Most beautiful scenery?: Tyler, Waco, or New Braunfels? (Nacogdoches, Cameron Park: neighborhood, live)

[KathrynAragon]

We actually live in Chandler, just 8 miles west of Tyler, and personally I love being this close to Tyler without being embroiled in the heavy traffic that hits a couple of times a day. I can jump on Loop 49 and go from my house to the great shopping in south Tyler in 15 minutes without battling traffic. I love it!

There are lots of beautiful areas that surround Tyler as sort of "bedroom communities" that offer lakes, rivers, trails, etc but that don't force you to deal with traffic issues or congestion. To me, that's the best of both worlds. I like the close proximity to Tyler's very good amenities.

Also, just an aside note about Chandler - another thing I like about it is that it's closer to Dallas (amenities again!) and personally, we enjoy going to Canton a few times a year, as well as exploring Edom and Ben Wheeler and that area, and we're under 30 minutes from those areas. And Chandler sits on the banks of Lake Palestine, which is also nice.

If you are into fishing, Chandler is actually home of the 2nd most prolific fishing spot in all of Texas. I couldn't believe that but it's the truth. I think that's pretty cool.
Neches River Access - Chandler River Park

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Wheretoraisemyson

Hi! If you had to choose between these three cities, which would you say is the most beautiful area? I like lush greenery and a lot of outdoors for exploring. Husband likes to fish and camp. I'm about to have a second baby, another boy, and I'd like to put down our roots somewhere in a Texas town such as these. I'm currently in Houston and do not like the size and traffic. Jobs is usually the first thing I see brought up on a forum, and we both feel comfortable being able to find something. It's more about the first big investment of finding a nice house and area and go from there. We are looking for peacefulness, safety, family life. Thanks for any input!

Tyler and Waco are really small cities, not towns. NB is a large town (& a suburb of SA) & is becoming a small city. All 3 cities have unique Pros (many mentioned in the posts above) & a few cons. All will continue to grow (with the good & bad that comes with that).

Where will your job be or what type of work do you or your husband do? (it would help us help you) & What will your budget be ??

Greater Tyler has more "lush" scenery than Waco or NB. NB is on the first hill of the Hill Country & is very pretty (but not lush). Waco is more surrounded by farmlands (with a few hills west of town).

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Regarding New Braunfels:

But Does New Braunfels feel touristy? Or more small town? I'll definitely be looking more into it.

I lived in NB for 9 years. There are parts of NB which are touristy during the 14 - 16 hot weekends of the year. It's crowded in Gruene, along I 35, in Landa Park, in areas near the Comal drop/Schlitterbahn & along River Road. Folks in NB avoid these areas on these 30 days a year and spend time in the OTHER 95% of NB. & NB is not a small town. It's a fast growing town & becoming a suburb of SA.

Boerne. It's a nice area just outside the San Antonio metro about the same distance as New Braunfels but on I-10 instead of I-35.

I agree that Boerne is a very nice town. But it also is becoming a suburb of SA and is very expensive for a small town (similar to Fburg).

...you have over 1 million people visiting Schlitterbahn, with a number of old articulated busses shuttling people back and forth down the city streets between each section of the water park. Not to mention the people visiting to float on the local rivers, so it starts to comes off as more of a "party" destination.

As mentioned above. Parts of town definitely get crowded & it's a party destination for the visitors, but not for the locals, unless they want to party. (But....Locals are able to enjoy nice vacation type amenities & infrastructure during the other 320 days of the year without the crowds or turistas. (probably similar to Fburg)

Yeah, it would pretty much suck living in the old central part of New Braunfels with all the drunk college students tubing there all summer. Your yard will become a collection point for tossed beer cans and drunk college students looking for a bush to pee in.

The central part of NB (at least west of the Comal River) is not too busy during crowded weekends. The issues with drunks & college students occurs UP the Guadalupe (on River Road) outside the city limits. Most students / drunks avoid inside the city because of the significant police presence and also because of the can & drunk ordinances (within the city limits).

[Canine*Castle]

Taking crime into consideration, New Braunfels is lower, followed by Tyler, and last Waco. I would also choose the prettiest scenery in that order as well although NB and Tyler are neck in neck. Waco ... not pretty. I live near Waco and wouldn't live there. It also is the most populated of the three cities. If I had to choose to live in one of those three cities, I believe I'd choose Tyler just because the 'outskirts' are less populated than NB since it's so close to San Antonio.

New Braunfels ranks #89 in Texas for livability, followed by Tyler at #166, and Waco, #464.

[CptnRn]

I have not spent any time around Tyler, so can't speak to that. I did spend a fair amount of time around Waco while administering a construction job there. I remember there were some remarkably pretty, tree lined, stretches of the Brazos River on the East side of town, with wide, calm stretches of water that would be great for canoeing, kayaking or small sail boats.

Beyond that I think the New Braunfels area offers much more with great access to the Texas Hill Country, there are few other places that I have seen in Texas that are as pretty as the River Road Drive between Canyon Lake and New Braunfels. Granted that area gets pretty busy during the peak season. New Braunfels puts you within reach of numerous state parks in the Hill Country for camping and hiking, such as Pedernales Falls, Enchanted Rock, Lost Maples.


Photos around Tyler //www.city-data.com/album/album-Tyler-Texas.html

Photos around Waco //www.city-data.com/album/album-Waco-Texas.html

Photos around New Braunfels //www.city-data.com/album/album...els-Texas.html

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

Taking crime into consideration, New Braunfels is lower, followed by Tyler, and last Waco. I would also choose the prettiest scenery in that order as well although NB and Tyler are neck in neck. Waco ... not pretty. I live near Waco and wouldn't live there. It also is the most populated of the three cities. If I had to choose to live in one of those three cities, I believe I'd choose Tyler just because the 'outskirts' are less populated than NB since it's so close to San Antonio.

New Braunfels ranks #89 in Texas for livability, followed by Tyler at #166, and Waco, #464.

Well yes, but the majority don't actually live in Waco proper.

The Waco suburbs all rank pretty well. For example, Woodway (which borders Waco to the southwest) is ranked #58 in Texas and given high ratings: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[blkgiraffe]

Anyone saying Waco is not pretty clearly has never truly experienced the city.

We have one of the best urban parks in the state the Lake Waco area is breath taking and the rolling prairies with the small lakes is gorgeous. The Baylor University and MCC campus are some of the best in the state.

The tree lined streets around downtown in the nearby neighborhoods like Castle Heights are nice.

I would hardly call Waco an ugly or plain city.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by blkgiraffe

Anyone saying Waco is not pretty clearly has never truly experienced the city.

We have one of the best urban parks in the state the Lake Waco area is breath taking and the rolling prairies with the small lakes is gorgeous. The Baylor University and MCC campus are some of the best in the state.

The tree lined streets around downtown in the nearby neighborhoods like Castle Heights are nice.

I would hardly call Waco an ugly or plain city.

Exactly. The problem is that most Texans only see Waco from I-35 and most of the stretch of I-35 through Waco is pretty ugly. Very few actually get off the freeway to see what else is out there.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by blkgiraffe

Anyone saying Waco is not pretty clearly has never truly experienced the city.

We have one of the best urban parks in the state the Lake Waco area is breath taking and the rolling prairies with the small lakes is gorgeous. The Baylor University and MCC campus are some of the best in the state.

The tree lined streets around downtown in the nearby neighborhoods like Castle Heights are nice.

I would hardly call Waco an ugly or plain city.

I agree there are parts of Waco that are pretty but as far as that area goes compared to the Tyler and New Braunfels area, the latter two win hands down. I wasn't taking into consideration tree-lined streets and parks that are well kept, but the general area only for scenery. I've lived near Waco for 38 years and just don't find it pretty except for a few of the things mentioned. But, we all have our own opinions of what scenery is to die for and what is rather mediocre.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Well yes, but the majority don't actually live in Waco proper.

The Waco suburbs all rank pretty well. For example, Woodway (which borders Waco to the southwest) is ranked #58 in Texas and given high ratings Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Yes, Woodway is nicer than Waco, but I still don't find the area, in general, pretty. Tree-lined streets, the river running beside McLane Stadium, the Baylor campus, Cameron Park, Suspension Bridge, and the like are nice, but overall, I don't care for the scenery. It's just my opinion and nothing else.

[Mark Senior]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

New Braunfels probably as it is adjacent to the hill country and Canyon Lake area which is nice. It has the nicest nearby state parks and hiking areas of the three cities you mentioned. But the town itself is not much more than a wide spot on I-35 anymore it seems. New Braunfels is also closer to the gulf coast for weekend beach trips. The downside with New Braunfels is that it is midway between Austin and San Antonio and so your logical weekend recreation spots and state parks will be swarmed from the 4 million people in San Antonio and Austin who are also looking for weekend recreation. So it is nearly impossible to get into one of the close state parks unless you get reservations in way in advance as the Austin crowd is all over the place.

Waco and Tyler are both farther from other cities so the nearby outdoor areas are going to be less crowded. Waco had Cameron Park which is perhaps the best and most scenic urban park in Texas with lots of trails for hiking and mountain biking. But there isn't really that much outside Waco within easy driving distance. Colorado Bend is the nicest state park that is reasonably close to Waco but it is over an hour away. There are two other smaller state parks close to Waco in Mother Neff and Meridian State Parks but they are both pretty small. Waco does have the lake which has some nice Corps of Engineers campgrounds and a lot of recreational opportunities if you like getting on to the water. There are at least half a dozen boat good ramps around the lake so access is easy. And Lake Whitney is not far away. It is much larger.

I haven't spent much time in Tyler or the countryside around it so I can't really comment but there are a lot of big lakes out in that part of the state and Caddo Lake further east is pretty neat. Tyler will be the most green of the 3 cities.

In any event, none of these 3 cities are remotely good for real outdoor recreation. Texas has very little public lands and it is brutally hot all summer for hiking and outdoor stuff. So they can't compare to places like Colorado or even Arkansas.

I haven't spent much time in Tyler or the countryside around it so I can't really comment but there are a lot of big lakes out in that part of the state and Caddo Lake further east is pretty neat. Tyler will be the most green of the 3 cities.


Not being familiar with or spending much time in, kinda tilts the "ratings" here, that's why it's a little miss leading to "vote" on these things, when we haven't seen, all that are mentioned, I know it's done all the time, lol. just my 2 1/2 cents worth, yep, not worth that much, but just sayin'