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Best areas to live in TX

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Chickentoast

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Oct 17, 2019
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Planning on moving to TX this year. Probably take a trip beginning of April to drive around and see some spots. Based on pictures, I'm liking the hill country between San Antonio and Austin, also the areas north of Houston seem nice. The lake/river area to the northwest of Austin also looks nice.

Looking for a horse property or something with minimum 5 acres, but ideally 20 or more, so would probably not be looking in the towns, but also don't want to be an hour from a grocery store. Dallas is in the mix as well, but seems like such a huge metroplex that I'd need to have a feel before even knowing where to look.

Any input on your favorite areas to live in TX is much appreciated!
 
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Chickentoast said:
Planning on moving to TX this year. Probably take a trip beginning of April to drive around and see some spots. Based on pictures, I'm liking the hill country between San Antonio and Austin, also the areas north of Houston seem nice. The lake/river area to the northwest of Austin also looks nice.

Looking for a horse property or something with minimum 5 acres, but ideally 20 or more, so would probably not be looking in the towns, but also don't want to be an hour from a grocery store. Dallas is in the mix as well, but seems like such a huge metroplex that I'd need to have a feel before even knowing where to look.

Any input on your favorite areas to live in TX is much appreciated!
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I with you on that....SC might have won out Red, but the purple is quickly bluing. (Meanwhile everyone in Texas is groaning 🤣)
 
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If I could I'd move to Wortham Texas! It is in Freestone county, used to be a old cattle town back in the heyday. Rolling hills and it's between Houston and Dallas, just off I-45. Just my wish. Wife says there is nothing there? I said yep, no traffic, no crime, no body to piss me off! (y)
 
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Like you, i prefer rural areas outside of a city but not be an hour away from groceries. I like the Calallen area or just outside of it to the west. The Castroville area outside of San Antonio is nice too.
 
Texas is not immune to the disease of leftism. Leftism breeds in densely populated areas, period. Houston, Austin, Dallas, etc --- all left or turning left. So anything rural you're good, but you could say the same thing about almost any state. The difference with Texas is it's physical size. Being as large as it is -- the state can support more densely populated area without the politics of the state as a whole flipping.

Eventually that's going to change, and I suspect this is by design. There is a clear pattern throughout the country. The left focuses on growing population density in a small area -- growing that small area until the general population in that small metro area is comparable enough to the outside area -- you control the entire state because the states are direct democracy. Mob rule.

Not trying to shit on moving to Texas, just saying a move to Texas isn't going to guarantee you a free government for life. It wasn't that long ago that California was a red state. Wish you (and your family?) well on your move and pray that freedom forever rings in Texas! I live in Arkansas so... soon to be a close neighbor.
 
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Thanks to all so far, I've got some more research to do!

Some more info to guide advice: I'm retired. Bought my grandparents place up in NH when they passed, but looking to warmer living as I get older, and want a tax-free state. I've done biz in TX and always liked the people, but never stayed long enough to really get a feel for areas.
 
Chickentoast said:
Thanks to all so far, I've got some more research to do!

Some more info to guide advice: I'm retired. Bought my grandparents place up in NH when they passed, but looking to warmer living as I get older, and want a tax-free state. I've done biz in TX and always liked the people, but never stayed long enough to really get a feel for areas.
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Don’t go to North Texas then. Or West Texas. South is your best bet. Winter can be an ice-covered hell.
 
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Sooner or later all of the US will be blue, you will not be able to move away from it. A move would only be temporary.
"WE" all need to move to another country and vote everyone out of office, vote ourselves into office and start a New America. And keep out everything and everybody that has ruined this country. I think 74 million people could do it! Take everybody, but politicians. What would America be like if the working people left? Sorry, just been pissed off all weekend!:ROFLMAO:
 
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Chickentoast said:
Planning on moving to TX this year. Probably take a trip beginning of April to drive around and see some spots. Based on pictures, I'm liking the hill country between San Antonio and Austin, also the areas north of Houston seem nice. The lake/river area to the northwest of Austin also looks nice.

Looking for a horse property or something with minimum 5 acres, but ideally 20 or more, so would probably not be looking in the towns, but also don't want to be an hour from a grocery store. Dallas is in the mix as well, but seems like such a huge metroplex that I'd need to have a feel before even knowing where to look.

Any input on your favorite areas to live in TX is much appreciated!
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Check out Kerrville, TX. It was nice visiting there last year. Many hills.
 
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buffalowinter said:
Texas is not tax free. No income tax, but 8.5% sales tax and high to outrageous property taxes.
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I know all too well - when I was doing biz in TX, my customer owned and operated their own warehouse. They took delivery of 6 loads of product before Xmas, and rejected the product on 12/30 for quality. I flew down the first week of Jan and did a QC check with them, all good, must've been a fluke, thanks, we'll take all the product... Little did I realize they had transferred the product into my name at their own warehouse, such that I owned it for end of year. Cost me ~20K to Harris County 6 mos later when I started getting letters and figured out the scam my client had pulled.
 
buffalowinter said:
Texas is not tax free. No income tax, but 8.5% sales tax and high to outrageous property taxes.
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To the OP, listen to this advice. I live in central TX (Bell Co.) which is still considered hill country sort of. Lot's of former and current military because next door to Ft. Hood so pretty conservative ( I still have neighbors flying Trump flags). We live a mile from the marina on Lake Belton where we keep our pontoon, big lake good fishing. Property taxes are terrible, even with a homestead and senior exemption. It does vary a good bit by county/school district so look hard before you leap. We're actually looking moving over to Livingston. Big ass lake, very little commies and lower taxes. Anywhere around Austin is going to be pricey and it's a liberal shithole as is Houston, DFW and San Antonio. The nice thing about where we are is the humidity is not nearly as bad and it also doesn't get too cold (only have a few nights below freezing).
PM me if you want more input. I've got family all over central/east and south TX. so know quite a bit about a fair piece of lone star.
 
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Thanks tomcatmv, I will definitely PM you re: specifics.

I have noticed huge differences in taxes on different properties, from fully exempt to ~1% of purchase price, and also wild price differences, for similar homes/properties, in areas that look similar to me. So, I'm sure there are devils in the details...
 
And water. Don't buy property unless you are sure you can dig a well and hit potable water. If you are buying a horse property, you will more than likely not have city water or sewer. You will have to dig a well and septic system. Also, if you have to bring in power, that can get costly.
 
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buffalowinter said:
And water. Don't buy property unless you are sure you can dig a well and hit potable water. If you are buying a horse property, you will more than likely not have city water or sewer. You will have to dig a well and septic system. Also, if you have to bring in power, that can get costly.
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And depths vary around the state. Here in ntx it’s 600-900’
 
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^Yes, I know, sorry. More looking for general area advice rather than specific properties. No kids, and figure <=1hr from a big airport / diverse restaurants. Will probably rent if possible for 6mos-1yr (rentals seem scarce), or buy a small place until we decide/find the right spot/property. Budget probably not a constraint for location, but generally prefer to stay away from new/shiny things/people.
 
I'd move to the Panhandle N of Canadian. Ultra conservative, very minimal population, good hunting, gun in every truck like where I live but not a liberal or even a medium city anywhere near.
 
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Any small town within 2 hours of a major city will have homes available to rent/rent to own. Especially now since the oil field is dead. Might look at this cheapy
Leave High Taxes Behind and Build Your Dreams on This 40-Acre Lot | Remarkable Land®
Won't find cheaper raw land. 40 acres for less than $10K.
Any Hill Country area is going to be pricey. Land prices have doubled over the last few years. East Texas Lakes are nice but those prices have gone up too...poor schools. Area around Corpus Christi will probably be the cheapest overall. Houston, Dallas, SA the most expensive.
 
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Laser1 said:
Any small town within 2 hours of a major city will have homes available to rent/rent to own. Especially now since the oil field is dead. Might look at this cheapy
Leave High Taxes Behind and Build Your Dreams on This 40-Acre Lot | Remarkable Land®
Won't find cheaper raw land. 40 acres for less than $10K.
Any Hill Country area is going to be pricey. Land prices have doubled over the last few years. East Texas Lakes are nice but those prices have gone up too...poor schools. Area around Corpus Christi will probably be the cheapest overall. Houston, Dallas, SA the most expensive.
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Land an hour from town here in dfw is around 10k/acre if you are buying large tracts, and as much as 20k per acre for the small 5 acre tracts
 
Mineral rights and surface rights are separate in Texas. The surface owner cannot stop the mineral owner from getting their minerals tested. I've seen cases where companies wanted to drill in the vicinity of homes where the surface owner owned no mineral rights, but worked a location out with the surface owner and compensated them for the use of the land and everyone was happy. Difficulty sometimes comes later on.....
 
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THEIS said:
Hi,

The Sanderson area is really really nice...AND super cheap.
Just be sure to purchase this 620 acres in Terrell County, Texas (landsofamerica.com) and I will come build a training center at it, lol.

Sincerely,
Theis
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"Minerals are not available."

And that where you could get fucked on this one. Wake up on morning and Bubba& Company are starting an oil well and have mineral rights in hand.

Something similar in New Mexico but tied to land rights. I looked into land there and got warned about making damn sure there has been a thorough title search done or some Hispanic might show up with a title that goes back to the king of Spain and you get fucked.
 
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Not the Gulf Coast. It'a stupid humid and the mosquitoes are awful. The big cities are liberal sewers. The hill county between Austin and San Antonio is nice.
If you happen to be a Liberal, I can't really recommend a suitable place. LOL
 
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Guess I have to put a price range here - figure 1M-4M, but I've seen some places at the low end that are nicer than others at the high end... which is why I'm seeking advice.

My Houston clients lived in the Woodlands and it seemed really nice, but I never spent more than 3 days there, and many since have said it was too hot and humid, etc. I also have conflicting reports about Austin: some say leftist hellhole, and others say leftist only in the city, and there are sane suburbs around. Dallas I've heard is like Greenwich, CT, but for men LOL, yet I've also heard it's old and stuffy. So I figured a diverse group here could cut through the BS.

Based on my interweb searching, I like from Boerne up to Fredericksburg, over to Dripping Springs, and up to Spicewood and Horseshoe Bay. But some of the properties north of Houston look even nicer, and are basically half the price of the ones between San Ant and Austin. So, why are they half the price? Just climate and terrain? What will I find out only after living there?
 
Lots of options obviously. Most any property along the Hill Country Trail will be worth looking at. You can look at hill country ranches in the area around Kerrville, Hunt, Ingram, Fredericksburg and still be 1 hour from SA airport. Boerne is San Antonio now. Low humidity and more altitude which means its cooler in the summer. Might check out Boot Ranch in Fredericksburg. Spectacular area but pricey and exclusive. The areas north of Houston in the Woodlands will be hot, humid and buggy compared to Kerrville area. For my money, it would be a ranch between Kerrville, Mountain Home and Leakey.
 
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RE: Boot Ranch : If the Golf Course was a shooting range... :D Definitely don't want a community. But I take your point re: price differences, and will need to drive the whole area, check out some grocery stores, eat in a few restaurants, etc.
 
ggmanning said:
I'd move to the Panhandle N of Canadian. Ultra conservative, very minimal population, good hunting, gun in every truck like where I live but not a liberal or even a medium city anywhere near.
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He would be looking for your scalp in two winters if he took that advice. The snow drifts and windstorms have broken many a man.
 
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I would focus on any of the cool little towns between northern San Antonio and Lampasas. Lots of open (hill) country less humid than Houston/Woodlands and less mosquitos. Yes it is pricey but you should find something nice with your price range. Yes property taxes suck.
 
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lariat said:
He would be looking for your scalp in two winters if he took that advice. The snow drifts and windstorms have broken many a man.
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My buddy is a farrier, and he used to run cattle on the panhandle and into NM. I've heard the stories, and as cool as they sound, I'm no longer 20!
 
Why the big price differences....again...WATER...especially in the Hill Country...which is where I live. 1 to 4 million means you can look pretty much anywhere...but you will spend that in the Hill Country around Boerne and Fredericksburg...which is where I live. 18 years ago I looked for a place and had a 1 million budget...couldn't find anything. Not because I was under capitalized, there was just nothing available at any price. Finally just bought land and built our own place. Everything went well, but it is a lot of work digging wells, septic, roads, bringing in power, finding out about mineral rights, etc. General Contractors might build the house, but I had to find the well diggers, bring in electric, and hire the earth movers to build the ranch roads and pads.
 
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That's my opinion. Texas is unique. There is virtually no Federal land or State land. Everything is in private hands. If you want to hunt or shoot, you must do it on private property. Same with any other activity...mountain biking, horseback riding, dirt bike riding and so on. This requires land and is in direct competition for those who just want a homesite. So if you want to do those things with convenience, you buy land. And if you don't want to be taxed unmercifully, you must become a rancher...or put the land into some type of conservancy. Another note, make sure your land is "Ag Exempt" when you buy it and figure out how you're going to keep it ag exempt. It's a pain but but on the other hand I have several "ranges" on my land out to 600 yds and horse trails, stables, and riding arena. I have at times raised everything from registered Longhorn cattle, Aoudad sheep, horses, donkeys, and chickens.
1_Cropped.JPG
 
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Now I'm starting to understand - land for living, land for fun, taxes, optimizing for exemptions/work/cashflow, etc. yields life solution. Also incentivizes community, since things are private, the more friends you have, the more places you have to go - although the other side of that is close-knit groups wary of outsiders, which is great once you're in...
 
When you do move make sure to Homestead your place, that will save you on some taxes. With that budget you might also look around Bandera it is gorgeous with big trees and water. Also one thing you need to think about is an hour drive in most parts of rural Texas is like a 10 minute drive other places. I live in West Texas and it is an hour to any moderate size town, 4 hours to the metroplex
 
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ggmanning said:
I'd move to the Panhandle N of Canadian. Ultra conservative, very minimal population, good hunting, gun in every truck like where I live but not a liberal or even a medium city anywhere near.
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Grew up in Perryton and still have family there and in Canadian and Amarillo. All the things you say here are true but I’d add that it is a giant shit hole and the weather is pretty awful. Amarillo wouldn’t be the worst place I suppose but not where I’d choose.

While I still maintain dual citizenship with the US and Texas, I’d probably choose somewhere in Oklahoma (not the panhandle) before anywhere in Texas. Same ultra conservative gun loving folks, just a little cleaner cut in parts without the garbage of DFW, Houston, Austin.
 
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