Might be moving to Texas...

Hey all,

So, I may be moving to Texas in the next few years. There's a couple of options actually( employment) but I have a friend moving down there, and may be following as well. I've been to Texas a few times, not long enough to get a real strong feel for anyone part, but I liked it and thought the people were really nice. So my question is, where would a good place to live be if i'm looking for a more country setting. up to 5 acres ( would do less, 5 is the max) and is still reasonably priced. Now, i'm moving from fairfield county CT, which is one of the most expensive places to live ( hence why i'm leaving). I'm not into the city life anymore ( Born in NYC) so I really want to go someplace quiet and open. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Not Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio.

My brother lives in Abilene and loves it. The question really is do you have a job that doesn't matter where you are, or do you have to work too?

 

No, it matters. probably closer to the coast, but no actually on it. say an hour or so off of it would work.

 

Outside of Houston, an hour from the coast is ranches or farms. There are some communities in east Texas between Houston and San Antonio that might be nice. I like visiting and hunting around Goliad and Victoria. Nice big little country towns.

Be aware that everything is bigger in Texas except the deer. They're smallish.

 

Thanks for the help all. Like I said this is a little ways off, but i'm trying to get as much info as I can about the different regions so i can make the best choice.

 

There are a lot of areas, you need to start with what big city you want to live closest to and then move outwards to smaller surrounding cities. Property in texas is very cheap and easy to find imo (then again im comparing to California). Its hard to recommend an area without knowing how far outside of the city you want to live. Do you want a couple of acres and to still be in a busy/ city type environment or do you want to be pretty far from the city in an area with a small town and maybe just a market and basic necessities close by.

 

Austin is great especially south austin my family has a ranch 30 min south of Austin. Lockhart and San Marcos so it's not the coast but you can float the guadalupe.

 

Don't move to Austin

 

im from the goliad el campo wharton area.. if you want country living.. this is the area you want.
cheap land.

 

Sorry guys I grew up in Austin so I think it's great buuuuut there are a ton of yuppies there now. There are a ton of people moving there everyday so I'm sure it's not going to be what you're looking for.

 

NOTE: Austin is now full. Please move on. San Antonio is nice. Go Spurs!

 

Haha honest question here I'm moving back to Austin when I retire. Am I screwed?

 

Let's just say property values are skyrocketing to the point that "poor" is anyone making less than $60K/yr. My property taxes are nuts, home values are astronomical, traffic is insane, and liberals still run the city. Look it up on Zillow - you won't believe how much they want for crappy homes.

 

Llano. Move to Llano. Just south is Marble Falls, you're technically still in hill country. Austin can be a day trip. It's one of the most beautiful but affordable places in Texas. Small town atmosphere, and y'all can go to Coopers on a daily basis!

I'm from Cedar Park (20 minutes north of Austin) and would do ranch work there constantly. Loved it. Great people. Would always head up there after a Hidden Falls trip to visit and eat Coopers.

 

Wow...lots of advice, and thank you. So here's the run down, I've been a structural firefighter for 16 1\2 years. I love my job and am thankful for having it. But there is literally nothing to do in CT, and i want out. Plus it's expensive. I'm thinking of leaving ct once i'm done with flight school, and there are a couple of areas around the country that have my attention.

A 1500 SF house on less than an acre can range from 250-600K depending on where you live. Fairfield county CT is on of the most expensive places to live in the country. When we talk about taxes, I'm not sure what you guys call high taxes, but let me give you a run down. Property taxes on a 1300 SF house in my area with less than an acre run about 7k. I know people who live in 3500 SF houses on an acre paying 15-20k in property taxes. Yearly taxes for my tacoma are $390.When the gas shortage hit, I paid 5+ dollars per gallon of gas. It's expensive.

I would love to find a couple of acres in a not so populated area about an hour max from the coast. I definitely do not want to live in a city. But wouldn't mind one close enough to visit from time to time.

 

Is Llano really affordable? That's kind of surprising. Anything around Fredericksburg is ridiculous and only going to get worse as more and more snowbirds build and buy. I figured Llano was within that. I'd go to Llano, for sure. And I'd do it quickly, because it's only a matter of time before snowbirds migrate north.

Austin isn't the same as it was even 10yrs ago. Everything has changed, and not necessarily for the better if you think of Austin in terms of what it was like in the 90s and early 2000s.

I'm in Georgetown. Love it up here. Just wish I could get a better/ different job.

 

Then you'll do fine anywhere. Firefighters are popular here - this state is flammable.

 

How long do you want to commute to work?

 

I comute an hour right now, although It's really 25 minutes door to door. So an hour would be the max.