Central / Hill Country: Land, Water, Wind, Guns & Politics (Dallas: high school, to live in)

[ScoPro]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Kerrville.

[ChristieP]

Kerrville is lovely, but the first poster was looking for a place to grow a garden and fruit trees, which would be next to impossible in the thin, rocky soil.

Now for just a nice retirement place, Kerrville is great. But the second poster's $200k budget will not go far there...

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Christie, has the Coleman County Medical Center closed?

Well, you proved me wrong!! They do have a small hospital there!

I vividly remember a sign on 206 that said something like "welcome to Coleman. We have 5 cemeteries and NO hospital!"

[Kaptain Karl]

Originally Posted by die Eichkatze

I'll throw in another town: Graham. Northwest of Fort Worth, south of Wichita Falls, near Possum Kingdom Lake, nice scenery, and if you find a piece of land near the Brazos River, you might be able to grow some stuff.

Thank you. Graham is looks good on paper.

Originally Posted by ScoPro

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Kerrville.

Old church friends moved there years ago. Nice town. Good people. Not what I'm looking for.

You guys are all great. Thanks!

- KK

[TXStrat]

LAND: There are many stretches through Central Texas that would fit what you are looking for. Plenty of uncrowded land. No problem sustaining things like fruit, nut, live oak trees, etc.

WATER: Central Texas, north of the Edwards Aquifer, so the water system is less fragile. There are a large number of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes in Central Texas, and most ranches have stock ponds that are gravity fed during rain storms.

WIND: The wind blows nearly constantly in Central Texas. Granted, in the summer it may feel like you're standing behind a 747 engine when it does, it's enough to turn a windmill. On I-10 heading into west Texas there are huge windfarms that can be seen on Google Earth or Google Maps.

GUNS: No problem finding neighbors that are proficient with firearms. It is Texas after all....

POLITICS: No worries here. Despite the wishful musings of the urban crowd on other threads, Texas won't change to purple or blue anytime soon. You will have no trouble finding like minded folks.

I would recommend looking at ranch land in central Texas or the Hill Country. Central Texas, for recommendation purposes, would include an from around San Saba east to Brenham and Hillsboro south to San Marcos or so. The Hill Country is pretty well defined.

[BobTex]

Are there "just trees" in the Centex?

My forays out there have seen bushes and maybe small trees except of course along live waterways!

Maybe I'm just spoiled being in the forests!

Good luck on your search and welcome to Texas. You are required to buy a modern long firearm and sidearm to live here ... the Texas Militia may need your services! God speed!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Well, you proved me wrong!! They do have a small hospital there!

I vividly remember a sign on 206 that said something like "welcome to Coleman. We have 5 cemeteries and NO hospital!"

LOL!! It's been so long since I've been to Coleman (sometime in the 80s) that I never saw that sign!

[Kaptain Karl]

Originally Posted by TXStrat

<snip> I would recommend looking at ranch land in central Texas or the Hill Country. Central Texas, for recommendation purposes, would include an from around San Saba east to Brenham and Hillsboro south to San Marcos or so. The Hill Country is pretty well defined.

Thanks for all your comments. I will look into these towns some more.

(This is shaping up to be one heck of a road trip to visit these places!)

Originally Posted by BobTex

Good luck on your search and welcome to Texas. You are required to buy a modern long firearm and sidearm to live here ... the Texas Militia may need your services! God speed!

LOL! Thanks, Bob! (We can learn....)


I got an email reply from one of my best friends, a Texas native who has been *stranded* out of state for a few years. (He's working on getting back to somewhere between SA and Austin.) He knows me pretty well and he threw quite a monkey wrench into my thinking. Knowing I'm an avid skier and hiker, he remarks about all the towns on my list, "... there is no topography there. None. All of this I still consider west Texas which is still up on the flat plains. You can see the sun set... in California from there."

He also wrote, "But, go north of San Antonio and West of Austin. There you will find hills and even small "mountains", aquifers, and streams surrounded by some actual trees. This where the high plains break down and you are heading toward sea level. Blanco, Junction, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Comfort, Boerne, Dripping Springs, Bulverde, Wimberley, Lochart, Bastrop. The Texas Hill Country. The real Texas...." (I'm learning you Texans have varying perspectives on you own state.)

Acck! This research is ... involved.

- KK

[Cathy4017]

Did your friends happen to mention the heat and humidity? It will be starkly different from where you are now (Front Range, right?). Central Texas is great--other than 5 months of hot summer, humidity and allergens. I have family all over the area, but I avoid it in the summer.

Your property taxes will increase substantially, as will your homeowner's insurance, all much higher (in my experience) in TX than either NM or CO.

We natives do indeed have varying perspectives on our state. I miss everything that is Texas (except the aforementioned heat) and the food, especially Tex-Mex.

I'm keeping my little box in CO when I come back to Texas, and will be spending the summers up there until I'm so old I can't make the 700+ mile trip any more.

Enjoy your trip. Texas has something to offer everybody, from sea-level coastal towns to high desert surrounded by mountains--and just about everything in between!

Originally Posted by Kaptain Karl

Thanks for all your comments. I will look into these towns some more.

(This is shaping up to be one heck of a road trip to visit these places!)


LOL! Thanks, Bob! (We can learn....)


I got an email reply from one of my best friends, a Texas native who has been *stranded* out of state for a few years. (He's working on getting back to somewhere between SA and Austin.) He knows me pretty well and he threw quite a monkey wrench into my thinking. Knowing I'm an avid skier and hiker, he remarks about all the towns on my list, "... there is no topography there. None. All of this I still consider west Texas which is still up on the flat plains. You can see the sun set... in California from there."

He also wrote, "But, go north of San Antonio and West of Austin. There you will find hills and even small "mountains", aquifers, and streams surrounded by some actual trees. This where the high plains break down and you are heading toward sea level. Blanco, Junction, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Comfort, Boerne, Dripping Springs, Bulverde, Wimberley, Lochart, Bastrop. The Texas Hill Country. The real Texas...." (I'm learning you Texans have varying perspectives on you own state.)

Acck! This research is ... involved.

- KK

[BobTex]

I just have to say this and please take no offense. You are doing yourself a disservice by not considering the areas east of I-45, especially east of US 59 and north of US 190 all the way up to I-20. Good sandy loams, much more surface water, much more precipitation (support for plant/tree growth), but maybe not as good well waters. My personal well water is awesome ... downright sweet but many East Texas wells have a strong iron and sometimes sulfur smell/taste. Having said that I could be happy in ANY region of Texas.

On the hospital issue. Small rural hospitals are generally not going to have the tech nor resources to help in dire medical emergencies. Your goal should be to find real estate within 15 minutes of a level 4 trauma center and within 45 minutes of a level 1 or 2. Level 1 or 2's will have full time cardio, vascular surgical, and neurosurgery services on call around the clock. I give you this advice due to personal and professional experiences.