Contemplating a move to Texas (Houston, Dallas: for sale, insurance, houses)

[jcm23]

Hi All,

I've got some broad-stroke questions about Texas, so I popped this thread in the general TX board.
My wife and I are visiting Texas in a few weeks with the intention of seeing some of the state and getting a feel on if we would like to move in the area.

We've eyeballed the Waco area (Courtesy of HGTV), as well as Belton and Temple, however we're really open to any part of the state. What we are hoping for is a place in Texas that meets these criteria:

• Good cost of living (Homes for sale for sub-$100k)
• Small to mid-sized cities (Which often meet the criteria for COL as opposed to the Dallas/Austin area, as well as a slower pace of life), but we aren't opposed to larger areas
• Decent culture (My wife and I are young newlyweds, so being able to go somewhere other than Chili's is nice)

No kids in the picture, and I work from home, so lots of flexibility on where we live. I listed Waco, Belton, and Temple because they match 2/3 of our key criteria, but I'm wondering if there's any other good spots to check out?

Thanks in advance

[bluescreen73]

There are some nice areas on the periphery of Waco, but the city itself reminds me a bit of Commerce City - gritty and rundown.

Temple's not bad. A buddy of mine who I went to high school with lives there and loves it.

The third city on your list - could it perhaps be Belton?

[jcm23]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

There are some nice areas on the periphery of Waco, but the city itself reminds me a bit of Commerce City - gritty and rundown.

Temple's not bad. A buddy of mine who I went to high school with lives there and loves it.

The third city on your list - could it perhaps be Belton?

Ah you're right, it is Belton! Killeen popped up on our radar as well, but I heard overwhelmingly negative reviews about it.

[jackalope48]

You could swing under 100k in Corpus in an older neighborhood where you aren't concerned about school quality. While culture is a broad term Corpus has good sports options, fishing, the beach, a thriving art scene, community theater, symphony, and several good live music venues. Doesn't get the huge first run music acts that the big cities do but Houston and San Antonio are close enough for an overnight. It does get weekday shows for smaller acts playing weekends in the big cities. Lots of music oriented folks will take their vacation to Austin for ACL.

Very good local restaurants especially Mexican, Seafood, Vietnamese, and Sushi.

Only COL issue compared to East Texas is windstorm insurance but that won't be horrible on a 100k house.

[tcualum]

There's not much in Killeen unless you're in the military. You're definitely not going to find culture.

[leorah]

One city that you might like is San Angelo. The population there hovers around 100,000. It's a college town, home to Angelo State University, and Goodfellow Air Force Base is close by. San Angelo has a wonderful art museum and an active arts community. One of the best things about San Angelo is the Concho River that flows through the middle of town and is bordered by a river walk of four miles or so studded with art installations. It's a great place to run, walk, skate or just hang out. The surrounding area is pretty arid so the river is an oasis of green. Median home prices are within your target range. We personally love the area and visit several times a year.

You also might want to check out Abilene. Housing there is still affordable, and because it has around 120,000 residents, a military base and a couple of colleges, there are quite a few things to do, including a nice zoo, live music, art and other cultural stuff.

We have noticed the Temple/Belton area growing over the past few years and from what we hear, home prices are increasing as well. You might find something within your price range and you are close enough to Waco to take advantage of the cultural opportunities there. We visit Waco fairly often and it seems to be improving overall, especially the downtown area. I think Fixer-Upper has had a lot to do with that; we drove by the silos on Tuesday and even at 1 PM on a weekday the place was busy. Baylor, the Brazos River, Cameron Park and a growing arts community make Waco an attractive place and it seems as if more and more Baylor grads are staying around to enjoy what the city offers.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by leorah

One city that you might like is San Angelo. The population there hovers around 100,000. It's a college town, home to Angelo State University, and Goodfellow Air Force Base is close by. San Angelo has a wonderful art museum and an active arts community. One of the best things about San Angelo is the Concho River that flows through the middle of town and is bordered by a river walk of four miles or so studded with art installations. It's a great place to run, walk, skate or just hang out. The surrounding area is pretty arid so the river is an oasis of green. Median home prices are within your target range. We personally love the area and visit several times a year.

You also might want to check out Abilene. Housing there is still affordable, and because it has around 120,000 residents, a military base and a couple of colleges, there are quite a few things to do, including a nice zoo, live music, art and other cultural stuff.

We have noticed the Temple/Belton area growing over the past few years and from what we hear, home prices are increasing as well. You might find something within your price range and you are close enough to Waco to take advantage of the cultural opportunities there. We visit Waco fairly often and it seems to be improving overall, especially the downtown area. I think Fixer-Upper has had a lot to do with that; we drove by the silos on Tuesday and even at 1 PM on a weekday the place was busy. Baylor, the Brazos River, Cameron Park and a growing arts community make Waco an attractive place and it seems as if more and more Baylor grads are staying around to enjoy what the city offers.

I agree that Abilene and Angelo would be good choices.I have never done the river there in Angelo myself but it looks real nice when I drive by.

[War Beagle]

You are going to have trouble with a sub $100k house budget. You will probably be way out in the sticks in a not very nice house, or in not very good parts of town. If you are really handy, you could probably buy dilapidated houses in that range.

[KathrynAragon]

Check out the northeast quadrant of the state - Tyler/Longview areas.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

You are going to have trouble with a sub $100k house budget. You will probably be way out in the sticks in a not very nice house, or in not very good parts of town. If you are really handy, you could probably buy dilapidated houses in that range.

There's always a trailer, I suppose.