Kerrville, San Angelo, or San Marcos? (San Antonio, Austin: rent, crime, house)

[FeFiFoMo]

Hello everyone! We initially planned on moving to Arizona but the buyers of our house flaked out on us. So, now that our house is back on the market and the house we wanted in AZ is gone, we decided to revisit our decision on where we want to move. We are thinking about going to Texas instead. I prefer the rivers and hills of Texas (though I do love AZ, too). Plus, there seem to be better job opportunities in Texas for my fiance and me.

We have sort of narrowed down our list to San Angelo, Kerrville, and San Marcos. Which city seems the best to you? They seem to have fairly similar crime stats, with the edge going to Kerrville, then San Angelo, then San Marcos. Has that been your experience? What about the people in the different areas. Are they welcoming? Any info or thoughts you can share are welcome!

A bit more about us: We have a unique situation--My fiance and I live with my parents (my mom is in the mid to later stages of early onset Alzheimer's, my father was just diagnosed with cancer a few months ago) and my sister (who is developmentally disabled. Basically, we share the load amongst ourselves. We are moving from the midwest to the Southwest due to better costs for memory care for my mom and warmer weather for my dad (and, I'll be honest, me--see ya later, blizzards!).

I currently work from home and am able to work anywhere I have internet access, but I'd like to get my teaching certificate and move to the classroom within the next year. My fiance has accounting and office management experience. My father is a veteran, so he would like to be close to a VA hospital and a cancer center, and ideally within 3 hours of a VA hospital for more serious issues.

[TexasRedneck]

Given all that you outlined, I'd vote for New Braunfels. Less than an hour away from San Antonio, and about 90 minutes from Kerrville (which, I've been given to understand, has quicker access). Why not Kerrville? Because the taxes and general lifestyle - high property taxes, and a retirement area with higher housing costs and less things to do for the younger set, IMO.

I lived in Bandera (down the road from Kerrville), and my folks retired to Kerrville. When mom passed, we seriously considered buying her home, but when I looked at the property taxes I about lost it. They would have been higher than our New Braunfels home for a lower-valued home - and the folks I spoke with in the various governmental offices were about as warm and inviting as a pit full of vipers.

San Marcos IS a nice town, but with a good sized university there (Texas State University), there's a lot of the issues often seen with college towns.

New Braunfels is a growing community with highly-rated schools that are almost always looking for teachers, and we have two hospitals in town.

Feel free to message me if you have any further specific questions you'd rather not post publicly.

[FeFiFoMo]

This is absolutely incredible info. Thank you so much for all of this. We will definitely look at New Braunfels. Very good info to know about Kerrville's property taxes. I cannot thank you enough!

[Quyp]

I currently live in Kerrville, I lived in San Marcos a number of years, unfortunately I don't know anything about San Angelo.
First San Marcos is overpriced due to the University. It is considered a party school and you can imagine the issues with that. It's pretty but it's packed with people. If you are single and under 30 maybe San Marcos but I wouldn't if I were in your situation.
We currently rent in Kerrville and have for almost four years. My fiance is a former teacher and works in Education just not in the classroom. He works from home. Kerrville is a very poor choice if you need substainable employment. When we first moved here he attempted to find work for almost a year. He has his B.S., excellent references and work history. There is little employment and what there is goes to people who know someone. Also there are a significant number of rehabs in this town. This causes a lot of have and have nots to the extreme. We are a middle class family and feel left out of any social scene. The rent is reasonable here when compared to the whole of the United States but not compared to much of small town Texas. The property taxes are outrageous. We are looking to buy and definitely are looking outside of Kerrville.
It does have a beautiful river, and it's a pretty town. The hospital here is awful from my experience but the one in Fredericksburg only 40 minutes away is excellent.

There are many little towns surrounding Kerrville that may be a better fit. Comfort or Ingram comes to mind. You will pay less for the home and less in taxes but be close enough to do everything you need in Kerrville. Boerne is another option much closer to San Antonio. It's too big and city for me personally.
If you have kids or are planning to, look into private schools or other towns. The elementary schools here are decent. The high school is awful. I don't have to go anywhere else for my shopping. If I can't find it local I order online. There isn't much entertainment but there are some beautiful parks here and many more within a reasonable distance. If you want city fun, Austin and San Antonio aren't so far away you can't go there for events.
I hope this helped you, please PM me for more specific information. Let me know if you move anywhere nesrby. Your family situation is similar to mine.

I hope some

[FeFiFoMo]

Wow! I really appreciate this insight. Thank you, thank you! It sounds like Kerrville is definitely not the spot for us. Your info on the hospital in particular has been helpful. I also appreciate your notes on San Marcos. Looks like we will be ruling those areas out. New Braunfels is definitely a front runner now, and we will have to look at a few other areas. Thanks so much!

[supfromthesite]

I would try New Braunfels if you can handle the traffic. San Angelo isn't a bad choice and I would add Victoria.

[StealthRabbit]

We have 6 rural income homes near Kerrville, largely due to property taxes are CHEAP compared to other places we have properties.

Since Kerrville has a small VA medical center (limited services), and the big box stores + 3 college options it works out OK for us.
There are some very good oncologists in Kerrville (Have 3 friends under cancer care at the moment).

I would check to see if Kerrville VA will take your dad's needs, otherwise It may require Ft Sam (SA). So.. find your needed services (for parents) and draw a circle on the map. The closer the better (at this time of life). 20 min is plenty far from services, since you will be going often.

I will guess north or NE SA will be the best option.

[gabetx]

I would recommend the areas around San Marcos, such as New Braunfels or Kyle. Kyle is 10 miles north of San Marcos and 20 miles from downtown Austin. New Braunfels is 20 miles south of San Marcos and 30ish miles from downtown San Antonio. They are more affordable and quieter than San Marcos.

[Stu8912]

All those are great places in my mind. San Angelo I'm really fond of, but as far as I know Big Spring is the closest VA hospital.

Might want to consider the Temple/Belton area as well. About the size you are looking at. Has the lakes and rivers you say you are looking for. But more importantly Temple has a Large VA hospital.

[Antler1]

I live in Kerrville but I am trying to move out as soon as possible. I am a teacher here and all I can say is thank your lucky stars you don’t work here. The schools here look good on paper but are far from it in reality. Kids smoke pot like it was going out of style; you ought to see the parking lot after school...crazy. Also there is a serious cocaine problem among our large population of wealthy kids. It’s not the quaint county town our leaders portray. My two cents.