Looking for Small Town Blue State Area of Texas (Houston: hotels, to buy)

[WaldenGuys]

We've been all over Texas via Internet searching for a place to buy our next house. We are a Blue State, moderate to liberal, male couple looking for a place to retire. Ideally, we would like to find a Eureka Springs or Wimberley type town somewhere in the piney woods of East Texas. Any suggestions? Thanks so much.

[destin04]

I'll have to think about that one...the first thing that comes to mind is maybe....Jefferson? I don't know about blue or red...but Jefferson is a little more liberal....lot's of hippies hidden in the woods...lol! I'll keep thinking about it....

[TexasHorseLady]

Well, how about Round Top? Not quite Piney Woods, but further east than Wimberley or Dripping Springs. Or in the area of Plantersville (home of the Texas Renaissance Festival (http://www.texrenfest.com/home.html - broken link)). Not sure how the folks vote in that neck of the woods, but with all the artists and artisans, you might like the area.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Or in the area of Plantersville (home of the Texas Renaissance Festival (http://www.texrenfest.com/home.html - broken link)). Not sure how the folks vote in that neck of the woods, but with all the artists and artisans, you might like the area.

Pretty sure the eccentric, artsy, ''bare ass under chain mail'' types you see at that annual festival come out of Houston and Austin...

[TexasHorseLady]

A lot of them do, but not all. And Houston is just down the road.

[tstone]

I don't believe there are any "blue," small town areas in this state, except for along the Mexico border ('gimme a free handout') or in Beaumont (pro-labor unions).

I'd also be a little bit concerned about the well-being of a 2-man couple in Deep East Texas, or almost anywhere near the TX-LA border. That region probably gets a worse rep than is deserved, but is still there for a reason. Research carefully as there are a few characters that come out of there. The hill country is probably ok. A lot of that is very elderly, votes very red, but is also pretty "live & let live."

[EasilyAmused]

I have a place in NE Texas, in the Piney Woods. You wouldn't like it there...no one would ever talk to you.

However, if you opened a REALLY good cafe in the our Wimberley style, but dying and mostly vacant, town square....you might gain some fans. The food in those small towns are HORRIBLE to say the least.

[tstone]

^^ NE TX can be on the exceedingly funky side regarding hygeine. IME a lot of restaurants, gas stations, hotels & other venues in that region have ''Hepatitis-A'' written all over them, much like Arkansas or California's Central Valley.

I guess that's not an issue if you live there and don't go out much.

The rest of Texas doesn't seem to have this problem, though.

[jimboburnsy]

http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg

Your best bet would be to look for small towns under the blue squares at least two counties from the Mexican border.

[bamba_boy]

Small town, blue, and Texas are three words that do not go together. The border is democratic but it still very traditional Catholic (no birth control let alone gay couples!) Hispanic, not liberal. You'd really stand out and attract the adverse attention of the locals. The blue dots that aren't right on the border are San Antonio (same problems), Dallas, Houston urban areas (don't pick the Tom Delaysian suburbs!), and Beaumont/Port Arthur (blue coller union petrochemical workers). However, those are all big city urban areas. You'd actually be quite happy I think in Austin or Montrose (inner loop Houston) even though they are relatively big cities because even in Houston it's more a "collection of small towns" than a big LA/NY-type of feel. Another idea would be the small towns right around Austin like Georgetown, Round Rock, Elgin, etc. There would be the original townsfolk who are mostly red but a lot of transplanted Calif and yankee hi-tech workers, University of TX profs, etc would probably make it quite tolerable, maybe even fun. Could go into Austin for night life and culture, etc. Montrose (which is probably the "alternative lifestyle capital of TX") in Houston would give you all that without the long drive in.