. In Austin, there's Cedar Hill, Georgetown, Round Rock, etc. All either have their own medical centers or are decently commutable to the city's.

Then there are some of the bigger small towns like College Station, Killeen/ Temple, Victoria, Longview, Tyler, Abeline, etc. All have their own hospitals- Scott & White is a big system.

The best beaches in Texas are waaaay down south near the Mexican border- an entire day's drive from Houston. Most people say the best beaches in Texas are a 2-hour plane ride away in Mexico. Lots of lakes in Texas though- specifically around the Dallas area, East Texas, and Austin/San Antonio/ Hill Country.

[dallasdee]

Dallas would be a great choice, as there are alot of hospitals here. Try looking at Frisco-- there is a Baylor Hospital, as well as Centennial Medical Center.
However, the public schools are facing a huge budget crisis, and many districts have laid off teachers. So I would think that it may be challenging to find a teaching position.

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by koryosiveness

So i am going to give some details of my situation I am a 32 year old RN nurse and was given custody of my sisters kids (she was involved with drugs and well you know how that goes) who are 16 and 14 and both girls. My fiancée,who is a teacher, and the girls have decided it would be a good thing to moved and give the girls a fresh start.

Were looking for nice places in the south and decided to give a look at Texas:

1. my income right now is about 53,000 my fiancée's is around 46,000
2. are price range would be a maximum of 360k but if needed wed go to 400k
3. a big city isnt something were interested in but somewhere close to a city would be wonderful.
4. i do not want a tiny town i just cant stand them! This sounds very picky but i just want somewhere in the middle you know?
5. obviously near a hospital it can be 30 min a way if necessary
6. safe or at least a lower crime-rate, nowhere is perfectly safe but somewhere to raise teenagers

and also its not too important but to be near the beach would be lovely, we live on the CT shoreline right now and i love it. But if there arent any then well deal.

thank you so much

There are a ton of places that meet your criteria. Try the suburbs around San Antonio, Austion, DFW, or Houston. Lots of smaller towns that have low crime and hospitals for work. I'm in a Houston suburb with 2 hospitals and relatively low crime - Clear Lake Tx. It has one of the best school districts in the state right here, and also another in the community west of it. We are 25 miles from the beach, but it's nothing to write home about. The nicer beaches are in the southern tip of the state.

400k can get you a 5 bedroom house on the water here. Might consider scaling back a bit. A real estate agent can guide you better, but I think the average home price here is about 150,000-160,000.

[cheryjohns]

Sugar Land or Clear Lake - both by a lot of medical - both on the edge of the Houston Greater Metro Area - both good schools. Although we have no state income tax - the property taxes are high. Go more for $275K and under (teens cost money!). The good news is you will be happy what you get for that.

[hoffdano]

In addition to the good suggestions above, some suburbs of Austin might be a good fit. Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, etc. all have good schools, fine housing in your price range, and are close enough to Austin when you want some more entertainment. Lots of medical care in the area. As said already, beaches are not so close. But some very nice lakes are.

[badhornet]

Sanderson, TX