Something's are better, like the downtown bar scene. Most are not, like the trash/cheap homes going in out 725 and 46 towards clear springs.

Quote:

---

I grew up with kids from Wimberley in the 1980s. Most of them hate what Wimberley has become.

Irony is that most of those families moved there from Houston in the 1970s. Before that it was just a village of cedar choppers.

---

That's funny. I vaguely remember during the peak of Houston white flight my parents had friends from church moving out to the promised land of Wimberley. I guess the position between SA and Austin made it a target.

Stockholm Syndrome said:

---

Welp I'm in Lufkin so I guess I'll just go with that. Worse places to be than a forest.

---

OregonAggie said:

---

murphyag said:

---

This thread is of interest as I'm already starting to research areas of Texas for retirement. The size town OP asks about is the type of town I'm looking at for retirement living.

What do you guys think of the Palestine area? Or Abilene area and surrounding smaller towns? Or Sherman/Denison (near Lake Texoma)?

I'm leaning toward somewhere in or near BCS or Tyler. What are your thoughts on Tyler and surrounding smaller towns?

Looking for decent shopping, easy access to hospitals for old folk issues that arise, college or university nearby for continuing ed classes, sporting events, etc.

---

Dripping Springs/Wimberly probably meets your requirements. Close enough to Austin for healthcare and small towns, although they're both growing. Dripping especially.

Bulverde/Spring Branch is kinda cool too. Close enough to SA but you'd live in a smaller town.

I worked in East Texas for a few years and the Tyler area is nice. Henderson is a nice little town that's 25 min from Tyler. Tyler has everything you need short of sporting events. Nacogdoches isn't too far from Henderson and you could definitely see some college sports events there.

Palestine is kinda run down to me. Jacksonville wouldn't be as bad since it's closer to tyler.

As I previously said in this thread, I really like the Lufkin/Nac area although shopping options aren't plentiful there.

---

if you live in Lufkin, just shop in Houston. only 1.5 hours away.

SmilingBob said:

---

If you had the option to live in any city in Texas with a population of 30-40,000, what would be your choice?

---

Using this criteria, here are the choices:

Farmers Branch
39,806
Hurst
39,618
Lancaster
39,147
Rosenberg
38,987
Duncanville
38,961
Texarkana
38,179
San Juan
37,137
Waxahachie
36,545
Del Rio
35,994
Lufkin
35,979
La Porte
35,046
Nacogdoches
34,056
Deer Park
33,824
Socorro
33,537
Southlake
33,117
Copperas Cove
32,388
Weatherford
31,821
Harker Heights
31,023
Cleburne
31,021
Cibolo
30,321
Seguin
30,122



I'd pick Weatherford. I lived there for 19 years (well, not technically in the city limits, but I had a Weatherford address).

If life hadn't changed a bunch of stuff, I'd still live there. Well, until my retirement.

The Fife said:

---

Ragoo said:

---

Back to new braunfels but the population is easily 3x OPs range.

---

New Braunfels around 1990 was nice. Short lines at Schlitterbahn and free admission if you knew somebody who worked there too.

---

New Braunfels 1980 was better. No Schlitterbahn. The chute, Warnecke, Landa Park, Heidelberg Lodges, and the Crystal Chandelier.

JMac07 said:

---

Well I grew up in the Nederland/Port Neches area so there is always that. But I like BCS just fine. Not sure I would want to go back that small again. (Although where I pointed out it's a bunch of cities together so it doesn't feel that small).

---

Nederland and Port Neches are both smack dab in the middle of chemical smog. You are easy to please!

BRENHAM BY MORNING!!!

BlueDeviledAg said:

---

JMac07 said:

---

Well I grew up in the Nederland/Port Neches area so there is always that. But I like BCS just fine. Not sure I would want to go back that small again. (Although where I pointed out it's a bunch of cities together so it doesn't feel that small).

---

Nederland and Port Neches are both smack dab in the middle of chemical smog. You are easy to please!

---

Lol. It is that. But I haven't been a ton of places in TX outside of the DFW/Austin/Houston/Beaumont/Lufkin circle. Never been to West TX, and only North and South once.

I am a native East Texan, Tyler was our "big city." I enjoy going back home to see the parents and family, beautiful area of Texas with the piney woods. Living in any of the surrounding towns around Tyler or Longview would be nice, especially with some of the land options you would have available. Plus, you can gamble with all the old people and rednecks on the "boats" in Shreveport for good people watching, or head to Dallas for big stuff.

Far smaller than your target pop but I like Fort Davis. Kerrville would fit the bill.

Don Cherry said:

---

BRENHAM BY MORNING!!!

---

Alpine

edit: Alpine is my answer to the literal question.

For cities with population of 30,000-40,000... no thanks. When I downsize, I'm planning on downsizing. Some of those cities listed above are just fringe cities connected to bigger metropolitan areas.

Stockholm Syndrome said:

---

Welp I'm in Lufkin so I guess I'll just go with that. Worse places to be than a forest.

---

I work in Lufkin at least once a month, so I understand

PrincessButtercup said:

---

Don Cherry said:

---

BRENHAM BY MORNING!!!

---

---

Pre Katrina Brenham was very good, and it's still better than most smaller towns IMO.
Sadly, it's not the quiet sleepy town it used to be.

zephyr88 said:

---

Alpine

edit: Alpine is my answer to the literal question.

For cities with population of 30,000-40,000... no thanks. When I downsize, I'm planning on downsizing. Some of those cities listed above are just fringe cities connected to bigger metropolitan areas.

---

This

I mean Tomball is only 10k people, far less than proposed, yet I felt like I was living with a few hundred thousand people out there.

I live in a town of 60-70k now, yet it feels much smaller than Tomball did because it's more isolated from the metro.

Presidio

Some of you people just can't follow directions,

I gave you the list of places to choose from!

Coppell

Husky Boy Jr. said:

---

Alpine/Marfa

---

Way less than 30,000.

Burdizzo said:

---

Presidio

---

Hahahaha

But Fort Leaton would make an awesome house.

Big Spring. The unlimited meth would help me forget I'm living in big spring.

Victoria ain't a bad place to live.

Beer Baron said:

---

Big Spring. The unlimited meth would help me forget I'm living in big spring.

---

I had to go there for work a few weeks ago...I'm pretty sure you're right about that place.

Burdizzo said:

---

Ragoo said:

---

Look at wimberly

---

I grew up with kids from Wimberley in the 1980s. Most of them hate what Wimberley has become.

Irony is that most of those families moved there from Houston in the 1970s. Before that it was just a village of cedar choppers.

---

This. I haven't been back to Wimberly in 15 years or so. I'm not really sure I want to see what the place has become. Even in the mid-'90s it was turning into the place where weirdos from Austin would move because they thought they were allergic to mail or ordinary stuff inside everyone's house. Never mind the part where they're surrounded by damn cedar trees for miles in any direction!

I didn't hear cedar chopper, it was always cedar whacker where I lived.

Man I miss going to Warnecke every summer as a kid. I hate toobing by it on the Comal now.

Bastrop isn't bad. It's not quite 30K but closing in.

Duncanville or Lancaster by a large margin.