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Old 04-02-2013, 09:51 AM
 
96 posts, read 185,405 times
Reputation: 58

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We are coming down from Michigan to visit Texas to scope it out, we are considering relocating, but not sure where in TX? My job goes with me, but my hubby will be looking in the IT field. So, we thought we would make it into a mini vacation. We have 3 kids..20, 12 and 10. We are tired of living in a blue, nanny state and despite the lies, it's not really roaring back in MI. It will be a long time before it recovers and we want at least a good shot for our kids' future.


We will be driving, so want to explore a little.

We are coming down in mid June. Thinking of the DFW area or maybe Hill country. I am sure we will want to hit some waterparks or lakes. Museums, maybe a ranch.

Are there any ranch type resorts, with pools etc?

While there we would like to get to know Texas, small towns outside of the big DFW metro seen. We are conservative, nondenominational, homeschooling family. We love trees, love to fish, I am not a have to wear make up, keep up with the Jones', kind of mom. So, Uppity areas would not appeal to us. But friendly, safe, clean and homey where people say hi, smile and don't avoid eye contact. Which I hear is most of TX

Everything we see on realtor are subdivisions. Maybe that is only Frisco, Plano and McKinney. We would like at least an acre.

Also, can you have a garden there or is the soil unfriendly there? I hear it is clay, mostly?

Thank you.
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Old 04-02-2013, 10:25 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,034,484 times
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You seem to be focused on the DFW area, but Texas is a big place with lots of variety to choose from.

You might like the Kerrville area. I suggest you go during the Folk Festival the weather is great then, not too hot yet. Kerrville Festivals

The Y.O. Ranch Resort is a nice place to stay. Kerrville Hotels | Y.O. Ranch Hotel & Conference Center | Texas

Fly into San Antonio, spend a night or two on the Riverwalk. Drive 45 miles to Kerrville.

The Official Website of The San Antonio River Walk

There is a Six Flags water park in San Antonio and the Schlitterbahn water park in New Braunfels which is real popular is 33 miles N. of San Antonio. Welcome to Schlitterbahn New Braunfels | Schlitterbahn New Braunfels

Top 5 Water Parks Around San Antonio, Texas - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Tubing on the Guadalupe River is also very popular. http://www.floattheguadalupe.com/ see photos https://www.google.com/search?q=tubi...w=1379&bih=684

Texas has a huge variety of soil types, it is a big place. The blackland prairie, clay soils are supposed to be some of the most productive farmland in the USA. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/texas...l_map-2008.pdf

Austin has blackland prairie to the East and limestone soils to the West which is good for growing peaches and grapes. A lot of people around here plant gardens in raised beds with soil idealized for the crops they intend.
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Old 04-02-2013, 10:53 AM
 
96 posts, read 185,405 times
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Wow, thank you CptRn! Nice linkage there
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Old 04-02-2013, 11:16 AM
 
Location: League City
3,842 posts, read 8,262,944 times
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Probably the most desirable place to visit in Tx is the Hill Country, unless you don't like small towns. Fredericksburg, Beorne, Wimberley, Gruene, Luchenbach (not really a town but definitely worth experiencing), are wonderful places to visit. Fredericksburg has an enormous museum dedicated to the war in the Pacific since one of the admirals in the US navy was from there. Not joking - it will take more than one day to do it justice. And you may hear a bit of Texas German spoken in some of the restaurants there.

You said you don't like uppity and the Jones phenomenon... Now we live near Houston, but I'm wondering if you will like the DFW suburbs you are targeting. My college roommate was from Plano, and once it exploded in population he couldn't wait to leave. Soon after that McKinney exploded in population, too. Plano was recently ranked as the wealthiest city in the nation by CNN. Not saying it's a bad place but you sound like me - a person who enjoys small town life over suburbia (even though I do currently live in a Houston suburb). If that's the case, then the places you are targeting, while extremely nice and full of amenities, may not be what you are expecting. There's a bazillion other little towns around DFW that you may enjoy, however. Waxahachie sounds right up your alley.
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Old 04-02-2013, 11:30 AM
 
96 posts, read 185,405 times
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German perfect! My husband is 100% German. He would enjoy that! Thank you for the recommendation..we will add that to our list to consider. I really don't like the suburbia lifestyle, I want to have nice, friendly neighbors and love that, just not right on top of me.
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Old 04-02-2013, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Kaufman County, Texas
11,848 posts, read 26,840,844 times
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Fredericksburg is an EXCELLENT place to visit, relax and experience the "real" Texas. Personally, I never grow tired of visiting the Hill Country, and if there was a way for me to work professionally there, I would move in a heartbeat! Unfortunately, there is very little real "industry" there, besides gift shoppes, restaurants, and wineries. Your husband would have a very tough time finding an IT job...

The Mayan Dude Ranch would be a great place to have that "resort ranch" atmosphere: Welcome to the Mayan Ranch
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Old 04-02-2013, 10:35 PM
 
12,918 posts, read 16,848,475 times
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Kerrville would be a good place to stay and it's very close to Fredericksburg.
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Old 04-02-2013, 11:03 PM
 
Location: League City
3,842 posts, read 8,262,944 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristieP View Post
Fredericksburg is an EXCELLENT place to visit, relax and experience the "real" Texas. Personally, I never grow tired of visiting the Hill Country, and if there was a way for me to work professionally there, I would move in a heartbeat! Unfortunately, there is very little real "industry" there, besides gift shoppes, restaurants, and wineries. Your husband would have a very tough time finding an IT job...

The Mayan Dude Ranch would be a great place to have that "resort ranch" atmosphere: Welcome to the Mayan Ranch
Ditto that. If I could find a job there...

My better half is a city girl, but I almost have her sold on the thought for retirement. Kerrville would be great too!
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Old 04-03-2013, 12:57 PM
 
Location: Greenville, Delaware
4,726 posts, read 11,971,363 times
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People do not "Vaca" in Texas, nor do they "holiday" there. Perhaps you are thinking of South Beach or the French Riviera.
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Old 04-03-2013, 02:16 PM
 
517 posts, read 1,051,308 times
Reputation: 551
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greengables View Post
We are coming down from Michigan to visit Texas to scope it out, we are considering relocating, but not sure where in TX? My job goes with me, but my hubby will be looking in the IT field. So, we thought we would make it into a mini vacation. We have 3 kids..20, 12 and 10. We are tired of living in a blue, nanny state and despite the lies, it's not really roaring back in MI. It will be a long time before it recovers and we want at least a good shot for our kids' future.


We will be driving, so want to explore a little.

We are coming down in mid June. Thinking of the DFW area or maybe Hill country. I am sure we will want to hit some waterparks or lakes. Museums, maybe a ranch.

Are there any ranch type resorts, with pools etc?

While there we would like to get to know Texas, small towns outside of the big DFW metro seen. We are conservative, nondenominational, homeschooling family. We love trees, love to fish, I am not a have to wear make up, keep up with the Jones', kind of mom. So, Uppity areas would not appeal to us. But friendly, safe, clean and homey where people say hi, smile and don't avoid eye contact. Which I hear is most of TX

Everything we see on realtor are subdivisions. Maybe that is only Frisco, Plano and McKinney. We would like at least an acre.

Also, can you have a garden there or is the soil unfriendly there? I hear it is clay, mostly?

Thank you.
Is the soil unfriendly there?

Made me smile. My house in Orange county was on the edge of the Besse Heights Marsh. I was on a sand hill (11 foot 4 inches above sea level.) Yes the soil was hostile, stuff grew like something out Jumanji.

Further north in Deep East Texas, (that was south east Texas, yes there is a difference, Deep East Texas has birds, South East Texas has mosquitoes, they ate the birds.) We have red clay and sand hills. The red clay holds water better, the sand is easier to work.

IT is not easy in Texas, but have your husband check out Lufkin Industries, they are growing fast and can pay. Be sure to negotiate. I have it on good word, if they want you they will pay for you. Often they don't know what they want. The last time I looked at an IT position (My wife is a technology director at a small school in Deep East Texas) the job description when something like this "Need Diesel Mechanic, must understand quantum physics Warp Drive experience a plus"

Have your husband send a resume to Tim at Planetary IT in Center Texas. I don't know how he is doing now but he was having to throttle growth a couple of years ago. I know my wife is having a hard time getting companies to place bids on her projects, (VM Ware upgrades, SANS units and stuff like that.)

It just so happens I came here today to ask about my own vacation. I will be pulling out of Nacogdoches the last Saturday in April and heading west to Bolmorhea and San Angelo then to Indian Lodge at Fort Davis then hopefully down to Big Bend and then back. If I hurry I should be able to make it in a week without cutting to much out. But that museum in Fredricksburg? Hum that may put a kink in things.

Oh! Check out the Texas State parks website. It will be wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too hot to tent camp in June, but some of the parks have cabins.

Cheers
Qazulight
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