Jim,
Let me know how your search progresses. I have been trying to persuade the lovely Randi that we need to get the hell out of the CRC (Communist Republic of California) for some time now but the weather is just so damn nice here.
My search and persuasion continues.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Jim,
Let me know how your search progresses. I have been trying to persuade the lovely Randi that we need to get the hell out of the CRC (Communist Republic of California) for some time now but the weather is just so damn nice here.
My search and persuasion continues.

The weather isn't that nice IMHO. To be honest, I wouldn't move there if I was offered the same job I have today for 1/2 million dollars. There is more to life then a few extra dollars (or a lot more money, it's all about quality of life after the essentials are taken care of).

Hey Russ,
I know exactly what you’re going through with Randi, you just have to keep at it. Randi may need a good look at the greater DFW metroplex and outlying areas. Perhaps time on the ground along with good visiting and eats with some Texas friends would go a long way towards changing Randi’s mind.

We already have friends and family lining up to come visit us, as well as some that want to use us as a pit stop on their trip, once we settle in – so once we do you and Randi are more than welcome to come visit and stay awhile. If nothing else you and Randi can fly back for the DSC Convention in 2014, we’ll pick you up at the airport and you can stay we use during the convention. Plan on staying for a few days (at least) before and after the convention and we can give you a physical tour of some of the areas that you might be interested in.

Anyway something to think about.

Ron,
You're more than welcome to come visit and stay awhile too.

Jim,
Packing a go-bag now.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Jim,
Packing a go-bag now.

Just dust it off periodically cause we’re still a few months away from a move…

quote:

We already have friends and family lining up to come visit us, as well as some that want to use us as a pit stop on their trip, once we settle in

I noticed that too when I moved here. Some of the more left leaning family members never miss a chance to bash Texas, but soon as I moved here they all came to visit and look for cowboys. Also have several friends who were flying across country and set their layovers up to be at DFW for a few hours so I can pick them up and visit with them for a few. The Eatzi's off William D Tate in Grapevine makes a great place to grab a quick bite close to the airport.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Jim,
Let me know how your search progresses. I have been trying to persuade the lovely Randi that we need to get the hell out of the CRC (Communist Republic of California) for some time now but the weather is just so damn nice here.
My search and persuasion continues.

Show her the home in Dallas she can buy for the same price as your current home in CA. You might be amazed at the enthusiasm you generate.

I've had about 6 co-worker move to the Dallas area from NYC over the last 6 years. Still working for the same company. A few of them sold and went BIG. A few took the opportunity to downsize.

Real estate tax was a bigger hit for those that were in NYC but no local income tax made up for it. The ones that lived on Long Island were very happy.

quote:

Show her the home in Dallas she can buy for the same price as your current home in CA. You might be amazed at the enthusiasm you generate.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:

quote:

We already have friends and family lining up to come visit us, as well as some that want to use us as a pit stop on their trip, once we settle in

I noticed that too when I moved here. Some of the more left leaning family members never miss a chance to bash Texas, but soon as I moved here they all came to visit and look for cowboys. Also have several friends who were flying across country and set their layovers up to be at DFW for a few hours so I can pick them up and visit with them for a few. The Eatzi's off William D Tate in Grapevine makes a great place to grab a quick bite close to the airport.

Fortunately our family members and close friends are not progressive-liberals so no Texas bashing from them; plenty of commiefornia bashing though… Yes flight layovers are a possibility so thanks for the information about Eatzi’s, it’ll definitely be a time saver.

Jim,
Thanks for the offer. I've missed DSC the last few years but it might be time to catch up with the AR gang.
So Sid, where in AZ do you live?

quote:

Originally posted by richj:
...
Real estate tax was a bigger hit for those that were in NYC but no local income tax made up for it. The ones that lived on Long Island were very happy.

The property taxes are fairly high, but it's easier to choose your home than to choose your income to avoid tax liability. My wife and I did the math before moving. In California we both paid 9.5% state income tax, plus property tax of about 1.2%. Here the property tax is nearly 3%, but there is no state income tax. At our income level and with our house, the local property tax works out to be the equivalent of one person's state income tax in California. Thus, we end up about one person's California state income tax ahead on the deal. My informal estimate is that our standard of living went up by about 30% by moving; originally, I took a 5% pay cut to move, but I later discovered that salaries are as high here as they were on SoCal, if not NorCal, and my current income is higher than it was in SoCal before the move.

Culturally, Dallas is the mid west, Houston is the South, San Antonio is the south west, and Austin is San Francisco. Take your pick.

You have been given some good info on Texas.

Where a person lives can be influenced by his job requirements.

Todds info on Dallas vs FT. Worth sounds funny, but is actually pretty much acccurate. And I was born and raised, and worked in the Dallas area.

When I retired I moved to East Texas, as that is where my wifes family is from and she has several sisters here as well. East Texas is generally defined as the area east of Terrell, south of I 30, North of Nachadoches, and west of Louisana. Call Tyler about the center of it, give or take a few miles.

I love living here, as there are lots of trees and the people are very friendly.

If you are looking at the Dallas area, then I would consider buying a home in Richardson, Plano, Allen, or Frisco. Stay North or East of Downtown Dallas.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
So Sid, where in AZ do you live?

~30 miles north of the drug war.

A_P,
Good info – Thanks…

N E 452 No2,
Yes I’ve been given very good recommendations with more still coming in; definitely takes time to process all of it. And thank you for the information regarding East Texas – that is definitely something I did not know.

Sid,
Sucks about the drug war – could be completely eliminated by the feds but then the progress-libs would lose to much/many of their drugs…

We moved just outside of Boerne (from Calgary) a few years ago and really like it. We are Californians that left in 1996 for West Texas, the start of many moves. This home and our place in Idaho are our final home purchases. They are where we will retire to. You might check the area out, Boerne, Comfort, etc. Out of the city but with San Antonio close enough to hop over to if desired.

I was born & raised in Texas and if I didn't have some commitments here in Georgia that I can't ignore, I'd be back there in a New York minute (irony intended).

I grew up in Dallas but wouldn't relocate there myself; I'd want to be in a less-populated area, at least to some extent.

I have friends from college in Lampasas--it's a nice small town but only about an hour drive to Austin. One of my classmates in Lampasas refers to Austin as "Austingrad." It's pretty liberal, of course. However, if you can get past the liberalism, Austin has great music and cultural attractions. You'll want to avoid that little insignificant college we (and the guys from Texas on this forum know who "we" are) refer to as "t.u."

Your work requirements will drive the train on location. I spent a couple of years in Lubbock and didn't much care for West Texas but many folks love the plains.

East Texas is beautiful and Tyler & Longview are not too large but seem to have most of the amenities people want.

If I were to relocate, there would only be one choice: Bryan/College Station. Man, has that place blossomed over the years!

Wherever you end up, just be assured: a bad day in Texas is ten thousand times better than a good day in New York, California or Chicago!

Best of luck!

Capo--

We need to shoot big bores once before you leave the state.

Austin is, quite possibly, the least pleasant city I have spent time in. (And, that's not just being an Aggie - if I had to, I could live in NYC - I would never tolerate Austin, despite the better gun and tax laws.)

Now, w. that said... The TX Hill Country is lovely - I grew up there - its hard to encourage yet another Californian to move in - but I'm sure you're a decent fellow.

If you don't want/can't afford a ranch, then I'd look at either San Antonio or Houston.

SA is a pleasant town to live in, Houston is fine, inside the loop, has excellent medical facilities, and a booming attitude and environment.

Dallas is just yuppies who moved to TX - Ft. Worth is another cool town.

quote:

Originally posted by analog_peninsula:


Culturally, Dallas is the mid west, Houston is the South, San Antonio is the south west, and Austin is San Francisco. Take your pick.

All true, but add in Ft. Worth as it is completely different from Dallas. Ft. Worth, and the surrounding areas such as Weatherford, Stephenville, and Granbury, culturally is simply The West!

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

All true, but add in Ft. Worth as it is completely different from Dallas. Ft. Worth, and the surrounding areas such as Weatherford, Stephenville, and Granbury, culturally is simply The West!

+1

I lived there off and on for ~13 years. Worlds of difference between these places and the Dallas and related suburbs.

Lakeway TX. You can still enjoy the benefits of Austin nearby without dealing with the libtards.

Williamson County is North of Travis County (home to Austin) and is one of the most conservative counties in the state. Check out Georgetown, the county seat, on the San Gabriel river. This was my second choice before moving to Lakeway.

It depends on your and, especially, your wife's requirements. It sounds to me like she's more or less urban oriented. If so, then MOST of the wonderful small cities scattered around Texas would be out unless they are close to one of the majors. As mentioned, Frisco is very nice, but it is basically Dallas and has horrible traffic problems if you want to travel around town.

I can throw out a couple of ideas. IMO the Kerrville area, and that is a wide swatch, is worth looking into, but is not cheap. Uvalde as well and a bit cheaper.

Personally I live in extreme NE Texas and like it, but wouldn't say it is heaven on earth. However in much of E Texas you can buy a house with a fair bit of acreage for what a house in one of the majors would cost you. E. Tx is, again in general terms, quite a bit cheaper than Central Texas near any of the cities and the Hill Country. To many it is worth the difference. As a rancher it is out of the question on an economic basis.

Again, it depends on what flips your flipper, but the rolling hills covered with pine trees in Central E Tx, from S of Lufkin up to above I-20 is a nice area. Nacogdoches has a fine Univ in Stephen F. Austin, for one. As already mentioned, Longview and Tyler are larger with much to offer and a few minutes takes you waaaay out of urbania. My family goes back to the Republic in Shelby and San Augustine counties. Generally speaking, Shelby County is friendly towards newcomers and San Augustine ain't. A place on Toledo Bend might be something to consider, relatively cheap and all the freshwater fishing you could want, while not being incredibly far from the Gulf. If you're interested in my area, N of I30 and near Ok, I'll be glad to discuss it in more detail with you if your narrow your search down.

Just keep in mind, if hunting of just about anything is important to you, generally speaking, you're going to have to own hunting land, or lease hunting land. If neither one of those appeals to you, and you still want to hunt, then you will have to narrow your potential locations to those near National Forests, WMAs, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
It depends on your and, especially, your wife's requirements. It sounds to me like she's more or less urban oriented. If so, then MOST of the wonderful small cities scattered around Texas would be out unless they are close to one of the majors. As mentioned, Frisco is very nice, but it is basically Dallas and has horrible traffic problems if you want to travel around town.

I can throw out a couple of ideas. IMO the Kerrville area, and that is a wide swatch, is worth looking into, but is not cheap. Uvalde as well and a bit cheaper.

Personally I live in extreme NE Texas and like it, but wouldn't say it is heaven on earth. However in much of E Texas you can buy a house with a fair bit of acreage for what a house in one of the majors would cost you. E. Tx is, again in general terms, quite a bit cheaper than Central Texas near any of the cities and the Hill Country. To many it is worth the difference. As a rancher it is out of the question on an economic basis.

Again, it depends on what flips your flipper, but the rolling hills covered with pine trees in Central E Tx, from S of Lufkin up to above I-20 is a nice area. Nacogdoches has a fine Univ in Stephen F. Austin, for one. As already mentioned, Longview and Tyler are larger with much to offer and a few minutes takes you waaaay out of urbania. My family goes back to the Republic in Shelby and San Augustine counties. Generally speaking, Shelby County is friendly towards newcomers and San Augustine ain't. A place on Toledo Bend might be something to consider, relatively cheap and all the freshwater fishing you could want, while not being incredibly far from the Gulf. If you're interested in my area, N of I30 and near Ok, I'll be glad to discuss it in more detail with you if your narrow your search down.

Just keep in mind, if hunting of just about anything is important to you, generally speaking, you're going to have to own hunting land, or lease hunting land. If neither one of those appeals to you, and you still want to hunt, then you will have to narrow your potential locations to those near National Forests, WMAs, etc.

Gatogordo,

You say your family goes way back in Shelby County? Mine does as well. I grew up in Center, got my degree in Computer Science from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, 1985. Sounds like we have walked some of the same dirt. Mind sharing your name and family names with me in a PM perhaps. Depending on how old you are, I'm wondering if we know each other. Center (Shelby County) used to be quite small and everyone knew everyone (as well as what they were always doing)!!

(Upon further reflection, I have removed the family name for security purposes. Those who wanted the information have it.)

Texas family name (mother's side) is xxxx. Female grandparent was a Consford. xxxx's settled on land in late 1830s or 1840. Homestead ranch was right on Shelby/San Augustine County line, mostly in San Augustine C. I was forced by my mother to go to the 1st Baptist Church in Center when I was younger, mostly when Dr. Chadwick was the preacher. I would MUCH rather have been hunting, fishing, helping my Dad, or running the woods, probably why it didn't take. I was basically the same age as Dr. Chadwick's son, David, and got reacquainted with him later in life when I did some banking at Farmer's State Bank. I doubt we know each other, I grew up in Shreveport, La and almost all of the time, ex-church, that I was in Texas was on or around the ranch. Dr. Haley of San Augustine sewed me up a few times, if that name means anything to you. I bought my first pistol (a .45 Webley, all I could afford) when I was about 5 or 6 at Payne and Payne's (what a great store, I really hated to see it close) on Center Sq. It's been way too long, but it might have cost $15.

If you got your degree in CS at SFA, you're possibly the son of some of the people I went to church with (when I was hanging around Center, not 1 in a 100 people probably knew what a computer was), among the few names I can remember right now off top of my head is one of the Dance (Connie maybe?) girls.

My mother, who taught mostly first grade for nearly 50 years graduated from SFA in 1933 (I think). Sort of a funny story related to that. Times were tough, depression was on, family was barely hanging on to land due to losses on cattle when market evaporated in 20s. My mother was the middle of 3 sisters, oldest married to get away from ranch work, my mother wanted to go to college. Family scrapped together enough to get her thru first year or year and a half and, at that time, she could teach school with, I think, two years completed. They were dead broke and she went to her Daddy and told him that if he would sell enough land to get her thru the next semester, she could teach from then on and go to school with her teacher's earnings. He sold 15 acres for her to a neighbor, she went to school, got a job, graduated and used her earnings to help her younger sister go to SFA, who also taught school for about 50 years. The 15 acres was deducted from her part when her parents died. My mother and her younger sister, if they were living, would have 2 male grandchildren, same age, in UT Austin as I write this.

My grandfather (in our family we called grandparents Big Daddy and Big Momma, fairly common custom in E Tx at that time), Robert xxxx, was a small man, 100% cowboy, with a big heart. Almost always rode a white horse. AFAIK he never backed off from a fight. One time, a guy who was running a grist mill/general store on a creek on my Granddad's place to serve the sawmill workers, said something to the effect that he was going to kill him or whip my Granddad's ass over some dispute they were having. Of course, some gossip couldn't wait to ride up to their house, which was about a mile away, and tell my Granddad. They said he didn't even take time to saddle his horse, hit the ground running and rode horse up into store barebacked. Jumped down, grabbed a hame (which is a long fairly heavy piece of metal that is used to hitch horses to a plow) off the wall as he ran to the guy, who happened to be on a ladder. That was his first mistake. After my Granddad beat him thoroughly unconscious with blood coming out of several holes in his head, with the hame, he drug him outside and told the crowd, "Better check him, I think I killed the son of a bitch." threw the hame down next to him, and got back on his horse and rode home. The man recovered but left the country shortly thereafter possibly because he wasn't looking forward to round 2. Times were different back then. If Big Daddy had killed him, nothing would have happened. He threatened him and that was enough.

quote:

You'll want to avoid that little insignificant college we (and the guys from Texas on this forum know who "we" are) refer to as "t.u."

Aggies just can't help it........

There was a group of Aggie science students that wanted to send a probe to the sun, but some UT students said that was impossible and that the probe would burn up long before reaching the sun.

The Aggies replied that they planned to send the probe at night........... and the beat goes on.

Gatogordo,

Very interesting. I grew up, and my parents still live, just north of the Shelby / San Augustine county line. I too attended the First Baptist Church when Dr. Chadwick was there. Don't know how many hours I spent in Payne and Payne's Hardware store! I know Sammy Dance very well. Flew with him to Ohio after I got out of the Navy to pick up an airplane he had just bought and taught him aerobatics. I know the McCauley name but it's been a long time since I actually lived there. Left in the fall of 1980 to go to SFA and haven't lived there since. I dated a girl with the last name of McCauley for a short time. She had a brother IIRC but for the life of me, I can't remember her first name. I've done quite a bit of banking at The Farmer's State Bank as well. Neilson Davis was the loan officer. The Motley's owned the bank.

I hated to see Payne and Payne's hardware store close as well. But even worse was that Vance Payne was murdered a few years back by a guy that broke into their house during the day, killed him, then kidnapped his wife, took her to the bank, and forced her to withdraw their life savings. Billy Sue survived the event and they did catch the killer. Very sad.

Yep, it's a big state but a very small world for sure. You grew up in Shreveport, I was born in Shreveport. The story about your Granddad sounds about right! There were / are some tough old boys living in the piney woods of Deep East Texas!!

I'm really sorry to hear that about Vince Payne. What a sad story.

There are quite a few xxxx's scattered around that area and Texas, for that matter, and we're all related somehow, but it is mostly distant cousins. I don't personally know of a family that would fit your date's profile but my memory for names has always been terrible and getting worse as I age.

We're about a half generation apart.

Our family land is located W of 96 several miles, about 1/2 way between Center and San Augustine.

I was taught to shoot pistols, to some extent, by a very old, at that time, ex-deputy Sheriff. He showed me the first slip hammered Colt .45 that I ever saw. Told me it belonged to a Texas Ranger friend of his, that was in the Galveston Riots. He said he was behind a picket fence in front of some politicos house and that everytime he stood up and dropped the hammer, there was one less rioter. I could have bought it, they were kind of down on their luck, but that was out of my price range at the time. I think it was $75. I was only about 8 or 9.

While we were shooting, he took me aside, and in complete seriousness told me, "Son, if you ever have to shoot someone, be sure and kill him, dead men can't testify."

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Cappo,

You might PM Wendell Riech as I think he lives in Frisco. My Brother in law and sister in law live there as well. It seems to be a popular place. Too crowded for my taste however as I'm more of a country boy!! But, if you are coming from the city out in CA, you'll feel like you have all the elbow room in the world there.

I live just west of Fort Worth, outside a town called Weatherford. Granbury is also close by. Weatherford is ranch country. Granbury is a quaint little place with much history and old time shops on the town square. I live between the two and have access to the city of Ft. Worth when I need it. Dallas is another 20 miles or so east.

Firstly, if you are moving here to TX, Welcome! Secondly, take a look out west before you decide, unless you have work in that area that make it more logical to be close to. You'll find the DFW metroplex to be a tale of two cities. Dallas is trendy and metropolitan while Ft. Worth is cattle and ranch country. Out in Weatherford, it isn't unusual to be dining in a nice restaurant and have guys wearing spurs. No, I'm not kidding. Just depends on how laid back you are. Mercedes - Dallas side. Truck - Ft. Worth side.

We have a saying here in the Metroplex, when drinking a martini in Dallas, you must extend your pinky, in Ft. Worth, it's optional!

Welcome to Texas!!

Weatherford, Tx. the cutting horse capitol pf the world. An excellent location IMHO

quote:

Originally posted by jwp475:

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Cappo,

You might PM Wendell Riech as I think he lives in Frisco. My Brother in law and sister in law live there as well. It seems to be a popular place. Too crowded for my taste however as I'm more of a country boy!! But, if you are coming from the city out in CA, you'll feel like you have all the elbow room in the world there.

I live just west of Fort Worth, outside a town called Weatherford. Granbury is also close by. Weatherford is ranch country. Granbury is a quaint little place with much history and old time shops on the town square. I live between the two and have access to the city of Ft. Worth when I need it. Dallas is another 20 miles or so east.

Firstly, if you are moving here to TX, Welcome! Secondly, take a look out west before you decide, unless you have work in that area that make it more logical to be close to. You'll find the DFW metroplex to be a tale of two cities. Dallas is trendy and metropolitan while Ft. Worth is cattle and ranch country. Out in Weatherford, it isn't unusual to be dining in a nice restaurant and have guys wearing spurs. No, I'm not kidding. Just depends on how laid back you are. Mercedes - Dallas side. Truck - Ft. Worth side.

We have a saying here in the Metroplex, when drinking a martini in Dallas, you must extend your pinky, in Ft. Worth, it's optional!

Welcome to Texas!!

Weatherford, Tx. the cutting horse capitol pf the world. An excellent location IMHO

Yes sir! The local MacDonalds has on its front lawn, a bronze statue of Ronald MacDonald mounted atop a cutting horse working a calf!

Gato,

Sounds like your family land and mine are very close. Ours is on the W side of 96 as well, 6 miles south of Center. You and my sister are near the same age I do believe. Her name is Monte. Every one knows my Dad as Buck.

I spent 5 years in Nacogdoches trying to graduate (finally did in 1970). Burned alot of time in and around the towns in deep east TX myself. No offense to anyone, and like everywhere else in TX I'm sure it has changed alot since then, but I much prefer the Hill Country or South TX.

quote:

Originally posted by fla3006:
I spent 5 years in Nacogdoches trying to graduate (finally did in 1970). Burned alot of time in and around the towns in deep east TX myself. No offense to anyone, and like everywhere else in TX I'm sure it has changed alot since then, but I much prefer the Hill Country or South TX.

No offense taken. I really admire the Hill Country myself and am looking for a ranch near Austin as I write this (having 2 kids in UT is a factor). Personally what I call South Texas (not counting right on the coast) is nice for hunting big deer but is just not very visually interesting as far as I'm concerned. However I hasten to add that any area of Texas will have smaller tracts that would be interesting to me......so many choices, so little money.

OTOH, unless you have the minerals and get lucky and are on top of some hydrocarbons, your only real chance of making a profit on Texas Hill Country is the greater fool theory. But, I'll be the first to admit, there are plenty of them around and population pressure may well continue to increase prices. Personally I rarely buy anything without debating what my or my heir's profit/return potential is downstream. I don't have to have price appreciation to pay back the costs of purchasing carefully chosen land in E Texas. This is only one factor and many people don't consider or worry about it, and that is their choice. They probably make or have more money than I do.

It is quite possible to pay for E Tx Piney Woods property with, no surprise, pine trees and timber in a generation or so. As an example, my father really stretched his finances back in the 50s and bought several hundred acres in Shelby County for, I believe, $65/acre. It currently has well over $2000/acre of standing timber on it, even at today's relatively low timber prices, which have been in a holding pattern for about 10 years. IMO that is another BIG plus on the list of reasons to consider E Tx land because I feel that timber prices will rise significantly in the future.

In addition there are many people who admire the green rolling hills of E Texas. They like trees, along with common surface water, not the scrub brush (and especially the cursed cedar) they call trees in many areas of the Hill Country or S. Texas. (live oaks around Kerrville area being a nice exception)

Bottom line, Texas land options are diverse enough for almost everyone, individuals should choose what area they like.

Probably the best Texas land values today are in East Texas. South Central Texas was cheap when I bought my farm, especially compared to the Hill Country. No more, not since the Eagle Ford. One can now buy Hill Country land for about the same or less as South Central TX with no minerals. I don't know how much more Hill Country land will appreciate but I do know people are still arriving here (Fredericksburg) in droves, retiring baby boomers from big cities, Californians, Canadians, others fleeing cold weather and high taxes. Compared to other upscale retirement areas (Santa Fe, Sedona, parts of CO, CA, etc.), it is still comparatively cheap. Short-term demographic trends are very favorable, not so sure longer-term. I'm afraid my daughter's generation's prospects are not as good.

As an aside, I strongly considered buying a ranchette with house in the Santa Fe/Taos area which I really like, but a little research into NM state income taxes shelved that plan. IMO prices can be cheaper there than around Fredericksburg, which I also like BTW. Probably biggest financial mistake I've made was not buying a 1000 acres tract near Enchanted Rock when I was shopping for new land about 20 years ago. It was about a million bucks and I didn't have that amount in cash available. I don't like owing money so really try to not borrow unless for short term cash flow issues. I bought a bigger tract for less than 1/3 of the money up here in NE Texas.

Back to Santa Fe, I own and have owned multiple houses, I'm sure as hell not adding one more to the list unless I'm going to live in it full time or nearly so. Basically I don't do a very good job of maintaining the one we live in and I am letting the others just plain deteriorate. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of leveling one I just bought a year or so back to clear up the access on a place I own near Mt. Pleasant. The property taxes on that small tract are more than all the rest of the place. Decent house, too.

We have made a number of friends here who fled Santa Fe, two of whom are still trying to sell their homes. They say you can get a real bargain now but the market is still very bloated and may not get better anytime soon.

The Enchanted Rock area has gotten pretty expensive ($7000/ac, more for smaller tracts, way more if live water). My parents lived here from 1985-1997, I could have bought 10 acres within the city limits for $77000, 115 ac on Coal Creek on scenic Willow City Loop for $815/ac. I didn't, big mistakes.

But the land I eventually bought in Gonzales & Dewitt counties has been an even better investment. Most South TX/Eagle Ford ranchers/landowners I talk to are plowing their windfalls back into more land. If you haven't driven through South Central TX in awhile, you should see it now. Remember what Kilgore, TX once looked like?

quote:

Originally posted by fla3006:
We have made a number of friends here who fled Santa Fe, two of whom are still trying to sell their homes. They say you can get a real bargain now but the market is still very bloated and may not get better anytime soon.

The Enchanted Rock area has gotten pretty expensive ($7000/ac, more for smaller tracts, way more if live water). My parents lived here from 1985-1997, I could have bought 10 acres within the city limits for $77000, 115 ac on Coal Creek on scenic Willow City Loop for $815/ac. I didn't, big mistakes.

But the land I eventually bought in Gonzales & Dewitt counties has been an even better investment. Most South TX/Eagle Ford ranchers/landowners I talk to are plowing their windfalls back into more land. If you haven't driven through South Central TX in awhile, you should see it now. Remember what Kilgore, TX once looked like?

I work in the Oil and Gas business. Currently and for the last 2.5 years in the Eagle Ford. Yep, wells being drilled everywhere. I counted 27 in sight from I-37 over a 10 mile stretch during a nighttime drive a couple of weeks ago. It's a booming!!

Thank you for the Texas historical discussion gentlemen - it is very valuable information.

I'm a little late to this thread but want to mention something others haven't. If you are going to be travelling to Conway, AR much, think about north or northeast of Dallas. Driving from, say, Granbury to Conway will be almost 2 hours longer than, say, Frisco to Conway. And that's at a minimum. Try going through Dallas and Fort Worth at rush hour, your trip will be 3+ hours longer or more.

LWD

LWD,

Having lived with the SoCal freeway system for many years (there are times it'll take 3+ hours to only go 15-20 miles with every alternate roadway completely clogged as well) which was one of the reasons we were looking at the Frisco area to begin with. But only having to deal with that possibility in only exigent circumstances (Mom being hospitalized or some such situation) opened up some really nice alternate areas. And if not an exigent circumstance - I'll very likely start my trip around 3am anyway which would put me well East of Dallas before time for a coffee/breakfast stop.

Lol... Plus I've already done the DFW West to East during rush hour traffic once. Once was definitely enough.

But as was recommended early on, I've been searching through the 75 mile radius of halfway point between Fort Worth and Dallas which for ease of mapping purposes I'm using the intersection of I-30 and TX Hwy-360 as the center point. And yes the wife has final say over where we finally plant our touchés.

Jim

I hope you end up either in the Granbury/Weatherford or Waco area--just cause its close enough for us to visit and shoot

quote:

Originally posted by Cross L:
Jim

I hope you end up either in the Granbury/Weatherford or Waco area--just cause its close enough for us to visit and shoot

Me too. That would make us neighbors! Granbury/Weatherford area quality of life is very good. Traffic is simply NOT something that is a part of my life, except on very unusual circumstances when I need to travel into Dallas, which I normally avoid at all costs!!