Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

[ArcticLight]

Recall I as looking at the Oklahoma Panhandle - well having done some research we're now looking at the Texas Panhandle for a future ranch/settlement...

Thinking between Canadian and Miami Texas.

Anyone live in the AO??

I saw the end of Cast Away the other day and loved the scenery, well it turns out it's only about 25 miles from a place we're eyeballing on Google Earth..

What's the annual weather like?

Tornado's?

Rain?

I watched that crossroads scene about 20 times today catching the scenery in, assuming I could find a farmer to part with 50 acres this is FAST becoming my dream/fantasy retirement place.


Thanks for any info.

 

[Maggot]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Artic, Im not a native Texan, but Ive lived there, off and on, 15 of 61 years. Unless you just like endless flat (which is ok if thats what you like), Id reccommend the Hill country, west and southwest of Austin. Much prettier, more rain, lots of rivers and creeks, from the Llano to the Frio. and prices are dropping. thats where Im seein me in a few. Leaky is beautifyul. Just one mans advice. Good luck with your search.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

I'm OK with flat, dry, warm/cold -

What I need is a well and plenty of wa ter ot maintain a small yard, a medium garden (Self-sufficient type)....

Planning on solar power.

Wind is OK, looks like they get a lot of it there...

Trees grow there??? I see them here and there on google earth..

And lastly, I want a bamboo garden too LOL (Dream)...

 

[Nortex]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

I don't live in the panhandle but I'm pretty close, if you buy a decent plot of land ask about water wells or public the later is very doubtfull though. The wind blows alot up there average most days is at least 10-15mph and trees will very depending on water availibility. The native mesquite tree seems to grow anywhere since they have some of the longest/deepest roots but they in turn are some of the hardest to get rid of.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Mesquite eh? LOL My dad complains about the pollen from them in NM...

So it comes down to water....

Do well's do well there? Or is the drought forcing conservation on even wells?

 

[Kells81]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

I worked in the Pampa, Wheeler, Shamrock, and Elk City area for about a year and its flat and open for the most part. There are some hills here and there. I live in North Central Texas and the thing that sticks out there is if your not close to a larger city things cost a bit more. IE small time grocery store that you can drive 40 miles to a chain store and still come out cheaper even paying for gas.

 

[223ai]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Move to the Hill Country. Purchase "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could" bumper sticker. Steer clear of Austin, save for good food/beer and live music. Go to Rifles Only and Port Aransas for vacation. You're welcome.

 

[Nortex]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

I've never noticed the pollen from them, now the thorns thats a different story.

Wells can very alot my parents live 20miles from me and have great water supply and it tastes better than bottled, closer to where I live it can be hit or miss salty. Then southwest of our town there are some place that if water is used alot the well can be pumped dry, which can take a few days to fill bake up.

 

[Maggot]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArcticLight</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Mesquite eh? LOL My dad complains about the pollen from them in NM...

So it comes down to water....

Do well's do well there? Or is the drought forcing conservation on even wells? </div></div>

There is plenty of water but yuo may need to drill 500 feet. I had a small ranch out past there, south of Rocksprings, and my well was 520 but the water was sweet as honey. About 6 gallons per minute but you can put up a wind mill and it will pump all the time. Good westerlies. I had a 32' diameter 8' deep round concreete stock tank that the Wwindmill kept full all the time. Great for a swim on those hot afternoons. and for the stock. A smallet one for the house.

Plenty of water but conservation is always wise. Try EDWhiteRealty.com. He sells a lot in that area and is knowlegeable and honest. United Country Real Estate is good also. I have a great friend who is a real estate agent but buys right of way for the oil and gas pipelines. He might know of something. If you get serious about those areas Ill hook you up with him.

 

[rrflyer]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

cold in the winter hot in the summer.

Tornadoes in the spring

Theres water but its fairly deep.


It can be pretty.

The people are nice(more inviting than other laces you'd been looking)....dont tell 'em your from washington.

 

[farmer]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

I live north of Childress in the SE of the panhandle. We are in a severe drought at the moment with relentless winds. However, I do love it here. Some advice I would give you about the area you mentioned and anywhere for that matter, is MAKE SURE YOU GET THE WATER RIGHTS. So many people have sold their water rights. (mainly to T. Boone Pickens) Now they are screwed. There is Oil boom going on around there right now (even though they have produced oil for years and years in that area) so you probably cant get any mineral rights. But, like I said I do enjoy it here.

If you would like to PM me...I can give you my buddies # that sells real estate around Texas.

Zach

 

[snave58]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

I spend alot of time each year in both the panhandle area around Childress, Seymour, Paduca, great for hunting, lots of rattle snakes. Can be very cold and hot also. and alot of time in the hill country, Rock Springs, Kerrville, Ingram, Junction, very, very nice. I would head south to the hill country and just visit the panhandle if you need to.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Those that keep say ing "Hill Couunttry' _ I already live in Hill Country (WA State) and I would LOVE to have flat land, maybe a creek (Seasonal or not)....

Definite must on the water rights.

500 feet is not bad for water, expensive though to drill!

Glad to hear the water is sweet!!

I want flat land!!! Hot in summer, cold in winter - that's what woodstoves are for.

I don't want hill country though.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT!!!

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[Maggot]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

The Hill Co isnt really like you r mountains....there more llike Kentucky bumps but drier.

If you like flat youll love the panhandle.

Enjoy

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Thanks guys - I will save this link forfuture, we're not ready to buy yet....but looking at it!!!

And water rights are a MUST have.

It's silly you can't get the mineral rights LOL, one oil well would pay the expense of building!!

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

One more question.

Does the wind subside in the early morning or late afternoon/early evening as itdoes in South dakota? (I'm an AVID r/c pilot and this is also part of the attraction - open space.)

 

[rrflyer]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

yah like most places early morning and late evening tend to calm down.

But pretty much plan on wind all the time.


Theres an old joke about a guys dog running away and him still being able to see him go for three days.....

Have fun...buy land...invite us all to shoot.

 

[h4everything]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

The specific area between Canadian and Miami is really nice. It isn't nowhere near as flat as people try say it is. It is in the river breaks and its really pretty in that area. there is some really good water wells in that area. They can put off some large amounts of water. We use the water wells there to supply the oil rigs with water and for the frac water. That isn't too big of a problem in that area.

the hard part is going to be finding a rancher that is going to sell you 50 acres. I have been told by friends that live in Canadian that there is more millionares per capita in Hemphill county (canadian) than anywhere else in TX. I've never actually seen the statistic though. There are alot of very rich people there that have huge ranches that wont sell anything for a small guy to build on. They have had oil wells out there for 50 years and pretty much all of them have made a lot of money off of the royalties so they could give 2 shits about growing the town. They like it small and it will stay that way. It is also a dry county and that can be a bitch at times. The closest walmart is Pampa about 30 mins from Miami about 1 hr from Canadian. Closest good gun store will be in Amarillo or OKC. There are alot of people that will make day trips to OKC for shopping trips or to go to a ball game.

David Tubb lives in Canadian so you might be able to get hooked up with him.

But the area you are looking at isn't flat. There is water. No way in hell to get mineral right unless you have very deep pockets (few places that will happen anyways). It's pretty rough and you'll like it. The wind can normally will be less in the morning and evening but no standard really. Can be brutally cold and brutally hot in the summer. If you go down there to visit don't stay in a normal hotel in Canadian stay at one of the bed and breakfast and it will be more fun.

Good luck finding that fifty acres. Might have to by at least a 1/4 section. From what I have heard it will be close to $2000/acre.

 

[snave58]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

you hit it perfect on the land, almost impossible to buy small pieces.

 

[Maggot]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

"so they could give 2 shits about growing the town. They like it small and it will stay that way."

Remember that. Youll never be one of the :good old boys", theyll always see you as an outsider.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Yeah that's what I was afraid of that.

We're plannning a trip down there next year regardless.

I'm a pretty good politician when I need to be, and good at helping people with their computers LOL.

We'll go down and hang out and see what we can find...

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Hey if you have pics of the AO can ya post them? Love to see more!!

 

[Billk]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Look at Sherman, Tx and follow Hwy 82 west. Rolling hills and nice areas through there. I especially like the Muenster area.

 

[maccrazy2]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Goldie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Artic, Im not a native Texan, but Ive lived there, off and on, 15 of 61 years. Unless you just like endless flat (which is ok if thats what you like), Id reccommend the Hill country, west and southwest of Austin. Much prettier, more rain, lots of rivers and creeks, from the Llano to the Frio. and prices are dropping. thats where Im seein me in a few. Leaky is beautifyul. Just one mans advice. Good luck with your search. </div></div>
I have a friend who lives in leaky by the frio river. It is a great place. Living is pretty affordable there too.

 

[lonewolf.tx]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

If you are going to come to the Panhandle, you might as well stay at the house on Castaway.

http://www.arringtonranch.com/default.htm

Good people.

 

[h4everything]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lonewolf.tx</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you are going to come to the Panhandle, you might as well stay at the house on Castaway.

http://www.arringtonranch.com/default.htm

Good people. </div></div>

Some of the best wild quail hunting in the world there too.

 

[Red Mule]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

I am in the northeastern portion of Armstrong County. If you are looking for less than 100 acres, it can be a challenge. When we moved here 11 years ago, it was very, very difficult to find something of less than 100 acres.

We finally found a quarter section that was close enough to Amarillo, but it was a little more than we really wanted to spend.

Not knowing exactly how far from a town or city you want, I can share what I know. If you are certain that you want/need a smaller place, then I think you should look in Wheeler, Collingsworth, Donley and Hall counties, as well as the very southeast part of Gray county near McLean.

I have a couple of clients that are Realtors in this area, and would be glad to help get you in touch with them.

The eastern counties that border Oklahoma are in the 20"+ annual rainfall zone, and the second tier of counties are somewhat less than that (although currently I have had less than 1" of moisture at my place since October). The weather here is fine, it gets hot in the summer and can be cold in the winter, but on average it is a mild climate.

The wind blows ALL the time. Some days it is consistently less than 10 MPH and others it can be 30+. You get used to it. Early mornings are generally calm and winds pick up as the day warms up.

I will be more than happy to provide you with whatever assistance you need. If there is anything specific that I can get for you just let me know. Good luck.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Anyone in the Texas Panhandle??

Thanks - we're thinking 10 acres, up to 150 acres....would prefer to build our own house (Duplex, g/f on one side, me on the other!)

Definitely away from town by 10 miles or so, ie from SMALL town.

Want to be far away from Amarillo but close enough we can drive in once a week or so...

Got this page bookmarked, it'll be in the future, thanks guys!