I've lived in CT my whole life and I've been fed up with the weather and cost of living for years, but now I'm fed up with the politics too.

Texas is on my short list for sure. I want to live in a state that's still free, where the values and common sense that this country was founded on still rings true. I need warmer weather, shorter winters, and no snow. I need taxes that don't equal the price of a second mortgage. I need a place where i can enjoy the two things I enjoy most: Guns and Motorcycles. I think Texas might fit the bill, and I'm ready to go soon.

I'll be selling my house here in CT and using the equity to buy/build. Decent acreage (enough to shoot on my own land) is preferred. I'd appreciate any input, good and bad, as well as suggestions on where to look and where to avoid. My criteria are as follows:

• Bike friendly
• Gun friendly
• No snowfall
• Open space preferred
• A little green in the landscape preferred
• Within 30min of a decent city

I'm also 31 and in the medical field... Wouldn't want to really commute more than 30 min each way every day, but still want some privacy of country living. So let's hear it... Where should I look???

 

Sounds like Texas is a perfect fit for you. I'd look at the area around San Antonio. Boerne, New Braunfels (Comal county). Both within 30 minutes of the San Antonio medical area, no snow, acreage available (need 10 acres to shoot). No state taxes, excellent area for riding, like I said, sounds like a perfect fit.

 

Bike Friendly - everywhere except downtown Dallas and Houston
Gun Friendly - entire state
No snowfall - pretty rare except the panhandle
Open Space - gets somewhat expensive the closer you are to a big city, especially Austin.
A little green in the landscape - dont stray too far west of highway 35
Within 30 miles of a decent city - Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth

 

I live about 20 miles north of austin. I ride year round. The motorcycling community here is great. Very few places are biker unfriendly. There are some great roads within 15-20 minutes and awesome roads within 45 minutes to an hour.

I can count on one hand how many days this year we had temperatures below freezing. Austin area rarely gets snow or ice and when it does occur it lasts 12 hours tops before its 50 degrees and gone. Mild winters but we pay for it in the summer. It's not uncommon to have 30+ days over 100.

Austin/Texas just funded a medical school here to be run by t.u. I think. Austin has spent a lot of time, money and effort building up the medical field as well as drawing in biomedical companies.

If you enjoy live music it's a great place to be. I have had the opportunity to see some bigger names in smaller venues. It's great to go to a show here because you never know who might show up to play along with the musician you went to see.

Only thing to keep in mind about austin is there are a lot of granolas, hipsters, and liberals in the city. Nothing against granolas, hipsters or liberals... I am just not one.

 

texas law requires a minimum of 10 acres to shoot a weapon...however, many rural subdivisions that offer larger tracts have deed restrictions that do not allow hunting or shooting of any type. be sure and look closely at the deed restrictions before plunking down your hard earned money. devine, hondo, and castroville are all in medina county and just southwest of san antonio. might give them a look.

 

Thanks guys for all the replies so far.

I've heard from others (on the gun boards) that Austin is a liberal center, which is what I'm trying to get away from. The acreage info is very helpful, as I'd definitely want to be able to shoot on my land of I go that route.

Keep em coming!

 

Also one thing to consider- real estate taxes around Austin are ridiculous.

 

How ridiculous? I live in CT right now. I pay $6000/yr for my 3br on less than an acre, plus $1000 for my car and bike. How does that compare?

 

property taxes are not that high...remember there is no state income tax. if you buy 10 or more acres in the country, you can easily qualify for an agricultural/livestock/wildlife exemption. most rural acreage is taxed as unimproved property.

 

do a search on the hill country...some of the best riding around and a country feel while still being close to the major cities. Fredricksburg, Bourne, Johnson city, Wimberly, just to name a few.

Property taxes are higher here percentage wise but you can still buy property out here relatively cheep. That with the fact that there are no state taxes, it all balances out....here is one thing most don't know...Texas is on it's own power grids and are not hooked into the same system as the rest of the USA.
Shhhhhh!