Best places to live between Houston and Austin (San Antonio, Galveston: train, activity)

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Robb44

Hi.. I am Lori's husband, the one with cancer.. First, thank you all for your replies.. The situation we have is that I travel to MDA about once a month from the west coast and its been brutal on the family. The company I work for has an office in Austin, but does not require me to go in too often because I do software and mostly from home. lately we have been discussing about what matters most to us, in terms of living somewhere.. and what is coming to the surface is that we think towns like Brenham, etc, may be too isolated for us. So we are looking more in places where there is more activities for kids, access to shopping, the ability to meet new friends and people, etc.. Austin to Houston once a month is not a bad drive, considering I would drive in one day, stay overnight, and drive back the next night.. Or take a cheap SW flight from Austin to Hobby and just be there in less than an hour.. So we are still considering the Austin area. The other area we seem to keep hearing about is the Woodlands/Conroe areas north of Houston. Ideally, wherever we live, we are looking to stay at maximum $250k and hopefully live in a place where we can be on at least a 1/2 acre lot.. ie a short drive to the Austin area, or a short drive into the Woodlands area.. We know finding a place for $250 in Austin would mean probably living in very small lots, which is what we really dont want. So any advice, we are open!

Great post with great info Robb. IMO:

- a once a month drive shouldn't dictate where you live be it 90 min., 120 min. or 180 min. from MD Anderson (a once a month drive on fine texas highways.

- A "once or twice a week commute" into Austin should be a consideration. I'd stay within an hour of Austin (non rush hour). If it's only once a week, you can buck up & get up at 5am & miss rush hour if needed.

- Brenham & La Grange are both nice towns. La Grange is kind of like Mayberry with a german/czech influence. VERY kid oriented & very small town texas (the good & the bad). Paradise for me, but probably culture shock to a left coaster. (fyi, I lived in SoCal for 10 years, have family & visit twice a year, so I know SoCal).

- urban Austin (near your 360 location....WHERE ON 360 btw??)...would cost you twice your 250 budget or more.

- Your kids are home schooled so it really opens up some options (since superlative schools aren't needed & because neighborhoods with superlative schools are typically much more expensive).

Areas in Greater Austin to look at:

- Cedar Park, Leander, Liberty Hill (larger lots), Pville, maybe Gtown, Dripping, Wimberly or Buda
- Also, areas in S. Austin that feed into Akins or Travis HSs (you might be able to find 250K or less, others might comment)

But....with your desire for lots of activities for kids, within an hour of Austin AND under 250K, I'd also include:

- San Marcos (neat college town, lots of stuff to do & 30 min. from south austin & 45 min. from you work non-rush hour), plus 250 is doable.

- My number one choice for "families" under 250K (with a once a week, hour commute to Loop 360) with tons of activities, & a very cool town would be New Braunfels. (lived there 8 years) Average to good schools, lots of parks, river toobing, 30 min. to SA, 45 min. to Austin. Much cheaper than Austin metro. Easy drive to Houston down I 10. Very cool downtown, lots of music/artists etc., GRUENE in the off season!!, & lots of shopping nearby. An easy 2.5-3 hour commute to Houston on I 10 for that once a month hospital visit.

If you had to commute to Austin every day, NO. If you demanded superlative schools, NO. (but those are not requirements). It's not on your list, but given your criteria, it should be at the top (especially if you have kiddos & want a great quality of life under 250K).

Search in CD Texas for "New Braunfels" & "Gruene".

Google New Braunfels, Comal River, Guadalupe River, Gruene, & KBNB radio for more info. Good luck.

[Robb44]

Hound 109.. thank you for your very thoughtful and detailed reply! I appreciate that. Actually you have given me some very good information. and it seems to confirm what we have been thinking, in terms of New Braunfels.. We know some people down in the katy area who have properties in both katy and NB.. They are friends of ours and would rent us one of their properties in either place.. So I am coming back to MDA the week of Feb 10-14.. where I will have a couple days on the front side of that trip to look at both areas.. But from what I am hearing about New Braunfels, I am liking this more, and more, and more.. So close to two great TX cities, and close to the I 10.. Since my trip to MDA is once a month, I dont consider a drive down the I-10 such a sacrifice.. as having to fly 2 time zones away like I currently do plus the exhaustion and expense of it all, and leaving my family for days.. I think this is probably going to be the place for us.. so thanks for all your info!

[hound 109]

I'm glad my opinions were helpful Robb. What neighborhood or what part of NB is the rental? Some parts of town are "cooler" than others. (i lived a couple of blocks from Landa Park & it was a great older, kinda funky neighborhood).

Good luck.

[walt151]

Schulenburg is halfway between Austin/houston.94 MI. W W if HOUSTON. A BEAUTIFUL GERMAN TOWN.

[Danbo1957]

You guys are forgetting the pertiest town aroun', Smithville: good enough for Sandra Bullock, good enough for a Left Coaster. But, if MDAnderson is vital, I'd choose Bellville, Brenham, or any small town nearby... good luck.

[HeadedWest]

College Station / Bryan -- small city convenience, lots of kid and adult stuff to do because of Texas A&M; good health care resources locally, less than 2 hours from both Austin and Houston.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by walt151

Schulenburg is halfway between Austin/houston.94 MI. W W if HOUSTON. A BEAUTIFUL GERMAN TOWN.

Actually Schulenburg (along with Weimar, Flatonia & other nearby towns) was settled by Czech immigrants. But you are right, it's a pretty town (but it's even smaller than La Grange & Brenham...OP is wanting bigger than these).

[Danbo1957]

Nope. "Entirely German."

Schulenburg, Texas

[Frodo2008]

Yeah Smithville might be a happy medium.

[slingshot]

Originally Posted by Danbo1957

Nope. "Entirely German."

Schulenburg, Texas

Nope, not entirely by any stretch of the imagination. Schulenburg is my ex's hometown.(27 year marriage). She is Czech and "Many of the early settlers to Schulenburg and the surrounding area were of German, Austrian and Czechoslovakian descent, and the area still shows evidence of their culture.[3] Local bakeries are noted for their kolaches. Other immigrants of Jewish descent also made Schulenburg their home and many of them became merchants." Schulenburg, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
I am from La Grange and there is a mix there too, but more German.
Anyway, I choose La Grange for the OP. Good luck.