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Could You Move to a Small Town

MaybeACoordinator

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bolverk

bolverk 30376

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, GringoSalado said:

I think I found it, maybe,

810 Goliad St

 

Ck. street view from:

 

32.248433, -101.469646

https://bit.ly/3ZyMvtA

Yeah, that's the one I suspected you were talking about. My older sister got her tonsils taken out there in the mid-80s before it closed down but, fortunately, it's going to get fixed back up.

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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Posted
Always thought Swayze should shoot the abandoned Mental Hospital (?) or whatever right there in Big Spring (unless they have torn it down). I can't find it now but I drove by there many years ago and snooped around outside some. Looked proper spooky.

I checked out a hospital in that area a few years ago. They were demolishing it. Not sure if the same.
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bolverk

bolverk 30376

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37 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:


I checked out a hospital in that area a few years ago. They were demolishing it. Not sure if the same.

It's the same. The building's been abandoned since the 1980s and about a decade ago, one wing caught on fire (suspected homeless). What's left is the original building from the 1920s, while the part that burned up and was subsequently demolished a few years ago was the new wing built in the 30s or 40s as the hospital was expanded. It was called Hall-Bennett, named after 2 doctors who founded the hospital. 

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SydneyCarton

SydneyCarton 49537

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Guadaloopy said:

Yep... that's why we bolted California altogether.  Financially, we were in a really great place, but we wanted to be someplace with a bit more room and a lot more peace.  Couldn't find that in CA without taking out another 30 yr mortgage.  No thanks.  Moved to an unincorporated part of Tulsa county where I am 20 minutes from downtown but have a horse farm across the pond outside my front doorstep.  I see the stars at night and don't hear shit except coyotes now and then.  Will be paid off in 3-1/2 years and 5 yrs after that I can seriously consider retirement.  Probably brought the retirement horizon in by 10 years by leaving CA.

Tulsa County…Oklahoma?

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Foosters

Foosters 18287

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Posted
5 hours ago, Captain Ron said:

Totally missed this thread when it popped up. It's an interesting read, though I was disappointed when it had the 3 year gap that missed the pandemic. Talk about a chance to maybe live the dream.

So I live in the Greater Boston area. Winchester to be precise. I didn't mean to really like/love the Boston area, but it's really fucking great. 10 years going, I don't have many regrets on moving here.

Now to the small town part: one thing about living here is that people get away for the weekend. Sometimes the Cape, winter sees a lot of ski weekends, summer there is hiking. You have Martha's Vineyard, the Berkshires, New York and the Hamptons aren't far off. Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, you name it. There is a lot to do here. Having a second place isn't an oddity here.

But as someone coming from Texas it made no sense to me. I mean we have everything we need at home, why get away? What can somewhere else provide that home doesn't have?

The answer is that everyone here basically lives in the cities and you just want to get away from that.

About a year and a half ago the wife and I found and bought a place up in BFE Vermont. The town is called Waterford, Vermont - population 1,441. Town? Well that link is the google map to "downtown." That building is "city hall" and the post office. We have a fire department, transfer station for trash And that's about it. The place is tiny. Two closest towns: St Johnsbury, VT - population 7,403 and Littleton, NH - population 6,015.

Dairy Queen? The closest is 60 miles away, the easiest to get to is 78 miles away (drive time to each is about the same).

But I will say this, given that I turn 50 in a year (literally my 49th bday today), the wife and I totally see this place as the future place to chill out at. It's the weekend place now, will be the full time home when the nest is empty. I love living in Boston, but this place 2 1/2 hours away is great. The small town vibe up here is really cool. We have a few good restaurants, some great breweries. I'm about to get fiber Internet (finally, no more Starlink!). The house is a bit of a project (inside if not out), so there is something to do up there. Littleton has good enough shopping, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's. There are good enough groceries close by. Come winter I have about a few ski resorts within an hour or so.

And the weather isn't too bad. Summers are mild, winters are fun. The spring is great and fall ...

313422090_10119218109491400_6580751156935975133_n.thumb.jpg.5d575e865beb8cd56e053ca28d3e3011.jpg

And our view isn't too bad either 

70Dybf6A.thumb.jpeg.93eccfc75842aad835e280202c17af39.jpeg

 

Living the fucking dream

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Captain Ron

Captain Ron 13133

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Posted
5 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

Damn dude. And just like that, now I'm looking at property in Vermont and New Hampshire. 

Depending on where you look prices aren't too bad. North East Kingdom is a great place and not an easy to get to from New York, so the prices aren't to bad.

Woodstock and the area around it are also great (plus Ana de Armas just got a place there). That's the place that got us interested in Vermont. We "interviewed" there, New Hampshire and Maine. New Hampshire was ok (Conway), but not as impressive. Maine was out of the running before the interview (we bought our place on the way there), that wasn't a terrible thing we didn't just feel it.

 

4 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

Yeah, I'm shocked to the point I find the question odd. My wife and I live in Houston, and we've basically termed the maximum distance from a weekend home would be 2.5 hours away, and honestly, that's probably further than I'd like. Someplace you can come home, throw the shit in the car, and be at your destination before fucking midnight, and someplace where your entire Sunday getting back to your primary residence isn't most of your day. Who wants to spend all of Friday night in a car, and half of Sunday in a car, for 1 day and a morning of fun elsewhere? Not me, but I guess everyone is different.

As a byproduct, it also means that since we live in a Houston anyplace worth a shit is out of our range of options. But we have Galveston. 

This is honestly why I found the whole idea of the weekend away weird when I got here. It just seems so foreign as a concept. I don't disagree the travel time is an odd piece.

Discussing it, I think the big difference here vs Texas is that when I make a 2-2 1/2 hour drive, I am in a very different places. I listed all the places around here - they are all very different. Mountain, Beaches (BTW - not nearly the same as Texas), greenspaces, hills, etc. Texas in a 2 1/2 hour radius of a major city is still Texas. There are some difference, but not major changes.  But this is just me.

 

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SydneyCarton

SydneyCarton 49537

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7 hours ago, Captain Ron said:

Depending on where you look prices aren't too bad. North East Kingdom is a great place and not an easy to get to from New York, so the prices aren't to bad.

Woodstock and the area around it are also great (plus Ana de Armas just got a place there). That's the place that got us interested in Vermont. We "interviewed" there, New Hampshire and Maine. New Hampshire was ok (Conway), but not as impressive. Maine was out of the running before the interview (we bought our place on the way there), that wasn't a terrible thing we didn't just feel it.

 

This is honestly why I found the whole idea of the weekend away weird when I got here. It just seems so foreign as a concept. I don't disagree the travel time is an odd piece.

Discussing it, I think the big difference here vs Texas is that when I make a 2-2 1/2 hour drive, I am in a very different places. I listed all the places around here - they are all very different. Mountain, Beaches (BTW - not nearly the same as Texas), greenspaces, hills, etc. Texas in a 2 1/2 hour radius of a major city is still Texas. There are some difference, but not major changes.  But this is just me.

 

Agree completely. I need a change for it to be a relaxing trip. A view, a lake, beach etc. 

 

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Chopper

Chopper 17452

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Counterpoint: I pulled over to the side of the road with a flat tire at 6th and Guad in downtown Austin a few years back, and within a minute or less a guy offered to change it for me.

 

20 hours ago, Frank Drebin said:

Aspen is one of my favorite places in the world.  But Jesus the cost. $30 for a hamburger.  $7 for an iced tea where many places charge you $7 for a refill of said iced-tea.  We have been going there for decades.  It has gotten stupid the last ten years.

And forget about buying something there.

A friend from Austin bought a large, expensive spread in Breck a couple years ago but ended up hating it and putting the place on the market after two years because he disliked living at 9600 feet. 

7500 feet elevation in Santa Fe wasn't a problem for me but I can't say I enjoyed living there. Among the problems - too many old people, too many homeless, and a poor state and city gov't. Now in Fort Collins, I definitely like the vibrancy that goes along with being in a college town. 150k population feels good too me.

No, I don't think I could move to a small town.

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GoPokes83

GoPokes83 2249

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Went from far north Austin to Smithville, then Bastrop once the drive to the Capitol got to be the same drive time. Loved it! Once we retired (ages 51/52) after a year we decided to move full time to the coast community we’ve had a house at for decades outside Port Lavaca. Surprisingly decent schools, but PL is a real shit hole! Shopping consists of HEB and Wal Mart, (both run down) and other than like 20 Mexican restaurants in a town of 15k the options are very limited. Closest city is Victoria, and it’s just a larger shit hole. I miss living in Bastrop almost daily, but Austin not one bit.

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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Went from far north Austin to Smithville, then Bastrop once the drive to the Capitol got to be the same drive time. Loved it! Once we retired (ages 51/52) after a year we decided to move full time to the coast community we’ve had a house at for decades outside Port Lavaca. Surprisingly decent schools, but PL is a real shit hole! Shopping consists of HEB and Wal Mart, (both run down) and other than like 20 Mexican restaurants in a town of 15k the options are very limited. Closest city is Victoria, and it’s just a larger shit hole. I miss living in Bastrop almost daily, but Austin not one bit.

I could maybe do Rockport, but not Port La caca (as we called it as kids). At least you have lavaca bbq.
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CooterBrown

CooterBrown 18289

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I was 30 minutes from a town that size (Austin, Minnesota - birthplace of John Madden and SPAM) and it was our regular place to get groceries, clothes, etc.


I knew Austin, TX, finally made it about 20 years ago when all the online airline searches quit defaulting “Austin” to “Austin, MN”. I’d totally forgotten about that until your post. Every time it happened, I was like “what the fuck is Austin, Minnesota?”
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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12668

Posted
Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

 


I knew Austin, TX, finally made it about 20 years ago when all the online airline searches quit defaulting “Austin” to “Austin, MN”. I’d totally forgotten about that until your post. Every time it happened, I was like “what the fuck is Austin, Minnesota?”

 

Austin, Minnesota is a somewhat hollowed out meat packing town about 40 years past it's hay day.

They've rebounded a little lately, but it's a full hour from where I live now, and in the wrong direction for weekend recreation (out on the plains vs the hill country along the MIssissippi) so I don't get there much.  If you ever find yourself there, for some reason, there's surprisingly a good Mexican place downtown (again, Midwest meat packing town - heavy Hispanic population).

Edited by Al_4_ISU
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Pods

Pods 7638

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Posted
9 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

They better hope they're not the fast zombies from World War Z

Nah, they're small town zombies. He'll have plenty of advance notice, because they will be stopping to help, and then eat the brains of, anyone broken down on the side of the road. 

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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rockport sucks 

My grandparents owned a house at Laurel and 3rd for almost 40 years. Sold it off when my grandmother died. My mom loves it down there so my folks built a house off Fulton beach road about 7 years ago and moved down full time last summer. It’s touristy but it’s what I have known all my life. My kids love it. There are a couple of good restaurants and a whataburger. Sinton and Port Lavaca not too far for bbq. I would take Rockport over Galveston 100/100 times.
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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15632

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1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:


My grandparents owned a house at Laurel and 3rd for almost 40 years. Sold it off when my grandmother died. My mom loves it down there so my folks built a house off Fulton beach road about 7 years ago and moved down full time last summer. It’s touristy but it’s what I have known all my life. My kids love it. There are a couple of good restaurants and a whataburger. Sinton and Port Lavaca not too far for bbq. I would take Rockport over Galveston 100/100 times.

This.  Folks had a friend from their church that has a little place on the water with one of those long piers to fish off.  We stayed there a few times when the kids were little.  Fun little town.  

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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This.  Folks had a friend from their church that has a little place on the water with one of those long piers to fish off.  We stayed there a few times when the kids were little.  Fun little town.  

My folk’s neighborhood (I think 17 houses) have a nice pier. We catch a lot of specs, drum and of course fucking hard heads.

I was pissed when the cheesesteak place closed. And Charlotte Plummer’s is just a place to go eat out of nostalgia. But Steer Burger and Pier 77 are solid.

We are actually headed down on Friday. Just in time for the shitty weather.
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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12668

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I get a kick out of looking up some of the small towns mentioned in this thread, but Dell City looked like it was on it's own level of isolation.

From what I can gather, it just looks someone dug a bunch of wells in the desert to irrigate hay fields, and that's basically the economy.  The random burst of farms in the middle of hundreds of miles of desert is interesting to view on Google.

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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I get a kick out of looking up some of the small towns mentioned in this thread, but Dell City looked like it was on it's own level of isolation.
From what I can gather, it just looks someone dug a bunch of wells in the desert to irrigate hay fields, and that's basically the economy.  The random burst of farms in the middle of hundreds of miles of desert is interesting to view on Google.

Do a google search for: lobo texas germans

I like disappearing to Sanderson from time to time.
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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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Interesting.  They actually pulled a few of their festivals off.

Yeah. But I think it’s basically abandoned now. I recall reading something about a party they threw after the motel pool was refilled. Coming from Germany to a desert in texas they didn’t realize how much sand and dust would blow into the pool.
Around the time they bought the town I was starting to consider closing my recording studio in Austin. I contacted them to see if they wanted to build a studio there for artists to get away and record. They liked the idea but weren’t ready for that. I was thinking along the lines of the studio that Al Jourgensen owns on a pecan farm along the Rio Grande.

Now go look up Eldorado, TX and see what made that crappy town famous.
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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12668

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13 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:


Yeah. But I think it’s basically abandoned now. I recall reading something about a party they threw after the motel pool was refilled. Coming from Germany to a desert in texas they didn’t realize how much sand and dust would blow into the pool.
Around the time they bought the town I was starting to consider closing my recording studio in Austin. I contacted them to see if they wanted to build a studio there for artists to get away and record. They liked the idea but weren’t ready for that. I was thinking along the lines of the studio that Al Jourgensen owns on a pecan farm along the Rio Grande.

Now go look up Eldorado, TX and see what made that crappy town famous.

Is that the place Whiskey Myers made their last album?

 

Just looked Eldorado.  Yikes.  Warren Jeffs was a name I hadn't heard in a minute.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12668

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1 minute ago, Patricio Swayze said:


Not familiar with the band, but I looked it up and yeah, they recorded it at Sonic Ranch. Name of the album makes sense.

I remember all the pre-release interviews mentioned going out to the desert to record it, and that the album was named after the nearby town.

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tx 3 putt

tx 3 putt 78789

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:


My grandparents owned a house at Laurel and 3rd for almost 40 years. Sold it off when my grandmother died. My mom loves it down there so my folks built a house off Fulton beach road about 7 years ago and moved down full time last summer. It’s touristy but it’s what I have known all my life. My kids love it. There are a couple of good restaurants and a whataburger. Sinton and Port Lavaca not too far for bbq. I would take Rockport over Galveston 100/100 times.


very cool. That area has just exploded. It’ll soon be the rockport Fulton Estes city by the sea aransas pass ingleside Gregory Portland metro plex 

rockport country club isn’t a bad track at all 

Edited by tx 3 putt
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CleverNickname

CleverNickname 1346

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, GringoSalado said:

spacer.png

 

edit: working for El Paso Water Utility (they bought Dell City about 5 years ago)?

Guadalupe Mountains NP. Did the dune hike on the north side. Meh. Stayed in Carlsbad and really wanted to try and drive from Dell City clockwise around GMNP/Carlsbad and connect with 137, but wife didn't trust Google maps to not put us on a cow path. Fair. Here is me slowing for a tumbleweed outside of Dell City:

 

 

20230312_153323.jpg

Edited by CleverNickname
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GringoSalado

GringoSalado 1654

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

4 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:


Do a google search for: lobo texas germans

I like disappearing to Sanderson from time to time.

My old man's godfather is from Ft. Davis, and I still go down to Lajitas etc. now and then, so I've driven by this place over the years and had never heard of any of that. 

 

33 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

Guadalupe Mountains NP. Did the dune hike on the north side. Meh. Stayed in Carlsbad and really wanted to try and drive from Dell City clockwise around GMNP/Carlsbad and connect with 137, but wife didn't trust Google maps to not put us on a cow path. Fair. Here is me slowing for a tumbleweed outside of Dell City:

Yeah I've wanted to explore those roads myself, but never have. Went out there around when EPWU bought the place.

Edited by GringoSalado
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GringoSalado

GringoSalado 1654

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I get a kick out of looking up some of the small towns mentioned in this thread, but Dell City looked like it was on it's own level of isolation.

From what I can gather, it just looks someone dug a bunch of wells in the desert to irrigate hay fields, and that's basically the economy.  The random burst of farms in the middle of hundreds of miles of desert is interesting to view on Google.

The fact that they dug wells and there was fucking water there is what was/is remarkable (and why a water utility now owns it). Water's kinda alkaline. Alfalfa, cotton, and some grapes. There are large areas on either side of Dell City where you cannot find water at any depth (not a geomorphologist).

 

 

 

  

4 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Now go look up Eldorado, TX and see what made that crappy town famous.

I had heard of that.

Edited by GringoSalado
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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4640

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10 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:


My grandparents owned a house at Laurel and 3rd for almost 40 years. Sold it off when my grandmother died. My mom loves it down there so my folks built a house off Fulton beach road about 7 years ago and moved down full time last summer. It’s touristy but it’s what I have known all my life. My kids love it. There are a couple of good restaurants and a whataburger. Sinton and Port Lavaca not too far for bbq. I would take Rockport over Galveston 100/100 times.

One of my life goals was to have a place in KA. I can recall the exact time it became unobtanium.  Love Rockport. 

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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4640

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37 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:


They still haven’t completely fixed the bridge going into KA that was destroyed during Harvey.

I still get down there several times a year.  Have a couple of friends with places scattered throughout KA. Heading down for a week in May.  Love it.  Boss is building a deep 7 figure place out near city of the sea right now. Was hoping he’d gather a couple of lots in KA and build there, but the wife is into being surrounded completely by newer stuff I guess.  

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NoName

NoName 17196

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14 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

I have a spot spot for Samderson. Fun fact: you could go from to my house in Austin to Sanderson via Cap Metro to Amtrak. So European! 

craziest and hardest rain i have ever driven through was just outside of Sanderson. obviously in the middle of nowhere. road was decent but went from dry to water standing on road in no time. crazy wind...had to pull off on the side of the road in the MIDDLE of nowhere. scared the hell out of me. 0/10 do not recommend.

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