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Amarillo, Texas


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Okay, I admit I've been looking for months. My first Zillow save was early November.

 

According to Hubby, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Cold, High Property Taxes are out.

 

Home prices in AZ and UT are higher than the states with "outs." Utah has so few houses for sale. Arizona is so blue.

 

I've just discovered that TX doesn't have higher property taxes than we do in CA.  Duh, I apologize for not looking at that before denigrating TX the Waco thread.

 

I've Googled Amarillo and find it to be on the top of the Texas list.

 

Thoughts?

 

Who would be my neighbors?

 

Would I be welcome at the close-by SASS clubs?

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The Texas Panhandle is tornado country.  It is also hail country.  The new car dealers keep their inventory under roofs.  There are frequent ice/snow storms in the winter though transportation isn't affected for too many days.  The Panhandle is flat!  It is part of the Llano Estacado - an enormous table land.  To see real mountains you need to travel a few hundred miles west into New Mexico.  I've always found people in Amarillo friendly.  I have not shot at SASS Clubs in the Panhandle.

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29 minutes ago, Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 said:

Okay, I admit I've been looking for months. My first Zillow save was early November.

 

According to Hubby, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Cold, High Property Taxes are out.

 

Home prices in AZ and UT are higher than the states with "outs." Utah has so few houses for sale. Arizona is so blue.

 

I've just discovered that TX doesn't have higher property taxes than we do in CA.  Duh, I apologize for not looking at that before denigrating TX the Waco thread.

 

I've Googled Amarillo and find it to be on the top of the Texas list.

 

Thoughts?

 

Who would be my neighbors?

 

Would I be welcome at the close-by SASS clubs?

2 great clubs that I know of.

Howling Wolf and Ivy just built a great range and new club in Pampa...about an hour drive for either club.

It is a busy place...gotta realize where your house is located to the proximity of the feed lots!

There was a pretty 'big' issue with Simallian Refugees...wich we never heard about ubtill we were there for a few days at the hospital with family emergency.

Heard a lot of things, as there was a group of the refugees in an accident that time as well, and the police had to control the crowds of them converging on the hospital...it was eye opening.

At that..,my HS friend is a Pastor there and loves it.

 

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The Gulf Coast has hurricanes, humidity and mosquitos--but it's still Texas

 

my brother moved to Hill Country.  Much nicer though Austin is about as 'blue' as any west or east coast town

 

Texas is a big place--there'll be somewhere perfect for you and you'll be welcome at each and every club you visit.

 

Plan a few visits to get the lay of the land

 

we'd be right proud to have you and yours among us

 

 

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Allie

Any place you pick in Texas will welcome you and we have SASS clubs all over the state.  There are lots of different Eco systems in this large state.  Higher humidity in the south, deserts in the west, large trees in the east and southeast, flat plains in the panhandle, the hill country has rolling hills.  You need to determine if you want to live out in the country away from large cities, out in the country within easy driving to a large city or small town, or in a large city or small town.  The coast has to deal with hurricanes sometimes, the panhandle deals with snow, closer to Oklahoma deals with tornados, northcentral can have hail storms.  Think about what type of area you want to live and then start looking at those areas.

Scout 

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My only experience with Amarillo is either through the George Strait song or passing through myself.

 

People there all seem friendly, good restaurants and easy to get around.

 

My dos centavos.

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Have worked and passed thru that area many times. Winters are not fun, can get pretty cold, snowy and icy. Summers can get hot. Windy year around. Cattle feed lots give the area a interesting aroma. Would not be real high on my list of places to move too. I’d recommend farther east or SE if wanting to stay in TX. Lived in ETX for 8 yrs. More humid that CA, but you’ll have that anywhere in the south
Just my 2 cents. 

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7 minutes ago, Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L said:

Allie

1.Any place you pick in Texas will welcome you and we have SASS clubs all over the state. 

2.There are lots of different Eco systems in this large state.  Higher humidity in the south, deserts in the west, large trees in the east and southeast, flat plains in the panhandle, the hill country has rolling hills. 

3.You need to determine if you want to live out in the country away from large cities, out in the country within easy driving to a large city or small town, or in a large city or small town. 

4.The coast has to deal with hurricanes sometimes, the panhandle deals with snow, closer to Oklahoma deals with tornados, northcentral can have hail storms.  Think about what type of area you want to live and then start looking at those areas.

Scout 

  1. Thank you BD Brother.
  2. HMMM. Like trees (can you think of a treed area w/o tornadoes). No likey deserts, wind or humidity.
  3. For the last few (12) years, we've lived in the boonies. As long as it is within 20 minutes to a hospital (Hubby is accident prone) or an hour to a decent restaurant/market, I'm happy.
  4. No to hurricanes and tornadoes. That is my biggest worry.

 

:wub: ya bro!

 

PS IMO. If anything keeps us in CA if will be the weather.

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9 minutes ago, Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 said:
  1. Thank you BD Brother.
  2. HMMM. Like trees (can you think of a treed area w/o tornadoes). No likey deserts, wind or humidity.
  3. For the last few (12) years, we've lived in the boonies. As long as it is within 20 minutes to a hospital (Hubby is accident prone) or an hour to a decent restaurant/market, I'm happy.
  4. No to hurricanes and tornadoes. That is my biggest worry.

 

:wub: ya bro!

 

PS IMO. If anything keeps us in CA if will be the weather.

Look at the weatherford area just west of ft worth. Abiline has good hospital but closer to desert area

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Per Google, re Weatherford, TX, : "The city has experienced 205 tornadoes since 1950. Weatherford is at high risk for tornado activity, with an average of 3 tornadoes per year, typically resulting in no fatalities. Weatherford is known as the “Peach Capital of Texas”."

 

Oh my, I'd prefer no tornadoes. My family comes from So. Illinois. and tornadoes have been a problem there. 

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Okay...Amarillo is a big town, and spread out. It is out on the bald prairie, of the panhandle, and is windy. It is as cold as an anvil in the Klondike, in the winter, and gets snow, sleet, and ice, most winters. The cold wind will cut through you like a knife through hot butter. We call them "blue northers". When no place else in Texas is snowing, it will be snowing in Amarillo. There is nothing but a barbed-wire fence between Amarillo, and the north pole...and even at that, someone left the gate down. 

In some places out there, it is so flat, that you can get up on the top of your pick-up, and stare at the horizon, and see the back of your own head!!!

it is so flat in places, that it would make the surface of a pool table look like western Colorado. 

My ancestors came to Texas in the 1840's, and I have been all over the State, travelling, or working. Having said that, I would consider a lot of places down here, before I would consider Amarillo. You have East Texas, where the thick piney woods are. You have northeast Texas, which is sorta like living in Arkansas, but without the state income tax, that Arkansas has. You have central Texas, around Waco, Temple. Pretty flat, but some hills. You have the hill country, west of Austin...and Kerrville, and Fredericksburg, are known for arts & crafts, and shopping, and such. You have miles of coast line, and Corpus Christi is really a great place to be. West Texas is flatter than Amarillo, and as bleak as the surface of the moon. A lot of that area, the soil is so poor, you could not raise a grass burr on it. But you have a few canyons, and such our there. Alpine is a small town, but has a 4 year university, and is not a bad place to live...but there are not what you would call trees out there....unless you consider a cactus a tree.  

Pretty much no matter where you go, there is the heat of summer. Our winter, spring, and fall, are short....sometimes only a couple of weeks long.

On the plus side, Amarillo has friendly people. Canyon is a town south of there, and is the sort of entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It has the Panhandle Plains Museum there. The people are a lot more friendly, and down to earth, out there, than those in say, Dallas. If I was to consider moving to the Amarillo area, I would rather live in Canyon. It is a smaller city than Amarillo, about 15,000. 

I know you will, and are doing this, but do some on-line searches, and check out different places. Just stay away from the big cities, where most of the fruitcakes reside....Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and especially Austin. Small little blue areas, in an ocean of red!!! 

I am from Nacogdoches, and that is billed as the oldest town in Texas. It is small enough, but does have a university there, and between it, and Lufkin, to the south, there is plenty of shopping, and 100 foot tall pine trees. Also Tyler...big enough, but not too big, also in the piney woods. Check that out as well.

Most everywhere has bar-b-que, cold beer (or root beer) (ice tea is the most popular choice, and is served year around here), and boot scootin'. Lots of Cowboy Churches, too. And....the Tex-Mex food is legendary.  Thankfully we have a good size population of Hispanic heritage folks here, that have recipes handed down from their ancestors. My step-daughter is Hispanic. We have a large German heritage population, as well, and a large Irish population too. My spouse is as Irish as Paddy's pig. When I lived in Taylor, there was a huge cemetery, behind our house, and all the headstones were written in German! 

   

My Two Bits.

W.K.  

   

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Well, you want a place that is not too big, but not so small that the city limits signs are on just one pole. You want some place that has something to do, places to eat, places to shop, but you can be out in a rural area, in just a few minutes. You want a place that has good medical facilities. You want a place that is rural, without being so far out in the wilderness that they have to pump daylight in. I would think no one wants to live in a place that is flatter than a piece of paper, with shrubs, but no trees. Rolling hills are nice. Trees are nice. A lake fairly close, is nice. Not a ton of traffic is nice.

I would favor a place like Athens, Texas. Not deep in the piney woods, but it has trees, and a lake, and is big enough to enjoy, but not too big. It is fairly close to Tyler, for more restaurants, and shopping. Or...Canton. No city taxes in Canton. It is the county seat, and is right on the interstate, so you can head toward Dallas to the west, or Tyler, to the east. You have "first Monday trade days" once a month, where thousands of people descend on Canton for the State's biggest flea market...yet the rest of the month, it is a small town, and a relaxed atmosphere. Or...as I said before, Fredericksburg...shopping, artsy/craftsy, the Nimitz museum is there, as well as a ton of downtown specialty shops. Kerrville is near by, the home of the Cowboy Artists Association, and art museum, and the art work that those that are good enough western artists, are asked to join. If you see any western art that has a "CA" after the artists name, that means he/she is an artist with the Cowboy Artists Association. 

There's Crawford, sort of southwest of Waco, which is where former President Bush has his ranch. A small town, but close enough to Waco to go eat, and shop, and go to the Baylor University football games. There's Jefferson, in northeast Texas. A place that time forgot. A small town, that was once a boom town in the 1800's, but the millionaire, Jay Gould, got ticked at Jefferson, and pulled the railroad out, hoping it would kill the town. It did not. Lots of old "gingerbread" homes there, and a country atmosphere, with plenty of tourists, each year, to keep things interesting. Corpus Christi, in south Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico. Descent size city, but vibrant. Not much snow ever makes it down that far. Great beaches, and lots to do. "Snowbirds" go there, from up north, to winter there (we call them "Snowbirds"...annual tourists from up north). 

Yes,...it can be confusing. Lots of different climates, and topography, and weather. Prairie...piney woods...hill country...mountains...beaches...deep woods of the Big Thicket, in south east Texas. Lots of choices. Some are butt-ugly...some are okay....some are nice....like most anything else. Good and bad, better or best. Just gotta look, and weigh what you area you prefer to be living in. Best to visit the areas you are interested in, first, before making the jump. As they say..."look, before you leap".  

 

W.K.   

      

 

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4 hours ago, Arkansas Jim 107095 said:

Have worked and passed thru that area many times. Winters are not fun, can get pretty cold, snowy and icy. Summers can get hot. Windy year around. Cattle feed lots give the area a interesting aroma. Would not be real high on my list of places to move too. I’d recommend farther east or SE if wanting to stay in TX. Lived in ETX for 8 yrs. More humid that CA, but you’ll have that anywhere in the south
Just my 2 cents. 

Okay...feed lots in Amarillo...

So, Hubby and I are headed overnight to Broken Arrow, OK to pick up pews donated to the CMC....

We are in our old Ford, without air...

Around 6pm...the rain started...just outside the Tx border...

It was hot and muggy in that truck, I tell ya!

Just as we are coming into Amarillo...the rain stopoed, so down came the windows...right at the fence of the feed lot...and it was FULL...

Wet, steamy and STINKY!!!

I couldn't roll up the window as it was too muggy in the truck...but I couldn't handle that smell of 'money'!!!

I reached in my purse, grabbed my bottle of peppermint oil...

Put a dot under each nostril, cupped my hands over and breathed in.

Then I took that second breath...and OH.MY.WORD. !!!

Hubby asked what was wrong...

I told him "Now I've made it worse!!! It smells like I'm in a hot porta potty!!!"

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8 hours ago, Waxahachie Kid #17017 L said:

Well, you want a place that is not too big, but not so small that the city limits signs are on just one pole. You want some place that has something to do, places to eat, places to shop, but you can be out in a rural area, in just a few minutes. You want a place that has good medical facilities. You want a place that is rural, without being so far out in the wilderness that they have to pump daylight in. I would think no one wants to live in a place that is flatter than a piece of paper, with shrubs, but no trees. Rolling hills are nice. Trees are nice. A lake fairly close, is nice. Not a ton of traffic is nice.

I would favor a place like Athens, Texas. Not deep in the piney woods, but it has trees, and a lake, and is big enough to enjoy, but not too big. It is fairly close to Tyler, for more restaurants, and shopping. Or...Canton. No city taxes in Canton. It is the county seat, and is right on the interstate, so you can head toward Dallas to the west, or Tyler, to the east. You have "first Monday trade days" once a month, where thousands of people descend on Canton for the State's biggest flea market...yet the rest of the month, it is a small town, and a relaxed atmosphere. Or...as I said before, Fredericksburg...shopping, artsy/craftsy, the Nimitz museum is there, as well as a ton of downtown specialty shops. Kerrville is near by, the home of the Cowboy Artists Association, and art museum, and the art work that those that are good enough western artists, are asked to join. If you see any western art that has a "CA" after the artists name, that means he/she is an artist with the Cowboy Artists Association. 

There's Crawford, sort of southwest of Waco, which is where former President Bush has his ranch. A small town, but close enough to Waco to go eat, and shop, and go to the Baylor University football games. There's Jefferson, in northeast Texas. A place that time forgot. A small town, that was once a boom town in the 1800's, but the millionaire, Jay Gould, got ticked at Jefferson, and pulled the railroad out, hoping it would kill the town. It did not. Lots of old "gingerbread" homes there, and a country atmosphere, with plenty of tourists, each year, to keep things interesting. Corpus Christi, in south Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico. Descent size city, but vibrant. Not much snow ever makes it down that far. Great beaches, and lots to do. "Snowbirds" go there, from up north, to winter there (we call them "Snowbirds"...annual tourists from up north). 

Yes,...it can be confusing. Lots of different climates, and topography, and weather. Prairie...piney woods...hill country...mountains...beaches...deep woods of the Big Thicket, in south east Texas. Lots of choices. Some are butt-ugly...some are okay....some are nice....like most anything else. Good and bad, better or best. Just gotta look, and weigh what you area you prefer to be living in. Best to visit the areas you are interested in, first, before making the jump. As they say..."look, before you leap".  

 

W.K.   

      

 

 

Excellent write up! 

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I lived in Amarillo for 28 years.  

The wind blows.  Average wind speed is about 14 MPH. In the spring it blows MUCH faster.

The sun shines all the time!

three tornados hit within the city limits while I lived there,, but there were many times they were active around us.

There is a lot of hail.  Prepare to call your car or truck "Dimples" and live with the look.

It is cold in the winter.  Most winters have several snow storms, occasionally ice storms.  It will be melted off the roads in two days or less. Usually less.

It gets hot in late March or early April.  It gets hotter in the summer.  It starts to get cool in October. There is no shade, no trees  unless you want to plant one. 

Most people do.  I planted a maple seedling in my front yard in 1990, it is now 25' high and still looked healthy last year.  I never watered the darn thing, just told it to take root or die.

There are cottonwoods along river courses in the canyons and Siberian Pselms that have been planted by ranchers.

Lack of water is a problem, and I expect it to get worse.  They are in a drought cycle right now.  Average annual rainfall was about 17" per year when I was there.

Property taxes are high, so is sales tax (around 10%) but other taxes are low.

There are a lot of very nice people there.

All in all I liked my time there, and miss it enough to visit every year.  I even consider moving back from time to time. 

 I now live in Tennessee, with Mountains, Trees, and Water.

Waxahachie Kid is right on in his description of the place.

 

Duffield

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10 hours ago, Waxahachie Kid #17017 L said:

Alpine is a small town, but has a 4 year university, and is not a bad place to live...but there are not what you would call trees out there....unless you consider a cactus a tree.  

We visited the Big Bend National Park area a few years ago. Went through Marfa, Alpine, and Marathon. Beautiful area! I could seriously consider living in Alpine. But as was said, cactus has to count as your tree.

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About the tax issue: Texas does have some of the highest property tax rates in the country. Travis county with (county tax, city of Austin tax, Austin school district tax, community college tax, hospital and ems tax, and all the other add on taxes runs right now $2.25 per hundred on tax value)  is 69th highest of all counties in USA compare that to Ventura county at 123rd and Santa Barbara at 170th and Los Angeles county at 160th highest . Modoc County in California is 1552nd of all counties in USA.  Of course counties that are swallowed by cities are going to be the highest tax rates and rural counties will be lowest.  What makes the huge difference between many California counties and Texas is the property tax valuation.  Texas properties used to be pretty low tax valuation but not so much any more.

Amarillo is flat. It is high plains and as mentioned before it goes north to the pole.  FLAT- as in Coronado wrote that his Indian guides would shoot an arrow and lead them to it so as to not get disoriented and travel in a circle. WIth modern roads it is not that bad.  Windy as in I used to fly in there a lot for work and it was 78 in Austin with a light breeze, get off plane in Amarillo and meet 40 mph north wind and 15 degree temp..  Lucky for me I used to work ranch work and have a cowhide duster that weighs about 25 lbs is full length to floor 18 inch flip up collar and leg ties to keep it from blowing open. People who were not used to 'rillo would watch me put that on as they were getting their stuff out of the overhead and joke till they left the plane and had to walk to car rental pickup lot.

Trees - I saw a couple there once, but the next time I was in town they had blown south into the next county. Did I mention it is flat there?  Amarillo is not a bad place to live though. Just not something familiar to what you are used to. Now someone from Eastern Wyoming would think Amarillo a heaven.

Great places to eat steak. AMAZING night skies for star gazing, meteorite watching.  Nothing quite like watching a blue norther roll in in August at 40mph with lightning and the thunderclouds building to 50 thousand feet. OK there are tornadoes in spring but it isnt like you cant see them coming. Also because of the geography they are generally small 2's and only 200 yards wide with a couple mile run and only 5 or 6 a year in area.  No hurricanes and dont worry about tsunamis.

Water well and Windmill on the Texas Plains A windmill pumps water from a well in the Texas Panhandle plains amarillo texas stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

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We travelled through Amarillo on the move here 15 years ago? I thought it looked nice. Had a good steak.

Then I went through last March and again in. July going to and from NC. 
It’s much too big a town for us to live in now. And, as previously mentioned, flat. The big storms that roll through southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico really build up a head of steam on that flat expanse approaching the panhandle.

 

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16 hours ago, Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 said:

Okay, I admit I've been looking for months. My first Zillow save was early November.

 

According to Hubby, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Cold, High Property Taxes are out.

 

Home prices in AZ and UT are higher than the states with "outs." Utah has so few houses for sale. Arizona is so blue.

 

I've just discovered that TX doesn't have higher property taxes than we do in CA.  Duh, I apologize for not looking at that before denigrating TX the Waco thread.

 

I've Googled Amarillo and find it to be on the top of the Texas list.

 

Thoughts?

 

Who would be my neighbors?

 

Would I be welcome at the close-by SASS clubs?

Allie Mo,

Are y'all retiring? Need medical care on a regular basis?

These are the two issues that might compete in establishing your Texas home.

 

Waxahachie Kid has done a great job of putting some of the awesome places that are available in the great state of Texas.. truly the best place to live in all of the world.

 

West of Austin is beautiful and expensive. It will put you where there are very good, established CAS clubs. East of Dallas does the same, with less expense, and a different beauty. Keep asking questions and the good folks will help you find the perfect place to settle down. 

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My final advice is make a trip to Midland/Odessa area.  I grew up in some pretty nasty weather (sandstorms, blue norther duststorms, tornadoes, and plain cold) just a 120 miles north and we considered Odessa to be the armpit (being nice here) of Texas.  Many still think it still is.  So take a trip there and anywhere else in the state will seem like paradise except for Wichita Falls in august.   Tends to be extremely hot and unseemingly humid at times.  

 

Again, check out Granbury and San Angelo....maybe Glen Rose, Cleburne, Hamilton, or Lampassass for that small town flavor.

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Allie, check with Evil Roy, he moved to central TX from Durango, CO a few years ago and seems really happy.  If looking in the East contact Billy Boots. There re plenty of places in TX that are pretty nice. Unfortunately the state politics due to the big cities are turning a bit liberal. Good luck.

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Youse guys are pushing one of my buttons.  I hear people from California worrying about tornados.  A couple of years ago I got on a weather statistics channel and found that in the previous year Missouri had 17 more tornados than California and no earthquakes.

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2 minutes ago, Noz said:

Youse guys are pushing one of my buttons.  I hear people from California worrying about tornados.  A couple of years ago I got on a weather statistics channel and found that in the previous year Missouri had 17 more tornados than California and no earthquakes.

The Panhandle also lacks forest fires.  Living in an unforested location I note that electric power is more reliable than when I've lived in forested areas of the east and west coasts.  Without trees and tree limbs falling on power lines grids are more reliable.

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Hey, we haven't had a tornado yet this year!

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Amarillo has excellent medical care, far better than some places I  have lived.

No forest fires, but some serious grass fires.  Electrical power and natural gas are reliable and relatively economical.

 Amarillo Cameras | News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KVII (abc7amarillo.com)

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there is no shangri la , every area has its drawbacks and its assets , most of us sorta settle where family is , the rest pick a place and make it home suffer the bad days and enjoy the good , specially in retirement 

that said i agree - look for low taxes , look for low crime , look for decent weather most of the year and look for a good venue for your extra curricular[full time] activities , 

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Well let's see.  The Badland Bar 3 ranch is out near English Texas.....lots of cowboy shoots out ta Tbone Dooley's range.

 

I lived in Cleburne (just south of Fort Worth) for 10 years before moving to Georgia and I really liked that area.  Just far enough out of the Metroplex to not be in all of the traffic but close enough if you need to go to Dallas or Fort Worth.  Plenty of shoots around that area as well.  Lots of good medical facilities in that area as well.  I really liked living in Texas but my sons have taken wives and given us 4 grandsons and they are all settled in Georgia so we will stay here.

 

Oh, Georgia is a pretty nice place too.  We shoot year round and we shoot 4 Saturdays every month.  Every match is within an hour and a half drive from my place.  I'm about 45 miles from Atlanta, far enough to be out of the big city but close enough to drive there if I need to.

 

Have fun Miss Allie Meaux!

 

Kajun

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