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The best kept secret is in Texas! - 7/12/2008
New Braunfels, Texas
Having relocated my family here from Los Angeles two years ago after retiring from military service, the small German-ish town has much to offer and continues to grow everyday. With one of the U.S. famed water-amusement parks, being situated along two rivers, and scenic hill-valley views, it's the ideal place to live, work and play.
Currently, 3 new shopping centers are near completion with established outlet malls just 10 miles away from the town's center. New Braunels is also ideally located between Austin (Texas capital) and San Antonio, with excursion to Dallas and Houston within a few hours drive. So there are always places to explore over long weekends, or any weekend.
For housing, rent is very reasonable and buying is practically a steal. Half of my neighborhood are ex-Californians, who beat the hosuing market slump. There are plenty of good builders in the area, to include KB Homes, Ryland Homes, Ryan Homes, and Pulte. New builders, such as Armadillo, Devonworth, and Fieldstone offers 3200-4000 sq ft homes with half-acre to full acreage($160k-$260k). We settled on a six bedroom optional (3400 sf), which was 2 bedrooms and 1/4 acre more than we would have gotten in Atlanta. And for $40k less.
Education: State of the art throughout for K-12 in New Braunfels and Comal/Guadulupe Counties. Top notch colleges and universities are within easy commute distance making College Station obsolete these days. Texas A&M newest campus southwest of San Antonio is set for 2009-2010 inaugural. Other campuses include University of Texas-San Antonio, University of Texas-Austin, Texas State University, Texas Luthern University, Trinity University, St. Mary University, University of the Incarnate Word, Our Lady of the Lake Unievrsity and Wayland Baptist University, along with several vocational and technical schools- all within and around San Anotnio.
Job Market: High tech and medical driven. With one of the largest medical research in the U.S., there are shortages within both professions. Microsoft and Toyota just unveiled their newest facilities last year. The only down fall is that the ATT headquarter left for Dallas, leaving several lower level divisions in San Antonio. But, San Antonio got the nod for the newest addition to the Brooke Army Medical Center, which will supercede Walter-Reed as the military's primary medical facility. The super -high tech facility will be the centerpiece for providing treatment and rehabitation to wounded service-members returning home. So, to all you therapists out there, here's your calling card.
As New Braunfels continues it's 10% yearly growth, it will require a public transit system to handle the influx of residents moving to the quaint little town. Population went from 36,000 in 2000 to roughly, 65,000 as of May 2008. However, traffic is nothing like I dealt with in L.A. My 35 miles drive to work in L.A. along the dreaded 110 freeway averaged 2.5 hours, if I did not leave before 6 a.m. or leave work by 3 p.m. My 35 miles to work in San Antonio averages 30-45 minutes during the rush hours (7-8:30am and 4-6pm). I feel less stress going and coming from work these days.
What New Braunfels offered that I did not get from alot of the places I visited when I began my search for a new home was the open and friendly interaction with people. I look forward to going to the little fiestas and festivals, that seem to occur at a whim notice. They throw Madri Gras type parties just for the fun of it. It was way better than some of the Hollywood and Vegas celebrity parties I've attended. I finally found a place I call HOME!!
If you get a chance, come visit beautiful New Braunfels!! I think we got cheated in the Money magazine's "Best Place to Live" 2005 article. They chose Schertz, Texas as the best place, but don't they have "Schlitterbahn". New Braunfels does.
Trust me, it worth a look see!
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