Best areas to live in TX

[91Eunozs]

… I think you made a mistake seeing this place from a car window at 70 MPH but if I was coming to this part of Texas in 2022, I would shake my head too. Personally, not a fan of DFW…

This.

So much this. I didn’t like it much when we lived there in the late 80s-early 90s, and it’s even more nuts now. My son moved there last year with his new bride so they could “see the big city life” and start their married lives a bit farther away from home. They looked at several locations all over the US, but that’s what they thought they wanted.

He’s trying like hell to move back here now, LoL.

Our daughter’s a Jr in HS this year, and I‘m very seriously considering retiring (again!) when she graduates, and trying to land some non-supervisory GS or Contractor job back over in Germany for a couple years. My wife has family there, and we didn’t get to travel enough when stationed there from 2006-2012. Would love to do a bit more in Europe before everything goes completely to shit…here or over there.

Bonus would be our son and wife could ‘rent’ our house from us while we‘re overseas (pay utilities and maintenance only), and save a ton for a down payment on their own place for a couple years.

 

[TexPatriot]

My 92 year old neighbor said a few good hot Texas summers tends to drive away the pretenders.

Gawd. A hot August can keep the natives away too. I built part of and ran Hill Country Rifle Range that was 13.5 miles from 71 on Hamilton Pool Rd. where the microwave tower sit on the tallest hill. The dead of the summers was the slow months and you shot in the morning and got the hell out of there.

 

[lariat]

Nope, the summers are awesome and I am not kidding. I love the heat. 100 is fine with me. The heat doesn’t drive people away as much because everyone blows the air conditioner all the time.

I’m telling you guys that Texas has gone to hell in more areas than just Austin and Dallas. $18,000 plus per acre is your clue. The worst thing about people moving in is the people. I think I am beginning to understand how to native Americans felt.

 

[TexPatriot]

Nope, the summers are awesome and I am not kidding. I love the heat. 100 is fine with me. The heat doesn’t drive Poole away as much because everyone blows the air conditioner all the time.

I’m telling you guys that Texas has gone to hell in more areas than just Austin and Dallas. $18,000 plus per acre is your clue. The worst thing about people moving in is the people. I think I am beginning to understand how to native Americans felt.

Shit, try handling and tieing steel or laying rock when it's 100 degrees in the shade or 90 at 5 a.m. Some people can't stay in the A/C.

Some days it's too hot to even be on the lake in the middle of the day when the water is like bath water.

 

[lariat]

Shit, try handling and tieing steel or laying rock when it's 100 degrees in the shade or 90 at 5 a.m. Some people can't stay in the A/C.

Some days it's too hot to even be on the lake in the middle of the day when the water is like bath water.

Been there done that, damn near every year of my life. My machine shop is what they call an "uncontrolled environment" in a metal building - heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Then I get to go home and bale hay. The heat is my friend, I genuinely enjoy it. The cold can go find someone else.

 

[TexPatriot]

Been there done that, damn near every year of my life. My machine shop is what they call an "uncontrolled environment" in a metal building - heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Then I get to go home and bale hay. The heat is my friend, I genuinely enjoy it. The cold can go find someone else.

It's mental. I started working in rock quarries in Jarrell in high school during the summers doing convict labor of hammer cutting masonry stone and then loading 6-8 tons a day in a dump truck with the only shade being a hat.

I know what the cold chills and no sweat on a 100 degree day means, I've been to that point on many occasion. Fuck the Texas heat.

 

[tomcatmv]

Like someone else said, Texas is full. I hear Arkansas is nice, especially if you know the Clintons. Well maybe not if you know them too well, lots of woods and lakes to dispose of,,,you know,,,stuff.

 

[TexPatriot]

Like someone else said, Texas is full. I hear Arkansas is nice, especially if you know the Clintons. Well maybe not if you know them too well, lots of woods and lakes to dispose of,,,you know,,,stuff.

I know someone that left Austin and moved to Arkansas. Said he got a nice house on big acreage and has a range right down the road and couldn't be happier. Arkansas and Oklahoma are still un ruined.

Texas is ruined.

 

[hankpac]

People from California and other Leftist shitholes need to stay there. Fix what's wrong where you are at. Selling a property in CA for a million that really isn't worth 90k, and coming here, to buy up a 50 acre plot and call themselves a ranch is what is ruining Texas. DFW, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston are all Marxist havens. Stay out.

 

[Chickentoast]

People from California and other Leftist shitholes need to stay there. Fix what's wrong where you are at. Selling a property in CA for a million that really isn't worth 90k, and coming here, to buy up a 50 acre plot and call themselves a ranch is what is ruining Texas. DFW, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston are all Marxist havens. Stay out.

Replace "People" above with "Leftists and their Sympathizers" and apply to all places around the world. They are a plague, and I'm trying to simply find a place with good, free-thinking people, with spines, that I like. Life is just too f'n short. Isolationism is the last resort, but might as well try to find my people first.

While I definitely see the point about Leftists or Kardashianists or Teslans or other forms of scumbags, douchebags, and fantasists, if a true American spirit wants to move next door to me, from anywhere on the planet (legally is implied by true American spirit), I would be ecstatic. It seems a number of people in the thread have either expressed or hinted at some worthiness being conferred through being born in TX, which is fine in jest or even as hazing, but if serious, is actually leftist in itself. What if I can add value to the team - why not hire me? It's like passing gun laws... the criminals don't follow the laws - they only hurt the law abiding. Just as the leftists will never stop attacking your state out of deference or respect - only people like me might. So you filter out the potential good ones even before the tryouts.

DFW trip set for last week in April, staying in Southlake.

 

[Steve_In_29]

Replace "People" above with "Leftists and their Sympathizers" and apply to all places around the world. They are a plague, and I'm trying to simply find a place with good, free-thinking people, with spines, that I like. Life is just too f'n short. Isolationism is the last resort, but might as well try to find my people first.

While I definitely see the point about Leftists or Kardashianists or Teslans or other forms of scumbags, douchebags, and fantasists, if a true American spirit wants to move next door to me, from anywhere on the planet (legally is implied by true American spirit), I would be ecstatic. It seems a number of people in the thread have either expressed or hinted at some worthiness being conferred through being born in TX, which is fine in jest or even as hazing, but if serious, is actually leftist in itself. What if I can add value to the team - why not hire me? It's like passing gun laws... the criminals don't follow the laws - they only hurt the law abiding. Just as the leftists will never stop attacking your state out of deference or respect - only people like me might. So you filter out the potential good ones even before the tryouts.

DFW trip set for last week in April, staying in Southlake.

I might have missed it but WHY does it have to be Texas?

As I mentioned already your money would go a lot further here in AZ.

 

[JRaven]

Take a look at this to help make a better decision.

US States - Ranked by Population 2024

worldpopulationreview.com

Barely 1MM in Montana despite being 4th state in landmass in the US. I would take a look at Kalispell and the surrounding area. There are more people in the DFW area than in the whole state of Montana.

When we moved 6 years ago, I lobbied hard for Montana as my mom is from Lethbridge and we spent a lot of time in Whitefish as a kid. The only spot other than Austin, was Tampa/Clearwater where I lived for 5 years. I really like the west coast of Florida.

I have a few friends that moved to Montana & Wyoming in the last 2-3 years and say they will never leave.

If I had to make the decision to move today, Texas would 3rd on my list.

 

[Chickentoast]

I have a place in northern NH. For this stage, looking for a place with year-round outdoor horse arenas. Wellington, FL was/is a consideration, would love a place with a dock in W Palm or Jupiter, etc. Ocala also has a great horse community now, but it's far from the ocean.

Direct flights to and fro is also a huge attraction, as family is quite old now, and I host all of the holidays. Apart from that, tax-free, or at least low taxes is a requirement. Otherwise, we're relatively open to other states.

Re: AZ, too hot, unless mountains, and places like Sedona are nice, but for a week vacation, not to live.

 

[TexPatriot]

I might have missed it but WHY does it have to be Texas?

As I mentioned already your money would go a lot further here in AZ.

And you have much more public land unlike Texas, where only 2.7% of it's total land mass is public. In AZ you can go out in the desert, set up your targets and shoot whereas landowners in Texas brag their ranch has been in the family since it was taken from the Mexicans and they and the courts will crucify you if you set foot on their sacred property. Meanwhile, they're anxiously waiting to sell to the Chinese or some out of state developer to house thousands of dick sucking Democrats from Leftist states.

Plus, AZ is prettier, especially the higher elevations, doesn't have retarded DST and you don't have to have vehicle inspections.

 

[BCP]

And unlike Texas, you have much more public land unlike Texas, where only 2.7% of it's total land mass is public. In AZ you can go out in the desert, set up your targets and shoot whereas landowners in Texas brag their ranch has been in the family since it was taken from the Mexicans and they and the courts will crucify you if you set foot on their sacred property. Meanwhile, they're anxiously waiting to sell to the Chinese or some out of state developer to house thousands of dick sucking Democrats from Leftist states.

Plus, AZ is prettier, especially the higher elevations, doesn't have retarded DST and you don't have to have vehicle inspections.

Yeah that's the worst part of Texas, lack of public land. It's almost like feudalism where the nobles own most of the land and the peasants work it.

If I were an older cat I'd be one of those who lives in Washington or Idaho and then terrorizes AZ/Socal with my motorhome in the wintertime.

 

[TexPatriot]

Yeah that's the worst part of Texas, lack of public land. It's almost like feudalism where the nobles own most of the land and the peasants work it.

If I were an older cat I'd be one of those who lives in Washington or Idaho and then terrorizes AZ/Socal with my motorhome in the wintertime.

One of the hottest strategies right now here in Central Texas, at least in resort areas like the coast or the lakes, is to acquire a parcel of property, 5-20 acres, and cram it full of RV hook-ups. All you need are some shade trees, picnic tables, a place to launder clothes and wi-fi. They are springing up everywhere around here.

 

[Steve_In_29]

Take a look at this to help make a better decision.

US States - Ranked by Population 2024

worldpopulationreview.com

Barely 1MM in Montana despite being 4th state in landmass in the US. I would take a look at Kalispell and the surrounding area. There are more people in the DFW area than in the whole state of Montana.

When we moved 6 years ago, I lobbied hard for Montana as my mom is from Lethbridge and we spent a lot of time in Whitefish as a kid. The only spot other than Austin, was Tampa/Clearwater where I lived for 5 years. I really like the west coast of Florida.

I have a few friends that moved to Montana & Wyoming in the last 2-3 years and say they will never leave.

If I had to make the decision to move today, Texas would 3rd on my list.

Before choosing AZ we had looked at a couple places in MT, one in Yaak and a few around Troy. There was an area north of Billings that briefly caught my attention but despite being on 20 acre plots in the country, that whole area was really just a bedroom community for people that worked in Billings.

We looked in TX, as our late son lived there but the prices (even 5 years ago), high property taxes and lack of public lands worked against it.

That low population is why Otard and now Biteme are sending "refugees" to MT. As it won't take many (comparatively speaking) to flip the voting trend in that state.

This is the property we visited in Yaak. The south fork of the Yaak river was about 50yds out the back door. The front yard was literally covered in deer scat and the property (in fact all of Yaak) is inside a National Forest.

 

[Steve_In_29]

And you have much more public land unlike Texas, where only 2.7% of it's total land mass is public. In AZ you can go out in the desert, set up your targets and shoot whereas landowners in Texas brag their ranch has been in the family since it was taken from the Mexicans and they and the courts will crucify you if you set foot on their sacred property. Meanwhile, they're anxiously waiting to sell to the Chinese or some out of state developer to house thousands of dick sucking Democrats from Leftist states.

Plus, AZ is prettier, especially the higher elevations, doesn't have retarded DST and you don't have to have vehicle inspections.

Yep, our AZ property abuts thousands of acres of public lands and even now during the migration, prices here are several orders of magnitude less then in TX.

I think if you choose (poorly) to live in the Phoenix metro area that they do vehicle smog inspections.

 

[JKaiser]

One of the hottest strategies right now here in Central Texas, at least in resort areas like the coast or the lakes, is to acquire a parcel of property, 5-20 acres, and cram it full of RV hook-ups. All you need are some shade trees, picnic tables, a place to launder clothes and wi-fi. They are springing up everywhere around here.

I’ve heard that some of these are selling the spots and managing the rentals for the owners. It gives you a permanent address for tax purposes (no state income tax). Your mail is delivered there, the management property opens it, scans it, emails it to you and then shreds it. You can live wherever you want and still have a mailing address in TX.

 

[TxWelder35]

One of the hottest strategies right now here in Central Texas, at least in resort areas like the coast or the lakes, is to acquire a parcel of property, 5-20 acres, and cram it full of RV hook-ups. All you need are some shade trees, picnic tables, a place to launder clothes and wi-fi. They are springing up everywhere around here.

I’m about to do this in dfw.

 

[Steve_In_29]

I have a place in northern NH. For this stage, looking for a place with year-round outdoor horse arenas. Wellington, FL was/is a consideration, would love a place with a dock in W Palm or Jupiter, etc. Ocala also has a great horse community now, but it's far from the ocean.

Direct flights to and fro is also a huge attraction, as family is quite old now, and I host all of the holidays. Apart from that, tax-free, or at least low taxes is a requirement. Otherwise, we're relatively open to other states.

Re: AZ, too hot, unless mountains, and places like Sedona are nice, but for a week vacation, not to live.

Tax free isn't all it's cracked up to be, as the state still has to get their money somehow. So do the math and don't just assume.

Despite paying both state and property taxes in AZ we are saving over $4K a year compared to what we would have been paying in just property taxes on the place we considered in TX. And that's on 72 acres here versus only 10 acres in TX.

Are you looking at year round riding in shorts or what? The winters can get cold at higher elevations in AZ but the snow that falls usually melts within a few days. So dressing appropriately allows for riding almost year round. Not a lot of the "horsy crowd" here (edit: I mean in my rural area) that I am aware of though. People with horses out here tend to be using them for ranching, not making a lifestyle of owning them. There are thousands of acres to ride in instead of the few miles of groomed trails you are restricted to in a horse community type city.

Sedona is a "liberal lifestyle" area filled with artsy-fartsy types and tourists, so I can understand not wanting to live there. After all no one wants to actually live in Disneyland either.

Direct flights means you are stuck living the fake country life though, as that requires you to be very close to a major city and its airport. So that rules out actual small town rural areas like mine, which are what you claimed to be seeking. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, your wants are mutually exclusive, so I will bow out and let you find your artificial country life among the very pretentious horsy crowd in areas that people want to pretend are rural, while standing in line at Starbucks.

 

[Sniperwannabee]

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.

In laws family live inFrederiksburg and Harper

 

[Chickentoast]

Tax free isn't all it's cracked up to be, as the state still has to get their money somehow. So do the math and don't just assume.

Despite paying both state and property taxes in AZ we are saving over $4K a year compared to what we would have been paying in just property taxes on the place we considered in TX. And that's on 72 acres here versus only 10 acres in TX.

Are you looking at year round riding in shorts or what? The winters can get cold at higher elevations in AZ but the snow that falls usually melts within a few days. So dressing appropriately allows for riding almost year round. Not a lot of the "horsy crowd" here that I am aware of though. People with horses out here tend to be using them for ranching, not making a lifestyle of owning them. There are thousands of acres to ride in instead of the few miles of groomed trails you are restricted to in a horse community type city.

Sedona is a "liberal lifestyle" area filled with artsy-fartsy types and tourists, so I can understand not wanting to live there. After all no one wants to actually live in Disneyland either.

Direct flights means you are stuck living the fake country life though, as that requires you to be very close to a major city and its airport. So that rules out actual small town rural areas like mine, which are what you claimed to be seeking. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, your wants are mutually exclusive, so I will bow out and let you find your artificial country life among the very pretentious horsy crowd in areas that people want to pretend are rural, while standing in line at Starbucks.

 

[Steve_In_29]

I'm only talking income tax - refuse to participate in a taxation without representation scheme, which is all blue states and many red ones. None of the money is going towards things that a majority of the population wants, but being an American, I won't break the law, so a tax-free or low tax state will do fine.

I don't want the "country life" per se. Again, I have that option up in NH. I like the idea of a lot of land, but if it's devoid of culture, i.e. town is a wal-mart, and then a line of fast food, separated by auto parts stores, I'm not interested. I'll have to re-read my posts, but my intent is just to escape the leftists and other d'bags - if that means I can't have any nice restaurants, museums, or airports close by, then we have truly become a 3rd world banana republic while I was sleeping/working.

Re: horses - wife has a legitimate shot at the olympics if she wants it, medal showings at championships and invited to nationals and Euro championships. And not on a ride I bought her, but on a horse she bought for a song as a 3 yr old, and trained herself. She can hit you in the eye with a ball of horse shit from 50 ft off a plastic fork, and in proper semi-auto fashion, adjusting for a moving target

And re: my disparaging auto parts store comment - I can rebuild a chevy or ford up through the early 90's without a manual, and did the rod bearings on my M5 V10 on jack stands in my garage. Manual labor all my life until after I "retired." First in my family to go to college, but I went to an Ivy, and have 3 degrees. Wanted to avoid divulging those things, because they shouldn't matter, but maybe it will buy me a little leeway as I ask for help in figuring this out.

Whether income or property, the taxes collected fill the same government coffers. The fact remains that living in AZ and paying income tax I am sending a LOT less money to the .gov then I would be if I were living in "no state tax" TX. As I said, in AZ an extra $4K remains in my pocket each year. I'm sure that's chump change to a guy with a multi-million dollar budget for a property but it still makes a difference to me.

Your amenity requirements mean that you are restricted to urban areas and even in TX those urban areas are ALL blue. Large urban areas (in any state) attract the type of people that lean left and the type of people that vote left in order to collect those Slavery 2.0 welfare handouts..

Your goals are mutually exclusive.

 

[Oldloser]

Tax free isn't all it's cracked up to be, as the state still has to get their money somehow. So do the math and don't just assume.

Despite paying both state and property taxes in AZ we are saving over $4K a year compared to what we would have been paying in just property taxes on the place we considered in TX. And that's on 72 acres here versus only 10 acres in TX.

This is not a complete picture. Well you did the land deal wrong. I pay about $1.75 per acre in taxes on farmland. If the house is kept small and older then the taxes are low.

 

[Docsherm]

I hear there are some nice places in Houston 5th Ward section. Go there. I believe they have free shooting ranges.

 

[Docsherm]

Thats where Big George Foreman grew up. I like Big George.

I have also been told the Ghetto Boys are from there........... whoever they are.

 

[Chickentoast]

Your goals are mutually exclusive.

Will update after DFW trip.

 

[rjacobs]

$18,000 plus per acre is your clue.

Where's that? I havent seen land that cheap around the DFW metroplex in a long time and I live pretty far out and have looked as far out as Corsicana and Whitney area's...

1 acre lot in my neighborhood sold for 125k last summer...stupid when they assess for 55 or 60k. And were not really in an "in demand" area. I know of other 1-2 acre pieces in more "in demand" areas selling for 250k+... stupid stupid stupid...

 

[Steve_In_29]

This is not a complete picture. Well you did the land deal wrong. I pay about $1.75 per acre in taxes on farmland. If the house is kept small and older then the taxes are low.

Well of course if you live in a hovel the taxes will be low.

How much farmland and in what location are you talking?

In my case it was for a nice, newer (but not brand new) 3bd/2ba 1500ish sqft house on 10 acres in Graham, TX. Property taxes were $5.4k a year. This was over 5 years ago when we were still looking, so I have no idea what current taxes are there.

Here in AZ, this year I will pay $700 for my 3bd/2ba 1452 sqft log house on 36 acres and another $100ish for the bare 36 acres next door.

I had occasion to see what the local rancher here pays in property tax on the lands he owns (vice the leases) and it was $2.25 for each 40 acre parcel.

 

[TexPatriot]

Where's that? I havent seen land that cheap around the DFW metroplex in a long time and I live pretty far out and have looked as far out as Corsicana and Whitney area's...

1 acre lot in my neighborhood sold for 125k last summer...stupid when they assess for 55 or 60k. And were not really in an "in demand" area. I know of other 1-2 acre pieces in more "in demand" areas selling for 250k+... stupid stupid stupid...

In Austin, they'll buy an older house in a good area like Balcones for $500K, scrape the house and build a $2.5M McMansion on the lot. Not sure where people get that kind of money.

 

[Steve_In_29]

Where's that? I havent seen land that cheap around the DFW metroplex in a long time and I live pretty far out and have looked as far out as Corsicana and Whitney area's...

1 acre lot in my neighborhood sold for 125k last summer...stupid when they assess for 55 or 60k. And were not really in an "in demand" area. I know of other 1-2 acre pieces in more "in demand" areas selling for 250k+... stupid stupid stupid...

Land...they aren't making any more of it and its non-relocatable (can't buy it where it's cheap and move it to where it's not). So if someone wants to live in a certain area, that lots of other people also want to live in, then they have to pay. It's simple supply and demand.

Just as our $110K house in 29 Palms (Mojave desert) would have sold for a million plus for the same age/size up in Silicon Valley.

Even here in AZ, if you want to live in the pine trees (where the summer houses and tourists are) you will pay through the nose for the privilege compared to what we paid for our place in a somewhat less desirable location. Such as this listing...$130K for 0.34 acre

4977 Mallard Cir, Pinetop, AZ 85935 | Trulia

4977 Mallard Cir, Pinetop, AZ 85935 was sold in 4977 Mallard Cir, Pinetop, AZ 85935. See the estimate, review home details, and search for homes nearby.

www.trulia.com

Though even out here where I'm at pretty much any acreage that comes on the market is selling now, where a few years ago they almost couldn't give it away.

 

[Steve_In_29]

In Austin, they'll buy an older house in a good area like Balcones for $500K, scrape the house and build a $2.5M house on the lot. Not sure where people get that kind of money.

Decades ago when my brother bought his beach house up in Rhode Island, he said it was common for out of area people to come in and buy up two or three adjacent houses with offers that were too good to turn down. Then raze them all to build a mansion on.

His beach house is actually part of the barn on the original larger property that was subdivided by the family to sell off. Keeping part of the barn allowed for the construction to be called a remodel instead of a new construction. Which had a huge impact on his property tax bill.

 

[Steve_In_29]

If you are correct, the country is already a dead man walking. The search continues while my hope remains. Will update after DFW trip.

Have you NOT been paying attention to what has been happening in this country?

 

[Chickentoast]

Have you NOT been paying attention to what has been happening in this country?

 

[Steve_In_29]

I've been saying we're toast since 2005 when the smartphone went mainstream, but I've also been living in an evil leftist hellhole. My hope was that our country still existed, at least in the historically conservative areas. If essentially all wealth and culture has been captured/stolen/high jacked by leftists, as is portrayed on TV, then i fear you are correct about my goals being mutually exclusive.

I didn't say all the wealth and culture had been captured by the left. What I said was that almost EVERY large city (in every State) has been infected by the left. That those cities attract the left and those that depend on them. Even in TX, all the major cities went for Hilary (2016) and Biteme (2020).

Had Hilary won in 2016, with her amnesty, refugee resettlement and open borders, TX would already have been full on blue by now and America totally lost.

Once the cities are able to out vote the rural areas (as they do in CA, WA, OR, NM, NY) the state is lost. That urban/rural population disparity is why in AZ, where approx 6 million of a 7 million population live in just a few urban areas, we elected two Dem Senators at the national level.

However since the VAST majority of those Dems are concentrated in just a few counties AZ won't be going blue internally for quite some time, if ever. The excess Dem votes don't get to spill over and affect the outcomes of elections in the rest of the state. So until we see millions of Dems moving out to the boonies in AZ we are relatively safe.

 

[Chickentoast]

I didn't say all the wealth and culture had been captured by the left. What I said was that almost EVERY large city (in every State) has been infected by the left. That those cities attract the left and those that depend on them. Even in TX, all the major cities went for Hilary (2016) and Biteme (2020).

Had Hilary won in 2016, with her amnesty, refugee resettlement and open borders, TX would already have been full on blue by now and America totally lost.

Once the cities are able to out vote the rural areas (as they do in CA, WA, OR, NM, NY) the state is lost. That urban/rural population disparity is why in AZ where approx 6 million of a 7 million population live in just a few urban areas, we elected two Dem Senators at the national level.

However since the VAST majority of those Dems are concentrated in just a few counties AZ won't be going blue internally for quite some time, if ever. The excess Dem votes don't get to spill over and affect the outcomes of elections in the rest of the state. So until we see millions of Dems moving out to the boonies in AZ we are relatively safe.

 

[Chickentoast]

^

 

[Steve_In_29]

Agree - what I saw in '05 is still/more valid today, and it is simply a matter of time, if we have already ceded control of both wealth and culture in all of the strategically and socially important urban areas. Only difference is where we call the point of no return on the curve '05, '08, '12, '20, or just go back to Bretton Woods '74, or 1913 for that matter... I'm sure I could be happy isolating, but it's defeatist if I don't at least make the effort to seek out some like minds. If Southlake/Westlake area of DFW blows, I will gladly say you told me so.

I'm hardly "isolated" as there are plenty of people to interact with here. Almost all of which are conservative. We just live on larger portions of land and I just happen to be lucky that my land backs up to thousands of acres of non-developable land.

Southlake and Westlake? Have you looked at satallite views of those locations?? I just did and even if they were the most conservative areas on the planet, there is NO WAY I would live that crammed together. Small lot developments piled on top of each other, needing the freeway to get around with strip malls, chain stores and industry (looks almost exactly like SoCal to me) and traffic must be just as horrendous.

Our late son lived near there in Runaway Bay (a more rural area) for a couple years and was living in Denton (walking distance to his job at Peterbuilt) when he passed.

 

[Chickentoast]

^

 

[Sniperwannabee]

FL is the place for you

 

[JKaiser]

If you are correct, the country is already a dead man walking. The search continues while my hope remains. Will update after DFW trip.

In the N DFW there are tons of horse ranches along the 377 corridor, Aubrey to Whitesboro. There is a sand vein that runs through parts of that area. Most everything else around is going to be blackland. It's nasty stuff when it gets wet and the cracks will swallow a small child in the dry summers. Small horse ranch in the area will run you $1-2 mil +. Pilot Point and Whitesboro are decent sized towns and Frisco/Colony are only about 20-30 min away. Frisco/Colony/ Prosper/ Little Elm has a lot of growth right now. Two major airports within an hour or so. One day they may open Sherman airport, then you'll have one about 30 min away. If you get lucky you might find a place that backs up to Lake Ray Roberts and COE lands. Huge whitetails in that area if you're a hunter, though it's archery only in Grayson County.

In the rural areas you'll still pay out the nose for property taxes, but get nothing for them. Little to no police response, mostly volunteer fire departments, farm to market roads in need of repair.

If that area interest you, PM me and I'll give you the name and cell of a good realtor in that area.

 

[Steve_In_29]

^Add - I think we see it the same, just from different perspectives, and we're each skipping steps in our logic that we individually deem obvious, which may not be obvious to the other.

Such as what? (that's a real question)

I think I have been pretty clear as to my line of reasoning.

The only reason I can see for living near a major urban center would be job related but you said that wasn't the case for you. After all it's why I stayed in CA until I retired, though we were out in the boonies even there.

Making a longer trek to an airport to pick up relatives for the few times a year you host them for the holidays shouldn't be a main concern. Unless a few hour drive would literally kill them that is. Though if that's the case, how did they manage the flight?

 

[Chickentoast]

Such as what? (that's a real question)

I think I have been pretty clear as to my line of reasoning.

The only reason I can see for living near a major urban center would be job related but you said that wasn't the case for you. After all it's why I stayed in CA until I retired, though we were out in the boonies even there.

Making a longer trek to an airport to pick up relatives for the few times a year you host them for the holidays shouldn't be a main concern. Unless a few hour drive would literally kill them that is. Though if that's the case, how did they manage the flight?

I cleaned up my recent posts as we're heading way off track. Happy to discuss over PM if desired. DFW trip end of the month.

 

[Steve_In_29]

I cleaned up my recent posts as we're heading way off track. Happy to discuss over PM if desired. DFW trip end of the month.

I don't see it as off track as you are looking to relocate and the reasoning (your's, mine and others) concerning where to move is a very valid part of the discussion.

But your thread so...PM me with your thoughts on what I asked.

 

[BCP]

The only reason I can see for living near a major urban center would be job related

Health related. Good hospitals etc. Not everyone wants to drive an hour and a half to get to Home Depot or a Theater. Travel a lot so they wanna be <1hr from the airport. Utilities at the curb instead of solar power and a 1.5gpm well that is 600ft deep. Maybe they like having neighborhood BBQs and stuff (of course if you want friendly neighbors Arizona is best avoided lol).

 

[Steve_In_29]

Health related. Good hospitals etc. Not everyone wants to drive an hour and a half to get to Home Depot or a Theater. Travel a lot so they wanna be <1hr from the airport. Utilities at the curb instead of solar power and a 1.5gpm well that is 600ft deep. Maybe they like having neighborhood BBQs and stuff (of course if you want friendly neighbors Arizona is best avoided lol).

I can understand about hospital. The original owner/builder of this house never moved in due to his wife getting sick and needing to remain CLOSE to major medical. Yet even when we lived in 29 Palms we were still an hour plus away from a big hospital and specialists. Heck our daughter lives in North Hollywood and it can still take her an hour to get to a doctor's appointment due to traffic alone. So even after my wife's stroke last year, we made the conscious decision that for better or worse we will live here and deal with any health issues that come up.

It's less than an hour to Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe's, etc for us, over roads that are NOT clogged with traffic. Other than during a trip to Phoenix, I haven't had to deal with traffic slowing me up since we left CA. Besides how often does a person really need to go to those stores? We haven't been to one in several months. When we do go, we plan our trips accordingly to make sure we get what we need. Out here you plan ahead and stock things you might need for repairs, instead of relying on a supply system keeping store shelves stocked, that as we are finding out isn't all that reliable anymore.

For instance the heating elements in our water heater went out two years ago and I simply went to the shed, grabbed them off the shelf and had it back up and running in short order. We are well stocked with tools and keep wood, metal, parts, nails, screws, etc on hand as a matter of course.

We have a large, well stocked pantry and multiple fridge/freezers so don't need to go shopping all that often. And Amazon, Walmart, H-Mart (Korean), etc all do delivery for food.

I have co-op electric and my well (while 590 feet deep) will fill a 5 gal container in less then 30 seconds. The water flow is restricted by the size of the pipe rather than the water availability. We even have cell service and while mail is PO Box only (even if you live in town) FedEx/UPS deliver to properties out here. The UPS guy drives a 5500 4x4 UPS truck. Even in areas without electric power there are still some pretty nice places on solar out here. For instance, my realtor's house is on a solar setup and you can't tell it from city power. Well except for the fact their lights never go out due to storms or damage to power lines. Something that would have come in handy in TX recently. There is also an 8000 sqft place (with a helipad) being built somewhere to the east of me and it is solar only out there.

Not sure what kind of neighbors you have but we get together with ours fairly regularly for food, family events, shooting, etc.. There just aren't a couple hundred neighbors within easy walking distance. And the big advantage of that is...there aren't a couple hundred neighbors within easy walking distance.

Living out here isn't some 1800s roughing it existence (though it can be if you are so inclined) it is simply a slower paced, less crowded lifestyle. Free (for the most part) from the scum that infest the cities and the lefty ideology/dependence cities breed. We never saw a BLM protest or blocked freeway here, unlike what "conservative" TX had. Even in the closest city to us (such as it is) they have to bus in people from Phoenix for a lefty protest. The cops got word there were plans to loot the Trump Store there but after openly armed locals stood guard for several days, that plan never came to fruition (I wonder why?).

 

[Stevo86]

I’m about to do this in dfw.

There popping up all over north of you.

 

[TxWelder35]

There popping up all over north of you.

Yep, I’m gonna try and hop on that money train. Drove around for 4 hours the other day scouting out and every single one was plumb full.

 

[Stevo86]

Yep, I’m gonna try and hop on that money train. Drove around for 4 hours the other day scouting out and every single one was plumb full.

These are filled up as soon as they open. Crazy