Work in Stephenville, where to live? (Dallas, Fort Worth: appointed, rental, hotel)

[ThaBigCheese]

Hello forum!

Ok, I'm doing some exploratory work before I even decide to move forward with a company in Stephenville. I do move quite a bit for work so I rent property until I decide I want to settle down with my family. My wife works from home but needs access to shopping centers, my daughters are 14 and 11 and I need access to competitive soccer and competitive gymnastics. I typically commute an hour each way to work in order to live in nice safe communities for my family, a commute is not a problem. I just throw on my books on tape and get going. I rent a 4-5 bedroom home and am looking to keep my rent under $2500 but will pay a little more if I really like it (like I do now). I currently live in the Seattle metro area and it's spendy. I've lived in the League City/Kemah TX area for 4 years and loved it and miss it, I also lived in Portland OR/Vancouver WA and grew up in New Jersey.

I think that's about the gist of it! Is it doable?

Thanks!

[ChristieP]

Stephenville doesn't have the competitive gymnastics, and the youth soccer appears to only be marginal. It's a small, rural college town that is much better known for rodeos and horse competitions. Unfortunately the other towns which would be within a reasonable commute won't have anything better to offer, and commuting from Fort Worth would be horrible. (Mapquest may say its only a little over an hour drive, but that's not accounting for traffic, and the fact that some of the roads are very small.)

Honestly, I would say your needs would be met better in a larger town, or at least one closer to a major metro area.

[texas_nightowl]

On the whole, I agree with ChristieP. Stephenville is small and rural. And shopping centers? Not so much. The main draw there is Tarleton State University. And horses. The university has a rodeo team.

The commute from Fort Worth or any of the surrounding communities that might be a better fit for your family is going to be over an hour. Maybe just slightly in some cases...like 65 minutes from my house in Aledo.

If you truly don't mind the lengthy commute, Fort Worth or a surrounding town on the south or west side might be possible. The commute would encompass 2 lane roads, but they typically move at speed outside of towns. The other thing to mention...and I have no idea how it would affect the drive...is that the new Chisholm Trail Parkway has opened from Fort Worth to Cleburne. It is a toll road. But from Cleburne you would then have a straight shot on Hwy 67 to Stephenville. You would still be looking at over an hour though IMO.

From where I'm at, Aledo, there are 2 routes to Stephenville. First, I-20 to Hwy 281 South to Stephenville. Second, FM 1187 to Hwy 377 thru Granbury to Stephenville. Both are just over an hour. I don't have kids, so don't know much about the gymnastics and soccer here...except to say that our neighbor's daughter is heavily into soccer...ie. weekend tournaments in Arlington, Dallas, Plano. And she plays competitive tournaments in other places like Kansas City also. No idea on gymnastics. The other plus for Aledo is that it is only 20-30 minutes to lots of shopping in Fort Worth. Aledo schools are highly rated. However, Aledo is what I call rural suburbia. There's not much in Aledo itself except homes.

But again...you would have to be prepared for a commute that is over an hour.

[4Movingeast]

Like TX Nightowl, I live in Aledo. I have driven to and through Stephenville many times, both routes mentioned. I wouldn't want that to be my commute, but my husband does 1.5 hrs each way 3-4 times a week and has for 4 yrs- so- it just depends. No established, competitive gymnastics or soccer in Aledo- Mama will have to cart the girls into FW for that. I wouldn't rule out Granbury or Weatherford. The schools aren't "buzzed" about but they aren't bad by any means. Very safe communities with lots of good people. Weatherford ISD used to have a strong gymnastics program but I have no idea if it is still good. I do think yall will have to drive into FW for club or select soccer. I know for a fact there are rec soccer teams in Wford and Granbury. Your budget for a rental would be great in either location.

[Frog_fan89]

My brother just moved from Stephenville after working out there for about a year. He worked for a large company that had a manufacturing branch in Stephenville. I don't know what company you will work for, but the Company he worked for had LOTS of inner office drama - all caused by small town life. Mind you, he even worked with degreed professionals as an Accountant. Most people that worked there grew up in stephenville. They tended to get the upperhand for company trips, advancement, assignments, etc. compared to my brother, who was seen as an "outsider".

Needless to say, he got out as soon as he could. Housing may be hard to come by with the large student population. At least it was for him. He had to live in a hotel for a while. And unless your kids like to ride horses, there's nothing for them to do there.

I really don't suggest Stephenville -Especially for a family. Any community within reasonable distance wouldn't even properly serve your needs. Weatherford and Granbury would be great options, but like other commenters have said, you'd still need to go to Fort Worth for the gymnastics and soccer.

[ThaBigCheese]

Thank you all for the good, honest responses so far.

I really don't mind an hour commute. In my opinion that's just one of the necessary evils of living in a major metropolitan area. In many major markets it's also the price you pay for living in the safer areas. I don't particularly care for lengthy commutes, but I do it for my family.

Thanks Frog_Fan, I don't know much about Stephenville, but I can't imagine there are too many manufacturing branches in that city. I'm not from a small town, nor have I ever lived in a small town so I don't know how I would handle it. I'm sure I would be an outsider.

I do recognize that I would have to be closer to Ft. Worth for the gymnastics and the soccer, that's why I really appreciate the responses. Not being all that familiar with Ft. Worth, I did think there would be suburbs in the size range of the northern Dallas suburbs. I did look up Aledo, Granville and Weatherford on Google to see where they were located and is there really a place called White Settlement? That is a really interesting name!

Thanks again and please keep the responses coming!

[loves2read]

If you move to FTW you probably want private schools if you are on the west side of town--White Settlement won't have the quality of schools you want
Mira Vista is neighborhood to check out and there is new neighborhood on west side--
went to new builders' show there couple of years ago--forget the name but high $$ and upscale homes--don't know the ISD though--
Aledo ISD has decent schools but not top notch--
I think you are going to be disappointed if you work in Stephenville and try to live in FTW

is it too late to consider other work options?

[ChristieP]

You are going to hate life if you plan to live in Fort Worth and drive to Stephenville for work every day. Don't say we didn't warn you. Rush hour traffic in Granbury is just awful.

And yes, White Settlement is a historic name...

[ThaBigCheese]

Originally Posted by loves2read

is it too late to consider other work options?

Too late, absolutely not. It's only the beginning. I wanted to know all of this information before I got too far down the road. Thanks to all of you for your comments and recommendations. I haven't decided against pursuing this opportunity but I am leaning against it. This may not be the best situation for my family, but I'll keep researching.

Thanks!

[ThaBigCheese]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

You are going to hate life if you plan to live in Fort Worth and drive to Stephenville for work every day. Don't say we didn't warn you. Rush hour traffic in Granbury is just awful.

And yes, White Settlement is a historic name...

Granbury looks to be a town of 8k, how can rush hour be so bad? Is it because it's a small town and they make you crawl through it?