dancer67 Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Admittedly, neither my dh or I have been to TX. But we really would like to take a motorcycle trip down there this summer. Keep in mind, we are traveling from New England. We would be doing this for a vacation to see the sights, but also possibly looking to retire down there. Does this place exist? We are conservatives, legal gun owners(with very, very, very, very, strict gun laws here which are ridiculous in our opinion, but not looking to debate this), we love the outdoors,no snow, warm weather, little to no tornadoes, love palm trees, the beach, and lots of acreage with no close neighbors. Small town living with access to shopping and actual things to do! (there is nothing to do here...so boring). Looking for low crime, reasonable cost of living. Also, a strong job opportunity in electrical should my DH decide to keep working for a while. And, what are some great places to visit around this fictional place I mentioned above? We will be in TX for a week.....I know it very hot and humid...but I live for that. And what are some good places to visit on the internet to get more info on what we are looking for? Either to retire, or places to visit? Thx in advance 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Check out Fort Worth. It’s a lovely city with many suburbs (of course). I don’t know much about the suburbs since I lived in the city, but Southlake and Coppell are two that might be possibilities for you. Fort Worth has a lot of what you mentioned. The downtown is clean and nice, the symphony is wonderful, lots of culture and arts and museums, zoo, botanical gardens, etc. The main thing it does NOT have is the beach. 🙂. I don’t know much about San Antonio as I’ve only visited several times, but it could be a good place to research for you. I have friends who live there and love it. Galveston would give you the beach and palm trees, but I loathe Houston so can’t recommend that area in good conscience. 😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 I suggest that you begin on this web site: https://www.traveltexas.com/travel-guide In addition to Air Conditioning for the motorcycle, more than that, you need to spend much more than one week in Texas. As you know, it is a very large state. There are probably at least 5 or 6 different types of places, ranging from the Piney Woods of East Texas to the Desert in Far West Texas (El Paso). I'm not sure if this is still true, but for a city of the size of El Paso, they have (or had) a low crime rate. From El Paso, it is closer to the Pacific Ocean than to the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande Valley near the international border is very popular with retires from the North and many of them are "Snow Birds" who live in South Texas during the Winter months and live up North during the Summer. You can live along the Gulf Coast, from somewhere South of Houston, down to the border. Corpus Christi, etc. There are Tornadoes in Texas (I lived in North Central Texas for 28 years) and if you pay attention, you will know if one is coming your way. I never saw one (I was a "weather spotter") and am thankful for that. Hurricanes, along the Gulf Coast do happen. To me, that's the best kind of natural disaster, because one knows the Hurricane is coming and can move farther inland and wait it out in a safer location. Palm Trees and the beach make me think that possibly you should concentrate around the Corpus Christi area and North and South Padre Island and some of the cities on or near the border. Have a safe trip! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 I ordered the travel guide. Thank you. I was reading another long thread about TX as well...it seems as if nobody mentions Waco and the area surrounding. Is that just overhyped? I am also going to look into the Fort Worth area. And its suburbs. Might be good to see the sights there, along with living situation. We def do not want to live in any city. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 IF you want small towns and close to the gulf, you could look around Victoria to Corpus Christi, and I am partial to the Seabrook area, but I am not sure that the best time for a motorcycle trip through Texas is summer. You may be so hot and miserable that you never want to come back. 😀 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 I'm going to say that you consider any property close to the gulf - think counties touching the gulf, your home owner's insurance will be high. Ask for quotes for specific counties if you decide you want to move here. We were one county away from the gulf-touching county - and our insurance went down significantly when we moved just one more county further north. If you don't mind heat/humidity, I'd suggest one of the smaller towns around Houston. You may see snow in 10 years or you may not. It will not stick around but it is fun to watch everyone go crazy (yes, make a snowman in the bed of your truck and drive it around to show everyone!). Tornadoes will not be a thing. Hurricanes can be, so I'd move north of Houston. Personally, I'd suggest the Woodlands (lovely master planned community) or one of the small towns around it (Magnolia, Conroe). Great access to all sorts of shopping, ethnic cuisine, excellent medical care, super excellent library system. But, most neighborhoods are HOAs so be prepared for that. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 If you do not mind humidity and swamps, I would suggest somewhere in the greater Houston area. You would have access to the city of Houston and the port andt the oil refining would lend itself to job opportunities. Houston does not experience the big tornadoes; tornadoes would be smaller, isolated events associated with hurricanes and other stormy weather conditions. If you want to consider the Fort Worth area, I would suggest looking west and south of Fort Worth (some place like Granbury) where you can get some land. You may also consider areas between San Antonio and Austin (areas around Wimberley perhaps.) This area is hillier and has more outdoor recreational opportunities. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 3 hours ago, dancer67 said: I ordered the travel guide. Thank you. I was reading another long thread about TX as well...it seems as if nobody mentions Waco and the area surrounding. Is that just overhyped? I am also going to look into the Fort Worth area. And its suburbs. Might be good to see the sights there, along with living situation. We def do not want to live in any city. Waco isn't palm trees and beach country although you can drive to the coast for a weekend. If you want small town, palms and beach, I'd look from Matagorda Bay south all the way to South Padre. Closer to Corpus probably means better job opportunities. If you don't mind being in a suburb, check out Galveston Island past the Sea Wall. I'd also look into the Alabama and Mississippi coasts. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 If you love your motorcycle riding then the Texas Hill Country is for you. While it can be hot is is not as humid as the Houston area or near the coast-- but those places are just a few hours away. I live near the town of Wimberley-- a cute 'tourist' town with a town square full of quaint shops and such. We get lots of biker groups most weekends-- the ride through the hill country is amazing just about any time of year. Today there were a lot of bikes on the road-- temp is in upper 50's with a mostly clear sky... The rides are particularly awesome in early spring (March/April) when wild-flower season begins-- the colors are around through November when the red oaks and elms turn colors. Big cities are close like Austin (30 minutes), San Antonio (1 hour) Dallas/Ft Worth (3-4 hours depending on route and traffic), Houston (3 hours). Lots of work for electricians-- lots of growth in/near the big cities mentioned above-- but still some great small/medium towns that are great to live in. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Keep in mind it can be over 100 in TX for days on end. That might make a motorcycle trip uncomfortable (it would for me, so I thought I'd pass that on). Traffic in DFW area can be challenging due to congestion and never ending road work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 They've all pretty well covered it. Texas is a great state, you'll love it here! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Fort Worth is fantastic, especially if you want a great performing arts scene. (Although Dallas is pretty good, too.) No beach close-by, though, but a 6 hour drive to get to nice beaches (Padre Island area) isn't too bad. Galveston (junk beach) is closer. If you are a beach purist and are looking for the sugar sand beaches of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, don't come here. I wouldn't want to live in the Austin proper area if strong conservative values are important to you. But not too far from Austin, you'll be back to not-weird. (That's a joke, as in the marketing slogan "keep Austin weird.") I love the Hill Country, Jan mentioned. You might really like it, too! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoraBora Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 If you want palm trees, what about Port Aransas (on Mustang Island)? Regarding COL: You probably know that we don't have a state income tax, but our property taxes can be quite steep depending on the area. They are used to fund schools and local services. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 We were visiting Rockport (We live near Austin) and my husband theorized it would be a great place to retire to. Since then, it was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey (when it first came ashore in the US, before it stalled out over Houston) so I'm not sure he still agrees. But its a great little city, very friendly, right on the beach. If you live farther inland you are not as affected by hurricanes, but have to drive farther to get to the beach. (We're okay with that at this stage in our life) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 We have income tax here, plus our property taxes are ridiculous. Not sure how high it is compared to here, but I am looking into that. The COL here is outrageous. People don't retire here. And not just because of the weather. You just can't afford it. I am going to look into TX Hill country for the motorcycle. It sounds beautiful. We have ridden in oppressive heat(and we are also dressed in jeans and boots/helmet for safety) so it makes it hotter. It isn't horrible once your moving(natures AC). But, if you get stuck in traffic??? OMG.. And, we have to do the ride in the summer because of the weather, and DH schedule. Although, we would like to see if we could do it in April, once snow season is done here. Thanks for all the tips on the areas to look into for retirement. I can't even believe I am saying the retirement word. Because I am just way to young for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) Tyler is a city of over 100,000 that is about 1.5 hours east of Dallas. DS#2 visited friends there and says it's very green, relaxed atmosphere, and nice people -- and far from the coast (hurricane/flooding potential). [side note: We live about 2 hours from the major metropolitan city in our state (not Texas), and 1.5 - 2 hours is a very doable commute / day trip to go to concerts and other events and venues.] Also have heard great things about San Antonio -- city of 1.5 million, with lots to do. If you are into music and concerts, I understand that Austin has a huge population of musicians, and hosts lots of music festivals, including the huge week-long SxSW extravaganza. Edited January 21, 2019 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 42 minutes ago, Lori D. said: Tyler is a city of over 100,000 that is about 1.5 hours east of Dallas. DS#2 visited friends there and says it's very green, relaxed atmosphere, and nice people -- and far from the coast (hurricane/flooding potential). We live about 2 hours from the major metropolitan city in our state (not Texas), and 1.5 - 2 hours is a very doable commute / day trip to go to concerts and other events and venues. Also have heard great things about San Antonio -- city of 1.5 million, with lots to do. If you are into music and concerts, I understand that Austin has a huge population of musicians, and hosts lots of music festivals, including the huge week-long SxSW extravaganza. Agreed. I live near Austin. It is two hours to College Station. I prefer spending the night. But we have definitely done it as a day trip (Especially for Easter Egg hunts at the Bush Presidential Library!). (My sister and her family live just outside the city and my parents just moved there too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 On 1/20/2019 at 10:59 AM, City Mouse said: IF you want small towns and close to the gulf, you could look around Victoria to Corpus Christi, and I am partial to the Seabrook area, but I am not sure that the best time for a motorcycle trip through Texas is summer. You may be so hot and miserable that you never want to come back. 😀 My dad lives in Seabrook. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Since you want palm trees, you'd have to be near the coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 I'm thinking somewhere around Victoria, TX. Close enough to the coast for an easy day trip, close enough to San Antonio or Houston for big city access, and close enough to the Hill Country for great weekend motorcycle rides. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 So, one thing to consider. There are parts of Texas, like in many states, in which provincial and bigoted attitudes still prevail. I think (hope) there is less of that in areas that are demographically mixed, because people rub shoulders more. I had friends -- a blue-collar homeschooling family with many children -- who moved to East Texas, near a large city about 15 years ago. (Not a metroplex.) They were astonished at the attitudes they encountered (not directed at them, but pervasive), and after the need for eldercare passed, they came back to DFW. Ds encounters the same in the central Texas area where he is now working, but he has a platform to make a difference in the community. I'd be sure to stay awhile in whatever area you are considering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, shawthorne44 said: Since you want palm trees, you'd have to be near the coast. ACtually when we lived down in Del Valle (near the Austin airport) we had a palm tree in our yard. So it is possible for them to grow elsewhere. You'll just need to get lucky or plant them yourself. Edited January 21, 2019 by vonfirmath 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 I would look around Corpus Christi, to Victoria area on the coast. Rockport or Port Aransas are my favorites, but no acreage in Port Aransas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdel Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 You want Bryan/College Station. Day trip to all the big cities/beach. If it ever comes in....on the high speed rail. Better than average salary/cost of living. Also, TAMU is bringing in a new campus across the county so, the whole area is about to explode with brand new growth over the next 10 years to support an electrical job. Stefanie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, Sdel said: You want Bryan/College Station. Day trip to all the big cities/beach. If it ever comes in....on the high speed rail. Better than average salary/cost of living. Also, TAMU is bringing in a new campus across the county so, the whole area is about to explode with brand new growth over the next 10 years to support an electrical job. Stefanie I went to high School in College Station (but there''s been a LOT of change since then. My niece just started at Texas A&M this year and she actually has to go to west campus for classes!). In a lot of ways my heart is still there. This is where my parents retired to last year. Edited January 22, 2019 by vonfirmath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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